Song of Blood & Stone by L. Penelope is an older YA/ NA fantasy romance novel with an excellent introduction that really made me want to dive into to the story. My favorite aspects of this new story are the world-building and our main character, Jasminda. In regards to the world-building that we get to see of warring nations Elsira and Lagrimar are intriguing when it comes to the big picture, such as the physical and magical differences between the Lagrimari and the Elsirans, how Elsiran society treats those it views as other like our main character Jasminda who is both part Elsiran and Lagrimari (she strongly favors her Lagrimari side, Earthsong magic included). Broadly, the author's world building is quite good, but when it comes down to the details I wish we could have seen a little more. Primarily, I felt a bit out of the loop on what exactly Earthsong magic entails and how it works. We get to see it in action a few times, but there are still so many questions I had about the magic system overall. Due to the mentalities and some details I also expected more of a historical setting, but peppered throughout we see things like vehicles, airplanes, tanks, modern military weaponry. If done more consistently this could have been a great setting feature, but as it is this mash up of historical and modern is quite jarring. Though I do have to mention that I loved the opening of each chapter with a bit of folklore from their world, that was a nice touch as it helps set the stage.

In regards to our main character, Jasminda is a very strong and courageous young woman who is willing to take things into her own hands to get things done. Her character also gives us a look into her experiences as biracial in tough circumstances. I could greatly appreciate watching Jasminda grow over the course of the story. Jack, her love interest, on the other hand, I wasn't all that interested in him even though he does get a few great twists, especially when it comes to his identity - and, of course, what that means for Jasminda. What surprised me the most about him has to do with his name. Of course, this is a fantasy story and everyone has interesting names except him. I mean, his full name is more interesting, but he really only goes by his nickname Jack. I don't know about you, but it actually bothered me that he goes by such a boring name. It's not nearly as cool as Jasminda's, that's for sure. Finally, I have got to mention their romance. Sure Jasminda and Jack go through a lot together, but I'd still classify it as instalove. In the long run, though, that didn't bother me as much as how graphic their love scenes become. The story is marketed as Young Adult, but when it comes to the romance it's definitely New Adult. I was not expecting that level of steaminess. The lead up is very YA in tone which was fine, but then the story takes on a level of steaminess that I associate with NA, or maybe even adult romance. Honestly, that's not really my thing and I could have done without about 10% of the story as the romance began to monopolize everything else.

Overall, Song of Blood & Stone by L. Penelope shows a lot of potential as an older YA/ NA fantasy romance. It has several elements I enjoyed - I liked what world-building we got to see and I enjoyed getting to know our leading lady. However, there's so much more I'd like to know about the world of the Elsirans and Lagrimari. If you're a fan of a major portion romance with your on the side fantasy, you may enjoy the love story a little more than I did (for me, it was just a little too overpowering). While reading this novel, I totally had Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples in the back of my mind, so if you enjoy that graphic novel series you may want to try this series opener.

"Said the Master of Jackals to the soldier, 'A victorious warrior fights for one of three things: a righteous cause, a broken heart, or a noble death.'"
Song of Blood and Stone was unexpected. I knew I was getting a fantasy story about power struggles, destiny, and a bit of romance thrown in. I wasn’t expecting modern social commentary to be weaved effortlessly and poignantly into this historical fantasy. Song of Blood and Stone follows Jasminda, an outcast Earthsinger, who teams up with Jack, an injured spy, to heal their warring Country and discover the mysterious secrets surrounding the Queen Who Sleeps. 

Things I Liked 
I mentioned it above, but I really enjoyed the social commentary that was present throughout the book. Penelope tackles topics like immigration and refugee rights, racism, oppression, and controlled media. Though these topics are explored in the fantasy setting, they clearly draw from real-world issues. I though the issues were handled with care and addressed, but never belittled. The story also never got preachy, which I appreciated. 

The prologue hooked me from the start, along with the folktale quotes at the beginning of the chapters (which if you know me, is no surprise I loved them!) created this fantastical atmosphere that was easy to get lost in. 

I really liked the flashback visions we get of Oola, Yllis, and Eeron. I feel like they not only helped establish the worldbuilding and history of Elsira and Lagamira, but also established tension and conflict between the countries that made the actions seem authentic. 

Things I Didn’t Like 
I personally found the romance to be a little heavy handed, especially in the beginning of the story. Jasminda and Jack have an almost too perfect relationship. There wasn’t anything bad about their romance, but I didn’t find myself swooning either. The story was also heavily romance-leaning. I’d say it felt more like a romance in a fantasy setting thana fantasy story with a romance in it. 

The writing didn’t grab me the way I wanted it too. I thought it was a little simplistic and focused. I didn’t feel like it ‘set the scene’ for the story, the scene was already there and the story was just happening over it. I don’t need super flowery prose to be invested in a story, but I would have liked more. Especially because I loved the Folktale collections that created a fantastical element, but otherwise there wasn’t much.

I thought the end battle was a little too easy. While I appreciate the tension setup, I feel like it was over too quickly to have a meaningful or successful payoff. 

Song of Blood and Stone was a fun fantasy surprise with a surprising amount of depth. I enjoyed the worldbuilding and many of the personal moments that allow the characters to shine. Song of Blood and Stone is a story about power struggles, destiny, and conviction. 

I received a copy of the book from St. Martin’s Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

DNFed at 40% 
So, I really wanted to love this book. I loved the cover and I'm all about diverse fantasy. However, the attempted rape on-page and pervasive rape culture throughout the 40 percent that I did read that I couldn't finish it. I am absolutely exhausted with fantasy books that think that the only thing a man can do to show how evil he is is to rape people. This is the same reason I quit reading the Tearling book.

Song of Blood and Stone is an epic fantasy about two warring countries ones with magic (called Earthsingers) and the ones without, that are separated by a magical barrier. In Elsira most people have red hair and copper-colored eyes and no magic, they are ruled by a Prince Regent who awaits a queen from long ago who under a spell. While the Lagamar are people of color (brown skin and dark eyes), in a barren land and is ruled by an evil madman. With tensions high and the Elsirans negative view of the Lagamiri who are trying to escape things have finally reached a boiling point and one way or another it's time for a change.

This book is so awesome! I love fantasy book and I love magic and Leslye has brought both subject together to tell and epic story. There are a lot of subjects touched on in the book and with the writing and plot flowing seamlessly I could help but be invested in the characters and pulled into the story. Almost every chapter begins with little fables and folktales at the beginning that are interesting and ones that I haven't heard of before and I really enjoyed that aspect of the story. The fables seem to add a better understanding to the story.

Jasminda is a strong and brave woman who does not let the judgement of other necessarily dictate her actions. Jasminda is half Elsiran and half Lagamiri, while she grew up with her family in Elsira she is viewed as Lagamiri because of the way she looks. Lagamaris in Elsiran are treated very poorly, the Elsirans fear and covet their magic and in-turn treat all Lagamar refugees very poorly. So imagine all the conflict and negativity that Jasminda has dealt with her entire life. She could have let that turn her into a bitter, spiteful person but she didn't. Now don't get me wrong she still has sass, she doesn't let anyone mistreat her but she doesn't let their behavior control her either.

The story is told from dual povs and while we do hear from Jasminda we also hear from Jack. I love Jack I really do, he is an Elsiran solider who is different from most Elsirans. First even though he is a solider he isn't harden like the others I got to see Jack's soft and squishy center. He is a good man, a bit silly, kind-hearted, treats people fairly and doesn't treat anyone differently based on the way look or who they are. Jack sees a better way and is struggling with the way his country behaves towards those who are different.

Jasminda and Jack are one of my OTPs, they are so good together and are meant to be, I swear it. This isn't a love at first sight, their connection grows over time and you could see how they could get close because of the dire situations they tend to find themselves in. They are good together, they make the other one better. A lot of my favorite scenes were when those two are alone together and are able to be themselves. The comfort the other while getting comfort and they are not blinded to they way things are but wish so badly for more, for better.

Do you have those moments when you are reading a book and know that something bad is coming, you can just sense it. Well I had that feeling with this book and I kept anticipating it, nervous as I-don't-know-what that something bad was going to happen. So my anti caption levels were high and while I did guess some of the events of this book other I did not and that is what help make this a really enjoyable book for me. While I did wish for more magic in this one and a better explanation of certain things this one was a really good read for me and I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

Song of Blood and Stone is a fascinating mature young adult book that dives into action, adventure, romance (sexy fun-times), mystery, magic, has evil overlords, mysterious rulers, and an epic love story that is ageless and is partially told in past events. L. Penelope touches on some of the important issues such as social injustices, racism, clash of the classes and abuse. She also weaves in characters that are strong, and has representation of diverse and LGBQ+ characters. If you are looking an incredible fantasy book then Song of Blood and Stone is a sure read.

I received Song of Blood and Stone as an ARC on NetGalley. I'm still processing how I feel about this story, but overall I'm giving it a 3.5 rating. You could divide the plot into three distinct segments. It took me a while to get truly hooked into the story. However, once Jasminda and Jack arrived to Rosira, the pages were turning quickly. It was rather predictable and there weren't any surprising twists (save for one that was only hinted at right before the reveal, which could have used more build-up). And as far as the author's use of languages goes, there were one too many similes and metaphors for my personal taste. 

The theme, however, presented a very timely take on prejudice. Jasminda was well-written and I could really root for her as the main protagonist (and I LOVE seeing WOC leading fantasy and science fiction novels). I even liked the integration of flashbacks in the narrative, which are usually taboo, but they worked in this story. The epilogue piques my curiosity into what the next installment will entail, so I wouldn't be surprised to find myself continuing the Earthsinger Chronicles as they are released.

Song of Blood & Stone hooked me at the beginning. As the story went on, it became a bit predictable. I still enjoyed it, but it I didn't love it as much as I thought I would

[This review will be up on my blog on 04/30 for the Song of Blood & Stone Blog Tour]

Song of Blood & Stone is the first book in the fantasy trilogy Earthsinger Chronicles. Its sequels are Whispers of Shadow & Flame and Cry of Metal & Bone.

This fantasy novel had a bad case of bookish identity crisis: it seemed to have no idea of where it was going, what it was doing or what it was trying to be.
This book read as a cute, tropey fantasy romance with cheesy surprise royals, but at the same time it had mythological components and a 1920s-inspired setting, and also tried to be gritty because I guess nothing is serious if it isn’t graphic. These are good ideas, if you do not try to make all of them work inside the same story.

Song of Blood & Stone is a romance-heavy fantasy, and you shouldn’t go into it expecting much adventure, but at the same time I can’t recommend it as a light romantic book.
I don’t think your story with cliché royalty tropes and the most fake-feeling military ever should also try to be ~gritty dark fantasy~; choose a tone and stick to it, and if you choose “serious”, then go all the way and get rid of the cheesy tropes.
I’m also deeply uncomfortable with the idea of marketing this as adult/YA crossover when its sexual assault scene is more graphic than many adult military sci-fi books. That scene felt like it was there just for shock value, which is the worst idea when your book is also trying to be a sweet, tropey romance (with historical aspects just for the aesthetics).

It’s not even good as a romance. Straight royalty drama is rarely interesting to me because I’ve read too much of it, and this was mostly fine, but the sex scenes ruined everything. They were graphic, which I don’t have a problem with, but nothing kills tension as quickly as badly-written sex scenes.
I read an ARC, and I hope the parts in which the male character is “whispering his lips across her aromatic skin” or sex is described as “the invasion of her body” do not make it to the final copy.

I did actually like some parts of this: the magical and mythological aspects were interesting if underdeveloped, and so were the themes. This book has a biracial protagonist and revolves around what it means to be in an interracial relationship when you live in a racist world; there’s also a side f/f couple.

I'm not going to lie: I've been very tempted to DNF this one. I felt disconnected from everything that was happening in the first half. Luckily, I found the strenght to continue and the second half was better. Ish.
Let's get this over with:

PROS:
- The plot : As I said, I was not a fan of the first part, which I found sort of confusing, but I liked the second half. It wasn't perfect -I would have avoided some plot twists, or at least used them in a different way-, but it was enjoyable.
- The writing : Again, not the best I've ever seen, but good.
- The message : This book deals with the refugee problem - which is one I really care about- in a very straight way. There's no doubt of what the writer (nor her main characters) thinks about the matter, and the only thing I can say is good job, Penelope .

CONS:
- The world building : It could have been better, so much better. One of the reasons I struggled to read the first half of the book was that I couldn't see the landscape in which the story takes form. Still can't, tbh.
- The magic system : Again, it could have been explained better. We know that Jasminda has the Song, but we see her using it in only one way, and it's not clear if that's it or if there are others.
- The characters : That was probably the biggest issue for me. The characters' characterisation is the most important thing for me in a book: if I like the characters, or despise them but think they're well written, the plot begins to be secondary. I was born this way, baby .
From this point of view, Song of Blood and Stone was my personal version of Hell.
I'm pretty sure I'll forget about all the minor characters by tomorrow, and in regards of Jack and Jasminda... Well, I didn't hate them, but I didn't like them either. I understood them, I understood their actions (at least, the 80% of their actions), but I cannot say anything specific about them. They didn't feel real to me. Again, they could have been better (how many times have I said it? Three?)
- THE ROMANCE Okay, listen to me: I have nothing against love stories in fantasy novels, I actually like them as long as they don't overshadow the plot. I have my list of OTPS. When I'm sad, I read fanfictions. I won't ever say "Romance ruins everything". Period.
And when it came to this book, well, we knew since the synopsis that the main characters were going to fall in love. I knew it. I was even ready to ship them.
But this was too fuckin' much . One of the worst cases of insta-love EVER. I swear, you'll stop complaining about the love story in Children of Blood and Bone as soon as you read this one. Too fast, too intense, too sappy
Why can't characters just make out and say "Okay, you seem nice, let's try to date for a while and see what happens?" WHY?

So, yeah, not a book I despised entirely, but not the release of the year, either

Honestly I didn't get very far into this book. Within the first quarter of it, both the female and male protags have to save each other from rapists. Pass.

This book is a letdown to me. The story dragged and was at times aimless. Much of it focused on Jasminda and Jack’s romance which felt off since there wasn’t really a romantic buildup to their relationship. Their sex scenes lacked passion and weren’t necessary, considering how serious the situation they were facing was. Like you’re on the brink of war and all you’re thinking about is each other’s flesh?

At times, I felt lost when it came to the setting. It was sketchy. As for the characters, besides Jasminda, they were fleeting and just there to push Jasminda and Jack to react. I couldn’t connect to them. The True Father didn’t come off as threatening – the non-magical humans did though.

There were positives that kept me reading though. I thought Jasminda was great, had agency and a mission to save memories of her family. She’s also biracial and caught in a conflict, external and internal, which is well written. I found the magical side of Song of Blood and Stone‘s world interesting, especially with the history part. But I wish that it was explored more.

I’m hoping the sequel would be an improvement and hopefully, the one that would hook me in.

"A stone needs only a trickle of water, unceasing in it's focus, to create a groove. If you are the water, take your time to do the work. If you are the stone, best roll out of the way before you are split in two"



Summary
Jesminda's power of Earthsong makes her an outcast. She lives alone and isolated since her parents' and brothers' death. One day she encounters a man beaten to within an inch of his life. Jesminda helps him, but she doesn't know yet that meeting him is going to change her life forever.

Writing
I can't say nothing bad about the writing style. It's natural, but very beautiful. Every character has their own voice and that's something I love in books with more than one POV. 

A wonderful addition to this book are pieces of "Collected Folktales" before every chapter. They had a wonderful, whimsical, and magical aura. And they added a lot of depth into this world. I loved them.

Characters
I have to start this by saying that I haven't been this invested into a relationship in a book since I read ACOMAF around 2 years ago. The characters have been so well developed and thought out, that they felt very real. It made me care. AND I LOVE TO CARE!!! It's impossible not to love them.

Some people might say that there is an instalove trope in this book, but I don't really think so. In my opinion it's an instant attraction between characters that developed into a romantic feeling over time. 

Plot
It takes less than 20 pages for this book to get really interesting, and once it starts, it doesn't stop until the very end. It's impossible to get bored even in the rare moments when the action slows down a little, because then we get to see the relationship between the main characters develop AND THEY ARE AMAZING TOGETHER!

Overall
Can I see anything more, other than it's a really good book? And please? Do yourself a favour and read it? Like right now?



 I recieved a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Song of Blood & Stone is the fantasy I've been searching for! L. Penelope reduced me to a babbling mess with her story full of rich, beautiful characters and thrilling world. Jasminda and Jack's story is powerful and will strike the hearts of epic fantasy and romance fans!

Even though Jasminda is a citizen of Elsira people only see her Lagamiri heritage. Her dark skin and Earthsong power, weak though it may be, sets her apart from society and in a dangerous position as threats of another breech spreads across the country. Jack is on a mission to strengthen the Mantle that separates Elsira and Lagamiri in order to keep the True Father from descending on the people of Elsira. Jasminda and Jack find each other on a mountain pass with a terrible storm brewing overhead, and from there the story unfolds with layers of fantastic world building and a plot full of intrigue.

Song of Blood & Stone offers readers an engaging read with compelling characters. I devoured this story as Jasminda quests to awaken a Queen and protect those without power. Even though her Earthsong is weak, she's willing to risk it all to save her country and that makes it so easy to root for her. Jack is stuck between following his heart and duty to his people. I admired his character for the choices he made as he went against what was expected of him. It showed that he was confident in his path and a true hero. Jasminda's story is so relatable and relevant that readers will have no trouble imagining this story in their mind's eye. Jack and Jasminda face an impossible attraction to each other, but their love is a conquering force that drives this story and will move readers to eat it up in one sitting!

The hype surrounding Song of Blood & Stone is very well founded. It's a perfect harmonization of romance, action, and fantastic world-building that you won't be able to walk away from once you start! I'm completely hooked on L. Penelope and excitedly looking forward to the rest of the Earthsinger Chronicles!
*ARC provided in consideration for review*

Author L. Penelope has developed a unique and interesting premise with her Earthsinger Chronicles.  The first book Song of Blood and Stone introduces us to Jasminda and Jack. These two come from vastly different backgrounds and therefore have different agendas.  I truly enjoyed getting to know both of them.  It is easy to become emotionally involved in these characters with Ms. Penelope's highly entertaining, high octane writing style.  

Jasminda is a captivating heroine.  She has faced many hardships that have made her a force to be reckoned with.  I found her Earthsinger abilities to be incredibly fascinating.  Jack has all the qualities a girl could ask for in her hero.  He is very easy to fall for and root for! When these two get together you can feel the power on the pages.  They go on quite the journey in Song of Blood and Stone discovering an epic romance along the way!  I don't want to give anything away but I will tell you things move fast in the best ways.  I was glued to the pages and finished in one sitting.  I am looking forward to the next book in the Earthsinger Chronicles.  Song of Blood and Stone is the perfect read for every young adult lover but excellent for us adults as well.

I enjoyed this way more than I expected to. And you guessed it, because it was basically a romance with a bit of fantasy. 

Our story takes place where we have two parts of the world who have been at war for years but no one knows why or how this war came to be. All they know is this war and how it tears people apart. 

It did start off a bit slow for me and took a while to get into. After a few chapters in, the plot kept my attention I found it to be unique. I did find it to be a little predictable but it didn’t take away from the story. 

The romance was so sweet in this book. So swoonworthy! Jack and Jasminda were so sweet together. I see a lot of reviews saying their attraction was insta love, but you already know that I’m here for the insta love in my books so I was all for it.

Overall, I highly recommend and can’t wait to read the next book in this series!

This was a book that I couldn't put down once I started. I love the fantastical aspects of the book. The magic system in this book was unique and different. At the beginning of the book I was a little confused but not for long.The author drew you in and made you want to know what was going to happen next.  I liked the relationship between Jasminda and Jack. There were some points in the book where I was a little disappointed in him but for the most part, really loved his character. For fantasy novels, this really hit home and look forward to reading more from this author.

The book had many beautifully written sections that were lushly described and almost lyrical. These fired up my imagination and completely engrossed me in the story. However, other parts were basically just tell, tell and tell. This character has a wonderful family, two brothers….but we never meet these people. We never actually get to see examples of this wonderful family. So many aspects of the book are written this way and if we were actually shown things rather than told, I truly believe it would have been more believable and I would have felt more of a connection to the characters.

Talking about the characters, they seemed too perfect to me. The female lead, Jasminda, was pleasant to read about. She was strong, brave and empathetic. Her love interest, Jack, was so kind and understanding. Together, their romance was very unbelievable, at least for me. Maybe it’s because I don’t like the whole destined to be together forever, true love conquers all thing? *shrugs* A lot of their interactions were kind of silly, with cheesy one-liners. The whole thing felt like a bit too much.

The book could have went in a very different direction and as a result missed out on opportunities to discuss racism and xenophobia. Jasminda lives in a world where the people appear to be predominately white, like her love interest Jack. The beginning of the story kind of touched on how she and her people were discriminated against and how hard it was for her and Jack to be together, but the message isn’t clear. It gets lost in the love story, which completely dominates everything else. Yes, it’s fantasy, but I wish more fantasy books would focus on topics that impact the real world.

The last few chapters in the story felt quite rushed and were basically a set-up for the sequel. While it had moments of amazingness I don’t think I’ll be picking up the next book anytime soon.

Review date: April 27
Review link: https://dulivre.blogspot.com/2018/04/book-review-song-of-blood-and-stone.html

4 stars

Plot: If I were to describe Song of Blood and Stone in one word, it would be 'unique'. It tackled so much and even though this is the start of a series, I feel that Song of Blood and Stone would appeal to many standalone fans as well. 

Song of Blood and Stone centered around Jaminda, a dark-skinned girl living amongst fair-skinned non-magick people. For me, Song of Blood and Stone was told in the two parts: the first part had the air of an epic fantasy with two main leads journeying to solve a mystery, while the second half abruptly became more court focused. While the change in pacing and tone was a bit choppy, I couldn't pull myself away from Song of Blood and Stone. The mystery was engaging and there were a lot of great messages about race and assumptions that made me think. 

Characters: Song of Blood and Stone was told from the third-person perspectives of Jaminda and Jack which helped the reader understand the characters and their motivations. I would have preferred the first person perspective because I often had difficulties separating the two narrations. 

The romance in Song of Blood and Stone was a pretty big aspect of the book and let me tell you, Jack and Jaminda are hot and heavy! Overall, I enjoyed the romance, but it suffered from some typical romance tropes we're all familiar with from Young Adult novels and I got the feeling that the author wanted to rush their emotions along. Besides that complaint, I loved the two together and how they complemented each other; I hope they make an appearance in a future book!

Worldbuilding: The conflict between the people of Elsira and Lagamiri was the driving force and Penelope did a fantastic job of outlining the complex relationship; I think having Jaminda be mixed-race helped demonstrate the prejudice and bring the problem closer to home (the talk about refugees definitely felt close to home). 

The world of Song of Blood and Stone was a unique one. Although it was a fantasy world, the people had a lot of technological advances that were similar in our own world such as running electricity, radios, and cars. I thought it was an interesting spin, but I didn't feel like I had a complete grip on the fantasy world because of those additions. 

Short N Sweet: Song of Blood and Stone will pull you in immediately with the intrigue, and the romance will keep you glued to the pages.

I really loved SONG OF BLOOD AND STONE. It picked me up and wouldn't put me down - and I couldn't put it down. There's so much to unpack in the story. You can see it just as a beautiful story between two characters, almost star crossed, and just relish in their relationship and how it blossoms and the stresses, the cold fronts, it's put through. Or you can look at the politics, the world building, and see a hazy metaphor to our current fears regarding refugees and our own borders. Or furthermore, you can look at the way that folktales and history is woven throughout to see it as a lesson for the present. Whatever way you choose, you will be amazed and entertained.

I wasn't expecting to love this as much as I did! The setting was original, not your usual medieval fantasy, and Jasminda was a interesting and believable main character. Even the romance, which usually I don't care a lot about, was great and just so sweet. I loved the magic system in particular and that sort of fairytale vibe it gave the whole book. A great read!

The book starts with introducing a girl named Jasminda, who walks into a post office. On the first page there are words like “Earthsong” and places are mentioned with names like “Elsira” and “Lagrimari”.. To say I was confused is an understatement.
The world in which this story takes place, and all it’s magical details, unravels itself page by page and it’s not explained in the beginning. I had to work my way through the first few chapters, to understand what was going on.
Jasminda is a girl, who lives in a settlement in Elsira. Elsira is a country with citizens who don’t have a Song, meaning they don’t have magical powers. Jasminda, daughter of an Elsirian mother and Lagrimarian father, is an Earthsinger, meaning she has magical powers. Lagrimari is a country in the east of Elsira. The countries are separated by a magical border, called the Mantle.
Jasminda walks home from the post office and comes across a soldier who has been badly injured. His name is Jack and he is an Elsirian. In the first few pages of the book it is made very clear that the Elsirians do not like the company of the Lagrimari. The Lagrimari are looked down upon. They have a darker skin tone and the Elsirians fear Earthsong. Jack is different. He doesn’t stare with hatred at Jasminda. Even though Jack and Jasminda just met, they help each other out. They both seem to have good hearts.
Jasminda is an amazingly strong and likeable female character. I loved reading about her and from her point of view. Jasminda has been through a lot and is still going through difficult times, but she manages to keep her head up and stand up for herself and her believes. Jack is sweet and loving, but a bit naïve at times and there were some situations in the book in which I wanted to shake him and ask what he was thinking.
The story of the two countries, Elsira and Lagrimari, is very well-thought-out. Honestly, it took me some time to get into it and to understand what was going on. But once I was into the story I was fascinated by it and I wanted to learn more about the history of the countries, the True Father and the Queen Who Sleeps.
L. Penelope has a wonderful writing style. The story is fast-paced, with clear shifts between the point of view of Jack and Jasminda and great dialogues. There are some very explicit (fighting and sex) scenes in the book. It was all in line with the story, so this didn’t bother me.
Conclusion; I really enjoyed this story. It was hard to get into at first, but once I learned more about Earthsong, Elsira and Lagrimari, I was hooked. I can’t wait for Book Two of the Earthsinger Chronicles.
4 out of 5 stars.