From Blood and Ash (From Blood and Ash #1)
by Jennifer L. Armentrout
4 out of 5 stars
From Blood and Ash is an action-packed fantasy novel that tells the story of Penellaphe Balfour.
Penellaphe, or "Poppy," is bound to fulfill her Maiden duty of Ascension to maintain the gods' favor for the kingdom where she lives on her 19th birthday.
'Gods-chosen,' she lives a very sheltered and veiled life, not allowed to mingle or interact with anyone other than her handmaid, guards, and those assigned to her education and care.
As one might have guessed, Poppy is uncertain about her future and what the 'Ascension' will entail. There is much secrecy surrounding the customs and traditions of the Ascension and the Maiden, so naturally, Poppy starts to question things.
The level of unrest in the kingdom escalates, and Poppy finds herself with a new and very intriguing guard assigned to protect her.
I don't want to give away any spoilers, so I will end my synopsis here.
Now for my thoughts...
I enjoyed this story. When reading a new fantasy series, it is easy to compare the writing and worldbuilding to others in the genre. I tend to compare things to the A Court of Thorns and Roses series when it comes to a Fantasy or Romantasy genre.
I think this first book in the series could have used a bit more detail with the worldbuilding - in a show us, don't tell us kind of way. Additionally, I found some of the dialogue seemed a bit too modern in comparison to the world the characters live in.
Despite these things, I still thoroughly enjoyed this book and have already ordered the additional books in the series.
I felt there was good foreshadowing, and as we got closer to the "big twist," it became more obvious -- I never have a problem if twists are apparent to the reader. The anticipation comes from the character not knowing what will happen.
If you are a fan of fantasy (leaning more towards romantasy than epic fantasy), I would suggest reading this one.
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