About the Book:Title: Song of Blood & Stone (Earthsinger Chronicles #1)
Author: L. Penelope
Pub. Date: May 1, 2018
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Pages: 384
Rating: 4/5 stars
Synopsis:
A treacherous, thrilling, epic fantasy about an outcast drawn into a war between two powerful rulers.
Orphaned and alone, Jasminda lives in a land where cold whispers of invasion and war linger on the wind. Jasminda herself is an outcast in her homeland of Elsira, where her gift of Earthsong is feared. When ruthless soldiers seek refuge in her isolated cabin, they bring with them a captive--an injured spy who threatens to steal her heart.
Jack's mission behind enemy lines to prove that the Mantle between Elsira and Lagamiri is about to fall nearly cost him his life, but he is saved by the healing Song of a mysterious young woman. Now he must do whatever it takes to save Elsira and it's people from the True Father and he needs Jasminda's Earthsong to do it. They escape their ruthless captors and together they embark on a perilous journey to save Elsira and to uncover the secrets of The Queen Who Sleeps.
Thrust into a hostile society, Jasminda and Jack must rely on one another even as secrets jeopardize their bond. As an ancient evil gains power, Jasminda races to unlock a mystery that promises salvation.
The fates of two nations hang in the balance as Jasminda and Jack must choose between love and duty to fulfill their destinies and end the war.
Orphaned and alone, Jasminda lives in a land where cold whispers of invasion and war linger on the wind. Jasminda herself is an outcast in her homeland of Elsira, where her gift of Earthsong is feared. When ruthless soldiers seek refuge in her isolated cabin, they bring with them a captive--an injured spy who threatens to steal her heart.
Jack's mission behind enemy lines to prove that the Mantle between Elsira and Lagamiri is about to fall nearly cost him his life, but he is saved by the healing Song of a mysterious young woman. Now he must do whatever it takes to save Elsira and it's people from the True Father and he needs Jasminda's Earthsong to do it. They escape their ruthless captors and together they embark on a perilous journey to save Elsira and to uncover the secrets of The Queen Who Sleeps.
Thrust into a hostile society, Jasminda and Jack must rely on one another even as secrets jeopardize their bond. As an ancient evil gains power, Jasminda races to unlock a mystery that promises salvation.
The fates of two nations hang in the balance as Jasminda and Jack must choose between love and duty to fulfill their destinies and end the war.
About the Author:
L. Penelope has been writing since she could hold a pen and loves getting lost in the worlds in her head. She is an award-winning author of fantasy and paranormal romance. She lives in Maryland with her husband and their furry dependents.
Review:
I am always a little weary of historical fantasy novels, but Song of Blood & Stone is exactly the right type of historical fantasy. This book was absolutely fantastic and a complete surprise with how much I enjoyed it. Honestly, I didn't want to put the book down!! This book breaks so many barriers and L. Penelope crafts an excellent story that truly will make waves in the book community for all the right reasons.
Song of Blood & Stone follows Jasminda, a biracial (YAY!!) heroine, who is an outcast in her society. Her world is split into 2 groups: the Lagamiri and the Elsira. Jasminda is a mix of both cultures, but she doesn't really fit into either one. Unfortunately, because she lives in Elsira and looks like the Lagamiri, she suffers much cruelty that forces her to live in isolation. When Jasminda meets a rebel solider named Jack, things start changing for Jasminda, and events are set into motion that she never imagined.
I loved how much interracial women and relationships were brought into the story. Jasminda being the prime example, we see the struggles she faces every day. We see how she is perceived by others for no other reason then how she looks. And the interracial theme is not just seen in her character, but throughout the entire book. On top of this, the story mirrors our current world situation very well with the talk of refugees, and how we need to become more self aware of the internal prejudices we might be harboring. L. Penelope did such an excellent job at incorporating themes from our world that are important to talk about but usually hush hush in books today. I truly wish more authors actually incorporated real-world topics into their books because it will get people talking!! She also highlights how 1 news report can utterly change everyone's idea of a group of people, regardless of whether or not that report is true. I personally think this whole aspect was one of my favorite parts of the story because L. Penelope does not shy away from talking about the hard topics that we often don't want to bring up for fear of what others might think of our opinions.
Lastly, Jack was such an excellent character in this novel. I truly loved his growth and character development over the course of the story. He always treated Jasminda with the respect she deserved and never let anyone tell him differently. Jack constantly was working to be the best person he could be. He believed that all people, Lagamiri and Elsira alike, deserved equality and that one was not better than the other. Jack was constantly balancing his power and privilege and trying to make changes that would benefit all and not just some. This was so important to me to see, and shows how much people can accomplish if they truly put their mind to it.
I would highly recommend checking out this book as soon as it comes out! Song of Blood & Stone was such an excellent start to this new series and I can't wait to see what L. Penelope has in store for us next. This book is the perfect example of what a historical fantasy novel should be and will easily become a favorite of 2018!
Song of Blood & Stone follows Jasminda, a biracial (YAY!!) heroine, who is an outcast in her society. Her world is split into 2 groups: the Lagamiri and the Elsira. Jasminda is a mix of both cultures, but she doesn't really fit into either one. Unfortunately, because she lives in Elsira and looks like the Lagamiri, she suffers much cruelty that forces her to live in isolation. When Jasminda meets a rebel solider named Jack, things start changing for Jasminda, and events are set into motion that she never imagined.
I loved how much interracial women and relationships were brought into the story. Jasminda being the prime example, we see the struggles she faces every day. We see how she is perceived by others for no other reason then how she looks. And the interracial theme is not just seen in her character, but throughout the entire book. On top of this, the story mirrors our current world situation very well with the talk of refugees, and how we need to become more self aware of the internal prejudices we might be harboring. L. Penelope did such an excellent job at incorporating themes from our world that are important to talk about but usually hush hush in books today. I truly wish more authors actually incorporated real-world topics into their books because it will get people talking!! She also highlights how 1 news report can utterly change everyone's idea of a group of people, regardless of whether or not that report is true. I personally think this whole aspect was one of my favorite parts of the story because L. Penelope does not shy away from talking about the hard topics that we often don't want to bring up for fear of what others might think of our opinions.
Lastly, Jack was such an excellent character in this novel. I truly loved his growth and character development over the course of the story. He always treated Jasminda with the respect she deserved and never let anyone tell him differently. Jack constantly was working to be the best person he could be. He believed that all people, Lagamiri and Elsira alike, deserved equality and that one was not better than the other. Jack was constantly balancing his power and privilege and trying to make changes that would benefit all and not just some. This was so important to me to see, and shows how much people can accomplish if they truly put their mind to it.
I would highly recommend checking out this book as soon as it comes out! Song of Blood & Stone was such an excellent start to this new series and I can't wait to see what L. Penelope has in store for us next. This book is the perfect example of what a historical fantasy novel should be and will easily become a favorite of 2018!
Happy reading :)
~Cassie
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