This is a fascinating tale about love, betrayal and jealousy about the haves and the have nots. This is a story of one land that was split into two because one twin was born brimming with magic and another one silent no magic at all. It's a story about a love so deep that the twin with magic tried to figure a way around to give her silent brother the gift of magic that eventually perverted the gift and caused a land to be sundered into two divided by an iron clad mantle.
Jasminda through her mixed parentage has a week gift of earth song. Circumstances lead her into helping a prisoner Jack and catapults her into the center of the world stage where this mantle is failing and the Langrimar are trying to cross and conquer the hitherto silent people the Elsirans. As she and Jack make their escape from his captors she comes across other magical people and finds that with some amplification she can wield stronger magic and also see in visions the story of the twins and how the land was divided into two. Thanks to a corner stone she has she becomes the focus of the emperor of the Langrimar.
A second thread weaves through this story of an ordinary couple and an extraordinary baby. It is unclear how this will play a bigger role in the future at this time but I'm sure things will become clearer in future books. There is a great deal of suspense that will keep you on the edge of your seat as the story plays out to an extremely satisfying conclusion.

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free book!*

This was enjoyable, yet not a very surprising read. The main elements are: two countries divided by a magical barrier, a girl fighting for her home, a wounded soldier fighting for his life, and a sister fighting for her sister's child. There is also a not surprising romance in there.

Yet the characters are more interesting than you would first think. The world building has a lot of potential, the underlying ideas concerning racism are super interesting, making this more than just your random fantasy novel. I grew to like all characters even though there were no surprising plot twists. Sometimes it's nice to be caught up in a well written story with a prince. :D

I am looking forward to #2!

3,5 Stars

I hadn’t heard of L. Penelope when I received this book but I now have found one of the authors I am most interested in following as they create more stories like this one. The story mixed it’s own created mythology with the current events in the story in such a great way, I just couldn’t stop reading! I read the new expanded version of the story and not the older original version, therefore I can not compare the two together. I am so thankful to NetGalley and the publisher that I got to read this story before it was released.

The main character, Jasminda, is the daughter of a Elsiran woman and a Lagrimaran refugee trapped in Elsira. Her mixed parentage allows her to access magic, known as Earthsong, but also makes her different in a country where differences will get you killed. We also follow several other characters as they discover the truth behind their country and try to prevent an all-out war between Lagrimar and Elsira.

Jasminda was a wonderful protagonist to follow, as we watch her come out of her shell and continually amaze everyone around her. People underestimate her from the start and that makes her perspective all the more interesting. That said there were a few perspectives that had a moderate connectivity to the main storyline, but were mostly separate, making the story feel a little disconnected at some points, but still intriguing to follow. It was the ending that killed me. The side storyline was finished, but in a really unsatisfying way, probably to bring it up again in the future books in the series, but that is no way to leave a major side story.

The setting was just beautifully set up, with the culture and practices of the fictional locations feeling real and well described. This is what made the story feel a little dense in the beginning as new places were being described in great detail. I just wish that there were more mention of outside places. Hopefully that will be something that is used in future books.

With all of this being said, I enjoyed this book and had only surface-level problems with it. I will certainly be picking up the future books in the series. Had you heard of this author before? Do you have any other underhyped authors that you want to reccommend? Leave a comment down below and happy reading!

4.5 stars

A very good start for a new series: well developed characters, an amazing world building and a plot that keeps you hooked till the last page and flows without any issue.
I look forward to reading the next installment in this series.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Unfortunately I found this to be quite generic. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't outstanding. Just meh.
I wanted more character and world building. For a series to stand out and for reader's to pick up or eagerly await the next book in the series, it fell flat. YA fantasy is a hard genre nowadays.
I still can see people liking this, but I read a lot of epic fantasy.

Thanks Netgalley for providing me with an eARC.

Song of Blood & Stone definitely felt like the blending of a historical romance with a fantasy. There was definitely some inventive world building and the fantasy plot line was strong. At the same time, there is a romance developing with the main character, Jasminda, and the man she helped to rescue during the story, Jack. It's not that simple though because theirs is a biracial relationship and it definitely becomes an issue in the storyline. Not only is she a young black woman, she is also an earthsinger and they are feared and often discriminated against as well. Jack doesn't see any of those as issues. If anything, her differences look like strengths to him and draw him to her even more.

I really enjoyed this book. I do wish we had known more about Jasminda's immediate family. We are told that they are all dead but we never really got to know much about her parents or brothers. Some flashbacks would have been helpful where we could have become familiar with them, seen their relationship and been able to appreciate fully what she had lost.

"Everything has a cost. Even love."

L. Penelope did a nice job with this debut novel and I am looking forward to the next book in the Earthsinger series.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

(Disclaimer: the quote used above is pulled from an ARC and may change.)

"L. Penelope's Song of Blood and Stone is a treacherous, thrilling, epic fantasy about an outcast drawn into a war between two powerful rulers.

The kingdoms of Elsira and Lagrimar have been separated for centuries by the Mantle, a magical veil that has enforced a tremulous peace between the two lands. But now, the Mantle is cracking and the True Father, ruler of Lagrimar and the most powerful Earthsinger in the world, finally sees a way into Elsira to seize power.

All Jasminda ever wanted was to live quietly on her farm, away from the prying eyes of those in the nearby town. Branded an outcast by the color of her skin and her gift of Earthsong, she’s been shunned all her life and has learned to steer clear from the townsfolk…until a group of Lagrimari soldiers wander into her valley with an Elsiran spy, believing they are still in Lagrimar.

Through Jack, the spy, Jasminda learns that the Mantle is weakening, allowing people to slip through without notice. And even more troubling: Lagrimar is mobilizing, and if no one finds a way to restore the Mantle, it might be too late for Elsira. Their only hope lies in uncovering the secrets of the Queen Who Sleeps and Jasminda’s Earthsong is the key to unravel them.

Thrust into a hostile society and a world she doesn’t know, Jasminda and Jack race to unveil an ancient mystery that might offer salvation."

How much difference a good cover makes! This book wasn't even on my radar last year, this year, damn skippy it is!

Branded an outcast by the color of her skin and her gift of Earthsong orphaned Jasminda lives alone on her farm that she inherited. One day she ruthless soldiers seek refuge in her cabin where they bring an injured captive who will eventually steals her heart. Song of Blood and Stone isn’t the topical fantasy I read but the story line intrigued me. The trope romance “love at first sight” I could have done without, but that didn’t take away from the world building and magical realism. That’s a lot coming from someone that just doesn’t care for romance in novels. There’s a great balance of fantasy, action, and romance. Looking forward to the second book of this series Whispers of Shadow & Flame.

Thank you St. Martin's Press & NetGalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review. 4 out of 5 stars

Well, I was disappointed that, barring the blowsy 80s prologue and the fictional “quote” at the beginning of the chapter, the first sentence of this book contained a comma splice. I know there may be errors in ARCs, but the first sentence has surely been gone over with a fine-tooth comb! Nevertheless, I gave it the benefit of the doubt and persevered.

Unfortunately, I should probably have taken that as a hint. Not only are there further errors of grammar, including more comma splices, but I also found the setting to be poorly explained - even 20% of the way in, I had only a hazy idea of the world in which this was set.
Even more unfortunately, at that 20% mark, there’s a fairly graphic attempted rape, which was, I felt, lingered over unnecessarily. I’m afraid that this is not a book I have any interest in reading further.

Song of Blood and Stone is the first book in a YA fantasy series called Earthsinger Chronicles. This will appeal to many out there who are tired of the special snowflakes in fantasy novels but still crave strong female characters and the interesting romances. This is a character-driven epic fantasy that centers on relationships and the trials of war.

Sadly, for me, I just didn't get this world that the author created. The general feeling of it being underdeveloped. It's a really great premise, world, and there's some great characters but it all felt pretty surface level. We kind of get an info dump towards the beginning of the book that kind of explains what's going on but at the same time not really. I felt disjointed from the story and it could have been because my enjoyment was vastly different between both leading characters. I found one character to be much more interesting than the other.

All in all, a story I see many people falling in love with and though I had some problems with it, I look forward to see where the sequel goes.

Great world building, fantastic character development and a story that flowed most of the time. The inter-personal relationships were very believable and once I started reading I found it very difficult to walk away to do other things I needed to. I can't wait for the next book in the series

I was so excited for this book. So when I had received it I couldn’t wait to start reading it. I have to note this book seems to be a reprint / revised copy of a previous release.

The story starts with Jasminda who lives in Elsira but also has Lagrimar blood. The colour of her skin is a reason for the people of Elsira to shun her as they are pretty racist. On top of that she has earthsong powers (magic) which is something only people from Lagrimar have, and Elsira and Lagrimar have been separated for centuries by a magic veil called The Mantle.

The Queen Who Sleeps rules Elsira while Lagrimar is ruled by the True Father. When the Mantle falls peace for both countries will be no more because the True Father wants to seize power.

Even though reading this book excited me, in reality I had a very hard time getting into the book. The story started without a proper introduction, throwing me straight in, and it left me confused. After the first chapter I was able to 'catch up' on things as I'd hoped. The world the story is set in became a little clearer and now the previous chapter made a little more sense. <

Unfortunately the book just didn't grab me. I just couldn’t feel the pull of a book sucking me into the story. When I made it half way through that changed a little. The story and the characters finally grew on me a little and I wanted to read more. That feeling subsided quickly and I found myself trying to stall picking it up again to finish it (because I really did want to finish it to write a review).

Eventually I finished reading it, but it left me unsatisfied and to be honest a little confused. There are long scenes dragging on where “nothing” seems to happen, and scenes that flash by that seem pretty significant for the story.

What threw me off as well is that there is another story line in this book that from the very beginning seems unconnected to the main story line yet they eventually sort of merge. After reading the whole book it still left me with some questions as to why this story line was so important to the whole story. It’s not that it’s irrelevant, I just think it didn’t have to play such a big part in this book. Who knows, maybe the setup of this second story line is relevant for future books in this series. As for now it sort of leaves me hanging.

The love story between Jack and Jasminda was a little too perfect and didn't work for me. Maybe it’s because both of them are kind of ‘flat’ when it comes to character building. I don’t really get to <em>know</em> them in the book, I get to know <em>of </em>them.

Overall, this book could be pretty ok if the characters
where build up a bit more to give them some ‘body’ and maybe deep out the
relevant scenes and skip a bit faster over the ones that don’t need to go on
for a lot of chapters.

This book has some pretty good reviews overall, so it might
be your cup of tea. I just don’t think it was mine.

“To rule is dangerous. To love the act of ruling is tyranny.”

This is a fantasy blender mashup book. There are horses, axes, guns, smiths (very frontier style); and then airships, pilots, and four-wheelers. And there are magical users called "singers". Cults to gods and saints. Monarchy. Fantasy romance too.

Not YA, btw. There are at least two attempted rapes, one of them a detailed almost too-close rape . Plus sex scenes.

Large part of the plot is about racism , prejudice and xenophobia.

The story? Elsira and Lagrimar have been in war for centuries divided by a magical barrier. When there is a breach in the Mantle , Lagrimari try to invade and open war followed. Lagrimari are hated and feared because of Eathsong, the power to change enviroment and heal, there are called 'witches'. Jasminda ul-Sarifor is a goat farmer , the last survivor of her family, a mix-raced woman daughter of a Lagrimari settler and a Elsiran. She lives ostracized in her own country because of her dark skin color and litle earthsong power gift . Jack has been infiltrated spying after enemy lines, but has been discovered and after him arrive soldiers of the tyrant Lagrimari. Jasminda and Jack have to join forces to flee and try to prevent a bloody war from breaking out again.

The book goes round and round, with several flashback/memories included, though the end is very predectible.

Meanwhile, follow the story of Zorelladine Farmafield, a hairdresser from Yalyish married to an Elsiran official, whom, following the call for help from her older sister, discovers dangerous secrets and even a conspiracy.

The good: Jasminda and Ella are strong woman. They don't just go with the flow, they fight despite been afraid and told not to.

The not-so-good: The fuel is...? the guns and airship works because...? The goverment in the other countries are...? what they think of Earthsong....? I have no idea. The book doesn't inform about that.

Notwithstanding the book tell about 'Songs' and 'Cantors', still I am not sure if that is in literal form or some other kind of expression. The idea of singing is confusing.

Thought the idea is cool, is not really new. I feel like the author try to cover too much without enough worlbuilding or deep or clair direction . I hope could adquire more maturity in the writting later.

There is a ending in this book, but because of the epilogue I guess the other countries and /SPOILER--->[because of the Priestess conspiracy for power, the not-more-gods faction; and what about the Queen feeling jeolous of Jasminda? Other forces are prepared to act<---SPOILER/ , I do not think there will be much peace in those realms.


War.
It drags us under.
It tears us apart.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Este es un libro que desafia eso de colocarlo en un solo género literario. Por un lado parece en principio algo muy de frontera y siglo 18 con herreros, caballos, granjas y cabras, y despues te salen con camiones a traccion, aviones y armas . A pesar de que le tachan de YA, no lo es. Hay dos intentos de violacion, y uno casicasi casi. Tambien hay sexo.

La historia te da vueltas por todos lados, pero yo para aclararlo pongo que se trata de dos reinos que han vivido en guerra por siglos. Elsira, donde son de piel clara y ojos dorados y pelo rojizo, y Lagrimar donde son de piel y ojos oscuros y poseen una magia que llaman Earthsong . Viven separados por una barrera mágica (el Mantle) y hay guerras cuando ocurren brechas y hay invasiones del tiranico "Padre Verdadero" de Lagrimar.

Jasminda ul-Sarifor es la hija de soldado Lagrimari que quedo tras las lineas y una mujer Elsinar de un grupo de caridad llamado Sisters que ayudan a refugiados y tienen templos de la "Reina Que Duerme" de Elsira. Huerfana, a punto de perder su granja de cabras por impuestos, además la desprecian y temen en su propia tierra por ser de piel oscura. Posee escaso poder que usa más bien para sanar, pero se agota rápido. Jack ha estado espiando en Lagrimar disfrazado magicamente, trae informacion y es perseguido por soldados enemigos que llegan por una tormenta hasta la granja de Jasminda. De ahi quedan flechados, pero deben salir huyendo tratando de evitar una guerra, enfrentandose a enemigos conocidos e inesperados por el camino.

En una trama paralela, Zorelladine Farmafield (Ella) es de Yalyish, esta trabajando en esos momentos de peluquera mientras su marido es un oficial de oficina , recibe un llamado urgente de su hermana mayor a quien no ha visto en muchos años y termina asi entrando en un monton de peligros por secretos peligrosos y se ve metida en una conspiracion.

Aca lo de los reinos se define por apariencia fisica, hay mucha xenofobia , racismo y prejuicio que es el gran tema del libro.

Ambas mujeres son fuertes y no retroceden pese a sentir miedo.

A pesar de las vueltas y las frases que no convencen, el final es bastante predecible.

Aunque llega a un final el arco argumental, se ve que va a seguir por los hilos pendientes y los reinos añadidos a la historia.

No me convencio al final, porque como que falto informacion del mundo, de las diferencias, de que combustible, de donde viene la magia ni como funciona lo de los Cantores y si en realidad se canta o no la famosa Earthson (quede con la duda), y parece que mete mucho abarca mucho y le falta profundidad. Espero que mejore en el futuro.

Song of Blood and Stone by L. Penelope

Jasminda was all alone and had been for two years, but the memories made at her home with her parents and siblings gave her comfort. She had been concerned about her land and the prospect of losing everything that her family had worked for until she found the young man, badly beaten outside her home. Jack was wearing a Lagrimari uniform but he was an Elsiran, his skin color and ginger hair proved as much. He was running from Lagrimari soldiers and believed he was still in Lagrimari, unaware that Jasminda lived as an Elsiran citizen, being part Elsiran herself. Her dark brown complexion was that of her father who was a Lagrimari refugee. No one was aware that the mantle that separating the two lands was broken in spots, allowing Jack and those chasing him to cross through. Jasminda tried to heal the young soldier using her Earthsong, but unexperienced as she was she could do little to heal him before the soldiers arrived. Trapped in her own home the two must work together to survive and to prepare for the war that will surely come if the mantle collapses.

Don’t let that introduction fool you, this story becomes very complicated very quickly, as the history of the mantle and what lead to its creation begins to unfold. When this story begins all readers are aware of is the bias and prejudice that exists towards those who have magic known as Earthsong, who also happen to have brown sing. Jasminda’s appearance doesn’t reveal that she is in fact an Elsiran citizen leaving her to be ridiculed and ostracized by her community. The biases are so clear cut and well defined that it’s impossible to deny its presence. With that we have Jack who doesn’t judge Jasminda, ends up working with her and falling for her but has to deal with his own prejudice and the prejudice of people around him as he is given new roles.

What I ended up really enjoying about this story was the attention to world building and how well it is wrapped up in the storytelling. It’s essential in this story to build a world where a wall divides people that once lived in unison together and now through the centuries have been separated by fear and prejudice. I loved that the third person narrative was used throughout the story, because it distanced the readers in a way from being too sympathetic to any character’s struggle. The only time this isn’t true is when the story of the mantle was being unveiled and then readers were able to experience through first person narrative how that came to be.

I really enjoyed this novel. I loved this pacing and I absolutely loved how the true history was described. I thought that for a first in a series it did a really good job of establishing the magic of the Earthsong but I hope other novels in this series delve deeper into it. My interest in it is piqued to say the least. I’m also curious to see how life continues for society after the way this first novel ended. How difficulty will it be to dismantle the pre-existing prejudice? Throughout the novel we are shown time and time again how imbedded this prejudice is and I’m curious to see what direction Penelope will take the story.

Overall, I really enjoyed this. It’s a strong introduction to what I’m sure will be an intense series. There is a social commentary littered throughout that readers will have no choice but to be drawn into and I’m hoping it will resonate outside of the book. I’m looking forward to more from Penelope. The world building had me hooked, and the story kept me reading.

I really wanted to love this but it just wasn't for me. The story was dragging and too long without any significant action happening in between the relevant scenes. It was confusing to read. The book focuses on two characters: Jasminda, a biracial songbearer who gets caught up in a bigger plot when all she wants to do is save her parents farm and Elle who's searching for her nephew and uncovers a bigger problem.

I skimmed over the last few pages because I was so bored and I realise that I might have missed some things but it didn't even matter.

This book has a lot of good reviews so I imagine that it's good for someone. If you like high fantasy with a side of mystery and romance then this book could be something you'll definitely enjoy. I like those things too but not in this book.

The setting of the book was confusing, I wasn't sure if it was a historical setting or a contemporary setting because those two worlds seemed to intersect unclearly
.
The romance between Jack and Jasminda wasn't my cup of tea. I didn't like both characters so them being together just made it unbearable and it bordered dangerously on insta-love.

The writing was boring but I looked forward to the snippets of folktales at the beginning of the chapters.

This first of many is a tale of many. Jasminda, Jack, the Queen who sleeps, the singers and the silent. The stories within the stories provide the reader with the back story of the Queen Oola her twin and her love. In the midst of this there are other stories about saving an enemy, uniting a people and saving an innocent child caught in the web of a holy woman. All of the stories draw the reader in and you are transported to a world of fantasy. How you treat someone else has repercussions in this world. I look forward to the continuing stories.

An interesting and promising 1st book in a fantasy series. A well developed world is presented and explored. The premise for this fantasy series is new and refreshing for genre that can reuse and repackage tropes. The only thing holding me back from giving it a higher rating is the various characters introduced and given their own chapters. The back and forth makes me wonder if the book would be better served if it was split into 2 books.

There are so many reviews for this already, I cannot add anything of value. So I'll just say I enjoyed it overall and I may check out the rest in the series.

I really appreciate the copy for review!!

Song of Blood and Stone by L. Penelope. An interesting book. A magical veil separates two countries and one is ruled by a magical overlord who seeks to dominate the other side. The veil is fluctuating and is about to fall, only the protagonists working together can help stop this from happening.

Blending the wisdom of ancient parables, anthropomorphic fables, and the sacredness of organized religious philosophies with recurring themes in the endless cycles of human conflict, L. Penelope has composed a symphony that resonates across time and space with its essential truths. Song of Blood & Stone evokes the emotional gravitas of Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler, Stephen R. Donaldson’s Thomas Covenant, and Tanya Huff’s Four Quarters stories while projecting its own distinctive voice. Toss in some magical realism, a spin on Sleeping Beauty, and a little steampunk.

Age-wise Jasminda, the struggling farmer, and Jack, the military commander, are young adults, but the story threads weave a mature tale of political intrigue, personal betrayals, misdirection, and complicated romantic entanglements—along with unexpected consequences. Singers versus the Silent. Elsira versus Lagrimar. The Sleeping Queen versus the True Father. Each chapter begins with a parable that sets the tone for the next movement in this beautifully orchestrated work about the haves and the have-nots.

The U.S. or Venezuela or Darfur—anyplace where there’s currently a battle raging about equitable access to resources and opportunities to thrive could stand in for the fictional nations of Elsira and Lagrimar.

On page 292 one of the main characters thinks, “It was as if history and myth had intertwined somehow, and vital facts had been lost or obscured.” With the modern environment of Fake News in mind, the author reminds readers of the cascading impacts of information filtered through assorted biases across generations and around the world. It can generate results like playing a global game of Telephone/Chinese Whispers.

Song of Blood & Stone launches the Earthsinger Chronicles into its own stratosphere of energetic storytelling. Fingers crossed that the second entry in this series reveals more about the mysterious catalyst characters who make pivotal cameos.