From Blood and Ash

Written by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Narrated by Stina Nielsen

Captivating and action-packed, From Blood and Ash is a sexy, addictive, and unexpected fantasy perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Laura Thalassa.

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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Sep 8, 2020
• ISBN: 9781713548119

Jennifer L. Armentrout

# 1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia with her husband and her Jack Russell, Loki. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. Find her on Twitter @JLArmentrout or become a fan on Facebook and Goodreads.

Reviews for From Blood and Ash

[kelsea.wall · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I'm not too sure with this book. I'm not a fan of insta love. The main protagonist is 'Interesting' just 'not what I thought'.

Feel like Poppy could have been so much more. One moment she is this bad ass fighter, next she is the damsel in distress.

She can question everything that is happening around her but its against her religion to question her situation. She is happy putting herself and her handmaiden in dangerous situations but heaven forbid someone else does it.

Character building or growth isn't really there. I would have loved to see a little bit more.

Oh did I mention how handsome Hawk is? ever scene he is in we are reminded how handsome he is and it was quite exhausting.

I'll give it another go later.

[Nancy Agboalu · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The book and it’s plot is amazing but I just didn’t like the fact that Poppy just acted a little slow. The way she acted from the moment she discovered who Hawk was to the very end did nothing but irritate me. She kept acting like she didn’t have a brain or something but regardless it is a good book.

[Brooklyn Scobee · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I had a really difficult time getting into the book copy, so I decided to try to listen to the audiobook while at work and I LOVED it. I cannot wait to read/listen the other books in this series.

[Stephanie Updegraff · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

READ THIS RIGHT NOW IF YOU LOVE FANTASY, ROMANCE & ACTION! Highly recommend!

[Tani Johnson · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Absolutely loved the book the quality of this audiobook are awful!! Long missing chunks of audio longest is over a minute. And normally pop up at times of tension and break the hypnotic flow of the story.

[Katelyn Obert · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

If you like ACOTAR then you’ll love this! Her inner monologues can be A LOT but I love the characters otherwise. I’ve already started the second book and the story just keeps getting better! 10/10 recommend!

[Natalie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love how the lady changes her tones. And puts excitement in her voice. Its, an awesome written series

[Tristan Rock · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I LOVED this book! I haven’t read a book this good in years. Ah, it had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. I can’t wait to dive into the next one!!!

[Jamie Bolton · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved the story. The characters are beautiful together. Stina Nielson did a fantastic job narrating. She was able to hit all emotions while narrating: happy, sad, anger and fear. Such an amazing audio book!

[Megan Green · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It was alright. Not what I thought but not too badd

[Tânia Ribeiro · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Even for fantasy novel fans, being enthralled by the female main character is sometimes a struggle. Not Poppy. Penellaphe defies all odds, overcoming the ever-common mollycoddle protagonist.

If you're looking for a rich narrative, populated by enticing characters and adventure (and more than one sprinkle of romance), this is your book! (Spoiler alert: the second book in the series is even better!)

[Helen · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Wierd vampire Story. Questionable sex scenes at the end, without real consent.

[Mélanie Veilleux · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Well well well, this book has kept me intrigued the entire way through. I would never have imagine this story even if I tried. Guess you will have to read it to see for yourself but once again, Jennifer manage to make me laugh out loud, cry, swear and a whole other set of emotion I can’t mention in a review. Loved it

[Salma Kamal · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

3.4 I saw the majority, almost all the plot-twists coming, there were so many repetitions of the same concepts and words and that bugged me. I was gonna pull my hair out if the word 'maiden' was mentioned once more.

I liked that she offered the information regarding the world and system quickly without being info-dumpy, however there wasn't much buildup or creativity to it. I feel like the book is a mixture of several other books/ concepts with very little originality of its own accord- probably hence why I forsaw the majority of events.

There are parts that I enjoyed and found funny or nice and many characters that I liked. I think my main issue with out mc is her constant -and I mean CONSTANT- state of denial towards anything and everything.

She tries to come up with reasoning for everything and argue about anything and nothing is ever straightforward with her. She can't even be honest with herself, denying obvious truths with so much fervency it was annoying.

Maybe it's just me, but being in the MC's head/ pov was difficult when the truths were in plain sight. I wasn't swept up by her way of thinking and nothing about the events shocked me except her insistent ignorance. I understand her struggles and pain and confusion but it still didn't mean she could just play dumb.

Anyway, I feel like I majorly stated all my criticisms so I will preface that just because I didn't love this book doesn't mean you won't. As someone who read many fantasy books and have become very familiar with the genre it's simply difficult to find new concepts or shocking plot-twists. It was still enjoyable and I am planning on seeing how it all transpires, I just had some qualms with it.

[Cari Moselina · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Oof Reader reads like a high school drama... I switched to reading myself smh

[Eric Crim · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The start is slow, had to get almost 10 chapters in before I even kind of understood what was going on. But as the plot went on and characters developed it was easier to follow and understand. Definitely a hard start of a book

[lzndraaa · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It’s so bad and cringy but I couldn’t stop wanting more. This is my second read through and I was still surprised. If you’re okay with so so writing and predictable good plot twist this is it. Absolutely worth the read.

[kstri623 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Some elements were predictable, but I really like the way interactions between the main characters were written. EXCELLENT narration.

[rachel.faulk8 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved the narrator! This was a great audiobook. The story is so good and leaves on a cliffhanger.

[blueys.nerdy.distraction · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

MY MIND IS BLOWNNNNNNNN. I could not stop laughing at some parts but the ending, yeah. Didn’t see that coming.

[Juliet Appiah-nyanta · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow, at one point I was in tears. How did JL do that! How did she write a character so well, you look you been cutting a tub of onions when something happens to them!

[Vimbiso Kadirire · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Spectacular, totally unexpected ploy . Can't wait to read the second one.

[Dawn Carpenter · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was so good. Loved the story and the characters. Narrator was also good. Can’t wait to start book 2.

[gandolfgreyhame390 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Meh. It was okay, I guess. Couldn't really get into it.

[BethanyHallam · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved this book and am fully invested! I enjoy slow burns and lots of complex workdbuilding with enough spice and this has hit a sweet spot for that. Theres plenty of intrigue and loose ends and sometimes i want to know more faster but in the end it was perfectly paced for me. My only slight negative is the narrators male voices are a bit on the annoying side, and quite often I find myself not knowing if she is insinuating the character is speaking or not, which can be frustrating.

[Cindy Glover · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love this protagonist. She kicks ass and makes the decisions I wanted her to make.

[shathi ana · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

So good❤️❤️❤️ those who recommended this book to me… I wish you Good luck?❤️

[Sybille · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Quite a ride with many surprises along the way. Enjoyable.

[lwidmyer83 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved it. Different than the other fantasy I've been listening too. Worth the read. Can't wait to see what happens next

[DianneDempsey · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book surprised me with its plot twists. The storyteller is great.