I’ve never read this author before, and this book is the first book in a series. First off, this book was well-written. The language was lyrical, and I really got to know the characters really well. Sometimes too well as I wanted to yell at Jack for some of the things he did. I love it when I can really relate to characters so well. And, the book did have an interesting plot, but it did get a little busy at times. I also loved how racism was dealt with in this book, making the reader feel how Jasminda felt about being isolated because of who she was. I must also be honest, though, that it did take me a little bit to get into the book. I almost gave up, but I hate not finishing a book, so I kept going. I’m glad I did. If you like fantasy romance, give this one a try! Recommend! I was provided a complimentary copy of the e-book which I reviewed voluntarily.

Wow, this book completely blew me away! I was drawn in by the beautiful cover, and after reading the synopsis I was intrigued enough to give this new series a try. There's a lot of new terms in the synopsis that I had no clue about; Earthsong, Mantle, True Father, The Queen Who Sleeps... what?! So even though I read the synopsis over and over, I pretty much went into this book not knowing what to expect. In the end, I'm kind of kicking myself in the back because of how long it took me to finish reading this! I loved all the secret bombshells that I had no idea was coming until the exact page it was dropped. No less than three times did I look up from my book and over to my husband, yelling "that did NOT JUST HAPPEN!" I'll admit, in the beginning it was hard to get me started because I was learning the world and different terms, but halfway in, I could not put Song of Blood and Stone down. Initially, I thought this was a standalone, but apparently it's the start of the Earthsinger Chronicles, and I just cannot wait until book 2 comes our way!!!

Okay, let me try to wrap my head around this magnificent storyline (I just finished it, and am still in awe) to give a brief introduction. In the world of Song of Blood and Stone, the land is divided primarily into two, with the Mantle being an invisible wall that separates Elsira in the West from Lagamiri in the East. Elsira is the home of Elsirans, who do not have the power of Earthsong, and appear more light skinned than their neighboring Lagamiri. Lagamiri are more dark skinned, have the power of Earthsong, and are despised by the Elsirans for it. And here would be a great time to say, that Earthsingers use their Earthsong to manipulate the earth's elements (water, soil, etc), and also heal wounded persons. In a time long, long ago Earthsingers flourished and used their powers to improve their surroundings. However in current time, they are largely looked down upon, mostly because of fear of their power.

The story starts out with Jasminda, who is an Earthsinger, but with a weaker power than others. She is a mix - her mother was Elsirin but her father and Lagamiri. Externally, she appears Lagarmiri, however she is an Elsiran citizen, residing in the western land, getting mean looks from the people she interacts with daily. Jasminda lost her family -- her mother years ago, and her father and siblings more recently -- and now must take care of their home by herself. With all the property taxes building up, she is in trouble of having her land taken away from her. So, her main concern was to find a way out of her housing predicament.

BUT, in comes Jack, an Elsiran soldier who is held prisoner for being caught spying on the Lagamiri. Since the Mantle was made centuries ago, there have been breaches in the magical wall, through which wars have been started. Jack hears word that there will be another breach soon, with the True Father (the ruler from Lagamiri) power hungry and wanting land/people back from Elsira. So, he goes undercover to spy on Lagamiri and get some answers. However, you quickly see how well that worked out for him. Jack's captors stumble upon Jasminda's home and force her to provide lodging for them for the night. And here begins Jack and Jasminda's journey to fixing the Mantle, attempting to prevent a war that has been years in the coming.

That is just an intro to the book, because I didn't want to give too much away. All I want to say is that I was pleasantly surprised by how unique this book was. There is so much more to it than the synopsis, and what I described above, but trust me when I say -- you'll want to read it for yourself to find out.

Song of Blood and Stone is told in third person POV alternating between our two main characters. Initially, I felt that their attraction to each other didn't have much to go on, and seemed a little like insta-love. But, their relationship grew on me, as they endured one thing after another together. One thing that bothered me just a little was how fierce and strong Jasminda appeared in the beginning, but in the second half it seemed like every other minute she was on the verge of tears and running away from something. But that is just a minor thing, otherwise I loved Jack and Jasminda together. This book wrapped up pretty nicely, but also ended in a way that left it open for the next book, and I can't wait to see what happens!

Note: Thank you to NetGalley/St. Martin's Press for an eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review!

The Story
This book has so many good things about it, the problem I found is that I think having it all in one book ended up taking away from the importance of each issue. Racial, refugee/immigration, power struggle, star crossed love, magical, social status, LGBTQ, and even good vs. evil all became too many good ingredients in the pot. Truly, there was so much good stuff in here, but I thought that they didn't get the time spent for each attribute that it should be due. Although they each went hand in hand, the pitch seemed too much at once.

First of all, I thought the romance was a little unbearable. I'm all for instalove, but this just felt off to me. I'm not even sure where the romance was beyond Jack being healed by a woman who should have been scared for her life? I kept wondering if he would stop obsessing about her skin. And no, it wasn't in reference to the color of her skin, but the smoothness. Hannibal jokes were passed between my BR and I, that's how often her skin came up! Aside from that I never felt connected enough to either character to feel like I should be rooting on their romance. It was incredibly sweet, however, how kind Jack was towards Jasminda. In most of his actions, he often put her safety and position above his own. Albeit, it ended up repeatedly hurting her, his intentions were always good.

The story pacing seemed to bounce around quite a bit too. I do love that the book moved quickly and didn't spend too much time moving the plot along, but I think in the end with the combined amount of topics hit within the story made it go from issue to issue to issue with stunted transitions. Meanwhile, the main characters sort of just go with the flow - sort of in a, if you say so I guess it's true, sort of manner. Okay, so really, not that simple, but I kept thinking to myself, really? That easy? No questions, asked, just jump right in the foray.

I would like to point out how beautiful the cover art is. A part of me wants to rate this book so much higher because it is just so pretty. But I don't personally think that's fair. Just because the book covers so many important topics in a gentle way does not mean that it made a great book. I would have loved to read this book alone as a series where the issues were broken up a little bit more. Seeing that it is a series, I wonder what else can really be covered because the ending wrapped up so nicely for our main characters.

Trigger Warnings: attempted rape, kidnapping, violence, and racism.

The World Building
I loved the magical elements of this world. I thought that the imbalance of the magical power added to the conflict of the story. I think my favorite part was that the magic ultimately was used for peacefulness and never, except with the twisted or in self defense, was it used for violence or control.

I didn't like how the word was built around a fantasy based magical realism. The fact that early 20th century vibes were underplayed with a fictional magical world just didn't fit for me. I thought it could have gone full on fantasy and incorporated real world items like vehicles and telephones within those realms. It ended up making me more confused about time period and the possibilities to the world.

The Characters
Jasminda was such a sweet character. Her personality was one of acceptance and care with little resolve for self preservation. Throughout the story she continually puts herself in danger to help someone else. I think what I really appreciated about her as a character was that she wasn't portrayed as the chosen one. There were many instances where she had the opportunity or capability to do something, and unfortunately, that wasn't explained very well. What made Jasminda so much different than the other Earthsingers? Was she related to someone vital to the story? Don't know, if I read it, I didn't realize it was evident to the story. So even though Jasminda is a likeable character I just didn't see how she was worked into the story with her greater purpose.

A sleeping Queen, A false God and a young couple caught up in the makings of another brutal war, this is Song of Blood & Bone. Jasminda and Jack, our main protagonists are from completely different worlds but manage to come together in a world that seems to be destined to keep them apart.

I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised reading this one and that’s only because it featured young/new adults. I’m not a major fan of this genre but if I continue to come across more stories that feature characters such as Jasminda, Jack and the rest of this cast of characters, then I can stick around for a minute of two.

I truly enjoyed how this author was able to mix the world of magic and also encompass such serious topics of race, social status, and divisive propaganda. I tell you to read a story that reflects our current time in this Country is just…something, you know?

L. Penelope was able to bring all of the things I mentioned above together very well. The world building took me some time to catch onto and I do wish the author had just given us a tad more information on the countries of Elsira and Lagrimar. The breakdown of the magic world and Earthsingers was outstanding though.

I look forward to falling in love more with the world of Earthsingers and can’t wait to try books two and three.

When I actually got around to reading Song of Blood and Stone, I'd forgotten the premise. Within the first few pages, it became clear to me that Jasminda, a dark-skinned citizen, is an outcast among her light-skinned peers. She suffers humiliation and discrimination at the hands of countrymen who refuse to believe she belongs there. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? My immediate recognition of Jasminda's plight drew me into the novel.

In the beginning, Jasminda's ferocity, intelligence and strength of character are the center of focus. She's determined to keep the rights to her land and make a life for herself, despite the government working against her. She knows how to navigate the mountains and make herbal medicine, and she even stops to heal an Elsiran, despite having no real reason to do so. When the Lagrimari soldiers invade her house and attempt to abuse both her an Jack, she doesn't hesitate to defend herself with whatever weapons she could find.

Later, as Jasminda falls in love with Jack and as she starts to take on more responsibility to saving the country, Jasminda's original fire seems to die a little (booo ). She fails to connect dots and starts making stupid mistakes that threaten her life more than once. Jack's thoughts, motivations and emotions take center stage, and his motivations almost always have to do with keeping Jasminda near him.

Fortunately, the "save-the-world" storyline isn't completely lost in the "star-crossed lovers" subplot. Though L. Penelope's set up leaves no doubt as to how the novel will end, the execution was near-flawless and I found myself literally gasping as all of the threads came together. I was so engrossed in the action I stayed up until 3 AM one night to finish the last 100 pages.

Was Song of Blood and Stone perfect? No. Would I recommend it? Yes.

Disclaimer: I received a free ARC copy of this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

One-Line Summary:

The dark-skinned Lagrimaris and light-skinned Elsirans have lived separately for centuries, with only a magical barrier keeping them apart; now, the barrier’s about to fall, and if Jasminda doesn’t stop it, it’ll mean war.

Summary:

Elsira is home to light-skinned, non-magical folks, and Lagrimari is home to dark-skinned folks blessed with Earthsong. The only thing that separates them is a magical barrier, which disallows travel between the two—except during a breach, which inevitably leads to major wars.

Jasminda is an Elsiran, though her father was a Lagrimari, and her fellow citizens fear her dark skin and Earthsong. All except Jack, an injured soldier that stumbles into her path, and with him comes alarming news: the barrier between the regions is already failing. He needs Jasminda’s help—and more importantly, her Earthsong—to help him keep that from happening.

The Positives:

- L. Penelope does an absolutely fantastic job of translating real-world societal issues into a fantasy setting and making it feel real and authentic. I was actually really surprised at how well this was done. The biggest one that jumps out is the obvious racial tensions between the dark-skinned Lagrimaris and light-skinned Elsirans, adding to that the fact that Jack and Jasminda are an interracial couple. The interactions in society beautifully mirror the real world, but also fit very naturally in the fantasy setting, so I didn’t feel like I was reading a narrative of life with magic randomly sprinkled in. The struggle felt genuine, and it was easy to relate to all the powerful issues discussed (of which, racial tension is merely one, though there are many others).

- There’s a good amount of diversity in this, with a lead character of color, a white love interest, and even a lesbian couple (though, admittedly, they’re background characters). The most important thing is that nobody is necessarily painted as the “big bad guy.” Everyone’s at fault. Everyone sucks. They all need to go find a bench somewhere and hold hands until they can get along. The prejudices are deep-seated, but the fear behind them on both sides is real, and it was easy for me to understand the different perspectives, even if I didn’t agree with or like them.

- There’s a great cast of characters, and not only are they badass when they need to be, they also have their flaws and doubts. Actually, Jasminda has a pretty big flop early on in the book that shakes her confidence. She’s not this all-powerful Earthsinger, and she knows it, but you know what? You’ve got to work with what you’re given, and she does. I liked that early fail to set the tone of things. Despite the characters being in what one might assume were positions of power, they’re both restrained by society and circumstances, and I thought that was a really powerful narrative. They weren’t just fighting inner battles, but raging against society, as well.

- Each chapter begins with a bit of folklore, and these were beautiful and poetic, and I would just buy a book full of these if it were offered. It was something I looked forward to for every chapter, because they were just really short quips, maybe five sentences tops, that imparted a nugget of wisdom in a witty and, well, folkloric way. They were a lot of fun to read.

- Though it’s the first book of a series, it doesn’t end on any cliffhanger and could be a standalone. That’s not to say that there isn’t room for sequels, because it sets up the world and the struggle nicely, and I can imagine quite a few directions the story could go from here. It was sort of a nice change to have the first of a series not end on a massive cliffhanger, though.

The Negatives:

- The plot feels chaotic; things are all over the place, and more than once, I had to go back because I had been lost somewhere. I think this is a byproduct of this being chock full of action. It’s often one thing to the next, always something happening, and there are multiple storylines and plots woven through it and different points of view. It just felt like a lot, and at times, it was downright hard to follow.

- I’m really just not a big fan of insta-love; insta-attraction, sure, but it takes more than two weeks to fall in love with someone, people. If that’s your trope, then this is your book. You’ll probably love it. I need a little more meat to my romance, personally. I felt like everything moved incredibly fast, and I just couldn’t get that into it.

- Speaking of romance, I didn’t expect there to be so much sex … or how detailed it would get. Also, trigger warning for attempted rape. Now, I’m not talking full-on erotica at all, and it wasn’t bad, but sex scenes in general just aren’t my thing. I felt like it came out of nowhere and I hadn’t realized the book was going to go in that direction. This isn’t the book’s fault; it was more my expectations going in versus what ended up being reality.

Overall:

I actually hadn’t heard a lot about this book before I picked it up, just a big in passing, and that sort of surprises me considering that of all the diverse books I’ve read so far this year, this one has probably felt the most natural. At no point did I think, “Well, this character’s clearly X marginalized group for publicity.” The characters just were who they were, but it had a massive impact on how they interacted with society and each other, and it was just so refreshing to have the characters acting so genuine in that way. I wouldn’t say Song of Blood & Stone is a thrilling read or a page-turner; there were plenty of times I set it down, and I wasn’t dying to get back to it. It was a good read, however, and I’m looking forward to the sequel. I also really want L. Penelope to write a book of collected folklore based on the snippets from the beginning of the chapters, as I would totally buy that!

This book has a good premise but was lacking in description and world building. There are two countries bordering each other constantly at war. I wish there was more written about each country. Their culture’s, landscapes, and people. I also there had been physical descriptions of characters. Without the cover picture it wouldn’t have been clear that the heroine was a woman of color. While it was made very clear that Jasminda looked different from her countrymen, it wasn’t clear what made her stand out so much.

Jasminda was a very likeable character, as was Jack. The instalove did annoy me, and although they were adults a lot of their romantic interactions and misunderstandings felt like YA. The ending was a little to neat and easy for my liking but I’d rather that than a cliffhanger. I liked the book well enough, but I didn’t love it. It’s the kind of story I would recommend if your looking for a entertaining but mindless read. I will most likely be reading the next book in the series, and hopefully the second one will have more details and complexities.

I wanted to listen to something totally different from anything I have before, and so this seemed a natural choice for my Book # 1 Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon April 2018.

The first thing I loved about this book was the cover. Eye-catching and intricate, it’s beautiful. Jasminda as a character was another aspect I loved about the book. Jake is quieter but they compliment eachother well. I get the feeling that that comes from Jasminda being an orphan and all the hard times she has been through. She’s used to fighting and thinking on her feet.

The worldbuilding is absolutely amazing in this novel. I was sucked in from the first page. There’s so much action and it really is non-stop. The descriptions and imagery are fantastic and the author creates a world unlike anything I have ever seen in a book. Jasminda is a great heroine, and I was chering her on all the way. I was waiting for the chemistry between her and Jake to emerge and when it did I was slightly disappointed as three wasn’t as much romance as I would have liked.

The overall fantasy feel I got, just based on worldbuilding detail alone, was a likeness to the world of Pandora in Avatar. Jasminda seems like a natural leader and I enjoyed seeing how she and Jake got to know eachother. There’s an interesting cast of secondary characters too. All that set against a backdrop of a war between two worlds makes this an original and welcome series debut. There are si many layers and themes in this story: overcoming hardship and struggles, romance fantasy as well as political and racial issues there’s something everyone will like about the book!

Looking forward to the rest of the series.

Thanks to L. Penelope and St Martin’s Press for my ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. I’m pleased to be on the blog tour for this title.

3 “Earthsong” Stars

ARC via NetGalley

Thank you, St. Martin's Press

I'm always excited to see New Adult Fantasy books with lots of romance, so this seemed right up my alley. And while it didn't make me fall as madly in love with it as I had hoped, it was still a entertaining read.

Song of Blood & Stone creates an interesting and unique world with magic, guns instead of swords, and a World War feel to it (hard to explain how I got that reference, though. LOL). In this world, we have Jasmine and Jack; the two main characters who meet in a difficult situation and fall in love while trying to save their kingdom.

Both Jasmine and Jack are Elsira, but Jasmine doesn't look like the rest of her people. The daughter of a Lagamiri man, she has his darker skin and his ability to use magic. It also doesn't help her situation that the Elsira and the Lagamiri have been at war for years, with the Lagamiri tyrant looking for the perfect opportunity to cross the border and take over. Due to all of that, Jasmine has to deal with racism from her people while trying to find a way to protect them.

Racism, oppresion, the struggles of birracial kids and refugees are just some of the important themes in this story, and I thought they were mostly handled well. In a lighter tone, the romance was one of the main attractions of this book. The relationship between Jasmine and Jack was both sweet and sexy. As I said before, this falls in the new adult category, so expect explicit steamy scenes.

On top of liking them together, I liked Jack and Jasmine as individuals. Jasmine was a strong heroine who had to overcome a lot of guilt and prejudice to help the people who looked down on her; and Jack was one of those kind kind and respectful guys I wish I saw more in books and real life.

With likable characters and good romance, this turned out to be an enjoyable read. Besides, this cover is pretty stunning!

I loved this book. From the first page I was hooked and couldn't put it down. Jasmina is a fierce heroine who you can't help but love. I love YA and Fantasy books and this one fit the bill. Can't wait to read the next one in the series and fall more in love with these characters and world.

The cover for this book is what initially caught my attention. It's stunning! Also, I believe Song of Blood & Stone is being categorized as YA, but I would place it firmly on the adult side. The brutality in the beginning of the book was not sugarcoated, and the detailed description of a limp penis will forever be seared into my brain.

Despite the unsavory parts about someone's manbits, the start of the book really captured my attention and had me completely engrossed in the story. I was quickly invested in Jasminda and Jack, and I really wanted everything to work out for them. The fragments of lore were brief but interesting. With that being said... the book's unputdownableness waned after the first quarter.

Something about Jasminda changed once she left her home. It was subtle, and I can't really put my finger on it, but she just wasn't the fiercely independent woman from before. She easily caved to Jack's wishes, stopped thinking for herself, and started believing she wasn't good enough. I hate it when characters feel inadequate for seemingly no reason, and especially after proving themselves to be pretty flarking important. I don't know what happened to her confidence and determination, but I wish she hadn't lost them.

Another thing that bugged me about Song of Blood & Stone was the side quests (for lack of a better term). She ventured off on her own to visit the refugees, left to sort out her finances with her grandfather, randomly stumbled across her aunt, and so on. A lot of things like this would happen, but then those threads were dropped and never picked up again. The author could potentially be setting up for the second book, but I kept waiting for some sort of conclusion that never came.

Jack was devoted in his own way. I can't say I ever really liked him. He seemed flaky and incapable of making people listen to him. How to explain this... he was like a spider in a snake's nest. He was intimidating on his own, but completely out of his element. He didn't belong, but desperately tried to make the snakes understand spider-sense. Have I lost you? Moving on!

The end of the book picked back up, but I was supremely disappointed with how everything happened. It just didn't make sense. I felt like something else should have occurred, but the reality was anticlimactic and made me dislike almost everyone. She was underwhelming and not at all what I expected. The explanations for everything leading up to that were also sketchy at best.

The lore behind the Earthsingers and the Silents was intriguing. I liked watching how their history unfolded over time, but I also wish there had been more to it. After everything that's happened, they still feel like a mystery waiting to be solved. I think it's because I didn't believe everything wholeheartedly, and that can happen when certain things don't add up.

Overall, Song of Blood & Stone was interesting, but not enough to make me want to continue the series. (Side note: the Collected Folktales at the beginning of each chapter were often confusing, and I'm not sure how/why they were relevant to the story.)

I really wanted to like this story, and I tried really hard, giving it much longer than I normally would when I do not enjoy a story. I gave this one to about 72% before I had to DNF.

The premise was very interesting. The focus is on two kingdoms separated by a magical barrier (the mantle), one side bearing magic users (Lagrimari) and the other side as non-magical (Elsira). The Lagrimari are persons of color and the Elsirans are pale and flame-haired. The races have been at war for a very long time, with an evil ruler in Lagrimari who steals his people's power and seeks to shatter the mantle and invade Elsira.

Our heroine, Jasminda, is of mixed heritage, born to an Elsiran mother and Lagrimarian refugee father. Living in Elsira, Jasminda has experienced a lifetime of prejudice and distrust. I admired her fortitude and resilience to continue on by herself after the death of her family. Unfortunately that is about all I can say about her. The character building in this story was sorely lacking. When the heroine (instead of a romantic pairing) is the main focus of a story, particularly a fantasy, I expect her to be a stronger character, someone who can carry the story on her back. Jasminda fell flat for me.

Inasmuch as he can be considered a hero, Jack was somewhat easier to get behind. His personality seemed stronger and he often acted on his morals and beliefs without caring what others thought. We got to know more of his inner mind than Jasminda's, which was odd given that she is our main character. The relationship between these two was very one-dimensional. I didn't feel any of the emotional pull or passion that you expect in a romance. So this was another instance where the plot wasn't developed as fully as it needed to be.

The real reason that I just couldn't finish this book is that I was just utterly bored. The entire time I was reading I couldn't help but think how bland the story was. There was almost no world building, which really irked me. One society is full of magical users, and our heroine has magical abilities. The other side are "silent" (non-magical) but have the use of technology. Though that was never explained. I have to admit that it threw me to have automobiles and guns present (without explanation) in a fantasy world. I almost felt like some of the items were included in the story so that it would be more relatable to current political hot buttons. (I'm not going to get into a political discussion here, as that wasn't my major problem with the story.) There was so much opportunity for world building and development between our two societies, that I feel like the author missed a huge opportunity. It's a shame because I'm always searching for new fantasy romance authors, but this one failed in the execution.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from the publisher, St Martin's Press.

A treacherous, thrilling, epic fantasy about an outcast drawn into a war between two powerful rulers.

Orphaned and alone, Jasminda lives in a land where cold whispers of invasion and war linger on the wind. Jasminda herself is an outcast in her homeland of Elsira, where her gift of Earthsong is feared. When ruthless soldiers seek refuge in her isolated cabin, they bring with them a captive--an injured spy who threatens to steal her heart.

Jack's mission behind enemy lines to prove that the Mantle between Elsira and Lagamiri is about to fall nearly cost him his life, but he is saved by the healing Song of a mysterious young woman. Now he must do whatever it takes to save Elsira and it's people from the True Father and he needs Jasminda's Earthsong to do it. They escape their ruthless captors and together they embark on a perilous journey to save Elsira and to uncover the secrets of The Queen Who Sleeps.

Thrust into a hostile society, Jasminda and Jack must rely on one another even as secrets jeopardize their bond. As an ancient evil gains power, Jasminda races to unlock a mystery that promises salvation.

The fates of two nations hang in the balance as Jasminda and Jack must choose between love and duty to fulfill their destinies and end the war.

Review:

This Author created a very unique and inventive story!

I thought for a first book in the series it is a great start. The difference of the story was very engaging. The whole back story of the True Father and Queen was very interesting (and would make a great story of its own, prequel maybe?) and liked how it was woven throughout this story in flashbacks and then the exciting conclusion. Jasminda is such a strong and intriguing character. She has had a lot to deal with in her life and she is still trying to survive and succeed. Jack is what you want in lead character; handsome, good moral compass and passionate. As a couple they had their problems, but not too many compared to other couples in books. That would be my only issue with the book, is that really they came together pretty easily and were a little predictable. I loved the diversity of the people and couples in this story. The Author is also very good with her descriptions and setting, it made me feel like I could see this world.

Again, great first book in the series, cannot wait to see what happens next.

3.5Stars
*I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of the book provided by the publisher.*

It's a 4.5 for me. I love fantasy worlds and the one built was pretty cool, consisting of warring kingdoms separated by a magical wall. It was a bit like our world but filled with prejudice and fear. A lot of my attention was on the way the people treated Jasminda for not looking like the rest of the redheaded citizens despite her mother being one. Her romance with Jack was good and fun. I'm still in the reading throes but I thought the pace was pretty good, though it felt like the action took a step back so Jack and Jasminda could figure out their feelings about the current situations. I liked that the ending wasn't a cliffhanger, but it left with a hint of something for you to want to read in the next book. It's a recommended read if you like reading about refugees being treated unfairly and struggling to, I don't know, not die, a young girl learning to have more confidence in herself, magic and oppression, horrid council members who honestly make you wonder how no one's gotten rid of in the middle of the night, and a sweet-hearted prince trying to do what's right.

World building and magic are uniquely combined in this fantasy story. I love the 1920s setting!
The fates of two nations hang in the balance as Jasminda and Jack must choose between love and duty to fulfill their destinies and end the war. That just sounds romantic! I would recommend it for more mature readers since it is NA and not YA as there are some pretty detailed sexual scenes. If these are not for you, I would suggest passing this book up.

I am a lover of beautiful covers, interesting fantasy, and star-crossed lovers. Song of Blood & Stone beautifully delivers those.

The concept of a magical wall of force that has kept two populations separate, except for when there is a breach leading into another war, is an interesting and really relevant topic in the current political climate. Although there's a very large magical wall that keeps the two countries apart, refugees travel from Lagamiri fleeing the dictator the True Father, making a desperate crossing across the mountains only to find themselves feared and distrusted in Elsira due to their Earthsong and the colour of their skin. Born to an Elsirian mother and an Lagamiri father Jasminda has complex feelings about both countries, as she is constantly told to return to Lagamiri, a country she is not a citizen of and does not feel a part of.

Jasminda and Jack's relationship is what really made the book for me. I love a good romance, where two people fall in love and use their strengths to save each other. Although Jack does mess up a couple of time, eventually he does the right thing. There's a really nice twist in their relationship as well that I don't want to spoil. I saw it coming part way through the book but still really loved the reveal.

My main issue with Song of Blood & Stone is the world building and part of the plot. I had difficulty at first determining which characters where from which country, how the magical wall worked, where characters were. I normally love books that drop you in the middle of things but this just felt like it needed a bit more information to flesh the book out.

My second issue, which is a small one, is that it felt like there were two different plots at different points. There's the refugee crisis, trying to stop the wall from getting another breach. But then the book takes a turn and all of a sudden they're in the capital, rubbing shoulders with nobility. I understand why it took that turn but think that maybe Penelope just needed to flesh the world out a bit more.

Overall, this is a fun, new adult fantasy novel. I had a little bit of trouble with the world building and the parts of the plot, but really enjoyed the main characters' relationship. I think L. Penelope has a lot of potential and is a good start to a new series. I'll be looking into picking up the sequels to see how her writing and the narrative progresses.

Song of Blood & Stone is book 1 of L. Penelope's Earthsinger Chronicles and features Jasminda, a half-Elsiran, half-Lagrimari young woman living in Elsira and Jack, an Elsiran soldier she helps escape from a group of Lagrimari soldiers.

So the novel is set mainly in Elsira, a country at war with its neighbour Lagrimar. The two lands are deprecated by what is essentially a magical wall called the Mantle. Occasionally there are breaches of the wall and people cross over. Jack has a magical object called the cornerstone that is meant to help fix the Mantle and wants Jasminda's help since only Earthsinger can use it to fix the wall. Essentially the novel focuses on the wall and the conflict with Lagrimar.

For me, the first half of the book went way too slowly and in contrast the second half felt very rushed. I would class Song of Blood & Stone as romantic fantasy although the romance only really developed in the latter half of the novel. I was slightly confused by the world building as for most of the novel I imagined a traditional high fantasy novel and then there are cars (?!) (Granted there are also pistols but there's also oil lamps)

Most of the action happened once Jasminda and Jack reached the city and because of the drawn out first half I felt that the author rushed the second half (especially the ending) and didn't flesh out certain plotlines. For example, Jasminda's maternal family and Jack's idealism, naivety and the racism displayed by his people could have all been explored in greater depth. I would have also like to have seen a prologue showing how Jack came to be a spy in Lagrimar.

I really liked Jasminda's visions of Oola that showed the origins of Elsira and Lagrimar and definitely think that there could be potential for a prequel novella centered on Oola and showing the True Father's (main antagonist) descent into madness.

Overall I really liked the novel and would happily read book 2 in the series.

Title: Song of Blood & Stone
Author: L. Penelope
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Series: Earthsinger Chronicles Book One
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Four
Review:
Song of Blood & Stone" by L. Penelope

My Thoughts......

This was a well written wonderful magical fantasy read with interesting main characters [Jack & Jasminda], setting[Elsira, which is a land of Silents People], love and oh yes beautiful magic [Earthsong powers] "Song of Blood & Stone" will definitely a enthralling read that will keep your attention turning the pages to see what was coming next. Be ready for 'sex scenes, mentions of rape, racism, mystery, action paced, with humanity, love, romance, history, war violence, political drama, adventure and in the end giving one quite a riveting tale' that will keep you captivated in this fantasy world. It was interesting seeing this unlikely pair Jack & Jasminda who will 'face undue scrutiny due to their different skin colors.' Now to get more of this story you will have to pick up this read to see how well this author brings it all out and in the end giving the reader a wrapped up thought provoking story. I did like at the beginning of each chapter there was a quote from collected folktales which went so well with each chapter.

Song of Blood and Stone kind of surprised me in many ways. I got into this book expecting to read a very action-packed fantasy book and while it has lots of fantasy aspects, it is way more focused on the romance between Jasminda and Jack than I expected it to be. That wasn’t necessarily bad, it just felt at times like the other plot-lines were a bit overshadowed by the love story.

I really liked the world-building, I thought it was very original and I especially adored how we found out the villain’s origin story. I kept looking forward to the flashbacks because I really loved those characters and I wouldn’t mind if we ever got a book on the Queen because she seems very interesting. *your heart will break for her though*

The magic system was explained so well and wow, I adored how things are a bit uncertain at first and then we gradually get glimpses of how the world got to be the way it is – to explain it a bit, the people that have magic are in Lagamiri and the people without it are living in Elsira, those two locations being separated by a Mantle, which is starting to fall, an event that is causing lots of conflicts because those two sides don’t get along very well. It was very well done.

As I mentioned before, the romance was the focus of the book and I’m not really sure how I felt about it, to be honest. There were some very cheesy parts, but I still rooted for the characters to end up together. I also loved their meet-cute because I’m a sucker for the trope where one of them is hurt and the other one has to heal them/take care of them. It’s one of my worst weaknesses. Sorry not sorry.

I feel like it’s worth mentioning that this book includes two sex scenes, they are somewhat graphic, I do feel like this book might be bordering on the New Adult genre (not only because of that, but also because the characters seem more mature than the ones you usually meet in Young Adult literature).

Also, the cover is so gorgeous and just look at the model. She’s looking so fierce and I adore everything about this cover! It’s a great depiction of Jasminda, speaking of Jasminda – what a great, super strong heroine!!! I loved how she was independent and through the book she maintained her beliefs, there was this time where she could have been very comfortable, choose easy ways out, but she didn’t because that meant she would rely too much on Jack and his position. And I adored it because yes, my girl can get things done!

Plus, she has magic and while she’s somewhat the chosen one, her magic isn’t the strongest, she’s not the most perfect of them all, no, she still relies on her friends to help her, she has flaws, she’s three dimensional. I really liked it.

Jack was a good love interest and I appreciated his back-story very much, I loved to see him deal with being underestimated by everyone, he was quite competent, but due to special circumstances, his talents weren’t really recognized. It was interesting to see him deal with the frustration of this situation.

I feel like many instances of this book mirrored some of our issues, like racism. There was a lot of diversity, besides POC characters, there is a sapphic couple that I’d like to see more of in the next books. I really hope the next books get re-published as well because this series has a lot of potential in my opinion and I’d surely read the next ones. I’m quite intrigued with the way this one ended – quite happily, but with some nods to what might happen in the sequel.

Lovely book, would recommend to anyone who enjoys fantasy books with a lot of romance in them.
Trigger warning : rape attempt.

When I first found this book, and read the synopsis, I thought it sounded really interesting and unique, and I immediately wanted to give it a try. And I was not disappointed. It was original, the plot was great, if a little slow paced, and the world was really interesting. It was a bit predictable, which lowered my rating a bit, but it was still a very enjoyable read and a definitive recommendation!

I liked the characters. I really liked that the characters – Jasminda and Jack – were so different, they’d grown up in different ways, and even though they were both from the same place, they had very different views of the place. I think it added more depth to the story, and plus, they’re both very likeable characters. They were interesting to read about, and I really enjoyed reading about them.

The plot was good. It was a bit slow at times, but it was interesting and different, and it hooked me from the first page, so it honestly didn’t bother me too much. There were so many question marks in the beginning that I had to find out the answer to, so I just kept reading and reading… and then it was over. Unfortunately, it was a bit predictable, and I figured out most things a while before it happened.

The very best thing, though, was the world. It’s very unique and it was what drew me to the book in the first place. And it didn’t disappoint. The world-building was good, the author told just enough to catch the reader’s attention, but not too much that you felt overwhelmed. It was the perfect amount at the perfect time, leaving the reader interested and needing to know more. It was amazing.

It was a bit more explicit than most Young Adult, though. I was actually very shocked when I went into the book and read some scenes, and I think for a YA book it may not be entirely appropriate, at least not without some warning, so that annoyed me a bit. It also means that I would recommend this book to older youths, because it does have some very mature content.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book. It was very unique and original, and I really liked the characters. The highlight of the book was the world-building, which was absolutely incredible, and it hooked you from the first page. The only minus was that it was more mature than I’d expected from a Young Adult book. But I would definitely recommend it to Fantasy fans!