From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout Book Review & Summary

TROPE GUIDE:   Enemies to Lovers | Forbidden Love |   Forced Proximity |   Secret Identity

QUICK LINKS: Chapter Summary 1–7 | 8–20 | 21–35 | 36–41 // Quotes

My Review

This review of From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout may contain spoilers.

I’ve read From Blood and Ash four times, but I keep forgetting the details every single time. I guess that’s what I get for being a (recently reformed) serial skimmer.

On top of that, I’m also a serial rereader. I recently picked up this book again after rereading the first three books of the Flesh and Fire series to get to the final installment. After finishing Born of Blood and Ash, I felt like I had to relive this series all over again. This pretty much sums up my 2024 Reading Challenge: 18 out of 24 books are rereads.

When it comes to From Blood and Ash, the first few chapters were okay for me, but I found the first half pretty slow overall. I can see why many readers find it boring and have a hard time finishing it. However, it definitely picked up, and I enjoyed the second half enough to give it four stars—a rating that hasn’t changed since I first read it back in 2020.

The Slow Burn and Steamy Romance

Every book I read as an adult has to have some element of romance. I don’t care how small it is, as long as there’s some. This book delivers with a slow burn, steamy romance, complete with an enemies-to-lovers trope.

What I love the most is the sexual tension and chemistry between Poppy and Hawke. There’s this intense scene between them that I’ll probably (hopefully!) never forget. It’s one part I never skim, and reading that moment always gives me goosebumps.

The greatest surprise of all is that after reading Born of Blood and Ash and now this book, I find myself leaning slightly more toward Poppy and Hawke. Initially, I thought I was a bigger fan of Sera and Nyktos (the main characters from the Flesh and Fire series). I’m not quite sure why yet, but I’ll revisit this thought once the Blood and Ash series is complete.

The Kick-Ass Heroine 

Poppy is my kind of heroine. She’s strong and knows how to kick ass. While I have nothing against damsels in distress, I prefer reading about a female lead who can save herself without needing the male lead to rescue her.

This brings to mind the times I’ve recommended paranormal and fantasy books to a friend. She always asked if the heroine was stronger than the hero, so I often struggled to find the right ones for her since most of what I read features “The Warrior” and “The Kick-ass” archetypes. Honestly, I don’t even mind if the heroine is a bit of a Mary Sue, which I know a lot of people don’t appreciate.

So, if my friend were to ask if I’d recommend this book to her, I’d probably say no. Actually, I’m pretty sure I already did recommend it to her, but it didn’t go over well.

The World-Building

To be honest, I’m not the most critical reader, so I don’t get hung up on world-building unless it’s noticeably bad or absolutely amazing. In this case, the lore about the Ascended and the Atlantians was enough to intrigue me.

Ultimately, I’m pretty easy to please, and my enjoyment depends more on whether the book makes me feel things. From Blood and Ash did enough to get me excited about the rest of the series. Plus, I love Jennifer L. Armentrout, so she can do no wrong in my eyes.

Chapter-by-Chapter Summary

This chapter-by-chapter summary of From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout contains spoilers.

Chapter 1

Penellaphe “Poppy” Balfour is at the Red Pearl, a brothel, playing cards with three off-duty guards from the Rise. Disguised in a cloak Poppy had borrowed from a castle servant named Britta, she listens as the guards talk about Finley’s gruesome death, his body found just outside the Blood Forest. 

Phillips Rathi tells the younger guards that it’s an inappropriate topic to discuss in the presence of a “lady.” Poppy worries for a moment that Phillips recognizes her even with a mask. As the Maiden, she usually has her face covered with a veil, but since only a few people have ever seen her without the veil, she believes there is no need to panic. 

After another losing hand, Poppy leaves the table and wanders off. She keeps her senses and empathic abilities to herself, as she doesn’t want to feel the pain of others. 

A woman in red stops Poppy from entering a room where people are dancing and being intimate. The waitress recognizes Poppy as the Maiden. Poppy tries to deny it, but the waitress assures her that her secret is safe and that she won’t report her to the Duke and Duchess of Masadonia. However, Poppy panics when she sees Vikter Wardwell walk in. 

Vikter, a member of the Royal Guard and one of Poppy’s personal guards, is like a father to her and trains her to fight. Poppy knows Vikter would recognize her anywhere. The waitress tells Poppy to hide upstairs in an unoccupied room and that she will come for her when it’s safe.

Poppy enters the room, and a man pulls her close to his very hard body. 

Chapter 2

Poppy turns around and comes face to face with the strikingly attractive Hawke Flynn, a Rise Guard who arrived a few months ago from Carsodonia, the capital city. Mistaking Poppy for Britta, Hawke takes off his tunic and passionately kisses her but quickly realizes his mistake.

Despite Hawke’s insistence, Poppy doesn’t reveal her name. As they banter and chat, Poppy weighs the potential consequences of her actions as the Maiden and the Chosen, such as the possibility that the gods might find her unworthy.

Chapter 3

After debating with herself, Poppy decides to stay in the room, despite the risk of severe punishment and possible exile from the kingdom.

Hawke repeatedly asks Poppy to remove her mask, but she refuses. However, she lets him take off her cloak. As Hawke explores her body, he finds a bloodstone dagger with a wolven bone handle sheathed to her thigh. He quickly pulls it out and tells Poppy it’s unwise to carry a weapon she doesn’t know how to use. Annoyed, Poppy informs him that she does know how to wield it.

After stabbing her dagger into the bed, Hawke pounces on Poppy. Just as he is about to kiss her, Kieran interrupts and announces that the envoy has arrived. Before he reluctantly leaves, Hawke tells Poppy he will be back and asks her to wait for him. She agrees, but she leaves shortly after he does.

The next morning, Tawny Lyon, Poppy’s Lady in Wait, asks where Poppy was last night because she wasn’t in her room when she checked. Poppy trusts Tawny to some extent, but she fears Tawny might report her to the Duke and Duchess. After some hesitation, Poppy relents and tells Tawny about her night at the Red Pearl but leaves out the part about Hawke.

Poppy and Tawny then discuss the rumors about the mist and their upcoming Ascension. While Poppy fears her Ascension, Tawny is excited about hers and the start of a new chapter.

After supper, Vikter knocks on Poppy’s door. He tells Poppy there’s a cursed individual.

Chapter 4

Poppy and Vikter leave the castle through a secret passage and arrive at a house in Masadonia’s Lower Ward that’s discreetly marked with a white handkerchief. Vikter quickly removes the cloth to conceal their treasonous activity. He then knocks on the door, and an emotionally distressed Agnes answers. As they enter, Poppy notes the unmistakable smell of a curse. 

Agnes reveals that her husband, Marlowe, a Huntsman for the Rise, returned home two days ago and started showing signs of the curse. She explains that his condition has already advanced.

Poppy asks Agnes if she has said her goodbyes. Agnes suddenly kneels in front of Poppy and mentions the rumors that Poppy is the child of the gods and has the “gift.” Poppy downplays these rumors and offers her hand to help Agnes up. Poppy then uses her gift to temporarily take away the grieving woman’s pain. 

While Vikter speaks with Agnes, Poppy enters the bedroom where Marlowe lies. Knowing he will soon turn into a Craven, Poppy touches him to take away his physical pain and then uses her bloodstone dagger to grant him a merciful death.

Chapter 5

As Poppy and Vikter make their way back to Castle Teerman through the supposedly haunted Wisher’s Grove, Vikter reprimands Poppy for revealing her abilities to Agnes. He warns that doing so increases her risk of discovery. Poppy tries to reassure Vikter that she’s being careful, but he believes she is taking too many risks. 

Later, Poppy’s other personal guard, Rylan, escorts her from her bedroom to the Queen’s garden for her evening walk. They are stopped by Lord Brandole Mazeen, an Ascended noble, who insists on speaking with Poppy alone. Lord Mazeen pulls Poppy into an alcove and begins to harass her, taunting her about the Duke’s “lessons.” Just as Poppy readies her dagger to defend herself, screams ring out, which distracts Lord Mazeen and gives her a chance to escape.  

Reunited with Rylan, Poppy and Rylan follow the screams to a nearby room. Inside, they are met with a gruesome sight: the body of a partially undressed woman, drained of blood, her neck broken, and deep puncture wounds on her neck.

Chapter 6

Rylan brings Poppy back to her room while a castle-wide search for the culprit begins. Tawny suggests a Craven killed the woman, but Poppy’s observations—two puncture wounds instead of four and the lack of blood—cast doubt on this theory.

Vikter arrives and reports that the Duke blames the Descenters for the death of Malessa Axton, who was Lady Isherwood’s Lady in Wait. Saddened by the loss of someone so young, Tawny excuses herself and quietly returns to her room.

Poppy and Vikter continue discussing the incident, both agreeing that Malessa wasn’t killed by a Descenter but by an Atlantian. 

In the early dawn, Poppy quietly sneaks into the room where Malessa’s body was found. With most of the furniture gone, Poppy carefully searches the space and spots a single jasmine petal that doesn’t match the other flowers.

Later that evening, Rylan knocks on Poppy’s door for her nightly walk. Although he normally enjoys their regular outings in the garden, he is more alert than usual because of the recent attack. As Poppy admires her favorite night-blooming roses, Rylan is shot in the chest with an arrow. 

Chapter 7

Poppy tries to stop the bleeding, but Rylan’s wound is fatal. Suddenly, a cloaked figure emerges and claims responsibility for Rylan’s death. The figure also threatens further harm unless Poppy complies. Grief-stricken but fueled by rage, Poppy attacks the man with her dagger, just as Vikter had taught her. Although she manages to wound him twice, she also sustains injuries.

The assassin tells Poppy that he will kill her and enjoy it and that he doesn’t care about someone else’s plans for her. However, the man leaves after hearing a whistle.

Hearing the commotion, the Royal Guards and Vikter arrive and discover Rylan’s dead body.

Duchess Teerman questions Poppy after learning about the attack. Vikter mentions that the arrow that killed Rylan bears the Dark One’s promise: “From Blood and Ash. We Shall Rise.” The Duchess then reveals that Malessa’s attacker is believed to be an Atlantian. She explains that there is reason to suspect Rylan’s death is part of a larger, sinister scheme and that this scheme confirms the Dark One has come for Poppy.