The other issue I have with Poppy is that despite being our protagonist she has very little agency. She doesn’t even have any idea what she wants or likes and the end result feels a bit predatory. I have no problem with age or experience gaps in reasonable amounts – and of course everyone loves Rhysand whom Hawke feels very much like…but I don’t feel like it works with Poppy. This makes her relationship with Hawke feel incredibly imbalanced.

She has never really experienced anything in the world or been able to make her own decisions. Poppy is a sheltered woman just coming into adulthood. There were a couple of things I didn’t enjoy while reading the book and most of them ultimately come down to Poppy’s character. I think the most interesting part of her character was how she struggled with feeling worthy. I liked the slow build up to the festival/ascension and the way that Poppy struggled with her status as the maiden. It leaves a lot of room for new, handsome characters to enter into the world and give readers even more to fantasize about. It’s not INCREDIBLY complex, but I enjoyed the dynamic of child sacrifice, the ascended and the vampire and werewolf parallels. There’s definitely a lot of fantasy fuel scenes with him and I think as a romance that’s what’s most important. Hawke, while slightly problematic, is dreamy enough. I know he’s just the same archetype of dark, secretly soft man with insane power that has been super popular recently but I think it’s popular for good reason! Plenty of women adore characters like Hawke and Rhysand and iterations of them. I care about who you are.'įrom Blood and Ash was an enjoyable read for me and I really think there’s a lot to enjoy about it. 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. And as the shadow of those cursed draws closer, the line between what is forbidden and what is right becomes blurred. He incites her anger, makes her question everything she believes in, and tempts her with the forbidden.įorsaken 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 when Hawke, a golden-eyed guard honor bound to ensure her Ascension, enters her life, destiny and duty become tangled with desire and need. The entire kingdom’s future rests on Poppy’s shoulders, something she’s not even quite sure she wants for herself. 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. Published by Blue Box Press on March 30, 2020Ĭhosen from birth to usher in a new era, Poppy’s life has never been her own.

From blood and ash 1