This week we are discussing From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout, Ch. 1-9.
Content Warning!!! This book contains situations and subjects related to: sexual assault, murder, torture, death, kidnapping, imprisonment, war themes, slavery, animal death, blood drinking, blood and gore descriptions, physical, psychological & emotional abuse, gaslighting, suicide mentioned, descriptions of dead bodies, and other adult themes.
Spoiler Warning!!! This post is full of spoilers for From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout.
Discussion:
Jacilyn: Hello friends and welcome to our first discussion of From Blood and Ash by Jennifer Armentrout. This title was my Summer Book Exchange pick - much like my pick from our last book exchange, this is book one of one of my favorite series. I’ve always hoped that Michaela might read this book at some point, specifically because the protagonist, Poppy, isn’t the typical thin, lithe heroine that you see in most romance-y novels. As a fat person myself, coming across a heroine like Poppy was so special to me. I’m so excited to share this book with Michaela!
In this first section, there’s a lot that is still a mystery to us as readers. Who the Ascended are is becoming slowly more clear with details like their aging, their speed, the fact that they don’t go out in the sun. But we don’t really know much about the Rite, or what the Craven are actually like, or why Poppy survived being attacked by them as a child. I remember that on my first read of this book, I was kind of confused in the beginning to be honest. It’s one of those stories where the world-building takes some time to come together.
Michaela: Jacilyn has been telling me to read this book for a long time and I just have never picked it up. First of all, a brand new copy is like $32 which is ridiculous, but also based on the synopsis it just never really clicked for me despite my love for vampires. So far I am enjoying the story, however it is a little slow in those first 100 pages like most fantasy novels are. Introducing readers to a world and a society takes a lot of info dumping which takes up a lot of pages. I will say I think this author has done a good job of making the info dumping digestible and interesting. Poppy reads some info from books, she talks with various characters about other bits of info, and the rest she is thinking about in her inner monologue. I really appreciate that it's mixed into the story fluidly rather than a straight up info dump that’s hard to sift through.
I’ve only found a few things confusing so far but I’m kind of just letting the information wash over me and filing it away with this world because I feel confident it’ll be explained later. I definitely have been spewing off my theories to Jacilyn through our text messages constantly though! I’m finding these seemingly three different types of vampires really interesting. I love different takes on a classic creature just as much as my twists on fairy tales! I already feel like the Ascended are the actual villains here, especially with how much they push the Atlantians as the monsters. Which they may be but the Ascended are giving ‘unethical billionaire’ vibes for sure. Also, can I say using ‘Atlantians’ but then not revealing them to be mer people of some kind, my mermaid heart broke a little on that one. Maybe I will still get my mermaid dreams.
Jacilyn: It has been so hard to respond in neutral ways when it comes to the theories!
The Ascended give me the same exact vibes. Whenever you see such severe stratification between the haves and have nots, you know that the government isn’t going to be ideal in the slightest. Then you have the fact that the Ascended are the intermediaries between the common folk and the gods - they hold every single bit of power in this government, and there’s just something that doesn’t feel right about it. Plus, so far we’ve only met one Ascended that seems even slightly decent, and that’s the Duchess. The Duke and Lord Mazeen are pieces of shit. Like I said to Michaela in one of our text conversations, immortality is never a good addition when someone is already a sadist and sexual predator.
I have to talk about Hawke now. I knew I was going to enjoy the dynamic between Hawke and Poppy basically immediately - I am a complete sucker for the joking and teasing between them, especially since Poppy has to be so proper and polite and quiet in front of the vast majority of other people. We haven’t gotten a ton of him in this first section, but more will be on the way of course.
I can’t imagine being as repressed and isolated as Poppy is. She questions her only friendship, wondering if Tawny would ever have been her friend if she hadn’t been given the role of Poppy’s companion, and it makes me so sad. I think it’s so sweet how they kind of feed on each other’s rebellious and adventurous tendencies. The Maiden, skinny-dipping? How scandalous!
Michaela: The Ascended sounds so fake with everything they say about the gods, it comes across to me as if maybe they aren’t communicating with gods and just saying they are. Or like they think they are but really it’s all just their own motivations coming through. Either way this whole “blessing” nonsense sounds like bullshit to me. Also the Duchess feels really fake to me too, so far all she’s been is relatively kind but also subscribes to the Ascended mentality and lets the Duke just walk around doing sketchy shit. There’s no way she doesn’t know how he treats Poppy, and if she truly doesn’t then she needs better informants since she’s the second most powerful figure here.
Lord Mazeen gave me actual shivers of disgust, he is so freaking creepy. A plus writing that character because he makes me want to throw up. On the opposite end of the universe from Lord Mazeen is Hawke. I’m hooked already on that man. Tall, dark, and sassy, I love him. If he ends up being a gross man, my heart will actually break. I really enjoyed the chemistry between them, Poppy so easily slips into her real personality with him there. She also talks about having this feeling of safety just knowing he was in the crowd, and I love that kind of dynamic. Even Hawke’s reaction to Poppy is actually really sweet under the sensual stuff, he finds her funny and witty, and we can tell even from that small scene that her presence changes him. Ugh, I love it.
Poppy’s life sounds awful if I’m being honest. Purity culture, disgusting already. Add on abuse from her current guardian, the Duke. She can’t trust anyone because they might inform on her to her guardian or others. Then she can’t be looked at or touched for any significant amount of time. Being touch starved is something that can and does greatly affect a person's psyche. I loved that Poppy’s rebellion took her to the Red Pearl, she is insane for going there but it was an experience she needed at the same time. I like Tawny but I think she’s going to die even though she’s reigned in her adventurousness right now, I’m really afraid something will happen to her. Poppy just lost Rylan before her eyes, I feel like she’ll lose at least one more of her close friends soon.
There’s a lot of suspicious things going around this place right now. Cravens cropping up in town, not unheard of, but it feels like it’s potentially a distraction that allowed these Atlantians in the city. Which, the guy that attacked Poppy gives me werewolf vibes with that growl, which if he is then we must be looking at the handsome version of werewolves. Like the show Teen Wolf, where everyone looks normal until they ‘change’ on a full moon or when they choose to wolf out. This attacker also mentions “his plan for you”, sounds like the Dark One probably but currently I have no idea why he would want the Maiden besides perhaps just to throw this society off its axis a bit to allow for the rest of a plan to follow through.
Jacilyn: There are so many suspicious things happening in Masadonia right now. First you have the death and rape of the lady in wait, which the Ascended seem to be trying really hard to control the narrative of. Then Rylan is killed and Poppy is attacked. With the Rite coming up, and Poppy’s powers seeming to be changing slightly, I’m just waiting for the other shoe to drop at this point.
Well friends, that’s it for this discussion! We’ll see you back here next week to talk about what happens with Poppy and company next. Thanks for joining us!
Comments