Title: From Blood and Ash
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publication Date: January 13, 2022
Genres: Fantasy | Romantasy
Representation: None
While I didn't love it the way I had hoped, and was decidedly less satisfied with how it ended than how it it began, I'm still glad I expanded my romantasy bookshelves and gave From Blood and Ash a read.
Let's start with the good. This was an interesting read with some fascinating elements and great atmosphere, especially at the start. I felt immersed in the world Jennifer L. Armentrout has created, and could almost feel the tension of it all. There's intrigue and mystery to the story, with the kind of political posturing that you'd expect of the fantasy genre. I was fully invested in the drama at court, although at least a little of that drama was artificially manipulated by Armentrout keeping key details close to the chest.
As for the romance element, I simply did buy into the central romance between Poppy and Hawke - which is a pretty significant issue for a romantasy. I'd read the warnings about abuse, dark themes, and dubious consent, but there are some whiplash-inducing swings between hate/love, especially in the last act, that beggar belief. I can't count how many times I closed the book in exasperation, unable to believe that Poppy fell for it yet again. And again. And again.
Also, and this is me being picky, there were a few glaring continuity errors that I found really confusing me because something was said on one page only to be contradicted on the next.
That said, I might read another one, as I'm not entirely opposed to continuing . . . but I'm also in no hurry to do so.
Rating: ♀ ♀ ♀
Comments
Post a Comment