Blood and Ash
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
1. FROM BLOOD AND ASH by Jennifer L. Armentrout
SYNOPSIS
A maiden…
Chosen from birth to usher in a new era, Poppy’s life has never been her own. The life of the Maiden is solitary. Never to be touched. Never to be looked upon. Never to be spoken to. Never to experience pleasure. Waiting for the day of her Ascension, she would rather be with the guards, fighting back the evil that took her family, than preparing to be found worthy by the gods. But the choice has never been hers.
A duty…
The entire kingdom’s future rests on Poppy’s shoulders, something she’s not even quite sure she wants for herself. Because a Maiden has a heart. And a soul. And longing. And when Hawke, a golden-eyed guard honor-bound to ensure her Ascension, enters her life, destiny and duty become tangled with desire and need. He incites her anger, makes her question everything she believes in, and tempts her with the forbidden.
A kingdom…
Forsaken by the gods and feared by mortals, a fallen kingdom is rising once more, determined to take back what they believe is theirs through violence and vengeance. And as the shadow of those cursed draws closer, the line between what is forbidden and what is right becomes blurred. Poppy is not only on the verge of losing her heart and being found unworthy by the gods, but also her life when every blood-soaked thread that holds her world together begins to unravel.
BOOK REVIEW
Jennifer L. Armentrout came down with a bang, like a bolt of spring lightning in the clear sky, and surprised everybody with an alluring high fantasy romance novel packed with lots of action, secrets, and steam. Although the world-building was rather slow with lots of info-dumps and thus, confusing in the beginning, the overall atmosphere was like an absolutely stunning, murderous, little creature (if you know, you know).
Fear and bravery are often one and the same. It either makes you a warrior or a coward. The only difference is the person it resides inside.
From Blood and Ash was definitely character-driven. I don’t want to spoil anything for you guys, but Hawke and Poppy were everything and more. The two characters to be absolutely obsessed with. Poignant and fierce. The chemistry, as well as the entire dynamic between them, were to die for. I partly did anyway.
The book was filled with unique banter and integrated some classic fantasy elements with JLA spin to it. It was seriously the best book I’ve read in 2020 so far. And I cannot wait for my copy of A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire in order to find out what happens to Hawke and Poppy next!
The vampires are officially back, ladies and gentlemen!
2. A KINGDOM OF FLESH AND FIRE by Jennifer L. Armentrout
SYNOPSIS
Is love stronger than vengeance?
A betrayal…
Everything Poppy has ever believed in is a lie, including the man she was falling in love with. Thrust among those who see her as a symbol of a monstrous kingdom, she barely knows who she is without the veil of the Maiden. But what she does know is that nothing is as dangerous to her as him. The Dark One. The Prince of Atlantia. He wants her to fight him, and that’s one order she’s more than happy to obey. He may have taken her, but he will never have her.
A choice….
Casteel Da’Neer is known by many names and many faces. His lies are as seductive as his touch. His truths as sensual as his bite. Poppy knows better than to trust him. He needs her alive, healthy, and whole to achieve his goals. But he’s the only way for her to get what she wants—to find her brother Ian and see for herself if he has become a soulless Ascended. Working with Casteel instead of against him presents its own risks. He still tempts her with every breath, offering up all she’s ever wanted. Casteel has plans for her. Ones that could expose her to unimaginable pleasure and unfathomable pain. Plans that will force her to look beyond everything she thought she knew about herself—about him. Plans that could bind their lives together in unexpected ways that neither kingdom is prepared for. And she’s far too reckless, too hungry, to resist the temptation.
A secret…
But unrest has grown in Atlantia as they await the return of their Prince. Whispers of war have become stronger, and Poppy is at the very heart of it all. The King wants to use her to send a message. The Descenters want her dead. The wolven are growing more unpredictable. And as her abilities to feel pain and emotion begin to grow and strengthen, the Atlantians start to fear her. Dark secrets are at play, ones steeped in the blood-drenched sins of two kingdoms that would do anything to keep the truth hidden. But when the earth begins to shake, and the skies start to bleed, it may already be too late.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
BOOK REVIEW
A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire was more like a history book of Atlantia for the most part, so it was kind of too much information-wise but still not boring because of all the action that took place.
The romance between Poppy and Hawke was blossoming beautifully, which I absolutely loved!
But fucking hell, what was that cliffhanger?!
⭐⭐⭐⭐
3. THE CROWN OF GILDED BONES by Jennifer L. Armentrout
SYNOPSIS
She’s been the victim and the survivor…
Poppy never dreamed she would find the love she’s found with Prince Casteel. She wants to revel in her happiness but first, they must free his brother and find hers. It’s a dangerous mission and one with far-reaching consequences neither dreamed of. Because Poppy is the Chosen, the Blessed. The true ruler of Atlantia. She carries the blood of the King of Gods within her. By right the crown and the kingdom are hers.
The enemy and the warrior…
Poppy has only ever wanted to control her own life, not the lives of others, but now she must choose to either forsake her birthright or seize the gilded crown and become the Queen of Flesh and Fire. But as the kingdoms’ dark sins and blood-drenched secrets finally unravel, a long-forgotten power rises to pose a genuine threat. And they will stop at nothing to ensure that the crown never sits upon Poppy’s head.
A lover and heartmate…
But the greatest threat to them and to Atlantia is what awaits in the far west, where the Queen of Blood and Ash has her own plans, ones she has waited hundreds of years to carry out. Poppy and Casteel must consider the impossible—travel to the Lands of the Gods and wake the King himself. And as shocking secrets and the harshest betrayals come to light, and enemies emerge to threaten everything Poppy and Casteel have fought for, they will discover just how far they are willing to go for their people—and each other.
And now she will become Queen…
BOOK REVIEW
The Crown of Gilded Bones was all about the honeydew and lots of questions, which I hope will not drag and be answered nicely in the next installment (March of 2022).
PS. I’m still waiting for the joining…
4. THE WAR OF TWO QUEENS by Jennifer L. Armentrout
SYNOPSIS
From the desperation of golden crowns…
Casteel Da’Neer knows all too well that very few are as cunning or vicious as the Blood Queen, but no one, not even him, could’ve prepared for the staggering revelations. The magnitude of what the Blood Queen has done is almost unthinkable.
And born of mortal flesh…
Nothing will stop Poppy from freeing her King and destroying everything the Blood Crown stands for. With the strength of the Primal of Life’s guards behind her, and the support of the wolven, Poppy must convince the Atlantian generals to make war her way—because there can be no retreat this time. Not if she has any hope of building a future where both kingdoms can reside in peace.
A great primal power rises…
Together, Poppy and Casteel must embrace traditions old and new to safeguard those they hold dear—to protect those who cannot defend themselves. But war is only the beginning. Ancient primal powers have already stirred, revealing the horror of what began eons ago. To end what the Blood Queen has begun, Poppy might have to become what she has been prophesied to be—what she fears the most.
As the Harbinger of Death and Destruction.
⭐⭐⭐
5. A SOUL OF ASH AND BLOOD by Jennifer L. Armentrout
SYNOPSIS
Hawke’s turn to tell the story... Only his memories can save her.
A great primal power has risen. The Queen of Flesh and Fire has become the Primal of Blood and Bone—the true Primal of Life and Death. And the battle Casteel, Poppy, and their allies have been fighting has only just begun. Gods are awakening across Iliseeum and the mortal realm, readying for the war to come.
But when Poppy falls into stasis, Cas faces the very real possibility that the dire, unexpected consequences of what she is becoming could take her away from him. Cas is given some advice, though—something he plans to cling to as he waits to see her beautiful eyes open once more: Talk to her.
And so, he does. He reminds Poppy how their journey began, revealing things about himself that only Kieran knows in the process. But it’s anybody’s guess what she’ll wake to or exactly how much of the realm and Cas will have changed when she does.
6. THE PRIMAL OF BLOOD AND BONE by Jennifer L. Armentrout
SYNOPSIS
In the shadows and flames, Primals will fall… And from the blood and ash, new gods will rise.
Poppy and Casteel face their most perilous challenges yet as old enemies rise and ancient powers stir from their slumber. Bound by love but driven by destiny, they must navigate a world on the brink of devastation—where every choice has deadly consequences. With their bond tested and their future hanging in the balance, the fate of the realm rests on the strength of their hearts and the power of the Deminyen.
0. VISIONS OF FLESH AND BLOOD by Jennifer L. Armentrout
SYNOPSIS
A comprehensive companion guide for background, history, reader-favorite information, art, and reference materials. Combined with original short stories and scenes from some of the world’s most beloved characters, as well as never-before-seen visual enticements, it’s a treat for the senses.
Told from the point of view of Miss Willa herself, the compendium acts like research material but reads like a journal and cache of personal notes, allowing the reader to revisit the characters and history they so love yet view things in a different way.