{"id":51154,"date":"2020-03-31T08:30:13","date_gmt":"2020-03-31T12:30:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=51154"},"modified":"2025-08-29T02:29:56","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T06:29:56","slug":"surprise-release-arc-review-free-gift-from-blood-and-ash-by-jennifer-l-armentrout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=51154","title":{"rendered":"Surprise Release, ARC Review & Free Gift: From Blood and Ash (Blood and Ash, #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout"},"content":{"rendered":"

From Blood and Ash, a captivating, sexy and action-packed high fantasy novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L.\u00a0Armentrout, is available now!<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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If you love forbidden romance, this book is for you. If you love snark, this book is for you. If you love action and intrigue, edge of your seat moments and being<\/strong>
\ncaught off guard by what you\u2019re reading, this book is for you. And if you\u2019ve been\u00a0missing . . . vampires in your life, this book is for you.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u201cAction, adventure, sexiness, and angst! From Blood and Ash has it all and double that. So many feels and so many moments it made me cheer for the character. Read. This. Book! You’ll be obsessed!<\/em>\u201d\u00a0– Tijan, New York Times bestselling author<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Amazon<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Apple Books<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Amazon Worldwide<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Kobo\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Nook\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Google Play<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n

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Blurb<\/strong><\/h4>\n

A Maiden\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Chosen from birth to usher in a new era, Poppy\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

A Duty\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The entire kingdom\u2019s future rests on Poppy\u2019s shoulders, something she\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

A Kingdom\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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Review<\/strong><\/h4>\n

5+ EPIC STARS!<\/b><\/p>\n

Holy wow! It\u2019s been a while since a book has blown me away like this one, and almost a full day after finishing it I\u2019m still riding the high of an absolutely epic read! JLA has delivered an amazing read, an NA-ish high fantasy with incredible characters, a wonderfully complex world and a fast-paced, action-filled story that twists and turns and had me gasping right up to the very last moment. And, of course, a fun, passionate, emotional and chemistry-filled romance that completely owned my heart. It\u2019s an incredible read, an instant fave, and I already know it will be one of the best books I read in 2020.<\/p>\n

Since birth, Poppy has been Chosen<\/i>. She is the Maiden, a pure figure forced to lead a life of solitude and celibacy with no contact other than her guards and her maid, no friendships, no touch, limited conversation and no choice in any of it. It is her destiny to \u2018Ascend\u2019 and to usher in a new era for the people of her land. But secretly, she is a spirited girl who longs for more. She trains to fight, she has close friends in her guards and her maid, and she escapes the palace where she is kept virtually as a prisoner as often as she can. Desperate to experience more<\/i>.<\/p>\n

I was the Maiden, the Chosen \u2026 I wasn\u2019t Poppy but a shadow of a person who wasn\u2019t allowed to experience, need, live, or <\/i>want.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And then Hawke. Her new guard is not only gorgeous, confident and sweet with a delicious sarcastic streak, but he seems to see so much more than others do. He sees her spirit, he recognises her desperate need to live more than the life that has been forced upon her, and he wants to be the one right next to her as she explores it all.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re such a bad influence,\u201d I murmured as I placed my hand in his.
\nHawke curled his fingers around mine. The weight and warmth of his hand was a pleasant shock. \u201cOnly the bad can be influenced, Princess.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

But, of course, there is something more between them, a simmering attraction that sizzles every encounter and had my heart pounding. And it\u2019s that attraction that proves to be the tipping point for Poppy to begin questioning everything that she thought she wanted.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m the Maiden, Hawke,\u201d I reminded him \u2013 or myself, I wasn\u2019t sure.
\n\u201cAnd I don\u2019t care.\u201d
\nMy eyes flew open in shock. \u201cI can\u2019t believe you just said that.\u201d
\n\u201cI did. And I\u2019ll say it again. I don\u2019t care what you are.\u201d Hawke\u2019s hand slid off my back. A moment later, I felt his palm flatten against my cheek with unerring accuracy. \u201cI care about who you are.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I\u2019m not going to say anything more than that because you just need to dive in and experience it. The outline above sets the scene, but there is so much about this story to take in. The fantasy world is complicated, and it did take me a little while to get my head around it all, but it unfolds so beautifully. We come to understand Poppy, her world and her life, we fall in love with so many wonderful characters, and with the story written entirely from her perspective, we feel and experience everything along with her.<\/p>\n

Though I kind of figured out where the story was going, I was in no way prepared for it as it all unfolded. The story twists and turns, with surprises and reveals sprinkled throughout. Some that had me gasping, others that had me screaming out loud with the surprise and genius of it all. There are violent fights, epic bad guys, political upheavals, huge action scenes, tender heartbreaking moments, brilliant banter, laugh-out-loud interactions, sizzling sexy time, and swoony and emotional romance.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter if I want–\u201d
\n\u201cAnd you <\/i>do want.\u201d His whisper danced over my cheek. \u201cWhat you want is me.\u201d
\nMy breath caught. \u201cThat doesn\u2019t matter.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat you want should always matter.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This book has it all, and I was completely hooked through 600+ pages of everything<\/i>. And even though it took me 10+ hours of reading, I just want to dive right back into it again!<\/p>\n

Of course, being a JLA book, there is a cliffhanger. It\u2019s not as nasty as it could have been, but it definitely leaves us hanging. I\u2019m desperate for the next book and can\u2019t wait to see where the story is going to go from here!<\/p>\n

An absolute must-read for fantasy\/paranormal fans.<\/p>\n

5 massive stars!<\/p>\n

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.<\/i><\/p>\n

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Blood and Ash<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The Blood and Ash series spins off into the Flesh and Fire<\/a> series, and the two stories are interconnected.\u00a0 Find suggested reading order here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\" \u00a0\"\" \u00a0\"\" \u00a0\"\" \u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\" \u00a0\"\" \u00a0<\/strong>\"\" \u00a0<\/strong>\"Cover<\/strong><\/p>\n

From Blood and Ash (#1)<\/strong>
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy: \u00a0Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire (#2)<\/strong>
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy: \u00a0Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

The Crown of Gilded Bones (#3)
\n<\/strong>Review<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 \u00a0Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

The War of Two Queens (#4)<\/strong>
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy: \u00a0Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

A Soul of Ash and Blood (#5) <\/strong>(Cas POV)
\n<\/strong>Review<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

Visions of Flesh and Blood: A Blood and Ash \/ Flesh and Fire Compendium Novel (#5.5)<\/strong>
\nSeries bible
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

The Primal of Blood and Bone (#6)<\/strong>
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

A Crown of Ruin (#6.5)
\n<\/strong>Review<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

The Throne of Bone and Ash (#7)<\/strong>
\nTo be released 2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Free Gift!<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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To receive the FREE gift with your purchase of FROM BLOOD AND ASH, click here<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n

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About the Author<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"\"#1 New York Times and #1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. All the rumors you\u2019ve heard about her state aren\u2019t true.\u00a0 When she\u2019s not hard at work writing. She spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, hanging out with her husband and her Border Jack Apollo. In early 2015, Jennifer was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a group of rare genetic disorders that involve a breakdown and death of cells in the retina, eventually resulting in loss of vision, among other complications. Due to this diagnosis, educating people on the varying degrees of blindness has become of passion of hers, right\u00a0alongside writing, which she plans to do as long as she can.<\/p>\n

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories\u2026.which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer\u00a0writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Tor, HarperCollins Avon and William Morrow, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney\/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her Wicked Series has been optioned by PassionFlix. Jennifer has won numerous awards, including the 2013 Reviewers Choice Award for Wait for You, the 2015 Editor\u2019s Pick for Fall With Me, and the 2014\/2015 Moerser-Jugendbuch- Jury award for Obsidian. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON\u2019T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA. Her adult romantic suspense novel TILL DEATH was a Amazon Editor\u2019s Pick and iBook Book of the Month. Her young adult contemporary THE PROBLEM WITH FOREVER is a 2017 RITA Award Winner in Young Adult Fiction. She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is\u00a0published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.<\/p>\n

She is the owner of ApollyCon and The Origin Event, the successful annual events that features over a hundred bestselling authors in Young Adult, New Adult, and Adult\u00a0Fiction, panels, parties, and more.<\/p>\n

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Website<\/a>\u00a0| \u00a0Facebook\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Twitter\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Instagram\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Amazon\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Goodreads<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0Bookbub<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Stay up to date with Jennifer by joining her\u00a0mailing list<\/a>\u00a0today<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For more great reads, check out our\u00a0Jennifer L. Armentrout Author Spotlight<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From Blood and Ash, a captivating, sexy and action-packed high fantasy novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L.\u00a0Armentrout, is available now! If you love forbidden romance, this book is for you. If […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":51160,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","yasr_overall_rating":5,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[79,52,522,50,49,972,10,9,29],"tags":[59,43,48],"class_list":["post-51154","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-action","category-drama","category-fantasy","category-favourite","category-feeeeeeels","category-forbidden","category-paranormal","category-romance","category-steamy","tag-arc","tag-jennifer-l-armentrout","tag-review"],"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":false,"span_bottom":false},"number_of_votes":0,"sum_votes":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/From-Blood-and-Ash.jpg?fit=200%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7gaNL-dj4","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51154","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=51154"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51154\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/51160"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=51154"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=51154"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=51154"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}