Jasminda has never fit in and now is faced with losing her family farm when a wounded soldier comes her way. He isnt alone. As the enemy soldiers come after them she will learn that her magic and her life will be tied to this man she thinks is only a soldier but he has secrets all his own and their world is facing showdown with evil. A fun fantasy book.

I honestly was expecting this to be just another fantasy story like hundreds of others I've read before and in some ways it was, but in most ways it was so much more and I found myself absolutely in love with it!

SONG OF BLOOD AND STONE is a true fantasy with the churning depth of history, humanity, and love. Intense, riveting, and spinning a tale that will have your heart captivated, this book is one for every fantasy lover’s shelves.
-pooled ink

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was refreshing to see a beautiful woman of color as the main character. L.Penelope did a wonderful job with the character development in this book and made me want to find out more about them as I read. It was also refreshing to have a book set in the timeline of the 20's that isn't your typical flapper story. It was nice to see a different world set in my favorite time. The only issue I had was I like my love stories to be a little less perfect. I love to see the flaws in relationships and the struggles that a couple has to go through to get to where they are. I felt like in Song of Blood & Stone the romance was so absolutely perfect that it almost felt unbelievable to me. Other than that little misstep for me, this book was a joy to read. The premise, characters, and the world had me wanting more.

The Song of Blood and Stone is a beautiful slow paced romance novel with aspects of fantasy in it.

In an alternative reality where magic exists, Jasminda, our main character, is an outcast, both because of the color of her skin and her magical abilities. Her whole family has been outcasts because of her parents’ interracial marriage, and now that they are gone, Jasminda is used to being alone. Then one day, Jasminda helps a wounded man, Jack, and her life is changed forever.

As I said before, The Song of Blood and Stone is a romance novel, with romance being the primary plot of the book. Everything else, the magic system and world building is secondary. It is incredibly sweet, with a perfect man, loads of steamy passages and just a pleasant story. I just wanted more, more about the magic, more about the world and Jasminda’s family…just a more flashed out fantasy novel.

I would recommend this book for anyone who loves sweet love stories, diversity and is looking for an uncomplicated, straight forward read.

What I liked: This book is beautifully written with great world building, an exciting premise, and all right elements to make a book compelling. I loved the diversity, the complex relationships, the magic in this book. The cliff hanger makes me what to read the next book to discover what will happen.

What I didn't like: The romance went from 0-100 way too fast. And there are several sex scenes which I skipped after I realized what I was reading. The book would have been much better if they had taken that part of their relationship slowly. Or if it wasn't explicitly explained. This feels very mature for a YA book.

Stars 3.5
REVIEW (Song of Blood and Stone by L. Penelope)

If you are a fan of Fantasy then this will be an excellent read for you. It is a beautifully written tale that keeps the reader engaged from beginning to end. The world buildup is clear an concise allowing the reader to fully envision the environment surrounding the strong well developed characters. I was pleasantly surprised by the storyline which I found exciting and not predictable at all. I very much look forward to seeing how this series progresses.

I Was given this book free via NetGalley in return for a voluntary honest review. My opinions are My own. Regards Anna