A review by juliana_reads
From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Did not finish book.

This book was on hold at the library for nearly two months. I was excited to read it, because it is exactly the type of book I enjoy- fantasy, romance, all that good stuff. It has high ratings and is popular on booktok. But I really did not like the first-person narration, and the fact that Poppy is so young and painfully naive. Maybe if the perspective were different it would have hooked me. But it read like bad YA (when it’s really adult fantasy) and I’m too old for that nonsense! Even the early steamy scene was cringe, and I’ve seen many people laud the author for her sex scene writing. 

Also was not a fan of the world-building info dump in the first few chapters, and the weird breathless thoughts of Poppy (“I...I thought..”) It did not grab me and I stopped reading at 11%.