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.

Although the fantasy world-building was interesting, I found the system of magic confusing without set rules of use. I found the writing and alternating POV clumsy. Didn’t finish.

When I received an email from NetGalley with the description of Song of Blood & Stone I knew I had to read it. Honestly, I wasn't quite sure what to expect but it sounded fascinating. Obviously since I got this book from NetGalley, I received it for free in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book I have read by L. Penelope. I wasn't quite sure what to expect but from the very first page I was hooked. The author created characters that were likable and it was fun getting to go on their adventure with them. What I do love about this book is how it portrayed the country. It frustrated me in the best kind of way. I loved that the main character was a woman of color & I loved that this book mirrored the racism that is found in today's world.

The plot kept my attention & it was unique. This wasn't like most of the fantasy romance books. My one complaint is that it was fairly predictable. For the most part I was able to predict the twists and turns. You can also tell that this book was one of her first books published (originally self published in 2015).

With that said, I really enjoyed this book. It had wonderful adventure, a dashing male lead, and a fearless heroine. All in all, it was fun and I will have to look into more of author's books.

It took me a bit in the beginning to follow the world building but once I got a grasp on the characters Jasminda and Jack captured my heart. I was in the mood for a good love story and this fantasy fit the bill. Song of Blood & Stone had more of a romance feel to it than some fantasy stories and it was a nice change of pace for me. I enjoy a good love story and this book definitely provided that!

This ARC was provided by NetGalley in exchanged for an honest review!

I received a free copy of this for review from Netgalley ***

Good book. Solid 3.5 stars. The magic system was unique and I enjoyed the storyline a lot. My only issue with this book was the insta-love. This book would've been a 4.5 if the love interest hadn't played such a big role in the story.

Song of Blood & Stone was a hard book for me to get through. The story was very well written, the author has an amazing gift for writing. But it me too long to connect with the story for me to really enjoy it. I'll start with the pros. From a little over half way through (52%), the book picked up for me. I felt like I was invested in the characters. I loved the romance that was developing between them. And as I said, the book is very well written. But that is where the pros end for me. During the first half, I almost gave up on it 4 times. I think my brain was trying too hard to understand the world these characters were living in. Was it back in the day, hundreds of years ago, or in a dystopian future, or in a current day parallel universe. I also didn't understand what exactly an Earthsinger was, was it magic or literally songs. And were they differentiated by race (physical appearance)? Because the book was already so long I hesitate to say that there needed to be more backstory on the world-building, but I think maybe it would help readers like me out.

I was given an ARC by the publishers via Netgalley in return for an honest review.

Wonderfully written I was completely hooked from the get-go. I wanted to know what would happen next, who would betray whom, & how everything would pan out. I ignored everything else in my life so I could complete this book. I needed to read it and find out what happened. It's an adventure story, a journey to save a home, to reunite a people who are broken that becomes more about saving a country on the brink.



This book features two amazing characters, the first one is Jasminda born a half-breed & made to know exactly why their people are at war. She's been outcasted by her town and pushed into a corner by those who should be taking care of her. Jack was a spy who was undercover in enemy lines. He's running from a team that is bent on killing him before he makes it to his general to pass on the information that would help prevent a war. I loved that they had hidden depths and secrets as well. Jasminda knew very little about her parent's history as they wanted to forget what brought them here to this space and move on. As such she was unaware of just where she belonged. I started to guess Jack's secret as the story unfolded and we drew closer to certain destinations, but it was still a surprise for Jasminda and seeing her reaction made me like her even more.



I absolutely loved this book. The characters were well written Jasminda was my favorite character because despite having so much lost in her life she still gives her all. Reading Jasminda and how she kept trying to talk herself out of falling for Jack. I absolutely identified with her because she dealt with so much in her short life. Including so much that happens right now in our modern world was seen in this and I totally understood how she felt when the townspeople acted up. loved that the author didn't shy away from confronting racism, the ugliness of war and how our ideals of our country aren't always what is true in practice.



My favorite scenes are from the cityscape when she first got there and saw the whole thing. The description of the royal palace and I really enjoyed her favorite places within the castle. I loved that the city was a mix of steampunk, futurism, today's tech and of course old tech as well. It was amazing. I I also loved the scenes from the library, when Jasminda & Jack confront what's going on between them. It's also where they slowly learn that they need to do more than what the original mission was.



The secondary characters were well written & dimensional. Some were well rounded & some were written as if we should have known more about them but we really didn't I enjoyed the POV as it switched between the two main characters and that made it more in-depth with their reasonings and ideas.



I felt so many different emotions while reading this book. I was angered when certain scenes where Jasminda had to deal with the townspeople and the city people. I absolutely loved Jack and her conversations, I loved their personal moments. I was intrigued, worried, nervous, and had a slightly unhealthy level of anxiety as things were unfolding. For me, the ending wasn't predictable at all. It's such a fantastic story, that seemed to grow, the mystery of where it was going unfolded at a great pace. There were so many different layers and betrayals And I was extremely excited to see that there are other books in the story. I also loved the little antidotes at the beginning of each chapter as I felt it added to the overall story as well.



★★★★★

RECOMMENDATIONS

Warlord Series by Elizabeth Vaughan
Iron Fey Series by Julie Kagawa

I absolutely loved it and have ordered myself a copy and highly recommend it to you as well. Happy Reading my loves,

Do you like books with wholly thought-out, and wildly creative premises? (Right? Who doesn’t?) This book is probably the most breath-takingly original YA book I have read in a while, world-building wise. Ironic, because I chose it for how the title echoes Song of Ice and Fire. Give it a chance and be immersed.

I like fantasy. I like New Adult/Young Adult fantasy. I like romance. Why is it so hard to find a book that can focus on all three of those genres equally? I have had issues with books that combine the three genres together. I can’t find a book that competently blends all 3 of those genres. Don’t get me wrong, Song of Blood & Stone does a great job at attempting to combine them. But it didn’t click for me.

I thought that Song of Blood & Stone got off to a fantastic start. The author set the tone for the entire book perfectly. But, by the middle of the book, when Jasminda was in Elsira’s capital, the book started to falter. By the end of the book, I wasn’t engaged with the characters anymore and the storyline annoyed me. I am hoping that the second book will draw me back in because this book had so much potential.

I thought that Jasminda got the raw end of the deal. She was hated by the village because of her Earthsong. Her maternal grandfather wanted her to disown her family if she wanted help. To top it off, she ends up getting put in the middle of a looming war. A war that Jack tried to stop but didn’t succeed. Hatred of her other heritage, the Lagamiri ran deep in Elsira. Even in the castle, Jasminda wasn’t exempt from the hatred of the Elsiran people. I felt awful for her. It was a wonder that she didn’t crack sooner.

Jack got under my skin. I did think he was going to be a temporary character, at first. So when the twist in his storyline came, I was not ready for it. The author did a great job of portraying him as a tortured man. He was torn between the love of his country and the love for a woman that was half of the enemy. I couldn’t even begin to imagine the stress he was under. But, saying that, I found his actions later in the book awful. He did not stand up for Jasminda. He wanted to hide what they had. He did what he thought was right at the time (even though I thought it was wrong, wrong, wrong). Not going to say what it was but if I was Jasminda, I would have told him to take a hike or punched him in the face. Probably both.

The storyline of the Earthbenders of old was fascinating. This is one part of the book that I correctly guessed at what was going to happen who those people ended up being. It was still a surprise when it came out at the end of the book.

The storyline of the refugees touched my heart. I did liken it in ways to the waves of people coming out of Syria. People displaced because of who they are. They can’t go back because they will be put in harm’s way or killed. And they can’t stay where they are because people don’t understand and fear them.

There was chemistry between Jack and Jasminda. From the minute they met each other, sparks flew. The author kept those sparks keep fanning until they did the deed. Then I felt that the relationship went flat. But, considering what was going on at the time, I now wonder if that was the author’s plan. If it was, it was ingenious of her to do that.

What I didn’t like was that there were a couple of dropped storylines. The one that sticks out in my mind was the man who gave Jack the cornerstone that he thought was a map. It was speculated who he was. Then the storyline was dropped. Also, the mystery woman who the guard was talking to in Jasminda’s cottage. She was mentioned once in the book and then that was it.

The end of Song of Blood & Stone felt a bit anticlimactic. I kept waiting to see if there was anything more to Jack and Jasminda’s storyline once the Queen said what she said. I did like the small twist at the end considering how the True Father and The Queen Who Sleeps looked like. I laughed at that because those bigoted, ignorant people were fools. It was the end of the book that made me want to read the second book. I need to see where this story is going. And I am hoping that it will be better than this book.

What I liked about Song of Blood & Stone:

A) Great world building

B) Interesting storyline in the beginning

C) 3D characters

What I disliked about Song of Blood & Stone:

A) Storyline faltered towards the middle of the book

B) Jack’s treatment of Jasminda towards the end of the book

C) Dropped storylines

I would give Song of Blood & Stone a rating of Older Teen. There is violence. There are sexual situations and sex. The sex is not graphic and actually seemed rushed through. No language. I would recommend that no one under the age of 16 read this book.

There are trigger warnings in Song of Blood & Stone. They are: extreme racial prejudice and talk of rape.

I am on the fence about recommending Song of Blood & Stone to family and friends. If I did, I would include a warning of the triggers. While I would not reread this book, I am open to reading other books by the author.

I would like to thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Song of Blood & Stone.

All opinions stated in this review of Song of Blood & Stone are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

First of all - can we just talk about that cover? It is absolutely stunning! It almost glows, the colours are amazing and it looks both modern and fantasy all at once?? I love it.

Anyhow, the Song of Blood and Stone is the first book in the Earthsinger Chronicles. It is set in a semi-mechanized world where magic, or earthsong, is real and feared by those who don't possess it. Two neighboring countries, divided by a wall of magic and with a history of war, lies in the balance of the impending conflict that threatens the peace. On one side are the dark-skinned, magic-wielding Lagriami, ruled by a masked dictator; on the other are the light-skinned Elsirans, lacking in magic but far more advanced in technology. It is an interesting world, and a daring thing to write about - for this I applaud Penelope - but the idea also felt a little under-developed in its execution.

Now: to the actual story; I'm gonna go right ahead and say that for the first part of the book I was sure I'd give it a three-star review. It was okay, both with parts I liked, but some things that I did not. For example the "insta-love" that I'd thought YA was finally trying to leave behind, and the fact that some key parts of the plot felt very rushed, where the reader was "told, not shown" (as my writing class teacher would put it) most of what happened. Then, when closing in on the end, I realised that it was growing on me, and the only real (major) problem I had with it was that it felt almost too real. The fictive world I was trying to escape in to was a bleak world of narrow-minded people, afraid of what is different. A hopeless world, a frustrating world - and sadly scarily realistic.

The politics, the hate and fear, it was almost too depressing. Even the romance was heavily overshadowed by this, with no immediate solution in sight. Sometimes I almost thought it was too realistic, and I had my doubts about Jack which were never proven completely wrong. At the same time it is important to not only show the fairy tale version of relationships, even in fantasy - especially in YA/NA.

As a whole, I liked it, while there were parts that I still wasn't wholly convinced about. Perhaps I am a little bit too generous in giving it four whole stars, but I believe books like Song of Blood and Stone are important, even vital. It made me mad reading it, but it wasn't the book's fault - it was the fact that it echoed the real world in a scarily realistic way.

The characters in this book are in their 20s which I enjoyed. Fantasy is one of my favorites so the characters being a little older than the normal young adult age was so amazing. The story kept me interested throughout and I was left wanting more at the end.

3.75 Stars
Fantasy seems to be the genre du jour. so I think this will be successful. I was definitely invested in the characters and the outcome. For me this was a good, entertaining read, but it wasn't at the level of Maas or Avelard. So while I will certainly read the next book, I won't be Facebook stalking for a release date.

3.5 stars
There is no denying that this is one good book but I can't say I enjoyed it. It's not that I dislike it. NO. In fact technically, this book is actually okay. It started great but somewhere along the way something went wrong that kept bugging me though I can't pinpoint it.

Is it the plot or story? No. The plot was refreshing and I haven't read any fantasy (yet) that resembles the magic used in this. Earthsingers are interesting and fascinating. Though the aspect of 2 MCs from 2 opposing races is not that unique, still I enjoy that trope. Besides, there's a little twist about Jasminda and Jack's races as in the reveal, history says how the two races really started. I like that history parts. Racism and Discrimination are VERY present in here, people :) :)

Is it the characters then? I actually love the main characters. They were likeable, especially Jack. Jasminda really tugs at my heart especially at the last quarter of the book when she asked through her POV if there's not a single person out there who will be proud to love her and not, you know, keep her. It has something to do with her kind and race. That was just sad and I like her because she's really strong and not the whiny kind. Jack was sweet and gentle. He really is but he knows when to stand for the things/people that/who mattered. Sometimes though I find their interactions a little too romantic. Like REALLY.

Is it the writing? Maybe. Not that the writer isn't good, she is. A little poetic too. It's just that, I think it would be better if there were less descriptions during dialogues. It's like every dialogue line is followed or following a description. Such as Jack swallowed. Dialogue. Jasminda's anger boiled. Dialogue. Jack's shoulder sagged. Dialogue. and so on and so forth.

Actually there's nothing wrong with descriptions like this but if they were overused in one single scene,.. It makes some conversations awkward and forced. It's like the writer was just trying to make the conversations more realistic by describing plenty of actions and reactions of the characters in the scene. MAYBE THIS IS JUST ME so don't mind this part of my review. :) :)

Overall, I recommend this book to everyone who loves fantasy. You won't regret trying this. I definitely didn't and that's saying something since I did say some things I didn't like in it.

Happy Reading Guys... :) :)

dnf @ 38%. While I love that the main character is a poc, and I love the cover, I couldn't get past the pacing and insta-love this story had. also---Trigger warning for attempted rape.

Overall a nice read, dragged a bit at times, but what a lovely, strong heroine in Jasminda. It is a traditional good vs evil YA fantasy story with elemental magic, ancient enemies and a bit of romance. The plot was perhaps a little predictable, but that cover is everything.

This book had such a promising premise, with a really strong start and a cover that I think is gorgeous - but that's about where it ends for me. The rest of the novel felt underdeveloped and rushed, with such a lack of world-building that I felt lost and confused through much of the story.

At times it seemed like the author was trying to cram too much into such a short space: a fairytale romance; huge, complex social and political issues; a magical war; a rising villain; family dramas; personal dramas; and everything else you can imagine. Given everything that was going on in the plot (and sub-plots), I expected the story to carry over into another book (at least) and think it really would have benefited from some further expansion and development.

The characters also came across as slightly two-dimension - Jasminda and Jack were archetypal perfect heroes, but with only each other to bounce off (neither had any friends or family in the picture) it was hard to get a rounded view of either of them.

Sadly, I won't be keeping an eye out for the next installment.

Lovely, intricate, interesting world-building. The culture contains both magic and some measure of technology. The heroine was interesting: tough, tender, and resourceful. The hero's secrets were rather easily telegraphed, but not in an un-pleasing way and the heroine's journey was also easy to see coming (in the sense that the story contains common, enjoyable high-fantasy tropes).

The love story was achingly believable, based both on their connection and the forces that strove to separate them. I'm looking forward to seeing more books in this series.

I was given an Advance Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a powerful book that sucks you in its first page. Song of Blood & Stone is really well written and delves into very important topics of race, privilege, power, corruption, and a refugee crisis without over burdening the fantasy story.

Song of Blood & Stone is set in a fantasy mountain region where two enemy countries border one another. The people of Lagrimar have dark skin and magic, whereas those that live in Elsira are fair skinned and are without magic. The Mantle is a magical and invisible wall that separates the two lands, erected five hundred years prior and keeps (for the most part) the people with Earthsong on the Lagrimar side and those without on the Elsira side. There have been breaches in the past which resulted in war and a limited number of Lagrimari stay in refugee camps in Elsira; but the refugees are not well regarded. They are judged by the color of their skin and feared due to their place of origin.

Jasminda is an orphan living in the mountainous and isolated area near the Mantle in Elsira. She lives an isolated life because she does not find a lot of kindness due to the color of her skin: her mother was Elsiran and her father Lagrimari. Jack is a soldier that went behind enemy lines to gain vital information to save his country but nearly dies. Their paths cross by happenstance and Jasminda heals him with her Song. The book is told through their alternating points of views as they together try to save their country before it is too late.

The worldbuilding develops both all at once and slowly. The reader is thrust right into this world, but at first I was incredibly confused. Even after the end of this amazing book I do not really have much of a mental picture what the world looks like. While the description of the physical world left much more open to interpretation, the backstory and mythology is vast. Each chapter begins with a brief folktale reminiscent to Aesop's Fables, which I LOVED, and through dreams the reader gains a better understanding of how the world got to its present state. I really enjoyed this method of storytelling and its pacing was good.

I adored the characters and their budding romance. Jasminda and Jack are both well developed, haunted by guilt but strong in the face of it. Jack also witnesses the way that Jasminda is treated and begins to use his privilege. The only thing is that the circumstances of their romance seemed a little... fairy tale? I don't know, they just started making googly eyes at each other and longing to touch them without much of an internal dialog to lead up to it? It felt a bit sudden and forward for them to be overly affectionate with one another. But barring the circumstances of how the romance budded, I am here for it!

Magic is called the Earthsong, and it appears to be both the manipulation of the Earth as well as oneself. It can heal, it can change one's appearance. I wish that this were explained a little better, especially how it is practiced and cultivated.

cw: attempted rape, racism, war

I really enjoyed this book, and look forward to reading the next book in the series.

A Song of Blood & Stone was a entertaining and quick read, filled with action and romance and still managing to deliver an interesting plot and some rounded characters.

Our story takes place in a world where there are two nations who have been at war for hundreds of years; no one quite knows why it started, but they know well enough the hardships they've been forced to face because of it. One of the nations involved, Elsira, is a rich, technologically advanced country who thrives under the reign of their Prince Regent when they're not in war times and who pray constantly for their goddess, the Queen Who Sleeps, to wake up and defeat their enemies. The other country, Lagrimari, is ruled by a ruthless dictator since the beggining of times, who calls himself the True Father. The Lagrimari are a people who have the power of the Earthsong, and the True Father forces all of his citizens to gift him their song, which is how he keeps himself alive and in power, and desperate to take the rest of the land from the elsirans.

Jasminda, the female protagonist of this story, is someone who feels like she doesn't belong anywhere: half-Lagrimari, half-Elsiran, she's lived her entire life in an isolated cottage with her family and has been truly alone since her mother's passing and her father's and two brothers' disappereances. She just wants to keep her head down and live a quiet life - and find a way to pay the taxes the Crown has been charging her - when, one day, her home is stormed by Lagrimari soldiers carrying an Elsiran spy infiltrated in their ranks and, because they believe they are still in Lagrimari, they force her to shelter them during a terrible storm. That makes Jasminda confront two hard truths: one, that the Mantle that separates the two nations and keeps the Elsirans safe most of the time has started to breach, allowing these soldiers to come through; and two, that she must do something to help Jack, the soldier they've captured and have been relentlessly torturing and beating.

I admit I was very confused by the worldbuilding at first. It's not exactly clear where Jasminda is when the story begins, so when she meets the soldiers and is surprised they believed they were in Lagrimari, I was surprised as well, because I also believed that's where she was lmao The world has an interesting setting that reminded me of the beggining of the 20th century; there were cars, telephones, and eletricity (also machine guns, ew), although not everywhere. However, I felt like that was highly underdeveloped and not explored enough. I'd never read a fantasy story set in anything other than medieval-like times, so I was super interested to see how some aspects of technology would play alongside the magic, but that was literally never discussed. I felt as if it was a wasted plot opportunity.

Speaking of the magic, I also felt like that was very underdeveloped. There's never actually an explanation about what earthsinging actually is - at first I thought it was generic elemental magic, then they could also feel other people's emotions, then they had healing powers, then they could communicate telephatically??? Basically, they do it all, without any sort of logic applied to it. As someone who immensely enjoys more structured explanations of magic systems, I felt a bit let down.

The plot was fast-paced and the book was divided in short chapters that made me feel like I was reading much faster, but I figured out the plot very early on in the novel (although this specific thing didn't affect my overall enjoyment of the book - albeit I did find it a bit generic, I've also read tons and tons of fantasy before, so I've pretty seen it all). Some parts of the story also didn't make sense to me from the storytelling point of view; sometimes it felt more like random scenes thrown together rather than an actual cohesive plot, if that makes sense? I mean, in one chapter the characters would be in a location doing something, and then in the next they would be doing something entirely different with new characters that didn't really feel like an organic part of the plot. It felt kinda... convoluted, at times.

The characters were pretty great! I loved Jasminda. She wasn't the kind of heroine who does stupid, reckless things just because she's the chosen one and she's "stubborn" and "fearless" - she actually thought things through! What a rarity amongst female fantasy protags! She also didn't let her relationship with Jack cloud her judgement, which really pleased me. Although her overall goal changed as she made new discoveries throughout the novel, she knew she had somethings more important to focus on rather than the fact that she was in love.

Jack, however, was just a bland generic male love interest to me. There were some comments he made about Jasminda being different from all the girls he'd had sex with (kill me) and referring to her virginity as her "virtue"(seriously KILL ME NOW) that made me pretty unsympathetic to him. All throughout the novel him being there was the same as him not being there for me. He was just a meh character overall.

In summary, this was an enjoyable book. Truthfully, I feel like I didn't enjoy it as much because I'm not generally a fan of romance; I enjoy it when it's a part of the story, but not when it's central to it (and definitely not when I can't stand half of the main couple). This tale certainly revolved a lot around Jasminda and Jack's relationship but there was enough plot besides it that made it a pretty decent read for me. If you're a fan of fantasy romance, definitely give this one a go.

I am giving this book 3.5 out of 5 starts, leaning closer to 4 stars. I loved the worldbuilding and thought Jasminda and Jack were great main characters. I found some parts to be a little slow and hard to follow. It honestly took me awhile to truly be fully invested into the story. I think l. Penelope had a interesting writing style. A little winded at times, but I liked her writing style. I would attempt to read more by her. I'd recommend Song of Blood and Stone but with reservations. I wish you learned more of the other characters. Overall I enjoyed the book and would recommend this to others.