From Blood and Ash: Our November Book Club Pick (Discussion Questions Included)
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The first pick of The Pollen Co. Book Club is From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout, and it's the book I've been reading myself this fall. It's a big, bingeable romantasy with a veiled heroine, a guard she absolutely should not trust, and a world that turns out to be lying to her about almost everything. November nights are long. This one will fill them.
Spice level: Medium. A slow burn for most of the book, then open-door. The series gets spicier from book two on.
Content: 18+. Violence, blood and some dark themes alongside the romance.
Lane: Romantasy.
Good for: ACOTAR fans, anyone who loves a bodyguard romance, and readers who want a long series to sink into all winter.
What it's about
Poppy is the Maiden, chosen by the gods. She lives behind a veil, can't be touched, can't be looked at too long, and is being kept pure for an Ascension that's supposed to be the greatest honor in the kingdom. Nobody is allowed to ask what that actually means, least of all her.
So she sneaks out. She fights. She wants things she isn't supposed to want. And then a new guard is assigned to her, Hawke: golden, cocky, far too perceptive, and very interested in the parts of Poppy that don't fit the Maiden.
Meanwhile the kingdom's monsters are getting closer to the walls, and the story Poppy was raised on starts to come apart. That's as far as I'll go. The less you know going in, the better the back half lands.
Who will love it (and who might not)
You'll probably love it if you liked: A Court of Thorns and Roses, The Bridge Kingdom, Twilight in its prime, or any story where the guard is the most dangerous person in the room.
It might not be for you if: you want a fast start. The first third is slow and banter-heavy, it's a long book, and the series runs to several more. If that's a selling point, perfect.
Formats
Paperback: Amazon or Bookshop.org, if you'd rather support an independent bookstore.
Kindle: Kindle edition. It wasn't in Kindle Unlimited when I checked in October, so look again the week you start.
Audiobook: on Audible and most library apps. A good pick if the length is putting you off.
New to reading on a Kindle? The which Kindle should I buy guide walks through every model.
Make it a moody month
Candles, a dark room, a blanket, and your phone across the room. If you're setting up a corner for the long nights, the cozy reading nook essentials post covers the lamp, the throw and the side table.
This month's free printable is four bookmarks (poppies, a crimson candle, a dagger and a page tracker) plus a one-page reading tracker. Book Club members get it in their welcome email.
Discussion questions
Use these with a friend, a group chat, or a reading journal. They get more spoilery as they go.
What does the veil take from Poppy, and what does it protect her from?
Poppy breaks the Maiden's rules in small ways long before the big ones. Which of her secret rebellions did you like best?
How does the book use touch, and the lack of it, to build tension?
Who would you trust as your guard, Hawke or Vikter, and why?
The Ascended are worshipped as blessed. What were the first clues that something was off?
When the truth about Hawke comes out, did you see it coming? Go back and look for the hints.
Is Poppy's anger in the last act fair? Would you have forgiven what she's asked to forgive?
The book ends on a choice, not a resolution. Where do you want book two to take her?
What to read next
A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire, book two, which picks up right where this one leaves off. Spicier.
A Shadow in the Ember, the first book of Armentrout's Flesh and Fire series, set in the same world long before Poppy.
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, our January pick, if you want to read ahead.
December's pick is Quicksilver by Callie Hart: a thief, a fae warrior and a frozen north. High spice, arriving December 1. See the whole year on the Book Club page.
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