QUICK LINKS: From Blood and Ash Recap by Chapter 1–7 | 8–20 | 21–35 // Book Review // Blood and Ash Book 2 Summary
From Blood and Ash Chapters 36–41 Summary
This chapter-by-chapter summary of From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout contains spoilers.
From Blood and Ash Chapter 36
Hawke cleans Poppy’s wound and tells her everything she knows is a lie. The Ascended are monsters who feed on blood, the Craven are the result of their greed, and the children taken during the Rite are used as a food source for the elite.
Poppy tries to dismiss it until Hawke mentions her brother. She attacks him, but Hawke pins her against the wall and explains his reason for leading the rebellion. The Queen kept him as a prisoner and blood source for fifty years.
Hawke is an Atlantian prince, the Dark One himself. He kidnapped Poppy to use her as ransom to free his brother Malik from the Queen. Just before he leaves, he tells her his feelings for her weren’t entirely fake.
From Blood and Ash Chapter 37
Poppy sits in her cell trying to separate Hawke’s lies from the truth. She can’t ignore the logic behind his claims about the Ascended. Delano and Naill arrive to move her to a better room and warn her they’re wolven and can track her if she runs.
The transfer goes wrong when Jericho and an angry mob ambush them. Mr. Tulis blames Poppy for the kingdom’s cruel laws regarding children. Poppy kills a wolven named Rolf to save Delano, but Mr. Tulis stabs her in the stomach, and she collapses.
Jericho stands over Poppy and prepares to cut her apart, but defenders clear the cell, and a massive white wolf stands guard over her. Kieran finds her, realizes her injuries are life-threatening, and calls out for the Prince.
From Blood and Ash Chapter 38
Poppy is dying when Casteel tells her that only his blood can save her. She’s terrified it will turn her into a monster, but he forces her to drink. The blood heals her completely but triggers intense arousal. Poppy begs him to touch her, and Casteel refuses, saying he wants their next intimate moment to be a choice she makes with a clear head.
As the effects settle, Poppy realizes Hawke was never his real name. He’s Prince Casteel Da’Neer, the Dark One, and his entire mission was a lie to earn her trust so he could use her as a pawn to free his brother. Poppy grabs a bloodstone dagger from the floor and drives it into his heart.
From Blood and Ash Chapter 39
Poppy stabs Hawke and flees, certain she has killed him. Hawke catches up and tells her an Atlantian can’t be killed by a strike to the heart and that she should have aimed for his head. He bites her neck, and the pain shifts into intense desire, leading to an encounter in the snow.
Afterward, Hawke admits he can’t blame her for trying to kill him, and Poppy confesses she doesn’t regret their intimacy. She uses her gift to heal his wounds and ease his grief. Then Hawke announces a change of plans. He isn’t taking her back to the kingdom. He’s taking her to Atlantia.
From Blood and Ash Chapter 40
Poppy is left under Kieran’s watch. She learns Atlantia still exists, hidden behind the Skotos Mountains and protected by an unnatural mist that keeps outsiders too afraid to cross.
During a long bath, Poppy tries to make sense of everything. The Ascended are vamprys who have manipulated and fed on the people of Solis for centuries. This forces her to think about her brother Ian, who has already Ascended, and she fears he’s become one of them. Poppy still loves Hawke but knows she can never trust him. He only wants to use her as a bargaining chip. She decides she has to escape and find her brother.
Kieran walks in without permission, saying he got worried when she went quiet. He tells her scars are a mark of honor among his people, then warns her that she should care what Hawke wants because he desires her even knowing their relationship will end in disaster.
From Blood and Ash Chapter 41
Casteel wakes Poppy for dinner without giving her much choice. They pass through a hallway where her attackers have been crucified with bloodstone spikes as a warning. Poppy feels little sympathy but tells Casteel the dead still deserve some dignity.
At dinner, Casteel announces they leave for Atlantia in the morning. When Poppy protests, he reveals he doesn’t think she’s fully human. Based on her blood and abilities, he believes she’s part Atlantian and that the Ascended kept her alive as a blood source. He also confirms her brother is alive but has been turned into a vampry.
Then Casteel shocks the room. He’s taking Poppy to Atlantia to marry her.
Did you find this From Blood and Ash book summary helpful? Share your thoughts in the comments—I’d love to hear what you think.
And if you haven’t read Jennifer L. Armentrout’s From Blood and Ash yet, be sure to add it to your TBR list!