One fan-favorite BookTok book series is getting turned into a TV show, and the fantasy adaptation needs to embrace one story element. Due to their immense influence in the book world, TV and movie producers frequently look to BookTokers when selecting books to adapt.
Romantasy is one of the most popular genres on BookTok right now, despite having been niche previously. It’s easy to understand the appeal. The stories include escapist settings, emotional tension, and usually strong women leads. As such, many fan favorites like Fourth Wing and Assistant to the Villain are getting on-screen adaptations.
One of the most exciting BookTok adaptations based on a fan favorite has the potential to become a worldwide hit if it simply embraces a single element of the book.
BookTok Fan-Favorite, From Blood And Ash, Is Becoming A TV Show
In December 2024, news broke that Sony will adapt the BookTok fan-favorite romantasy series From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout into a TV show, with the intention of using all five books and presumably the upcoming sixth as the foundation. The book series is a New York Times Bestseller, and it’s highly rated by critics and audiences.
The book series follows Penellaphe “Poppy” Balfour, a young woman raised with the intention of becoming a “Chosen Maiden” and ascending at the behest of the gods. If she follows her fated path, she’ll carry the kingdom on her shoulders. However, things get complicated when she falls for her guard, Hawke, who’s secretly an enemy named Prince Casteel.
|
Book # |
From Blood and Ash books in order |
Year |
|---|---|---|
|
#1 |
From Blood and Ash |
2020 |
|
#2 |
A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire |
2020 |
|
#3 |
The Crown of Gilded Bones |
2021 |
|
#4 |
The War of Two Queens |
2022 |
|
#5 |
A Soul of Ash and Blood |
2023 |
|
#6 |
The Primal of Blood and Bone |
2025 |
|
#7 |
The Throne of Blood and Ash |
2026 (upcoming) |
The series is packed with political conflicts and divine prophecies, increasing tension. The romance part of romantasy involves star-crossed lovers. The worldbuilding is incredible, and the characters are compelling. For all these reasons and more, From Blood and Ash is a perfect choice for a book-to-TV adaptation.
While very little is known about the production team or cast, it’s a great sign that the TV version of From Blood and Ash is being made by the same production company that made Outlander, a historical romantasy that ran for eight seasons and got a prequel spinoff.
That show also started out as a popular book series, written by Diana Gabaldon. Outlander proves that Sony can find the right balance when mixing genres. What’s more, they are willing to invest in spinoffs if a show does well. This is great news since From Blood And Ash has a prequel series with four books.
From Blood And Ash Needs To Lean Into The Spicy Scenes
The book series From Blood And Ash has plenty of spicy chapters, and the sex scenes are extremely well-written. From Blood And Ash sets expectations immediately, as the first steamy moment happens in chapter 2. It never lets up throughout all the released books, with 5 spicy chapters in book 1, 6 in book 2, 8 in book 3, 7 in book 4, and 6 in book 5.
This doesn’t even include the prequel series, Flesh and Fire, which is even spicier than the main books. Frequently, book adaptations with prequel series incorporate elements of those books into the TV shows, which means the onscreen adaptation of From Blood and Ash could be even spicier than the original book series.
To make matters even better, the spicy scenes are well-choreographed, providing the TV adaptation with a foundation for some fantastic scenes. The dialogue in the sexy moments has a strong balance between dirty talk and emotional connection. They all put a big emphasis on enthusiastic consent, which is extremely important to feature onscreen. Every sex scene also feels earned because of the strong sexual chemistry between characters.
In the past, streamers might have been tempted to tone this down, but now is the perfect time for a fully spicy romantasy show. Heated Rivalry’s success has proven that audiences will turn out for romance stories with explicit, open-door sex scenes.
TV shows no longer need to imply sex while cutting away. It’s much more acceptable to show everyone’s bits and bobs as they’re engaging in foreplay and all different types of sex. As such, From Blood and Ash doesn’t need to tame itself down.