I devoured this book. It gave me Winner's Curse, ACOMAF, and Tamora Pierce vibes. It's kinda like Ghibli's Howl Moving Castle with a MATURE RATING sticker attached to it; because this book is not young adult (that's why I said ACOMAF).
This book is really diverse with it's characters, Jasminda being a POC of and the country of Lagrimar. Hope everyone enjoys this book as much as I did!

I enjoyed this book, it was an interesting look at race relations and prejudice while also adding the whimsy of earth magic. Getting into the story was a bit difficult as I felt just sort of thrown in, unsure of what time or where I was in the story. There were telephones but it didn't seem there were cars or very advanced technology. Once I got over the initial shock things were fairly smooth sailing.

Song of Blood and Stone by L. Penelope is one of those books I have enjoyed reading although I did find some parts predictable. Jasminda and Jack make a different, refreshing love interest. I love that there is some give and take instead of the man always dominating or rescuing the female. I'd definitely recommend this book to those that enjoy magic and fantasy with unique characters.
My only quarrel with the book is that I wish there was a map at the beginning so I could follow where we are supposed to be, but I'm a detail-oriented person so it could just be me.

I loved and adored the beginning and the end of this story and there were some bright spots in between, but to me the bulk of the middle was full of over used, worn out Fantasy elements. I won't say cliche, but they were very close. It felt like I was re-reading a half dozen other Fantasy titles at the same time. If it had not been a review book I most likely would have jumped over 60% of the story and just read the last couple of chapters to see what happened to the MC. It is issue realated and did have a few messages which were easily applied to modern day, real world conditions, and I did like that a lot.

SONG OF BLOOD & STONE by L. Penelope is the first book in the YA fantasy romance series, the Earthsinger Chronicles. This is a story of two outcasts, from opposing nations on the brink of war, who find love but duty threatens to tear them apart. Woven into the story is a lush mythology of magic based on song, the treachery of prejudiced societies in conflict and the strength one finds in owning your own destiny. Mature scenes make this an upper teen read.

The fact that this is a fantasy romance with magic based on song and music immediately grabbed my attention. The cover is gorgeous and I loved its representation of a diverse heroine.

The setting is more difficult to describe as it feels like a mix of genres and time periods. Airships and four-wheeled vehicles mix in with an alternate-dystopian terrain where magic is real but feared. At times it was confusing and I never really got a good grasp for it. I would have liked more world-building details to fill in the gaps.

One of my favorite aspects of the story is the vivid mythology created in SONG OF BLOOD & STONE. This is revealed and parsed out throughout the story, along with chapter headings based on folktales that I found fascinating. A world of Singers and Silents. Magics and no-magics. It is beautifully done; I only wished more of it could have been revealed sooner without any spoils for the overall plot.

The story itself feels much like two plots converging and the book two halves of it. The basis for Elsira and Lagamiri's separation and conflict, along with the concept of the Earthsong magic, are combined with the current growing tensions between these two nations and the ominous rumor of the True Father's (the villain) rising and The Queen Who Sleeps return. Add to this political intrigue and social commentary and you have quite a mix.

The protagonist Jasminda has a warrior's heart. She is kind and strong, with a sharp mind for details. Because of the color of her skin and her affinity for magic, she suffers abuse and prejudice at every turn, yet, she remains compassionate but is not afraid to fight when needed.

Jack is a perfect balance to Jasminda's character, maybe too perfect. The romance is strong and fast between the two and I wished there was more buildup. Heroic, Jack is easy to like with few flaws. I needed more grit from him but I did love the way he was fiercely devoted to Jasminda, torn between duty and love.

In the End
Song of Blood & Stone by L. Penelope ended being a compelling read with lush mythology, touches of magic, intrigue, and a passionate romance. I enjoyed the story and would recommend it to those readers looking for a lighter fantasy.

Song of Blood and Stone was an amazing epic fantasy, with a twist of romance. Full of action and adventure. The characters were wonderful, and easy to fall in love with!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Scheduled to post 2/20/18.

If you're like me and got really confused for a second because you have a copy of the book already, but it has nothing to do with St Martin's and you're trying to figure out what's going on. This was previously self-published under the author's own house, Heartspell, in 2015. I had to dig into her blog to find the information about St Martin's acquiring it. So I'm reviewing the St Martin's version, not the original. Based on Penelope's blog there are differences between the two.

With that being said, I wanted to like SONG OF BLOOD & STONE more than I actually did. It was very bleak for a good portion of it, with Jasminda always feeling a sense of foreboding, being in a seemingly futile situation, sensing bad magic, her adversity because of her magic. It was always one thing after another and it became cumbersome to read.

I also had a hard time following the story. Scene transition felt very jerky to me. Not sure if that was me half-paying attention the more I read into the book because one can only read so much bleak before they start skimming through it, or if it was actually written in a way that was less than fluid.

I didn't have any issue with the characters. I thought Jasminda was strong and resilient despite everything that was thrown at her. Jack was an honorable love interest. Not sure how else to put that. He was actually a good person. None of this pissing around with a jerky love interest that the protagonist falls for. And they hit snags in their relationship that (surprise) seem like are insurmountable, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

The book does wrap up nicely and sets itself up well for the next book in the series. I actually thought Penelope's best writing were the little folklore bits at the start of each chapter. I'd love to see what she can do with that kind of writing. It's not like I disliked the rest of the book. It just wasn't resonating with me. The world was actually pretty good and you're able to get enough backstory between what's going on in the present story timeline and the flashbacks/visions that are scattered throughout. And it's all told in a way that fits seamlessly in with the story itself.

I just think, ultimately, it was too bleak for me. The ending turned that around, but it was too little too late. There's just so much adversity and darkness and bad things hovering around every corner that it pushed me away. I can usually take darkness in a story but this was dense and I wasn't that enamored with the book that it was easy for me to cruise through it. I'm glad it exists, though. It rounds out the Young Adult/New Adult span nicely, offering a healthy relationship with a well-developed fantasy world that isn't too enamored with itself (like a lot of the high fantasy type stuff in the adult realm). Plus it provides a woman of color as the heroine and protagonist which the genre (and book world) sorely need). It just ultimately was not for me.

3

Although it is quite well written, and the story is well paced and tight. The premise and plot is nothing to rave about. Jasminda is a mystery herself you know, orphaned and only has the memory of her parents and brother to go on. The end of the book has some cliffhanger bits, which I do not care for. It probably tries to tell you that there's another book coming, but I am not sure what story that one would bring.

ARC Copy...decent world on the social issues going on within the world, the magical systems of song and each chapter starting with a blurb of a folktale which akin to actual trickster/moral folktales.

Noteworthy experiences while reading this book: This was one of the most beautiful written books I have read in a while.

Check out author's other books? Yes
Recommend this book? Yes

Notes and Opinions: This book had a lot of good things like the characters and the world buliding but then it also had a few bad things like missing characters. (Where we hear about them but dont see them) I really wished we could have met her brothers as well as a few other people that were talked about but not seen.

This book was beautiful written and the world building was some of the best that I have read. The forfront of this title is love. This book is a romance and the magic although it is here it is not the main aspect of this story. And to tell you the truth I really enjoyed that.

The characters that we did get to see were wonderful and I just couldn't put this one down. The cover is fantastic and the story is as well. Jasminda (love the name btw) was just beautiful and a wonderful character to read about.

Go Into This One Knowing: Fantasy, Romance

Lots of intrigue, action, and adventure. A little romance, and oh so sweet of a plot building nicely. This book keeps you engaged until you finish it. It has fae undertones with the Earthsong powers. I give it 5 stars.

The overall concept of this extremely well written novel was what hooked me. I really loved the characters, plot but some of the details left me wanting. It was a great book that I would recommend but it's probably a once read for me.

Despite a slow start, "Song of Blood & Stone" was a breath-taking new adult fantasy that left me wanting more. We begin with Jasminda, a "half-breed," being the daughter of an Earthsinger from Lagrimar and an Elsiran woman who was part of the Sisterhood who took care of refugees (how her parents met). The two kingdoms are separated by both skin color and power- leading to stark racism. The Lagrimari are dark-skinned but have the power of Song, which allows them to connect to the earth and alter it, uncover emotions, heal, etc. The Elsirans are light-skinned but devoid of any power. They fear the Lagrimari for their power and call them grol witches.

Lagrimar is ruled by The True Father, an evil man of immense power who steals his people's Songs for himself and has a large harem to produce soldiers and more people from whom to drain power. Elsira is ruled by a king and council, but they all believe in the Sleeping Queen, who is worshiped and prayed to almost as a religious figure, but is supposedly their first Queen who is asleep and will one day be awakened. As people who are of either country's descent can be readily recognized by skin color, there are immense prejudices between them. Although the countries are separated by a magical barrier, The True Father is constantly working to breach this barrier and invade Elsira.

Jasminda lives near the border between Elsira and Lagrimar. Her Elsiran mother died years before and two years ago, her father and twin brothers (her brothers were born without Song and so appear Elsiran) went missing. She lives alone on their farmland, which she is at risk of losing due to back taxes supposedly owed. Her life changes drastically when she is on the way back home and comes across an injured Elsiran soldier close to death. Although her song is weak, she uses it to heal him a little to stave off death. The soldier, Jack, is followed close behind by Lagrimari soldiers who do not realize they have crossed the border. They commandeer her house.

Seeking to save Jack and herself, she soon finds a mission larger than herself when Jack asks for her aid to strengthen the Mantle, the magical border between the two countries. However, they will first have to find a way to escape the Lagrimari soldiers who are a product of their cruel ruler. As the story evolves, we move far away from the sheltered life Jasminda lived on the outskirts of the countries and learn so much more about this fascinating world.

I would heavily classify this story as new adult for a graphic attempted rape scene and later very detailed intimate sex scenes (consensual) which make this fit less into the YA category. There are also some very interesting political statements that reflect on those that face our own country. I won't say too much about it because I found this story to be full of twists and turns that I did not see coming, and I would hate to spoil any of it! I also would like to commend this story for the diversity of characters- a main character with dark skin, interracial couples, and same-sex couples make appearances throughout. There is a whole host of wonderful characters, and I am so excited that this will be the start of a series- I can't wait to explore this world more! This is also not to mention that there are other countries which seem equally fascinating in this alternate world which are not fully explored (hopefully in future books?).

I highly recommend this story to anyone looking for a beautiful romance and fantasy adventure. This is the start of a series that is sure to engage and fascinate. While the first half of the story seemed to move a little slowly as we are introduced to these countries and prejudices, the second half really picked up and absolutely had me voraciously turning the pages as I could not get enough! I have no doubt that future books will be equally engaging, and I can't wait to read them. If I could give this book more than 5 stars, I absolutely would.

Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Overall, Song of Blood and Stone is an enjoyable YA fantasy read. The story premise is interesting, and the cast of characters promotes diversity, which is wonderful. Yes, it was predictable at times, but not in a way that left me rolling my eyes, and I was pleased to see the author shy away from the dreaded YA love triangle. I would have liked to have read a little more explanation about how the magic side of things works; nevertheless, the main reason this book got four stars and not five from me was the ending. It felt really rushed. Knowing this was the first in a series, I expected a cliffhanger, and there is a kind of one in the epilogue, but the main action of the plot resolves. However, it does so very suddenly and partially off-page, which didn't appeal to me. We were in the middle of a tense scene, but then the next chapter started with another character arriving to find the bad guy captured and all well etc. It would have been more dramatic to show this happening, rather than just telling us about it afterwards. Still, this book has fun, diverse characters, an interesting story idea that blends fantasy and fairytale, and easy-reading prose, so I can recommend it to fans of this genre.

I am giving this e-galley a three star review because I didn’t get into it as much as I had hoped. There were many great qualities to this novel. The beginning was amazing, great worldbuilding. The chapters were quite long but that isn’t a big deal.
Jasminda and jack were adorable I loved them.
I do wish we got too meet more of her family and twins.
I will definitely attempt more books from this author. The writing was unique and did I loved Jasminda. Such a strong female heroine.

A fun YA read full of magic and romance. Nothing outside of the pretty typical, but I enjoyed the world and people the author created.

This book is so well written, the characters, the setting, the magic. I love everything.

The setting, like in terms of fashion, was a little difficult to picture. Not a lot of detail was given for the types of dresses worn, or style of pants, but I assume it was possibly a Victorian era, maybe Edwardian era. They had things like motor vehicles, radios, and airships. I was picturing something like a zeppelin. So it was a little steampunk in that regard.

The characters were amazing, Jack and Jasminda are both wonderful characters, and all the supporting characters were also great. None of them really fell flat in any way for me. The romance between Jack and Jasminda was honestly one of the best parts of this book, it had a purity to it, and was just sweet, and based on trust and respect. The respect he has for her is not something often found in books.

The magic, while interesting and I love it, could use some clarifying. It's referred to as a Song, but I don't know what that means because there are times when people are using discreetly which makes me believe that it's not singing, but yeah I would like some clarifying. Still love it, even if I don't fully understand it.



The back story of the main plot was woven in beautifully. Told in small batches of folktales at the start of each chapter, and in flashbacks through a magic stone. Sounds weird, but it worked. I was able to piece together who the True Father and the Queen who Sleeps were before their big reveal at the end of the book. It was done on purpose, not in an annoying predictable way. At least not annoying in my opinion.



I am even more excited to read the sequel now than I was before. This is a pretty fantastic book.

The cover captured my attention and I had seen the great reviews readers had given the book so I was already interested. Unfortunately, it didn't hit the mark for me. I would recommend it to readers - particularly as YA or YA for adults - that read SFF and, specifically, as a black/racially diverse SFF title. I can see why it appeals to a lot of readers.

I saw the striking cover and read the synopsis and thought oh goody a fantasy romance that sounds right up my street. Well having finished the book I still think it will appeal to those looking for romance and those who like to read about fantastical magic lands although honestly I did find certain things puzzling at times.
Jasminda lives alone in an isolated cabin when a freak storm brings soldiers and their prisoner to her home seeking shelter. Jasminda feels a strange kinship to the injured Jack and helps him to escape his captors and I can't deny that there's chemistry between them. Jasminda had mixed parentage and her father might have been a son of Lagrimar where 'singers' connect magically to the elements but her mother was born in Elsira a land that fears 'singers'. In order to save her home Jasminda needs to travel to land of her very much alive grandfather so teaming up with Jack makes sense. Jack needs her help though as he's trying to stop evil from overrunning Elsira and the power Jasminda has inside her could unlock secrets but there's a lot Jack hasn't told Jasminda!
If I'm blunt I much preferred the second half of the book as it had a much better pace. I'm unfortunately confused though about the world building and struggled to imagine the time or even what type of technology was available. Initially with the quite basic home of Jasminda I was imagining something simple as in a world without technology but then we are told there's electricity and radios not to mention guns ! Then weirdly the author introduced magic stones to communicate through which had me thinking of the now defunct Pebl phones which unfortunately had me laughing so yes the world building felt incomplete. Particularly when four wheel drive vehicles appeared and then we are told the royal prince has an airship and well you can probably see why I tried so had to believe everything but it just didn't gel in my head.
So Elsira reviles magic and Lagrimar embraces it and this book has the magical divide between the two lands crumbling away with the romance between Jasminda and Jack taking centre stage. Some things are quite predictable but I honestly didn't mind that . The dreams/ flashbacks Jasminda experiences do give quite a lot away but as this book ended I hasten to reassure my fellow readers that there's clearly still a lot to play for with evil not really defeated but plotting a new strategy!
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

4 Stars for Song of Blood & Stone

I had the pleasure of reading a slightly new edition Song of Blood & Stone through NetGalley. This book was initially self-published but was so acclaimed it is now being republished under St. Martin's Press. Set in an alternative 1920's universe, the story follows Jasminda, an outcast due to racial and magical heritage. She lives alone with only the memories of her family. Hated by the Elsirans and feared by the Lagrimar for her Earthsong (a magical skill that allows her to cross the border between the two countries). Despite this, Jasminda is a strong, independent but also empathetic woman.

Jasminda's luck turns when she saves a wounded Elsiran spy, Jack from death. The connection is instant - and I truly mean instant- between the two souls. Their passion is conveyed in some very steamy passages. But while Jack and Jasminda's relationship builds it is threatened by the possibility of war between the two countries. Jasminda and Jack must set off to find a way to prevent the war. Their relationship and faith is tested throughout the journey and love prevails.

This was a delightful read full of elemental magic and world building. Their romance is a major focal point of the story but I don't think it deters from it. If you love your fantasy novels with some romance, then definitely give this a shot.