From Blood and Ash - Jennifer L. Armentrout

SUMMARY:

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.

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For me, I had a tough time finishing this book because it was a slow start for me. The writing is fine it didn’t really capture my interest or anything but I still decided to finish the book despite being slow. The plot is fine, I didn’t like the part where she is supposed to wear white all the time and should be ‘virginal’ which is really weird. Also, even though I liked hidden identity plot/trope the twist was very obvious. Also, the names… LOL ‘Penellaphe’ why not just use the regular word/name ‘Penelope’? Lol and nicknamed her ‘Poppy’ Lmao. But for some reason I still managed to finish the book, I knew it was well loved in booktok.

Overall, I do recommend this if you like this kind of writing and trope. I would rate this 3.5/5 stars!!