Book Review: From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

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This one came to me as a hand-off: my husband Kyle knew I was in my post-ACOTAR wandering phase and pointed out that From Blood and Ash is what half the fandom reads next. He was right, and I’m pretty impressed.

The spoiler-free setup: Poppy is the Maiden — veiled, guarded, untouchable, her entire life scheduled around a destiny nobody asked if she wanted. Then a new guard named Hawke joins her protection detail, and the book’s central problem becomes very simple and very fun: the one person she absolutely cannot want is the one person who actually sees her.

What I Loved About From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

The most sparkly part of this book is the banter and chemistry between Poppy and Hawke. I’m a sucker for good banter — it’s the hardest thing to fake in a romance, because it’s where wooden characters go to get caught — and the dialog here does not disappoint. At no point did I stop buying either character’s motivations, and at no point did the romance feel contrived. Kudos to Armentrout for knowing exactly what her readers came for and overdelivering in that arena.

The worldbuilding sneaks up on you, too. The plot is solid with some genuinely good surprises, and the book keeps introducing rituals and traditions that made me curious enough to keep reading just to understand the rules. That’s craft: curiosity is a subtler hook than a cliffhanger, and it lasts longer.

What I Didn’t Love About From Blood and Ash

The pacing indulges itself. There’s more exposition than this story strictly needs, and I finished the book wishing a bit more had happened inside its 600-plus pages. I never got bored — the voice carries it — but if you need a plot that sprints, know that this one strolls, flirts, and takes the scenic route.

Did that stop me from buying the sequel the second I finished? It did not. The addictive nature of this series will absolutely destroy your sleep schedule, and I say that as someone who guards her sleep like a dragon guards gold.

Final Thoughts on From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

My final score: 4 out of 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice rating: 4 out of 5 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️

Do I recommend this book? 👍 Yes!

If banter is your love language, start here. If you want dragons and war college instead, my Fourth Wing review has you covered — and the full shelf lives at my book reviews page.

🔥 A New Romantasy on Kindle Unlimited: The Ash Trials

And when you’ve finished the Blood and Ash backlist and need a new obsession: My romantasy novel The Ash Trials is on Kindle Unlimited: deadly trials, a slow-burn romance, and a heroine with everything to prove. If tonight’s the night you stay up too late with a book, I’d love it to be mine.