Ratings303
Average rating4
I genuinely have no idea how to rate this book. It is clearly not a great work of fiction, but I've really enjoyed reading it. Especially the last 20%. Actually this book almost killed me with the level of absurdity of the events in the book.
5.15.2021 update lol I hated the second book so much that I can't bring myself to keep the rating of this book at 5 stars. this is the quickest I think I have ever changed a rating for a book
5.12.2021 original review ]
Omigod...
RTC when it's not 2 hours past my bedtime and my brain can maybe fathom what I just read
I really enjoy Jennifer's books and this one is no exception. However, this one was definitely my favorite. This is her first high fantasy book for me and I loved it. The characters are snarky, strong, and witty. I loved the banter between Hawke and Poppy. As always with JLA, you are left with a massive cliffhanger that makes you want to pick up the next book immediately. Luckily for me, the next one is out but after that, I will have to wait.
CAWPILE Breakdown:
Characters: 10
Atmosphere: 9
Writing: 8
Plot: 8
Intrigue: 9
Logic: 9
Enjoyment: 10
This was a fun and wild read with really great characters, banter, and action! It starts out very average (I was thinking it would be a 2 star read), but it quickly jumped up to a solid 4 stars; I had a blast reading it.
I saw this book recommended all over but somehow managed to avoid spoilers. Poppy is quietly defiant, fierce, and a rebel in spite of having rigid rules to follow. Her magical abilities intrigued me and her compassion for others showcased her true character. I love a strong female main character and Jennifer Armentrout delivered in a big way.
I absolutely loved Poppy and Hawke's banter and the development of their magnetic relationship. My favorite spicy scene I still think about. The plot twist at the end of the book had me heartbroken and angry.
Jennifer Armentrout did an amazing job with developing the atmosphere of this book. She made you understand the weight of every decisions made by the characters. I love the mythology, magical system, and the culture she introduced us to. I loved the violence as much as the romance and spicyness.
I wanted to like this book. I really did but...
It started off entertaining enough and the action scenes were gripping and enjoyable.
Unfortunately, that is where the praise leaves me. The heroine as well as the love interest feel two dimensional. I didn't so much feel like I was being introduced to her as I was supposed to feel like I could be her. The love interest is... problematic. I enjoyed the ‘bad boy banter' but his actions stretch the term ‘dubious consent' on numerous occasions in ways that are excused because ‘from him she likes it' - and while we know this as the reader, he definitely cannot be sure of this.
Unfortunately, the book is also wholly predictable with every single plot twist not so much foreshadowed as spelled out in neon lights.
Despite all this I actually had a good time reading it for most of the story but the last hundred pages or so just got drastically worse and worse.
started this as a joke to see how bad it was. managed to get 4 chapters in...
really just terrible. prose is horribly amateurish and reads like a teenager's wattpad fanfic, overuse of ellipses is so so irritating, protagonist is insufferable (“I was the Maiden. The Chosen.” ohhh i didn't catch that the other ten times you mentioned it thank goodness you said it again), and what kind of fucking name is PENELLAPHE?
dynamic between poppy and hawke is also sooo uncomfortable lol. i know the plot twist and i will just never see that kind of dynamic as romantic (thousand-year-old immortal whisks away a barely 18-year old girl who is also a virgin and he was her first kiss and i assume also her first time bla bla bla). creepy very creepy
just going to assume everyone rating this above 2 stars is like, clinically insane or something. get well soon! and i mean that genuinely!!!
Very quick read. Enjoyed it. If you are enjoying the Blood and Ash Series you will like this quick read
I can't believe I'm doing this but.... DNF. Not into the first scene when Poopy pretends to be someone else and let's Hawke kiss her. Not into him calling her Princess. It's cringe and creepy and demeaning. Can't slog through this. Yikes.
5/5 stars
I'm speechless. slow applause Jennifer is a goddess thank you for this masterpiece. I have always been a Jennifer stan but she really blew it out the water with this one.
My favorite part of this book is the characters hands down. I usually hate the chosen one trope and how self righteous the main characters tend to be and while the main character Poppy is “the chosen one”, she is one of the best characters I have every read. She is so feisty and I related to her so much. She didn't want to be the chosen one and defied people higher than her to protect herself and do what she wants. The side characters were also so fleshed out and I loved them all (or hated depending lol).
NOW DON'T GET ME STARTED ON HAWKE. I love him so freaking much. He's my baby and even tho he is slightly toxic I need his toxicity in my life. I need him to claim me instead of Poppy lol. He is just so witty and charming while also protective and deadly. He's just the combination of everything I need in my life. So what I'm saying is that he's perfect.
This book has a slower beginning but it was very necessary for the world building and understanding the different types of creatures in this world without info dumping. We also got to know Poppy so well and got attached to her guards and the people that cared about her. The plot picked up about 60% of the way into this book and the plot twists had me SHOOK! I kept being surprised left and right and that's when the real steam started too which I loved obviously.
I'm literally so hyped to read the second book since this one is in my top 2 favorite books of the year and I know the second book is going to blow me away just the same.
4.75/5
❤️the writing style took me a couple chapters to really get into, but after I got used to it I was hooked
❤️I greatly dislike how everyone treats Poppy as an object rather than a person. It makes me not feel as bad for those who did die even though they were still her friends (bc even though they cared for her, they still thought of her as a thing)
❤️immediately bought the next book as soon as I finished :)
I had a really hard time with this one. I wanted to like the book and know more about the story but the writing was not great and made it hard to stay engaged. I would have liked to have more context of the world and how it works much sooner than when we actually start getting explanations of important mechanics. The character is hard to like and comes off as annoying rather than just honestly out of touch. I only got about a third of the way before giving up on this one.
Oh, this book. I don't even know where to start. I was expecting to love this one. I like Jennifer L. Armentrout's writing and I usually enjoy her stories.
This book didn't quite work for me. First of all, it has been marketed as high fantasy and in my opinion it really isn't. Then, the world building is somewhat inconsistent and the first interaction between Poppy and Hawke wasn't the best (consent should be taken very seriously) which ruined most of the romance to me.
Poppy's actions were very out of character because she didn't act like a sheltered character at all. Also, several of her choices... Dumb.
However, I'm curious about where the story is going. The political intrigue and the conflict between atlantians, humans, royals and wolvens was engaging and I wish it was better explored.
I'll probably read the next one. Yeah, it makes no sense that I want to do that. Can't explain it!
Note: I wrote this mini review in my January wrap up. It's now June and I have no desire to keep reading this series. So, I won't be reading the next book.
4.5 stars
I really liked this book, I would've given it 5 stars, but it lacked something. I don't know what, but it just wasn't a 5 stars read for me at this point. Maybe the fact that there is a huge twist in the book which I had figured out very early and it was no surprise to me when it came. It didn't hit me, it didn't make me go crazy, but it made me satisfied that I had it figured out.
I love Poppy's character. She is just a girl, forced to do whatever the Royals say just because she is “The Chosen”. I felt so sorry for her most of the time because she was caged and she's a really good person, who just wants to help others. I liked how her relationship with Hawke evolved and I obviously liked him. Because how can you not like the most handsome character in the book?
I can't wait to read the next book, hopefully it will feel better than this one did.
I really enjoyed this fantasy romance. Tbh I haven't read a fantasy like this in a hot minute so maybe that's why my rating is higher than last time. I would say that this is very similar to Gild in the plot progression of the story and the themes. The fact that I didn't want to put this book down and wasted a whole day just trying to read it speaks volumes. It's not a new favourite but I appreciate it nonetheless
Well it seems like most people either love or hate this one. I LOVED it. This slow-burn romance fantasy delivered on every level for me. 100% fun.
This book had me bouncing back and forth between loving it and cringing super hard. I couldn't handle some of the outdated and contrived tropes. The virginal main character with the rakish, centuries old immortal, hit way too close to the obsession with purity culture that skeeves me out about YA vampire books. That being said, the parts that I liked outweighed the uncomfortable bits. I liked the twist, even if I was glaringly obvious the whole time because every character hinted at it. I also like the lore and her powers. On to the next one.
This is like slightly better twilight? So I feel less guilt for enjoying it but also still very cringe.