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From Blood and Ash

From Blood and Ash

Dark RomanceHigh Fantasy
Pages
493
Published
2020
Language
English

Synopsis

Chosen from birth, Penellaphe — known to the kingdom of Solis only as the Maiden — has spent her life in isolation, forbidden to be touched, to speak unless spoken to, or to look anyone in the eye. She waits, veiled and guarded, for the day of her Ascension, a sacred rite that will supposedly lift her people closer to the gods. But Poppy is restless, curious, and desperate for a taste of the life she has been denied.

When Hawke, a charming and lethal guard, is assigned to protect her, the careful walls around Poppy's world begin to crack. Their forbidden attraction pulls her toward everything she is supposed to resist — and as the bloodthirsty Craven threaten Solis and the truth behind the Ascension begins to surface, Poppy must decide how much of what she has been taught is a lie, and how much she is willing to risk to be free.

The opening book of Jennifer L. Armentrout's runaway-bestselling Blood and Ash series, this is fast-paced, high-heat fantasy romance built on a forbidden guard-and-charge romance, a richly drawn kingdom, and secrets that reshape everything Poppy thought she knew.

Prose complexity
4/10

Vibe

RomanticTenseDarkSpicy
Forbidden LoveSlow BurnForced ProximityEnemies to LoversSecret IdentityChosen One

Genres

Dark Romance High Fantasy Paranormal Vampire Fantasy New Adult Romance Romantasy Dark Fantasy Romance Paranormal Romance

About the author

J
Jennifer L. Armentrout

Jennifer L. Armentrout is an American novelist, born on 11 June 1980 in Martinsburg, West Virginia. She writes young adult and adult paranormal romance, fantasy and science fiction under her own name, and publishes adult and new adult contemporary romance under the pen name J. Lynn. Her series include Covenant, the Lux sequence beginning with Obsidian (2011) and its Origin spin-off, The Dark Elements, the Wicked trilogy, the de Vincent novels, The Harbinger, and the Blood and Ash and Flesh and F...

Characters

Penellaphe "Poppy" BalfourProtagonist

The Maiden, chosen from birth for a sacred role and forbidden nearly every human contact.

Hawke FlynnProtagonist

The charming, dangerous guard assigned to protect Poppy, and her forbidden temptation.

Vikter WardwellSupporting

One of Poppy's personal guards, who secretly trains her in combat and acts as a stern, protective mentor figure.

Ian BalfourSupporting

Poppy's adoptive brother, who underwent his own Ascension two years earlier.

Kieran ContouSupporting

A watchful, wolven guardsman aligned with Hawke, who keeps his own counsel.

All characters in From Blood and Ash

Frequently asked questions

  • Do I need to read other books to understand this series?

    No — this is the first book in the Blood and Ash series and the intended starting point for the whole world. It does share a universe with Armentrout's Flesh and Fire series, which is set centuries earlier, but the author states that Flesh and Fire is a companion prequel rather than a standalone one, and that the two series "are meant to be read together in release order for the reader's maximum enjoyment." Starting with the prequel instead is not recommended: several of the main series' biggest reveals are explained there, so reading it first gives them away.

  • Is there a companion book that retells the story from another perspective?

    Yes. A Soul of Ash and Blood, published in 2023 as the fifth Blood and Ash novel, retells the events of this first book from the male lead's point of view rather than Poppy's. It is not a straight mirror of the original — it adds new scenes and frames the retelling against events from later in the series — so it is written to be read in release order, after the books that follow this one, not as a substitute for them.

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