Cover Image: Song of Blood & Stone

Song of Blood & Stone

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Member Reviews

This book was not for me. I tried really hard to get into it but it just didn't work out for me. The cover is really beautiful though.

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What a great read! I was hooked from the beginning by the compelling story and wonderful characters. I really liked the magic system as well. Looking forward to reading more from this author.

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DNF.



I gave this book two chances and each time I just couldn't finish it.



Jasminda inst a bad character, but I couldn't connect with her and neither could I connect with Jack. These characters just needed a little more push for me.



The story itself just seemed to move so slow. The details didn't jump out and pull me in to the,edge of my seat. Overall the story just wasn't meant for me.

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I'm not sure how to feel about this one. It is set in an alternate 1920s and has a wild west feel to it. The friendship is the best.

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Firstly I'd like to thank NetGalley for providing me with an E-ARC of this book in exchange for a honest review.

This book was truly awesome! It had everything I love in a YA fantasy and more. I wasn't particularly expecting great things from it but it was honestly great. It had a strong and likeable main character, with a strong, protective and sweet love interest who is struggling with his emotions and inner demons. I really liked how they made him so vulnerable and open, which many male characters are not.

It was fast paced, with an alternating point of view between the two main characters that really allowed us as readers to understand the characters and their motivations much more easily. The world building was extensive without being over-done, the writing was enjoyable and easy to read, and the characters were really likeable. I cannot wait for the next book in this series and highly recommend Song Of Blood And Stone for those who like YA fantasy that seems more 'grown up' than most. 4.5 stars from me!

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To me the plot was really intriguing and was well played in this book. I ABSOLUTELY loved L. Penelope's writing style, to me it was beautiful and I could just imagine scenes playing out!! The first couple chapters were slow, but as soon as it got to around 100 pages the story really picked up and I was just enjoying everything. I do have to put a trigger warning for sexual assault in this story, if you would like to know what happens please DM me, for me that scene was tough to get through, but the author did a good job at taking care of the problem.
At first, I wasn't a fan of the love story, but as the story kept going it grew on me, and let me just say I AM IN LOVE WITH THE TWO MAIN CHARACTERS, THEY ARE MY BABIES AND YOU NEED TO LOVE THEM TOO!! 💕 One thing that was huge for me was the magic system and how it's huge in this story. I was originally going to give this book a 3.75, but after stuff really started to happen my rating changed to a 4.25.

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As a note, a copy of this novel was sent to me via NetGalley by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way.

Finally, something GOOD! I feel like I've been in THE BIGGEST slump when it comes to YA fantasy books. I mean it: the biggest. Which is a bit unsettling, considering there's so many books out there--far too many to feel like there's a drought in the genre. But, there I was feeling like I'd forever be underwhelmed with the genre. And along came Song of Blood & Stone--which packed a seriously magical punch!

I was a little confused on it being sorted into the YA genre if I'm being honest. Much like the general confusion I felt over Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses. There are many scenes in Song of Blood & Stone that feel a bit more graphic than most YA* scenes do. While I don't at all mind it, it does seem to fit a bit less and makes me wonder if it was original meant for an older audience. So, that is something you should note. If that's not your cup of tea, there will be some scenes you'll want to skim over.

Now, before I get into the good about Song of Blood & Stone, I want to address the negatives. The negatives calculated into that .5 drop on what would have been a 4+ star review (ugh, I know, I suck): I felt like it didn't live up to its full potential in terms of fantasy. Don't get me wrong, it was still full of thrills and a certain essence of magic and fun. Just not as much as I'd hoped. I went into this book expecting one thing, but was surprised to find it took a more vocal approach unto the romance.

I'm not ragging on it, of course. The story was still wonderful.

As for the pluses. Oh, there were SO MANY. I wish I could have looked past certain parts I wasn't keen on, because the rating could have likely reached 4.5/5 stars. But, a 3.5 is far from bad, so don't hate me! I'd still recommend this book in a heartbeat because it was so fun.

Song of Blood & Stone's biggest strong suit lay with its characters; their character development and backstories, and the magnificent tone in which the series' world-building takes. Nothing is left in the dust when it comes to being developed, and continuing to develop throughout the course of book one. While so many fantasy series can take on archetypes that are overdone and underdeveloped, and take the "tell not show" approach, Penelope makes certain that nothing is left in the dark.

(Plus, there are a lot of elements to this world that tie into ours. And there is a moment that will be triggering re: sexual assault.)

She's taken great care in crafting a world that is enthralling to her readers and will leave a mark on them for good. This is essentially the perfect (!!!) first installment in a new series and shows off Penelope's writing chops--I have a feeling we're going to be hearing nothing short of praise for the series as it expands and I'm so intensely excited to read the second installment ASAP.

If you are looking for a good read that is action packed, romantic, compelling and full of diversity that is desperately needed in literature, Song of Blood & Stone is for you. This book has been out for a while and I'm honestly surprised it hasn't received more praise than it is--it's brilliant and will keep readers glued to their seat.

**I'm curious if I mislabeled this or someone else has because it kind of feels like YA and kind of doesn't.

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Within the first few paragraphs of the prologue, I felt like this would be an amazing read. It was like poetry in the prologue and it felt like it was setting this big amazing tone for the story. However, the prologue is about the lore of the world and the rest of the book isn't quite like that. I like the different concepts in the book and I liked it overall.

Jasminda is a tough and unique in a world that looks down on her. She has Earthsinger powers which originated as something beautiful but has devolved over the years. There is a mythology created for this world that I liked. This world is divided into two countries. Honestly, at the start, I was a little confused about which side was what. I think that’s because of her location geologically in the world, but also her bi-racial heritage. I feel like this could have been done a little better in the beginning. So her father is from Lagrimar where the Earthsinger magic seems to be located, and her mother was Elsira. She lived in Elsira but right on the border. The two countries had been in multiple wars up to this point in the story. Jasminda has a little of the Earthsinger power, healing, emotion reading, etc. Her family is gone and she is alone trying to keep her family's land. With the deadline coming up for her to pay her taxes owed, her world gets complicated. While walking home she sees a man laying wounded in the road and heals him some with her powers. He ends up being captured and she rescues him. The man is Jack, an Elsira soldier.

The romance between them is young, but it isn’t for a teen to read. Jasminda is twenty-two if I remember correctly, so they are in the new adult age group. When they’re touching hands is still “tingly” and all that. That isn’t a terrible thing. It just isn't what I was expecting when I started reading the book. I love the cover. It is stunning and vibrant like the world that was built. I just wish there was more world building to read about. I would love to hear more about the looks and feels of the world.

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If you love YA fantasy, then you will really enjoy this read. I really liked Jasminda and her power, and I was proud to see a YA fantasy tackling racism and interracial relationships. To be perfectly honest, I read a lot of this genre, so it feels like I've read it all, and this book was nothing too new. But it's a safe bet if you want to read a really good story with a great main character, magic and romance. Song of Blood and Stone gave me Onyx and Ivory vibes, as well as Kiss of Deception, with a hint of Children of Blood and Bone (but not much!). A solid read.

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Rating: 3.5/5
I really enjoyed reading this book! I loved the world building and the characters really drew me in. The writing is very good and the author really delivered the story well. It is a great read for lovers of fantasy!

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The world is richly drawn and tackles heavy morality issues. The characters are superbly developed and the plot unravels at a breakneck pace.

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This novel was a tough one for me to get into. I thought the story line definitely had some character and promise, but I had a hard time really getting attached to the characters or the plot. The setting was also quite wishy washy and I couldn't really picture where the story was taking place.

I don't think I would really recommend this to other readers at this time. However, I do think that the story has promise of something great, there are just a few too many kinks right now. Thank you for sending this novel in exchange for an honest review.

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This book is so good! I loved the characters, and the world-building is fantastic! I was at first drawn in by the beautiful cover, but after reading the blurb, I couldn't wait to read it! Just a few pages in, and I knew I was going to like this one.

Jasminda has a special gift, one that could get her killed. When soldiers stay at her house, and bring a prisoner, she realizes that maybe she isn't so different from this prisoner, and has an instant connection with him. Jack is on an important mission, he's a spy who unfortunately (or perhaps, fortunatly?) gets caught and has a chance incounter with Jasminda.

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While I enjoyed the story, it didn't captivate me quite as much as I wanted and hoped! Its still an interesting story of love and loss, and I always love a good hidden and forbidden magic story.

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I really enjoyed this book! The writing was great and I loved the character development. I’ll definitely be reading more from this author!

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TW: RAPE ATTEMPT, GRAPHIC VIOLENCE. Also pretty graphic scenes of sex.

While the story is entertaining and the main character is a badass girl, I think that the form could be improved. It uses the infamous trope of "not like the other girls", for example. It's a shame because it tells a story about racism and intolerance (inside the fantasy and magic and whatnot) but then despises women like that.

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As a thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced readers copy I shall give an honest review of this novel. A tag line to the series I read before starting this was “ Romeo and Juliet meets The Return of the King” I knew each individual story and was intrigued to see how they would connect. The novel follows protagonist Jasminda ul-Sarifor born of a Elsyrian and Lagrimari couple. Essentially these individuals are depicted as light and dark skinned people. The story does a really great job of world building and was able to depict its magic system well. The novel introduces religion by following a male creator and a female creator known as the King and Queen. The king is all encompassing and present within their world as the Queen is left to myth and legend. The Queen is held most holy to the Lagrimari people. It is the Elsyrian’s that believe wholly in the creator and scoff at the idea of the Queen’s return. This expressed belief holds true to several characters and did a great way of supporting religious and magical growth in the novel.In terms of Jasminda, she has magical powers albeit less in strength than her counterparts but holds a unique ability others do not. Jasminda received her powers from her fathers side of the family as she is a earthsinger and is able to use this power to shape her destiny as she holds unique abilities no other earthsinger has held before in some time. Traditionally earthsingers have only been Elsyrian, so Jasminda’s role in this is vital. Because of her mixed heritage status.Thus making her unique and sought out by individuals on both sides. I appreciated the circumstances surrounding these two groups as the magical barrier between their lands is said to fall. The story continues to introduce characters whom I felt was fully formed namely Jack. Jack is presented as a elsiran spy and is shown to do anything and everything to protect his country from impending evil. By inserting Jack into the story can give our lead information regarding the current state of circumstances in each respective country. Jasminda and Jack unite and swear to keep moving their countries forward to a day when the Queen returns. A union forms leading these two to protect their country from the impending destruction. This union then turns to attraction and is something that was well-deserved. The pacing I felt for this relationship was comfortable and not forced. This union is one that will shape their destiny and inform subsequent novels. The novel does a great service to its reader by giving central beliefs of its characters and introducing them sporadically throughout the novel. These messages offer insight as you move towards the novels end. The novel touches on religion, race, gender and more . Out of 5 stars, I would like to give it 3.5 stars. It is a novel I enjoyed reading and would recommend to others.

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2.5 stars

Jasminda lives alone on a farm she once shared with her parents and siblings. Judged because of the colour of her skin, Jasminda leads a lonely life.
That changes when a group of soldiers arrive at her cabin wanting shelter. With them is a captured spy, Jack, who was on a mission behind enemy lines gathering proof that Elsira and Lagrimar are on the brink of war, the magical barrier in-between the lands close to collapsing.
Jasminda has Earthsong magic, a power that Jack will need if he has any hope of defeating the True Father and awakening The Queen Who Sleeps.
Can Jack save Elsira?
Do Jasminda and Jack have a future together?

Song of Blood & Stone didn't go in the direction I was expecting, which isn't always a bad thing, but in this case it didn't work for me.
I liked both Jasminda and Jack. They were interesting characters.
I didn't mind the romance but I would have preferred more tension between the two of them.
The plot started off well but then things went off track for me. I felt that the main focus of the storyline was forgotten or pushed to the sideline.
The writing style was easy to follow but failed to keep my attention.
I'm disappointed I didn't enjoy this more.

Overall this was an okay but disappointing read.

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I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and had trouble putting it down. I found the characters stories compelling and enjoyed how the individual stories were interwoven and brought together at the end.

Great book and series.

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Song of Blood and Stone (Earthsinger Chronicles Book #1)
L. Penelope
Year published: 2018
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Young Adult ~ Fantasy ~ New Adult ~ Romance
Stars: Dnf’ed at 50%. Wasn’t interesting me enough. But for the most part – it was a 2 star read.

Someone said on Goodreads that the book was self-published in 2015 and then was picked up by a publishing company. But since I received the book through Netgalley – I’m choosing the details of the ‘newly’ published over the self-published detais

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for a free and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own. Please note that as this as I read an arc I have no way of knowing that if the scene shows up in the published version.
Warning: There’s illusions towards rape and also an attempt at rape.

So, I wanted to like this book. It looked good – had magic and mentioned a land at war and I really like those things. But then it all fell apart. The book wasn’t interesting enough. I tried to keep on – that’s why I kept reading until 50% – thought it was maybe a slow read – and it was a slow read, but it didn’t pick up for me.

The characters were a bit boring to me. I liked Jasminda, though, she was strong, but her story confused me a lot. I could never keep up with which side of the land her dad comes from and which side her mom comes from and what’s the story behind both – it all confused me so much. And Jack, yeah, it’s not that he was too intense, it’s just that he instantly fell in love with Jasminda and that’s not really in my interests.

The plot, while decent, had too much going on and too much time spent highlighting subplots to allow the main plot to thrive. The plot had the chance and ability to grow, it just didn’t – and that upset me a bit.

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