The Maiden, the Guard, and My Mixed Emotions

From Blood and Ash is a book that I believe I originally found recommended to me on TikTok, but a friend recently mentioned it so I thought I would dive into it soon. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it yet, as there are some parts I love and others not so much. As this is the first book in the series I'm going to do what I always do and see the whole series out.

Chosen from birth to usher in a new era, Poppy’s life has never been her own. The life of the Maiden is solitary. Never to be touched. Never to be looked upon. Never to be spoken to. Never to experience pleasure. 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. But the choice has never been hers.

The entire kingdom’s future rests on Poppy’s shoulders, something she’s not even quite sure she wants for herself. Because a Maiden has a heart. And a soul. And longing. 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. He incites her anger, makes her question everything she believes in and tempts her with the forbidden.

As the shadow of those cursed draws closer, the line between what is forbidden and what is right becomes blurred. 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.

All of these characters are what is setting me on the line between loving and hating this book. The plot is good and I can follow it easily but I still need to figure out what I think of the characters. As much as I love the growing relationship between Poppy and Hawke, they can both be very annoying at times and that's something that can lead me to disliking the book.

In my opinion, the characters are just as important, if not more important than the plot and I still am very curious about how I will enjoy this series. As for now, its getting a middle rating, in hopes that when I read the other books in the Blood and Ash series they can have higher ratings.

Stars: 3

Spice: 2