EVERYTHING J. L. ARMENTROUT: From Blood and Ash and A Kingdom Of Flesh And Fire Review

"Nothing is ever simple. And when it is, it's rarely every worth it."

I've never declared myself to be a fan of anything. But ever since I read Obsidian by Jennifer, I've been on a downward spiral from there so it's no surprise that the Blood and Ash series is my newest obsession.

During an online book hunt, I stumbled across Jennifer's new series on Amazon (I've posted the links below) so, of course, I bought them. After finishing both books one and two within two weeks, and successfully submitting my "okayish" essay for university, I decided it was high time I uploaded my reviews - especially since book 3 isn't ready to be released until April which is waaaay too long.

As with every J Lynn series, she starts off with a daredevil heroine, Penellaphe "Poppy" Balfour, she adds in a gorgeous, drool-worthy hero, Casteel Da'Neer, and a ton of steamy romance to make the perfect trifecta. I promise you that this book contains everything that you're looking for in a fantasy novel: magic, mystery, action, romance, and the all-important humour. This series is perfect for fans of Sarah. J. Maas. Though, fair warning, there's plenty of content that will make you blush so I don't recommend reading it in front of your parents. Though, that being said, if you're not interested in the steamy factor then don't worry because there is plenty of amazing, fantastical and funny moments to read as well.

To give you a quick(ish) recap - which includes some MASSIVE spoilers - From Blood and Ash begins with Poppy cloistered away and under the ward of the Duke and Duchess of Masadonia. The Duke and Duchess are part of 'the Ascended' a seemingly elite sect of society that are secretly vampyrs. Little do her guardians know that Poppy sneaks out into the city along with her guard, Viktor, to assist with providing dignity with death for those bitten by the Craven. The Craven hide in the mist that skirts along the edge of the city. They are blood-thirsty, feral animals despite being once human. The Ascended control the city and the land. They claim to be able to communicate with the Gods who have 'chosen' Poppy as the Maiden. Being chosen is of little interest to Poppy, it gives the Duke permission to punish her and gratify his sadistic nature, it forces her to be quiet and most of all, veiled. The invisibility of the position is frustrating so the first opportunity she gets, Poppy escapes into the city in pursuit of pleasure for one night before she returns back to her chambers. Little does she know that the room that she enters at the Red Pearl is occupied by none other than Hawke, a golden-eyed, attractive guard new to the city. Little does Poppy know that Hawke is actually Prince Casteel Da'Neer, or that he planning to kidnap and ransom her for the return of his brother. Under the guise of Hawke, Casteel gains the position as Poppy's newest guard following the death of her former one. Hawke and Poppy begin to indulge themselves in everything forbidden; friendship, love, pleasure. But as tensions in the kingdom rise to breaking point, Poppy and Hawke become increasingly divided. Descenters, followers of the Atlantians and the Dark One, Casteel, enter the court. Poppy fights back, along with Viktor and tries to save her friend Tawny. She, Vicktor, and Tawny manage to hide with the Duchess and Lord Mazeen- who is a sleazy, disgusting character if there ever was one. Descenters enter the room and kill Viktor while Poppy fights off the rest with her dagger and strength. In grief and rage, she takes revenge on Lord Mazeen for his around creepiness and harassment of her. Following the massacre, orders arrive from the Queen, commanding Poppy be taken to the capital. Hawke arranges a small party to take her however upon arrival in New Haven, a small town, Poppy notices that the Ascended as absent. When her guards try to carry her away from the place, the townsmen- revealed as Descenters- kill the party and Hawke is revealed as Casteel to Poppy's horror. Chained and imprisoned, Poppy realised the love and passion she shared with Hawke had all been a lie.

Even with this betrayal, the passion between them is undeniable despite Poppy's inclination for violence. In a twisted sense of romance, the novel ends with Casteel promising marriage when he and Poppy stand on Atlantian soil as Poppy is revealed to be half-Atlantian, half-human.

Book two, A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire, picks up from this proposal and Poppy responding with a big fat no. Casteel convinces himself and Poppy that marriage will secure Poppy's safety and her freedom. Eventually, Poppy agrees under the conditions that Casteel helps her find her brother when saving his own. Unfortunately, the Ascended arrive in New Haven upon being alerted to the disappearance of Poppy. In a violent battle, Poppy is taken by Lord Chaney and suffers huge, life-threatening blood loss. Casteel rescues her, but not before Poppy truly understands the violence and cruelty of the Ascended, the very people who raised her and cared for her. With this revelation, Poppy becomes closer to Casteel and the Atlantian's cause, though the people distrust her still.

The couple travel from New Haven to Spessa's End where Poppy realises that Atlantis is growing strong. However, during an accident involving Beckett and a collapsing roof, the wolf suffers extensive injuries to his legs. During the crisis, Poppy uses her powers and heals the wolf, and begins to glow silver. This maturity of her powers becomes both feared and revered by the people.

Casteel and Poppy marry, and the union turns the sky black, meaning that the gods approve. Shortly after, the Ascended arrive on Spessa's End, with the Duchess of Masadonia leading the army. With the aid of Atlantian forces, the army is defeated. The following day Poppy, Casteel and Kieran (my favourite character) cross the mountains into Atlantia. However, during the night the mist plays with Poppy's mind, making her relive the trauma of her parents' deaths in greater detail. These memories have Poppy sleepwalking to the edge of the mountain but a beautiful woman stops her. When Casteel and Kieran arrive the woman is gone, but the quaking of land suggests that a god is returning to their place of rest.

The trio exit the mountains, joining with their party and enter Atlantia's city. During her brief separation from Casteel, Poppy is lead to the temples where the people of Atlantia begin to throw stones at her. In her anger and pain, Poppy's powers manifest. The skin begins to rain down blood as the Gods express their anger. Poppy turn's the people's pain back on themselves and lets them choke to death from it. Behind her, a blood-leafed tree grows from where her blood was spilt. Casteel arrives to find Poppy surrounded by his dead people but also hundreds of wolves. Behind him as his parents, the king and queen. Casteel bows before Poppy and his mother orders the Atlantians to lay down their weapons as she recognises Poppy as the last descendant of the oldest of gods, and therefore naming her queen.

Of course, that is not an extensive account of everything that happens (a lot happens in 600 glorious pages). So, I haven't included everything - even though I tried. Overall, I can't recommend this series enough. I love how fast-paced and thoughtful the plot is. The world that Jennifer creates is immersive and exciting. The characters are clever, funny and interesting. What I like about her characterisation is that he emphasises the flaws of her characters so the characters aren't perfect, but that makes them perfect.

All I have to say really is that I can't wait for the next instalment.

Link to From Blood and Ash: https://jenniferlarmentrout.com/books/from-blood-and-ash/