βOnly the bad can be influenced, Princess.β
Hawke Flynn
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Genre: High Fantasy
Pages: 625
Release Date: March 30, 2020
Wow. This book really hit the book world by storm, and there’s a lot to unpack in this From Blood and Ash summary with spoilers! So, letβs just dive right into this recap babes, because a lot happened in this book.
Spoilers ahead. Only warning.
From Blood and Ash Summary
Meet Our protagonist, Poppy
Poppy starts the book at a brothel playing cards. Seems a little unbecoming of a βmaiden,β but I love it. We know from the start that sheβs adventurous and a bit rebellious. She meets Hawke upstairs in a bedroom while trying to hide from Vikter, one of her guards. Hawke βmistakesβ her for someone else. But I guess that doesnβt matter, because they still end up kissing. He has to leave, but tells her to stay, and heβll come back. She doesnβt stay. So thatβs a missed opportunity from Poppy…
Poppy lives under the ruling of Queen Ileana and King Jalara, and we start hearing about a past war and Descenters who support the Dark One β Prince Casteel of Atlantia β from the losing side. Also, thereβs mysterious mist that basically brings zombies (Craven) to attack people?
So thatβs a lot of information, and Poppy doesnβt understand any of it, and hey, neither do we. But any time a book mentions a βdark one,β itβs really game on me for me. Iβm rooting for that to happen from the start.
Poppyβs a badass, and it needs to be known. Vikter has taught her to fight, and she fights WELL. On top of that, she has the βtouchβ and can feel peopleβs pain. And to add to that, she can then take it away. Okay. You do all the things then. Then on top of that, sheβs a good person that goes and helps people that have been attacked by Craven so that they can have dignity in death, and all the townsfolk low-key love her for it.
Oh, and Poppy survived a Craven attack when she was a child. And she has badass scars to prove it.
What is an Atlantian? We don’t know much yet… but…
Letβs briefly talk what we learn about the Atlantians. Mainly that the Atlantians donβt transition until theyβre between the ages of 19 and 21. Um, Poppy is 18. So the warning bells are going off that POPPY IS ATLANTIAN?! Yes? No? Called that.
So besides Vikter, Poppy also had this guard Rylan. Now Rylan is mentioned A LOT in this book, but we really didnβt know him while he was alive for very long before he was killed by an arrow shot by a Wolven (think Twilight shifting wolf) from Atlantia. I didnβt really feel any attachment to him, but damn, Poppy did, and sheβs not going to let you forget it. But TBH, he had to go because we needed to make room for Hawke to ~swoop~ right in. Pun intended.
The Duke and Lord Mazeen. Ugh. I hate them; they are so f***ed up. The Duke gives lessons to Poppy as punishments for doingβ¦ wellβ¦ absolutely nothing wrong. They both clearly take joy in humiliating and abusing Poppy. Remember the cane for later my babesβ¦
Now that Hawke is Poppyβs guard, we start getting a lot of swoon-worthy moments. When they go sit under the willow tree during the Rite and Poppy gets to be a normal girl for a second? Love that for her.
Then, we get our first true taste of Hawkeβs characterβ¦ When he and Vikter argue about Poppy and him being caught alone together. Hot. Itβs also after this that Poppyβs finally reaching her breaking point of being the Maiden and what it does to her life. She feels like she has nothing.
Iβm sorry to add this long paragraph quote from Poppy, but girl just straight up summed up the book for us.
I canβt celebrate my birthdays because thatβs ungodly. Iβm not allowed to go to picnics at the Grove or to supper with others because Iβm the Maiden. Iβm not allowed to defend myself because that would be unseemly. I donβt even know how to ride a horse.
Nearly every book is forbidden to me. I canβt socialize or make friends because my sole purpose is to serve the kingdom by going to the gods β something no one will even explain. What does that even mean? …
So Iβm sorry that choosing something I want for myself is such a disappointment to you, the kingdom, everyone else, and the godsβ¦. It should be no shock that I want to be found unworthy.
Poppy
Can you imagine β books being forbidden to you? Bless her heart, and I mean that.
Interjection here because honestly, I wrote this review, then realized I never even mentioned Tawny, Poppyβs only friend, who has to be her friend because itβs required of her as a βcompanion.β I think sheβs kind of inconsequential, and her only value was to provide Poppy with the steamy, most definitely forbidden, diary read.
And then s**t hits the fan. Remember that cane? Well the Dukeβs now dead, and itβs through his heart. Thanks Hawke, even if Poppy doesnβt realize it was you, I do, boo, and I appreciate you!
The Descenters attack. Vikter FREAKING DIES on us. Then Poppy goes OFF on Lord Mazeen, and it was what we needed in this book. You go girl. On my vindication scale, it was Mrs. Weasley vs Bellatrix.
Red flags and kidnapping
As much as I love Hawke, he did toss out a lot of red flags. THE CANE. Idk, the fact that you just happened to run into him at the brothel. He literally says that heβs not a good guy, and she deserves better than what awaits her. He calls you Princessβ¦ because heβs a Prince?? Hmm?? Just because books are forbidden to you, does not mean you can pull a DW and claim that sign canβt stop you because you canβt read. I rest my case.
I digress though, because things are starting to heat up. Poppyβs supposed to be going to the capital to stay safe. Hawke has other plans though, because itβs time to basically kidnap Poppy. Sheβs unaware though, and they finally have their ~moment~. Someone is no longer a maiden!!
Hey Poppy, remember it was realβ¦
POOR PHILLIPS. Phillips deserved better. He was just trying to do his job and save Poppy. He realized all the other guards were missing in this strange villageβ¦ thatβs unlike any other village run by the Ascendedβ¦ that Hawke just happened to lead them to. Hmmβ¦
RIP Phillips, because Hawke betrayed you, Poppy. In true Poppy fashion, the response is to attack Hawke and the others. Badass. A little hot. And we get that much needed comic relief from Elijah, βWho wouldβve thought the Maiden could throw down?β Absolute gold star quote.
What are the ascended really?
And ALL of the secrets start pouring out. The Ascended are really just the bad, unnatural vampires that feed on humans. They accidentally create Cravens. Theyβre also taking the children that supposedly go work in the temples, and theyβre using them for snack time. The Atlantians are good, natural vampires that only feed on other Atlantians, not humans. But their blood also creates the Ascended.
Hawke is an Atlantian. Heβs been plotting and scheming and doing horrible things to avenge his kingdom. Are we surprised? No. Is Poppy? Yes.
The 50 years that Hawke was held in the temple being used to make new Ascendedβ¦ I appreciated that this book filled my ACOTAR-sized gaping, constant book hangover, heart, but this was just so blatantly similar that I couldnβt not roll my eyes (yes, double negative to stress this). So, besides Poppy being a dense bitch sometimes and not seeing the clues, and this, I donβt have any other true negatives for this book.
Sorry, one more red flag that Poppy, of course, canβt see. When she gets attacked in the cell, and Jericho says that the Prince cut off his hand. YOU KNOW HAWKE CUT OFF HIS HAND. COME ON GIRL. 2 + 2.
The ending
Hawke is Casteel, the Prince. Wow. No way. I canβt believe it.
Must have been pretty upsetting to finally figure that one out Poppy, since you stab him in the heart. But allβs well that ends well, because we get incredibly hot make-up (or maybe just hate?) sex in the woods. And, ugh identity crisis on the name now, Casteel throws out a stunning line like, βBut worse yet, you forgot.β
βForgot what?β
βThat it was real.β
*heart fluttering*
Surprise, Poppy has some Atlantian blood in her.
But the real surprise and absolute mic drop of a cliffhanger…
AHHHHHH. That did NOT seem like part of the plan. But I loved it. LOVED IT.
I cannot freaking wait to see where this goes in Book 2. Iβm also super excited to see more of Kieran. His role was small in this book as Casteelβs second (? idk how to describe him), but I got a feeling I am going to like him.
Final Thoughts
Overall, what I really liked about this book was the character development we get to see from Poppy. We get to see Poppy navigating what it means to be the Maiden, and if she really cares to follow the rules or if she wants to break them to actually experience life. I mean the girl secretly hopes she wonβt be found worthy so she doesnβt have to live that life and can do something else. I feel like everyone can relate a little to this; I certainly can. The world building was A+, and Iβm so excited to see where this series goes. Also, Hawke/Casteel is one of my new book boyfriends.
If itβs unclear based on my novel length recap and thoughtsβ¦ I love this book.
MY PREDICTIONS FOR BOOK 2
(Yes, I know this is being posted after the second book came out, but I promise 100% I wrote these predictions down prior to the release when I was brainstorming this review, and my thoughts a few weeks ago.)
Hawke/Casteel talked about the caverns where heβs from at some point and making new memories that are happy to replace the sad ones. He is obviously going to take Poppy. Also, could the missing King Malec be Poppyβs father?? Whatβs this potential bond between Casteel and Kieran? Is there telepathy involved? That could get awkward. Lastly, Casteel is like βit felt like I knew you and I think I know why,β is this just because she has Atlantian blood or do they have mates in this world? I NEED TO KNOW.
You can buy the book through my link. I receive a commission from Amazon Associates if you buy through my link with no additional cost to you – win win!?
Let me know if you read this book – in the comments or over on Instagram! If you liked this From Blood and Ash summary and recap, I’d love for you to share this post!