From Blood and Ash

I’d say a 3.5. It was a hard book to get invested in. Maybe because I was busy and distracted but other books have snared me faster. Also I agree with another review saying. The foreshadowing was done poorly because it was ridiculously predictable lol regardless I will still read book 2 and probably the rest of the series because the concepts were cool. The creatures were an interesting new take. I love the main character because she isn’t weak and she’s stubborn. It’s still a good book overall!

I am torn between 3.5 and 4 stars. Before I get into this review, I was very nervous to start this book due to the hype surrounding the series. I started it two other times and could not get into it before this latest read. I actually accidentally read [b:A Shadow in the Ember|57282383|A Shadow in the Ember (Flesh and Fire, #1)|Jennifer L. Armentrout|https:i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1619448359l/57282383._SX50_.jpg|89639173] first because I didn't realize its supposed to be 4th in the suggested reading order of these two series.

Let's start with things I did not care for or understand:

- THE NAME SPELLINGS

- What was the purpose of the maiden? Even Poppy states in the book she cannot talk to others because her purpose is serving the gods but nobody will explain what that entails.

- Getting into this book was rough, it took me a very long time to want to continue to read this book with excitement.

- Poppy is described as being isolated her entire life. However, she is not written that way. She is written as daring and rebellious.

- There was so much world-building I lost sight of most of the actual plot, honestly.

Into the good:

- I started to get into it in the end and while others found the plot twists incredibly predictable, I had zero clue about Hawke and I really did enjoy the last 5 ish chapters.

- the last bit of the book is what saves the rating and possibly gets me to read the second one. It is a ride of passion, romance, and a wild ride. Plus, cliffhangers always get me.

I like this one due to the different nature of the characters and the reveal is fun but I couldn’t get fully into it

Predictable, but lots of fun to read - and we all need fun books to read.

Loved