WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE BLOOD AND ASH CHARACTER AND WHY IS IT KIERAN?

*art by @monetva_art (instagram)

**spoilers below for the Blood and Ash series

One of the most anticipated releases this year was The Crown of Gilded Bones, the third book in the Blood and Ash series by Jennifer L. Armentrout. The Blood and Ash series follows the story of a young woman, Penellaphe or Poppy. In the kingdom of Solis, she is considered sacred because she is the maiden, the chosen one. Solis, which was formerly apart of the kingdom of Atlantia, is a kingdom where the Ascended, basically vampires, rule and each third son or daughter is given in homage to the gods during the rite. After Poppy's guard is killed, a new young guard named Hawke takes over. They begin to fall in love with one another and that's when he kidnaps her and holds her captive. Also, his name isn't Hawke, he is Prince Casteel, son of the King and Queen of Atlantia. Yeah, it's complicated. Honestly this series is addicting and I have no idea how I am going to wait until next year for the fourth book.

So, who is your favorite Blood and Ash character and why is it Kieran?

I mean, what is there not to love?

Kieran is your typical go-to side kick. He's got the dry sense of humor, he's loyal, he's always where he needs to be, and he's the side character you might just love a bit more than the main characters. Kieran was formerly Casteel's bonded wolven and he is the son of the head of the Wolven, Jasper. He is and has always been extremely loyal to Casteel and they are as close as two can be without any blood relation.

I can't say that I was a huge fan of Kieran in the first book. I kind of hated all the Atlantians because of the way they were treating Poppy. At the beginning of the second book, I still didn't really like him that much. I felt that he didn't have much personality and he was just Casteel's oversized lapdog. However, as time passed in the second book I realized that there was a lot more to Kieran's character.

I like how Kieran is very open and not judgmental. Besides the fact that his instincts tend toward knowing what people are going to do without them explicitly saying so, out of all the characters in the book I think that he actually has the most wisdom. I suspect a lot of this has to do with his own personal history which Armentrout hasn't fully explored yet. I hope in future books we learn more about his past and how it has shaped him into who he his. We have been getting little glimpses here and there. For example, In The Crown of Gilded Bones when he tells Poppy the story of his first love that passed away. I'm excited to see what Armentrout has in store for Kieran in the upcoming books.

It has been awesome to see the evolution of the relationship between Poppy and Kieran as the series has progressed. In The Crown of Gilded Bones, my heart melted when he was telling Poppy about how the wolven made room in their hearts for her. In that moment, their relationship was no longer just a link they had through Casteel or an obligation he felt to protect her because of Casteel or because she is the wolven "liessa." In the third book, the reader could see that they had a true and deep bond.

His dry sense of humor is probably one of his best qualities and it comes out a lot around Poppy. Their brother/sister banter is one of the highlights of the series. He always seems to know just what to say to push Poppy's buttons.

There is a hugeeee conversation right now on the internet about the joining. I will not be getting involved in that. However, I will say that I think that platonic relationships are important. It's natural to connect with someone on a deep, personal level without it having to turn into an intimate relationship. And I think it's important to see this in books more. It seems every time there is a connection between some girl and guy in a book it automatically turns romantic but, I don't think that's true to real life or the natural progression of all relationships. Additionally, I personally believe there is a difference between love and being in love. What she has with Kieran is different from what she has with Casteel. I think that they just love each other and have a deep respect for one another.

A few things I love about Kieran:

• His reaction every time Poppy asks him a question.

• His steady presence in both Casteel's and Poppy's lives.

• He also isn't afraid to tell them what he thinks and that's important.

• His humility when they offered him the official position as Advisor to the Crown.

All in all, Kieran is worth all the hype he gets. I just hope he also gets a happy ending. *cough cough*

Favorite Scene: In A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire when Casteel is giving Kieran the directive to go to Atlantia to bring more soldiers to Spessa's End. Not only did I love the moment between Casteel and Kieran but, also when he referred to Penellaphe as Poppy was heartwarming to read. If you remember earlier in the book, he tells Penellaphe that nicknames are reserved for loved ones and he would call her by her full name and not Poppy because he knew that she didn't consider them friends. After all that had come to pass in the book, they had finally reached a place of understanding, acceptance, and friendship.

Favorite Line: A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire: "But even so, sometimes, the heartbreak that comes with loving someone is worth it, even if loving that person means eventually saying goodbye to them."