Review of Song of Blood & Stone by L. Penelope
Rating: 4.25/5 Stars
I received this copy from publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
“The blue of the day’s sky and the black of the night’s are different, but one is not better than the other. We need both.”
I was pleasantly surprised by this one, I found the story to be so satisfying. It ended up being exactly what I needed to read! If you’re looking for a fantasy novel that pushes the boundaries of young adult into new adult without being overly explicit, this is the book for you. And that cover!? Look at how beautiful that cover is!
This story follows two main characters, Jasminda and Jack. Jasminda, half Elsiran and half Lagrimari is an Earthsinger. All she desires is to live a life of peace, away from others on her homestead in the wilderness. Jack is an Elsiran soldier, disguised as the enemy, desperate and in seek of a way to end the centuries old war between Elsira and Lagrimar. Chance will bring them together, but it seems as though destiny keeps them there.
The first third of this book was somewhat slow. I was a little unsure of what I was getting into and had a lot of questions. I liked the story and found it interesting, but it really didn’t reach out and grab me. However, after that first third, the ball really gets rolling. The setting, pace and feel of the story changes tremendously and I read nonstop until I finished it, I couldn’t put it down!
The world created in this story is rich and vast, I hope we get the opportunity to learn more about the lands beyond Elsira and Lagrimar in future installments. Additionally, one of my favorite parts was the “Collected Folktales” included at the beginning of each chapter. They were very reminiscent of Aesop’s Fables and were so unique, clever and even charming. I looked forward to reading them as each chapter ended and another began.
The story itself includes many elements I absolutely adore and I was very proud of the characters regarding most of the choices they made. Each of them stuck to their convictions and never followed paths that I felt were out of character. Jasminda and Jack are both very admirable in their actions, despite a few moments I was irritated with them for avoiding what was staring them straight in the face, but hey – that’s what makes books interesting! I *really* wish I could give you more about the story and my thoughts on it but I would be spoiling a major reveal by voicing half of what I want to say and it’s just not fair to do that!
So I’ll just include a few elements I loved: traveling, courtly intrigue, mysterious histories, forbidden romance, and more!
Also, WE NEED MORE POC fantasy and sci-fi main characters written by POC authors!
Release date: May 1st, 2018
Order Song of Blood & Stone with these booksellers
Love your tagline, super catchy. Now I can’t stop singing Journey!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Funny thing is, I didn’t even realize I was thinking of Journey when I came up with it! 😂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nicely done!
LikeLiked by 1 person
great review. Sounds like a good story.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ohh great review, I absolutely love fantasy with forbidden romance in the mix, the cover is totally gorgeous and the book looks and sounds really fantastic and right up my alley to boot. Thank you so much for sharing your awesome post and for putting this book on my radar.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I really like what this looks like ^^ There seem to be some cliches but I could give it a try still. And yes, I agree about the cover. Gorgeous 😀
LikeLike
Ooh. I’m curious about this one. There seem to be some cliches on it, but I’m interested now. And yes, gorgeous cover 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am super in love with this cover! It is gorgeous 🙂 I haven’t heard much about the book yet but it sounds like it would be one I like.
LikeLiked by 1 person