I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, I found this to be an solid fantasy novel. It has a number of fantastic elements, including a main character who is a woman of color, an interracial couple as the main romantic focus and other fabulous elements of diversity (such as a same sex couple) that are often missing in fantasy novels. I enjoyed the overarching plot and there were a number of themes that had clear and present parallels to issues in modern culture. And the cover...my goodness, it's spectacular. Who wouldn't want that on their shelf?

My complaint is this: the book never seemed to quite live up to it's potential. All the elements were there, but the whole novel never added up to the sum of all its wonderful parts. For all the positive diversity there was
a distinct lack of women in this book, and the world-building was paper thin in places. So many minor twists and turns through the book were never fulfilled, and the author relied on tropes and cliches much more than necessary given the originality of the other elements. And from a technical perspective, the writing could have been better.

By the end I was left a little disappointed. I wanted to LOVE this book, but it didn't come up to that benchmark for me. But those who love the YA fantasy romance genre will find this a solid option.


As a side note, this book was previously published so you are not going crazy if you think you might have read it before.

A different sci fi fantasy story.
Parts of it was good yet some didn't realy interest me.
Characters were okay.
In all it was an okay book.

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.- Goodreads

Firstly, the overall story is told very well. It isn't as complicated as you would think; it is straight forward to a certain extent. But it wasn't fast pace; you don't feel as if the story is rushed.

Jasminda is hard to like and that is because she is a weak individual and that doesn't really change. I don't believe the decisions she made was because of a newfound strength but it was really due to having no real alternative. I wanted to like her. I really did but she made excuses and didn't try. 

I liked Jack more than Jasminda but he was losing focus a lot throughout the book. Compared to Jasminda, he had more substance, strength and heart. 

There were two issues with this book. For one, it is heavy on the romance. I have no issue with this other than it takes away from the magic, the fantasy of the novel. I like Jack and Jasminda together but there isn't enough history. Do not get me wrong what you need to know is there but there are holes in the story regarding Jasminda past. It is slightly touched upon but if the author added more of her past then there would have been a better balance and the questions I had after finishing the book would have been more of what next and I think someone knows something. 

Secondly, Jasminda didn't work to become better. She accepted the fact that her Earthsong was weak and did nothing to change it. But the worst part of that is everyone around her accepted that. I was disappointed in that. Did she use her Earthsong to the best of her ability to do some good? Yes, she did but was things pretty much handed to her with no real explanation? Yes.

These are two huge concerns with the book, however, I stayed up until 2:30 in the morning to finish this book. I couldn't put it down. You get sucked into the conflict between those who have the Earthsong and those who do not. You want more and you keep reading because there is a promise of more. Does the author deliver? Yes and no. There are whole within the plot but there is a promise in book two that there will be more. 

I loved the romance, loved the world this story takes place in but I wanted more details, history and fight in this book. However, I was impressed and even when writing this review, I smile with how much I love this story and cannot wait for book two. 

This series with some work is going to be amazing. 

4 Pickles

Sadly, this book was not for me. The book's blurb gave me high hopes for a magic/fantasy tale, however, the writing was clunky and too much world building/history was explained all at once. Also, the overwhelming religious presence was a turn-off.

I started out enjoying Song of Blood & Stone and then around the 30% marker, I ran into a flashback to another life and I was done. Pulling that trope ruined the story for me, I could already see how the book was going to play out from there. I liked the characters and the storyline was going great. But that trope just makes the entire story as predictable as a Nick Jr television show episode. I think maybe I'll return to the story one day, maybe bring it along for a hospital stay or a plane ride? But I won't be finishing it right now.

I received a copy of Song of Blood & Stone from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. As I was unable to finish the book, I mark it as a DNF and hope one day I'll revisit it and try again. I do give it 3 stars for the fact that I loved the characters and the storyline and the writing was well-executed.

DNF
Itwas hard to DNF this on considering how much I'd be in over with the plot description. I was enticed by the promise Earth shattering magic and I just didn't feel it. Speaking of not feeling it,I just could not connect with Jasminda. Trust me I tried. I craved that out of world experience you get when a good book transports you somewhere new, and Song of Blood and Stone did not deliver.

So why am I rating the book 3 stars if it's a DNF? Because I see this book's merit and I raise my glass to L. Penelope. The writing itself was well done, I just don't think I was in the right mind set for this book. Maybe. I may come back to it some day, but for now, I cannot force myself through it.

Overall, a decent fantasy with a rather interesting mythology.

The cover to this book is beautiful and I am sad to say it took me a while to get into this book. Do you ever have those moments when you see the cover of a book and go this is going to be great? That is what I thought and I so wanted this to be one of my top picks of this year but it didn’t work out that way for me. It isn’t a bad book it just wasn’t for me. The start was dull and I wanted it to speed up.

The things I did like was that this is a diverse book and it deals with issues of xenophobia and racism. It is love story with aspects of magic. A sleeping queen and the True Father who is trying to escape. They are the key players behind the war affecting Elisra and Lagamiri. There is something special about Jasminda that makes her able to receive visions about what occurred in the past. Jack the handsome man who Jasminda loves and will need his help.

Like I said it isn’t a bad book it just wasn’t for me. It was just missing something to keep me wanting more.

Outstanding story! I really enjoyed the world the author built and found myself so involved in the book that I couldn't put it down. The characters are complex and had so much depth that it was easy to become engrossed in the story. I have enjoyed other books by this author, but found this to be the best thus far. I would definitely recommend reading it. I hope there's more to come. I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I struggled to the half=way point of Song of Blood & Stone ultimately reaching the conclusion that this one is not for me. While I appreciate the diversity of characters and world that the author was creating I struggled to stay interested in the story and the characters. The instant romantic connection between Jasminda and Jack wasn't my favourite, but I was expecting their relationship to have more meat or depth by the half-way point. This one was not for me.

This is exactly the book that I needed at this moment in time. The world L. Penelope creates is interesting, gripping and so real. I really enjoyed the magic in this story and found myself falling in love with the main characters right away. There are so many things I felt while reading this from excitement to anxiousness to sheer frustration at the close mindedness of the societies. The romance made my heart full and I didn't want the story to end. I think fans of fantasy, magic and romance would enjoy this book. Full review will go live on my blog 30 days from the release date. Check it out on http:/www.readandwander.com in April.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this story, as I didn’t know what to expect going into it. It has such an imaginative narrative, and the immersion of the world-building begins right off the bat. While it takes a moment to acquaint yourself with the ways of the world, once you take it in, the story becomes all the more rich and enchanting. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it.

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!

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.