What is From Blood and Ash about?
This is an ongoing romantasy series starring, Poppy a chosen Maiden: sheltered, forbidden from all earthly pleasures, and destined to Ascend for the sake of her kingdom. Her carefully controlled life is shattered when a guard named Hawke awakens desires she was never meant to feel as a rising darkness threatens their world.
Want to buddy read with me? Get your annotated books of the Blood and Ash series here
Jennifer L. Armentrout’s other works
Jennifer L. Armentrout is also known for:
- Obsidian, first book in the Lux series
- A Shadow in the Ember, first book in the Flesh and Fire series, prequel to the Blood and Ash one
- The Problem With Forever
My pre-reading thoughts
Since I’d had to read A Shadow in Ember for a client who wanted an annotated book, I already had a pretty negative expectation of the series. I was anticipating a classic romantasy series, enjoyable to read but not necessarily memorable.
Blood and Ash series book review
From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Rating: 3.18/5 stars
From Blood and Ash is a good, fairly fast-paced introduction to a romantasy series. Perhaps the only enjoyable book in it. I had a good time reading, but I would have enjoyed it even more if the book hadn’t been so predictable. The “plot twist” is dragged out for what feels like an eternity, as if it weren’t obvious from the very first pages, making the revelation unsatisfying and lacking in impact.
As for the characters, I really liked Hawke, even though he’s exactly like every other guy in fantasy, minus the adoring monologues directed at Poppy. He spends his time analyzing her in overly explanatory rants that annoyed me a bit, though I wasn’t surprised since the book falls into info-dumping at several points.
I had a harder time with Poppy, who acts like Aelin from Throne Glass by Sarah J. Maas and all those other badass girls you know in fantasy. She spends her time acting as if she’s the only one who can solve problems, even though she knows nothing about the world, having been locked away her whole life. She also gets herself into trouble for no reason at all with the dumbest choices. And of course, no guard can step in, even though she’s the most closely watched person in the country.
As for the world-building, it’s pretty basic but still confusing. This confusion often stems from the way it’s written. Indeed, there are some fairly simple concepts that are explained over an entire page, when a single sentence would have been enough to get the point across.
In conclusion, it’s a book I can easily recommend, but I don’t feel like it lays the groundwork for a series that needs so many books or a story that really interests me.
Kingdom of Flesh and Fire by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Rating: 2.59/5 stars
This second installment almost feels like a spin-off focusing solely on the romantic aspect of the story. All they did was figure out their relationship. Nothing much happens besides that. They argue about the same thing over and over again for 200 pages, even though they don’t really disagree.
Casteel is far less likable than Hawke, falling into the cliché of the overprotective, caveman boyfriend. It’s much less interesting and fun, even though their banter remains entertaining. As for Poppy, her becoming basically invincible is the most boring thing that could’ve happened to that series and to any fantasy book, in my opinion. Plus, here, they keep adding more special abilities to her. She’s basically the final boss of the Chosen One trope.
Together, they force a fake dating trope on us when we all know they’ve been in love since book 1. Yet they keep talking about “pretending,” which really annoyed me.
All the characters in their inner circle are pretty similar to them, way too perfect to be interesting or realistic: they’re all brave, selfless, kind, and they love to show it. So much so that they sometimes come across as self-righteous, especially Poppy, whom I found unbearable. She has an idyllic view of life even though she doesn’t know its rules, and so she believes that everyone else is wrong.
This latter point is actually the real downside of this book for me: the lack of nuance it creates. We’re told very clearly who the bad guys are and who the good guys are. There’s no middle ground. The bad guys have no redeeming qualities, and the good guys are angels sent from heaven to save us from oppression. Not only is this simplistic, but it’s also not very entertaining or thought-provoking.
The Crown of Gilded Bones by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Rating: 2.59/5 stars
This third installment is pretty slow and uneventful. Everything happens at the end. I found the book very chatty, between the repetitive declarations of love and the characters telling Poppy she’s changed but not knowing how. Yet the dialogue doesn’t feel like a real conversation. It’s either an info dump or an over-explanation of something.
They’ve been making assumptions about Poppy’s nature since the second book. Most of the discussions revolve around that, and it’s as uninteresting as it is repetitive. We can guess that she’s the most powerful thing in your universe, obviously. Let’s move on.
The writing also falls short when it comes to Casteel. Here’s his limited vocabulary, which he overuses: “awe,” “worthy,” “unworthy,” “brave,” “intrigued.” He spends his time praising Poppy, reassuring her that she never does anything wrong and that she’s fantastic. I thought it was cute at first, but it always ends up being the same thing and gets cheesy.
Poppy isn’t far behind in this regard, with long speeches of her own to express her love for him as well. They’re way too perfect and powerful making it impossible to relate to them. She’s still self-righteous, so obsessed with being a saint that she came across as performative to me.
The War of Two Queens by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Rating: 3/5 stars
You know the world-building is far-fetched when the main character’s powers change every other page, yet it’s still used as a plot twist… You even start to wonder what really sets all the creatures the author created apart. Poppy’s nature isn’t the only thing that keeps coming up over and over: Casteel spends his time saying he’s “unworthy,” as if that hadn’t already been resolved. It’s as if he refuses to move forward, just like the plot. In fact, I just don’t think I’m a big fan of the story itself. It’s confusing and basic at the same time. The revelations are either predictable or convoluted.
The characters could raise the bar, but that’s not the case for me. They’re still extremely self-righteous. It feels like a competition: who can most effectively show just how much better they are than everyone else? They’re so convinced they’re the only ones with the solution that they stand up to Casteel’s parents, who’ve been ruling for hundreds of years, even though they’ve never ruled for even a minute in their lives. They act as if they’re going to be able to wage a war without killing anyone, you know, because they’re so nice. Unbearable hypocrites.
Lastly, it’s a minor detail, but I was bothered by the way the titles of each book were incorporated. It felt very random, but the characters behaved as if it made sense and had been around for a long time, even though it had never been mentioned before.
A Soul of Ash and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Rating: 1/5 stars
This is without a doubt the most annoying and frustrating book I’ve read this year. Imagine you’re reading a high-stakes fantasy series, but when you get to the FIFTH book, the action stops so the first book can be retold from the male lead’s point of view. This pointless recycling enraged me. 600 pages with no progress, where you’re forced to read what you’ve already read and learn things you already know. It was boring and a waste of time. If there’s room to take a break for an entire book, maybe there just isn’t that much to tell.
The Primal of Blood and Bone by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Rating: 2.23/5 stars
Having lost all interest in the series after finishing the last book, I didn’t have high hopes for The Primal of Blood and Bone.
The first part offers a shift in narrative that helped freshen up the series a bit in my eyes, with a Sleeping Beauty meets The Exorcist vibe. Unfortunately, it falls back into the old flaws of A Soul of Ash and Blood with a slow, repetitive pace: something happens, they debrief it once or twice, there’s the mandatory smut, and they have the same conversations throughout the entire book. That’s why I couldn’t understand at all why this particular book had to be over 1,000 pages. The other books were already too long for what they were, but this one…
What’s undoubtedly the most annoying thing about this series is that it constantly uses the characters’ true nature (mainly Poppy’s) as a plot twist. Except that after three books of changing their powers a hundred times, there’s nothing surprising left. It just seems like the author keeps telling herself, “No, I want her to be even more powerful, let’s change it!” If there’s time to change things up so many times, it’s probably because there’s not much to tell in the end.
To finish with the plot, when you reach the end of this endless brick of a book, you’re greeted by one of the most underwhelming cliffhanger I’ve ever read.
The worldbuilding, on the other hand, is more confusing than ever, even though it does introduce a few interesting elements. The real problem is the different types of gods getting even more convoluted than before, with trivial details being tacked on as the story progresses. Eventually, you lose track of who can do what and why.
As for the writing, the dialogue was way too contemporary at times, which makes Poppy sound uncool and cringe. For instance, she calls a god a “fuckboy” and mentions “red flags.” It broke the immersion for me every time.
Finally, regarding the characters, Poppy was already detestable, but now she’s self-centered and can’t stand it when anyone makes even the slightest decision without her or dares to be more powerful than she is. Yet no one is ever mad at her, and most of the cast is in love with her, starting with Casteel, who’s become really boring because he’s the biggest simp, always saying exactly what she wants to hear.
Final thoughts & ranking of the Blood and Ash series
Final thoughts
In my opinion, this series has only one good book: the first one, From Blood and Ash. The rest drags on unnecessarily, even going so far as to repeat entire passages and constantly change insignificant details without making any real progress. I don’t think the story is particularly interesting or original. In fact, it mostly rehashes ideas that have been done better elsewhere, making the whole thing a bit cliché. It also doesn’t deserve more than six books. I think four was already enough. The only thing I’ll remember is Kieran, who was an endearing secondary character.
Get your annotated books of the Blood and Ash series here
Book ranking
- From Blood and Ash
- The War of Two Queens
- A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire
- The Crown of Gilded Bones
- The Primal of Blood and Bone
- A Soul of Ash and Blood
Similar romantasy books to add to your TBR
Throne of the Fallen by Kerri Maniscalco
A mortal painter is drawn into a deadly game alongside the Prince of Envy, journeying through demon courts and vampire realms while trying to resist falling for the very devil who entangled her.
A Cursed Kiss by Jenny Hickman
After witnessing her sister's murder by a creature called the Gancanagh, Keelynn strikes a dangerous deal with a charming half-fae to slay it and bring her sister back, only to find the line between hunter and hunted becomes dangerously blurred.
A Warrior’s Fate by Melissa Kieran
On the night of her biggest trial, a warrior unexpectedly meets her fated mate, a king she's determined to resist, only to be assigned her first mission in his very kingdom, where something lurks in the shadows.
Have you read the Blood and Ash series? What did you think of it?
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