From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

 From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout - 625 pages

Penellaphe, known to her friends as Poppy, is The Maiden. She was Chosen by the gods to fulfill a task that will keep the kingdom from falling into ruin. She is beginning to question her duty and begins to experience internal conflict as to how much of her life she can choose to live. As she begins further exploring the world around her, which is forbidden, events unfold that place a new guard in her life - Hawke. He guides her and challenges her in a way she has never been challenged before. Will she remain dutiful and loyal to the path the gods have chosen for her? Or will she follow her heart?

Lately, I've been finding myself reading a lot of Young Adult novels. Although this particular book likes to play the fine line between Young Adult and Adult fiction, it was pretty difficult to put down. The first 100 pages were pretty dense - filled with world-building and character introductions. Once you've passed the lull, it is well worth finishing the 625 pages. This book is action-packed, full of political intrigue, and sprinkled with a bit of romance and violence. There are a few big plot twists that completely change the direction of the story - which I was able to guess about halfway through reading - but it was still surprising even though I already had guessed what would happen. I recently started the sequel, A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire, and it's already even better than this one! This is definitely one of my new favorites!