At the moment, it is quite early in the morning. I stayed up way late to read this and my head is all over the place, but look out for a full review in the next day or two!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, from cover to cover. It was a wonderful tale of fantasy, magic, adventure, and a touch of romance for good measure. I loved the diversity of characters and different elements to the story (including folktale excerpts with each chapter), as well as the world created by the author. It was believable from the offset, making it easy to dive into this alternate world of Earthsingers and those without powers.

The only negative thing I would say is that there wasn't enough room to truly make the most of all the diverse characters and their stories. I would have loved to see the book split into two, or made longer to give a bit more depth or "meat" to the side stories and characters. Here's hoping there'll be more of that once book 2 comes out.

Meh. I realized about halfway through that I didn't actually like the book, but had gone too far to quit. The ending was pretty satisfying, even though it was clearly setting up for future books. I did like the world-building far more than the main story; the excerpts from folktales and the backstory for the Queen were certainly more compelling than Jasminda and Jack's whining.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

This was the first title in a series, but, the storyline of this book was complete; if it was not a case of happy everafter, it was definitely a case of the main protagonists in this book being happy for now... until the events hinted at in the epilogue come to pass.
Many topics are broached in this book and some of them make it quite dark: attempted rape; war; racism; attempted fratricid; and refugees or asylum seekers included.
Yet the story is also a romance, the lovers may have overwhelming odds against them and yet, as in all fairytales there is a happy conclusion to the story for them.
Also included is adventure and magic - "earthsong".

An easy read, I look forward to the next title in the series.

It was following some hard acts
Two of the three books I read before SONG OF BLOOD AND STONE were 5 star reads. Not the easiest of novels to follow. My standards were high for this fantasy which was a bit unfair. It struggled to be even half as good.

The writing was mediocre
Those five star reads I mentioned? They had amazing writing. SONG OF BLOOD AND STONE did not. It read pretty amateurish, lots of stilted descriptions and telling. Honestly I’m struggling to review it because it really wasn’t all that memorable.

Everything developed rather quickly
From plot to romance, everything developed at a break neck pace. Unfortuantely it wasn’t fast paced in the good way. Things developed too quickly. It felt like we’d reached the climactic action point of the novel within the first third. I would have much rathered the story to be split over 2-3 novels with more time developing the plot and character relationships.

I really enjoyed the world
To try and bring up a positive, I actually did like the world SONG OF BLOOD AND STONE was set in. It had a real western vibe, which is always fun. And the magic was big and elemental, my favourite kind.

Overall I feel meh
SONG OF BLOOD AND STONE wasn’t bad but… meh. I struggled to connect to the story and characters, which never makes for a good time. There were elements that were interesting, but nothing that I absolutely loved. And the more I think about it, the less enthused I am about SONG OF BLOOD AND STONE tbh.

In Summary
SONG OF BLOOD AND STONE wasn’t a bad read, but it wasn’t too great either. While I enjoyed the world and magic system, everything felt quite rushed which affected my connection to the characters.

In a civilization filled with division, hate, prejudice, war, and innumerable crimes, Jasminda possesses a powerful magic called Earthsong. When she is about to lose her home, she meets and assists Jack, who is critically wounded. When evil soldiers show up and take him as prisoner and she decides to save him, Jasminda is thrust into a war against an ancient evil that she definitely didn't expect or bargain for. Jasminda and Jack join forces with refugees to take down the evil ruler causing the war once and for all.
This book was full of adventure, peril, and suspense as the main characters battled against evil. I enjoyed the unique world the author created and I thought the characters were so realistic. It took me awhile to get into the story, but once I did, I couldn't stop reading. I didn't agree with some of the views presented or the profanity, but the sexual content was the most objectionable to me because I prefer the bedroom door to stay closed. In my opinion, this book should have been classified as new adult fiction instead of young adult because of the sexual content. Other than that, I enjoyed the story and am looking forward to reading the second book.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. A positive review was not required, and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Jasminda has lost her whole family; mother and father, and twin brothers. She was about to lose her home as well if she didn’t sort out taxes that her family owed. She was given an option to have the taxes settled for her by her grandfather, of course, at a price that is to deny all ties with her mother because the family on her mother’s side disapproves the marriage. However, before she has any chance to decide, she stumbles upon Jack and gets sucked into Jack’s mission.

The beginning of plot revolves around Jack being captured and Jasminda scheming to free him. I understand this is essential in establishing a strong relationship between these two main characters but it feels a bit dragged out for me. Similarly, later in the book a lot of pages are invested in developing the relationship that doesn’t really have much to do with the resolution of conflict, but I guess it’s just setting readers up for the next books in the Earthsinger Chronicles. With all that said, the romance in here doesn’t quite get me giddy.

I can’t help but chuckle at the use of ‘the speaking stone’. It vibrates when there’s a ‘call’ (ha!) and to answer it you have to put some blood on it (instead of touchscreen or buttons). That’s a touch of reality that I can appreciate.

Keep in mind that the genre is both Young Adult and New Adult. So um..it’s a regular YA fantasy but with explicit language and references to sexual content and violence, hence the label New Adult. When I first looked up this book on Goodreads to decide whether to click that ‘Request’ button, I saw these labellings and went ‘meh, OK sure 👌🏻’. That was in February and now I have forgotten all about it. So come certain scenes I was a bit surprised because in my head it was just a regular YA fantasy.

Such a great story!!! At first, i thought the action was a bit too slow but it picked up pace just at the right moment. Great world building, and great characters. I git what had went down with the True Father and cie quite early when the dream started, but it didn't deter from enjoying the read. The only weak point I could think of are the secondary characters : Jack and especially Jasminda could have used some little friend/help on that side. Still I am looking forward to read more abput this series.

This was a very hard book to get into. It had an interesting premise. However, there were mature themes in this book that was tough for me to read. Jasminda is a strong character, but the other characters were stereotypical. The novel moved at a slow pace. I would recommend this novel to those who like reading dark fantasy, but I think this is suitable for those who can handle mature content.

I tried very hard with this, but just could not get into it at all. After a somewhat promising opening chapter, the rest devolves into an overblown romance novel with half-baked, confusing characters and worldbuilding and a magic system that I don't understand.

I'm adding a star because the female lead was somewhat interesting, the writing isn't entirely bad, and your mileage may vary if you're more into romance than fantasy. But I was definitely expecting more from the latter, and I finally just gave up about halfway through.

***4.5***
Trigger Warning for attempted rape.

L. Penelope deals with racism and xenophobia in this heartbreaking yet magical fantasy world.

I admit it was hard for me to read this book at points, but in the month and a half that this spent in my currently reading shelf, it constantly held my attention (whether I was reading it or not) and I was able to get back into it without a problem.

The characters are what really stood out for me. For starters, the main character, Jasminda, is a strong and badass woman despite being judged by Lagrimari and Elsrians for being mixed race, not to mention that she has magic abilities that are much more important than she realizes. Jack stood out mostly because the name "Jack" in a fantasy novel was a bit odd to me, however, I later started to really care for him-something I wasn't expecting to do.

I enjoyed the plot for the most part and I liked the visions intertwined with the story. And that ending? I am impatiently waiting to read the next book in the series.

Content Warning: Background DV Survivor, Rape threats & attempts, Takes place in a country full of racism, xenophobia, homophobia, classism, sexism, with micro and macro aggressions.

I started Song of Blood and Stone and finished in one night. I HAD to. It was just that good.

Includes but is not limited to:
Endearing, clever characters
A genuine push-pull kind of relationship that quickly won me over. There are some explicit passages about hooking up and sex, but it's hardly erotic and I'm sure teens can handle it. Army battles and court drama.
The nebulous court of public opinion and journalism and protests.
Magic and technology.
I legit cried at one point.
Thorough world building, two hero arcs, a romance, and a quest are completed in this one book instead of being dragged out to two or three. And it's all wildly talented and impressive and done SO fucking well, it's ridiculous.
Especially that fucking ending!!
I CANNOT WAIT FOR THE NEXT ONE.


Quotes:
Perhaps he was a warrior jester--fierce one moment, jovial the next.

Her mama had been too good for this world and was needed in the World After to spread her love there.

Once upon a time, we were close as heartbeats.

"I was found, Captain."

He stood on a tightrope with doom on one side and failure on the other, but in only a handful of days Jasminda had become the bar he gripped to balance him.

He'd thought the war was against a foreign enemy, when really he just may have to save his land from itself.

The clerk pronounced the words as if speaking around marbles in her cheeks.

"It must be hard living in a land with so much sameness that any deviation at all stands out."

Sympathy and sentimentality are like quicksand. I cannot allow them to pull him under as they did me.

I enjoyed the story and wanted to know more about the world and the main characters.

I thought it was hard to put down, but I never did get the world building I wanted, unfortunately. I will also admit the story was heavily focused on the connection and romance instead of anything else.

The plot was fast paced and interesting, so I couldn’t knock any stars off, even it wasn’t perfect. (I think it’s probably 3.5 that I just rounded up to 4 stars.)

Thank you to NetGalley and L. Penelope for allowing me to read and review Song of Blood & Stone. I really enjoyed this book.

I have to say, I wanted to rate this one a lot higher than I'm about to. The cover is lovely, I like the diverse cast, the issues the story addressed, and the fact that the tension was well-built. However, I kept putting off reading it because I just couldn't get invested. I wasn't fully sure where or when the story was supposed to take place - the setting seemed high fantasy but also somewhat modern? - and Jasminda was relatively bland to me. I was also immediately turned off by the hardcore insta-love aspect. I don't buy that they would immediately be willing to save one another's lives when they're supposed to be enemies. I wanted to care about what was happening, but I just...didn't. It's too bad, because I really liked the premise of this novel, but for me the execution fell flat.

This novel took me a while to get into but after the 30% mark I couldn't put it down! The world is incredibly engaging and complex and once the characters start to hook you in, you're in it for the long run. I loved spending time with the characters as they discovered more about themselves and worked to figure out how to solve their problems. It's overall a really wonderful story!

Oooooh this was so much fun! Totally hit the perfect spot re: fantasy romance, which let me tell you, is NOT an easy thing to do. I think the romance was a leeeeettle too insta-lust for me, but honestly, this was just such a great, well-done read.

To be honest, when I first started to read this book a couple of months ago it didn't grip me. In fact, I have just finished reading it this week. But when I picked it up again on Friday - it had me hooked.

I think if months ago I have just read one more page that would have been it, I would have been in love. The reason I put it down to start with was that I really didn't like Jasminda, she was independent but not. Always hurting and isolated and that kind of dragged down my mood whenever I read it.

I think a few pages after I picked it up was the moment I realized she has a real fire in her soul and was going to fight for her life, not let some other person fight for her. This book is definitely a grower but once it has its hooks in you, you won't be able to put it down!

Song Of Blood & Stone wasn’t quite the book for me. It was very much a New Adult romance book set in a fantasy world, as compared to the YA fantasy adventure/political intrigue story I expected.

I’m not sure if it was the writing, the characters, or the haphazard world-building but something never clicked for me. I was confused for around the first 30% about which country each character came from. The world itself was also puzzling. At the beginning, I thought it was more of a historical setting. Then planes, trucks, and other modern things appeared. It felt very incongruous to me, like the world didn’t fit together quite right.

The romance was love at first sight, a trope that I’m not usually a fan of. Additionally, I never really felt the connection between Jasminda and Jack. Since the book was centered around their romance, not being able to connect with their relationship made it difficult to become invested in the book. Also, there was a graphic attempted rape scene that turned me off the book, particularly because an attempted murder would have worked just as well in that instance.

While Song of Blood & Stone wasn’t the book for me, I do think that many readers will enjoy this one. The plot was interesting but it was too focused on the romance for my taste.

I found this book really hard to get into. I think that the idea of it is great but I just wasn't able to enjoy this book as much as I had hoped. At the moment I can't put my finger on the exact reasoning as to why I didn't enjoy it so much, but that doesn't mean others won't.