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A review by kirstinlwx
From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout
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.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Violence