Thank you to Bloom, Leia Stone, and NetGalley for giving me an eARC of House of Ash and Stone in exchange for my honest review.

Leia Stone is truly a master at crafting a whole new world. While readers only get to experience a small portion of said world, it is apparent that a lot of the world could potentially be explored. Even better, the worldbuilding is done in such a wonderful way. It does not feel as though the information is being rushed in the first few chapters but rather is spread out. I appreciated how the main character only knew a little about the fae world, and as readers, you get to learn about the world alongside her. It feels natural in so many ways.

A House of Ash and Stone follows Fallon, a 17-year-old girl who is cursed. Any time someone touches someone, she experiences tremendous pain. However, while desperately trying to save her father's life, she discovers that there is one person who can touch her, Ariyon. The thing is, when Ariyon learns about Fallon's curse, he immediately hates her. From there Fallon's world is upended as she is forced to attend a magical academy in an attempt to stop her from turning evil; though the fact that she is going to one day be evil is news to Fallon. What I love about Fallon is that she sticks true to herself as she learns and grows. Her reactions not only feel normal for most people, but they feel appropriate to her character. From the first chapter, I became invested in Fallon and all the other characters in this book. There is so much more I want to know. I want to know where Fallon will go next and how she will continue to evolve. I want more information and more scenes with the characters from Fallon's life prior to the magical academy, and most importantly, I want to know what happens next.

Loved everything about this book; the writing was flawless, the story was fast paced and crazy gripping, the characters were amazing and the ending was just insain. I can’t wait to read the next book!

Sadly, this one wasn't for me! I had hopes for the concept, but the writing itself was honestly too juvenile for me. DNF around 25%.

Still very grateful to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the arc!

*Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review*

This book definitely reads YA. The idea is interresting, we have dark magic and curses as a theme with enemies to lovers as a trope. It wasn't as intense or in depth as it could've been but I was nonetheless entertained.

I really liked the idea of the plot, I was intrigued about what was going to happen next the whole way through, however in saying that I did think it was very rushed, straight to the point and some of the wording a bit juvenile. There were so many loose ends that weren't explained which I think if they were it would have given the reader more of an idea on some characters. Like Hipsie, she was introduced right at the start then basically forgotten about for the rest of the story. She seemed like she was a close friend to Fallon. I did love the love triangle between the brothers and that Ariyon was dark and moody. After saying this, will I read the second and third? Absolutely. I need to know what happens next!!

*3.5*

House of Ash and Shadow had the potential to be a 5 star read. The storyline was intriguing, but the execution was not the best. The writing was not the best, but I was able to ignore it to enjoy the book. I think this is a good book for those interested in getting into the fantasy genre. It’s interesting and fun, while being quick and easy to read.

Starting with what I enjoyed, the characters! The characters and story were probably the only thing that made me keep reading. Yanric was the best character, his murderous personality was very funny. Fallon was a great character, but I understand why some would call her whiny. However, I get why she is that way. She’s been forced to live a very isolating life, I’d probably be whiny too. Eden is such a good friend to Fallon and I enjoyed their friendship so much.

I’m not big on love triangles, especially with brothers. It just doesn’t appeal to me. I also feel like it was very unnecessary here??? Like we all knew there was only one choice and it was very obvious.

The ending left me feeling conflicted. On one hand, I thought it was such an interesting concept. On the other, it was so confusing. I will be reading the next book since I actually enjoyed this one and cannot wait to see how this story plays out.

Thank you NetGalley and Bloom Books for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Got into this book very quickly. Supper fast read. Loved the world building and story. The romance was quick and fun. Could have done without the love triangle but it didn’t bother me to much. All in all great book. Can’t wait for book 2.

Thank you Netgalley and Bloom Books for a chance to read House of Ash and Sorrow by Leia Stone. This was a new author for me, and the reasons I requested it was the book cover, and the summary...A girl that cannot be touched and must endure excruciating pain with even the lightest touch. House of Ash and Shadow is the 1st book in the Gilded series, a YA paranormal fantasy that just hit me in the right spot! There is a bit of everything in this book, a cursed girl, Fallon; a grumpy hero, Ariyon Madden, the only person who seems to be able to touch Fallon; a teenage love triangle, Fallon's new bestie Eden; and a hilarious sidekick! Of course, this ends with a cliffhanger, but I was expecting that. Luckily I have the 2nd book to start!

CAWPILE score of 8.00/4.5 stars

I liked the idea of the story and the characters, but the fact that nobody was willing to tell the FMC anything about her heritage at first, while expecting her to accept it was a bit annoying.

The secondary characters were really nice, but I've liked more depth for all characters, as well as more world building and more explanations on the magic system.

SPOILER:
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What annoyed me was the way the romance was written, and while her thinking about spending her whole life with the only person that can touch her makes sense, the fact that we got a love triangle didn't make as much sense, especially considering how much the brothers love each other, I think it could have been settled way faster. Also, the enemies to lovers was dispelled too fast to be plausible

House of Ash and Shadow was my first fantasy book of the year & it did not disappoint! While I could have done without the cliffhanger because I totally need more right now, this book definitely kept me hooked from beginning to end.

The concept of people in a magic world being segregated into those with magic, with a little based on their lineage and with none at all was insane.. I loved the main character & her ability to be thrust into a world that judges her for simply being born & for her mother’s actions.

I swear you all will not be disappointed when it comes to this book.. I know I wasn’t!

4⭐️ read
The story line is fast paced and not a lengthy book . The plot is very YA but still a good read . I feel like it’s setting for the next books left on a cliff hanger. I enjoyed the world building it’s very descriptive in a way that makes it come together for the reader.
Characters ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot ⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was so good! Absolutely 💯 loved it. Thanks NetGalley and to the publisher for this. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Actual 3.5
House of Ash and Shadow is a fast paced, slowish burn fantasy where Fallon is a poor, magic less girl who is cursed and cannot be touched by anyone without feeling immense pain.... until she isn't.
The premise of the book was interesting, but I found most of the main characters to be so immature and at times really annoying. (To be fair, they are all teenagers, so maybe this is just me being that fair out of touch as a 30-something with what life was like as a teenager, lol.)
The secondary characters was the group that I really thought shined in this book. Yanric, Fallon's dad, Eden's mom, the Queen, Master Clarke - they all brought the depth and dimension (as well as not being stuck in a "I love both brothers and I can't decide between them" perpetual whine that Fallon suffered from).
The spice in this book is non-existent so if you're looking for spice this is not it.
There is however a fast paced mystery about Fallon's family history and the potential of her powers and some potential with restricting of the class system with the population of the Gilded City and beyond that definitely pulled me in and will keep me coming back for the rest of the trilogy!

I cannot wait to get my hands on book two. I flew through this book and enjoyed every minute that I spent with it.
While some of the characters seem too good to be true, - yeah, I’m talking about you Ayden (he really is something special) - we are able to appreciate the friendships that Fallon is able to form once she is forced to live in the Gilded City. Fallon is starved for touch - she is cursed to feel extreme pain with even the slightest touch to her person (hair included). Then comes along Ariyon - the only person able to touch her and he shuts her out as soon as he finds out about her curse. The turbulent relationship between Fallon and Ariyon is understandable due to the familial ties that are revealed, but they just cannot avoid one another and their connection is quite undeniable. Throughtout the book, the reader finds themself rooting for Ariyon to open up his eyes. Eden is a fantastic side character, easy to love. However, it is Yanric that will steal your heart.
The story flows along nicely and the plot twist at the end is sublime. I am looking forward to reading the second instalment of the series.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks/Bloom Books for an e-arc of the book. The opinions expressed are honest and my own.

The Cursed Girl, Fallon Bane, has never been touched without excruciating pain. But when her father falls gravely ill, she races herself off to the Gilded City for a healer fae, only to find Ariyon Madden. Everything she knows about herself and her curse changes. Because during her father’s healing, Ariyon reaches out and touches her bare skin. She waits for the agony… but it never comes. For the first time in her life, she imagines a new future for herself. When she tells Ariyon, he flees in disgust, reporting her to the Gilded City. Fallon is then swept away to a magical academy, there she learns the terrifying truth about her family history and her dark magic. Her life and the future of fae everywhere hang in the balance.

House of Ash and Shadow is a page turner, right to the very end. Leia has built herself a book that starts off great and get's more exciting as the story goes on. I'm not usually a big fan of books that introduce a lot of people at once, but this felt like heading back to high school and sitting in the quad with a bunch of friends. I do have to say, that Yanric might be the MVP in this! He was a hilarious addition to help lighten what could have been a darker read.

This is perfect for those who love;
- Dark Magic
- Twin MMC's
- Love Triangle (with an end)
- Academic Setting

Thank you to everyone involved for this advanced copy. House of Ash and Shadow is available now.

I tried this author again, hoping that maybe her later series would see a growth in the writing, but this too felt to all the pitfalls of her other book. I had the same issues with this all over again. Although I did like the world-building and plotting much better in this one. And I liked this main character better as well. But the writing style is still enough to really pull me out of the story and contribute to my lack of overall enjoyment. It just wasn't good for me personally. Maybe younger fantasy readers, or those newer to the genre would like this better. Or maybe this author just isn't for me and that's okay too. Reading is a subjective experience. I also DNF'd this book and out of fairness won't be leaving a rating/review anywhere.

I haven't read very many books by Leia Stone however I do enjoy her writing. Fallon is a great character and has much to overcome wtih her curse. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

✨ARC Review✨
📖: House of Ash and Shadow
🖋️: Leia Stone
⭐️: 5 of 5
💬: “I’m a powerful man. Powerful men can be forgiven for loose tongues.”

Tropes, Topics & Themes:
✨Dark Magic
✨Curse
✨Academic Fantasy
✨Enemies to lovers
✨Familiars
✨Twin brothers

From being placed in a basket after she was born with a sign that said “Don’t touch her. Cursed.” Fallon is taken in and loved by a man after he lost his wife.

Growing up she never experienced a hug, holding someone’s hand or even a simple touch from a boy because of the curse.

“Fallon, I was joking! You can’t go and nab a healer from The Gilded City.”

When Fallon’s father become sick and on the verge on death. She runs hours to The Gilded City to find someone that can heal him.

From an accidental touch from the healer Ariyon. Fallon’s whole world changes.

She finds herself mandatory attending a magical academy where she discovers there is more to her curse.

“I want to give you everything you want.”

Will Ariyon allow his feelings to grow for Fallon with her family’s past? Will Fallon ever be able to kiss a boy?

“Yanric Spade, Bane family familiar. At your service.”

“I am an extension of you and I’ve been searching for you for seventeen years. I will only leave you in death.”

Yanric is seriously one of my favorite characters! He had me laughing so much.

This book was so fast paced, the slow burn was intense and I loved every second of it. They way the book ended!😭 I need the second book now so I can find out what happens next!

Thank you, Leia Stone, Sourcebooks Bloom Books, and netgalley for this ARC. As always, my review is my opinion and thoughts.

This was such a good book! I absolutely flew through this book. The characters were so interesting and I absolutely loved where the author took this story. I will be recommending this book to all my family and friends.

I think if I found this book a few years ago I would have loved it so much more. For right now, in my time of life it didn't hit as hard but it was still enjoyable and the vibes, energy and atmosphere it gave off were on par with YA fantasy. If I was a young teen, I would have eaten this up and probably been very obsessed. Given that this is the intended age group, I'd say it's perfect for what it's meant to be!