Reviews with content warning for Physical abuse - From Blood and Ash

A solid 4/5

I really enjoyed this especially at first! I felt like it was a bit slow with the some info dump but enough interesting things to keep me guessing. Full disclosure that I did not read the first half but rather listened to the Graphic Audio version and wanted to know the rest so badly I bought the book.

It stays really good until the ending which is bizarre. I know it’s setting up for the next book but I wasn’t crazy about how weird them being at the cabin/town went down.

Will we ever get fantasy creatures that can’t smell arousal lol and then towards the end it just felt like she was analyzing the same things ad nauseam.

It was also really predictable. As soon as Hawke is introduced to the guard, I knew who he was. And the frustrating part is seeing how dumb Poppy is since it takes her forever to get to her conclusion. Also the whole fucking in the snow thing was an interesting choice. Also weird thing to not talk about getting married?

I still really liked the world building and generally like Poppy even though she got really whiny by the end. Def planning on reading the next.

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librarian_sky's review against another edition

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adventurous dark reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

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aramariel's review against another edition

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medium-paced

3.5

poppy needed a bit more back bone at the end there, really was throwing me for a loop.

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elffrommars's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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kirstinlwx's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark medium-paced

2.0

From Blood and Ash tried to interrogate important topics like

corporal punishment, consent, propaganda, and agency,

and failed at doing so in very entertaining fashion.

After struggling to get through the first half of the book - it was like each page included one of either:
1. nothing of actual plot- or character-progression, or,
2. a cheeky sort of "tell ya later!" that was only to be underwhelming when later revealed - the plot picked up excitingly, and kept my attention. I scoffed through some of the reveals and references, but I was brought along pretty effectively - feeling as though the author was guiding me to the realizations alongside or just before Poppy came to them herself. However, I was tired by Poppy's simultaneous lack of interrogation of big concerns and histories, and her over-thinking and inner-monologuing about her experiences.

Similarly, Hawke's explicit seeking of consent in some situations was funny to look back on, considering he never recognized or seemed to grapple with his lack of understanding around the foundation of the concept (i.e. the informed part of informed consent).

There was essentially a lot of flat hypocrisy throughout the book, with over-explanation and under-exploration running hand in hand through the fairly jumbled plot.

With all of those conflicting feelings and reflections, I might still pick up the next book, because the story is fun even with its wild leaps and gimmes, and the e-book is free/included in my subscription. Do I feel a little guilty about that, given my issues with the writing and handling of sensitive topics? Yes. Do I sometimes want to read a book just for fun, with part of the "fun" being that I can complain about it? Also yes.

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