A Soul of Ash and Blood: A Blood and Ash Novel (Blood And Ash Series Book 5)

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Once again we have a story where a centuries-old man is seducing a young girl. Hawke is not sexy! Not whatsoever. He’s controlling of her and too forceful during intimate moments. His scenes with Poppy made me cringe because of how much he took advantage of her. He lied to Poppy, deceived her, betrayed her, physically and emotionally and mentally hurt her, controlled her, gaslit her, sexually touched her without her permission, used her in so many wrong ways—so tell me why anyone thinks he’s sexy? Absolutely not. If a guy pulled any of that on me we’d be done immediately and he’d be suffering permanent brain damage after I finished with him; I don’t care how many abs he has. According to both Cas and Kieran (multiple times in this book) - Cas never truly told the story of what happened to Shea and there are things that he opted out when telling her the story. He says he will finally tell her when she awakens. WHAT IS IT? Shea is dead because he talks about her death and even JLa said she is dead just recently. This annoyed me because we got 4 books of them building trust and always being honest with each other and this is not revealed?? and we have to wait until next summer to find out? I am in distress. From Blood and Ash is the first in a fantasy romance series and follows our narrator, 18 year old Penellaphe (Poppy) Balfour. She is a Maiden, and is destined to 'Ascend' as a gift to the gods, and ultimately, save the Kingdom of Solis. Poppy also has a gift, she can sense a person's physical and mental pain, and by touching them, relieve them of some of it. The Ascended are essentially the ruling class over the kingdom, however they are very mysterious. Poppy lives a life where she is expected to be sheltered; speak only to a few, remain completely covered, never leave the castle, never be touched, etc. However, she is not so good at playing this role. She knows how to fight in hand-to-hand combat, and carries a dagger (we love a stabby woman) and often sneaks out. At the beginning of the book, she leaves the castle one night and ventures to The Red Pearl, a notoriously debaucherous tavern. There, she meets a royal guard who ends up kissing her, and thus begins Poppy's internal investigation on whether or not she truly wants to become the Maiden. Don’t forget what he means to me, Poppy. I’ve known him my whole damn life,” he said. “We shared the same crib more times than not. We took our first steps together. Sat at the same table most nights, refusing to eat the same vegetables We explored tunnels and lakes, and pretended that fields were new, undiscovered kingdoms. We were inseparable. And that didn’t change as we grew older.” His voice roughened, and he dropped his forehead to mind. “He was and still is a part of me.”

Then Casteel has to feed and Kieran stays in the room with them to make sure he won’t hurt Poppy. JLA made a conscious choice here to have Kieran behind Poppy, touching her, while Casteel fed from her. And even to make Cas press them both against the wall, trapping them together. New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout revisits the first novel in her phenomenal Blood and Ash series. But this time…it’s Hawke’s turn to tell the story. I’m a little envious of that.” I slid my hand over the soft flesh of her ass, slipping a finger between the cheeks and into the tight flesh there.” This book is from Cas' point of view. The first chapter of the book was so good and as soon as the book started I became swept up in this world that the author created full of vampires, wolven, gods, magic and dragons. The pacing was great, although there were times when the plot dragged. I enjoyed reading about Cas' this thoughts and feelings from his own perspective. Reading from his point of view reminded me of why I feel in love with him and brought a new perspective to previous events. I love seeing Cas' vulnerable side as well as his protective side. I love him so much, he is charming, brave, protective, resilient and sweet to Poppy. I'm glad that Cas' was the focus in this book, I felt that during the previous book, his personality didn't shine through as much and he felt static. I really liked that this book recapped events from the first book, I forgot a lot of what happened so it was a great refresher. I do wish that there were more new events and new revelations that happened during the book. I love all of the main characters especially Cas, Poppy and Kieran. Poppy is such a brave and strong character, I was really proud of her. I loved the banter between Cas and Poppy and the chemistry was amazing! There were so many scenes that made me laugh, blush and smile. The writing was very descriptive and I could vividly picture all of the events that occurred in the book.The first chapter of the book was hands down the best start JLA has written in this series. It gave me chills. We find out a lot about Cas and how his mind was working when he was trying to successfully become her guard and everything else that occurred between them.

I knew this was real. What was between us. What she felt for me. What I felt for her. This. It was real.” The fact that we all thought this would be a complete retelling of the first book only to find out it's actually going to be Cas telling Poppy stories about his life before her and recounting their time together in the beginning BECAUSE HE WAS ADVISED BY SOMEONE to talk to her in her current state. He is a good choice. For both of you.” There was a pause as he looked at his son, clearing his throat.” Malik also tells Cas why he stayed for so long and again it's all because of Millie and he would never leave her no matter what but again she hates him because of the things he has done (which we don't know what he is referring to).

The Blood and Ash Series in Order (6 Books)

Then there’s the scene at the end when Poppy finds out that he betrayed her and she tries to kill him and then they end up having sex?? Excuse me? The whole time Hawke was with her, he knew he was going to betray her, he knew he had a hand in killing her family members, yet he still screws her (and screws her over). That is not the action of someone who’s caring and protective—that’s manipulative and vile. She was emotionally unstable because he was the first guy she even remotely had feelings for, and he completely took advantage of her. The only reason he protects her is to serve his own agenda. I honestly don’t know if he actually likes her or if he’s only turned on by the fact that she’s the “enemy.” He would be annoyed to find me in here.” A ghost of a smile appeared. “And then he’d be…intrigued .” T he focus on sex in this book and it not being with the FMC just didn't sit right with me. I know it is crazy that I am saying this as I love smut but for this story that we have been following for 4 books so far, did we really need this? As I said, I saw Cas in a new light and I didn't like what I saw.

One day when she’s trying to live a normal life, she sneaks out to a club called the Red Pearl, where she ends up meeting Hawke, a handsome guard. And that is the start of the adventure and romance of this story. Alright, on to my review. I was pleasantly surprised that the writing was better than I was expecting. Was it fantastic? No, but it wasn't bad enough to the point where it drew me out of the story over and over. There were a few grammatical and syntactical errors that were a bit confusing, so the editing could have been a bit better, yes. I also wish that there had been a map (every fantasy needs a map; they look cool and are super helpful) and perhaps a glossary because there are A LOT of different people, events, groups, etc. etc. and that was difficult to keep straight in my head. I wish there was a little more world-building to make things a little clearer. The political intrigue was interesting. Antis: “Why have Poppy and Casteel get married and be heartmates and then ruin them with the Joining?” Nothing and everything had changed between the three of us since the Joining. Our relationship remained as it had been, but there was an intimacy now that hadn’t been there before. A closeness. A bond we were reminded of every time I felt our hearts beating in tandem.”

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Casteel Da’Neer knows all too well that very few are as cunning or vicious as the Blood Queen, but no one, not even him, could’ve prepared for the staggering revelations. The magnitude of what the Blood Queen has done is almost unthinkable.

I should mention, I’m not a 5-star abuser—I can be a fussy bitch. Also, I’ve never read anything by Jennifer Armentrout previously, which I’m feeling pretty embarrassed about. How did I not know this amazing woman existed?? Needless to say, I’m now fan-girling big time. I’VE GOT A THEORY THAT LINKS THE THROUPLE WITH THE MAIN PLOT: Both Malik and Millie told Casteel he was the only one who could stop Poppy. But by then, Poppy had already asked Kieran to do just that if she ever lost control. And the fact that Kieran brought up this moment when she asked what kind of love he felt for her… I think it’s very relevant, because a Primal’s only weakness is love. The same love Poppy feels for Casteel… and for Kieran. Seeing Reaver in his mortal form was already an utterly unexpected experience. But seeing him completely, absolutely naked whilst crouched on a pillar took the oddness of the situation to a whole new level.Poppy awakens right at the last sentence, and she is officially a primal (her eyes are no longer green) Chosen from birth as the Maiden, Poppy's life has never been her own. She must await her Ascension, when she will discover if the Gods deem her worthy. Until then she lives her life in a gilded cage. Scarce few are allowed to see her face, which she keeps veiled all but most of the time, almost every aspect of normal life and social interaction denied to her. Such is her duty, for the fate of the kingdom depends upon her. Yet that doesn't mean that Poppy doesn't have desires like everyone else, that she doesn't long to simply be able to live and experience. And when Poppy gets a new personal guard for her protection, the handsome Hawke Flynn, things start to become much more complicated, as desire and duty come head to head.