Cry of Metal & Bone: Earthsinger Chronicles, Book 3 (Earthsinger Chronicles, #3)

by L. Penelope

As desperate Lagrimari flee their barren land for a chance at a better life in Elsira, a shadowy group with ties to the Elsiran government launches an attack on their own soil. With threats of more violence, an unlikely crew is assembled to investigate. Among them are Lizvette Nirall, a disgraced socialite seeking redemption for past mistakes, and Tai Summerhawk, a foreign smuggler determined to keep a promise he made to a dead man.

It’s a race against time in this world of deadly magic, secret agendas and court intrigue to discover those responsible before the next assault. And in another land a new enemy awakens - one that will strike terror into the hearts of gods and men.

• ISBN10: 1250148111
• ISBN13: 9781250148117
• Publish Date: 1 September 2020
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 5 April 2024
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Saint Martin's Griffin,U.S.
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 496
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Cry of Metal & Bone is the third book in the Earthsinger Chronicles by L. Penelope. Released 11th Aug 2020 by Macmillan on their St. Martin's Griffin imprint, it's 496 pages and available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
Even though it's the third book in the series (there's also a novella in addition), I think it would work reasonably well as a standalone (I've read the previous two books but not the novellas). I had no trouble following the plot or the wonderfully complex and rich world building and magical systems. It's a hybrid high fantasy with some nods to steampunk/technology. The author is quite gifted, especially with her descriptive prose and dialogue. I wasn't yanked out of the story one single time by clunky or unbelievable dialogue.

There is a romance theme, so readers who are only in it for the swords will probably skip the kissing bits. There's also quite a lot of violence. I liked that the books have strong female representation who are practical, resourceful, and intelligent. For readers who prefer their speculative fiction romance-free, this book does include a significant romance subplot. The writing is superlative however, and the included romance element wasn't cringe-worthy or badly written at all. I would classify it as mature YA/NA but I didn't find it juvenile in any way (I would say 'adult' but that conjures a different demographic).

Four stars. This is a gifted author with an intelligent and immersive story to tell.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[llamareads]

Content warnings: terrorism (bombing of a religious building), racism, xenophobia, torture, kidnapping

Wow, what a ride! This book takes the foundation laid in the previous books and novellas and starts tying together many of the threads. I would strongly not recommend reading this without reading the previous books, and most certainly the previous novella.

“Listen,” she said, “if someone doesn’t try to kill you at least once in your life, then maybe you’re not making a big enough impact in the world.”

Unlike the previous books which focused mainly on one couple, this book starts tying together multiple plot lines. In practice, this means there are multiple POV characters, from previous book’s characters like Jasminda, Kyara and Darvyn as well as new ones. My personal favorites among the new viewpoints were Tai and Lizvette and the romance between them, with a romance that verged on insta-love but was still enjoyable in its execution. Others, like Ella’s with her clumsy investigation of the bombing and adoption of the two Lagrimari orphans, slowed down the pace for me, though it did show the day to day issues with integrating the Lagrimari population with the Elsirans. And, at first, I thought that’s what this book would be about, but what’s happening in Elsira is just a small cog in a larger machine.

“Do we not have a responsibility to serve and help those weaker than we are? Isn’t that why we have this power?”
She turned away again, Her voice growing oddly hollow as She spoke. “My power was not unusual in my time. I was as everyone else was. It is only now that it sets me apart.”

I’ve had my suspicions about Oola ever since the first book (“Oh hey, yeah I’m back, but lemme just make this big proclamation and then abdicate all responsibility for actually doing anything about it”) and while each book has revealed a little more of her motives, what exactly she’s trying to accomplish is still unclear. What is clear, though, is the Yalyan Physickers’ endgame and how they hope to accomplish it, and it’s just as horrifying as you’d expect. Much of the book takes place in Yalya, whether it’s the experiences of the imprisoned Roshon, his family, and Kyara or from the team, including Darvyn, Tai and Lizvette, sent to investigate Lizvette’s father’s connection to the unrest in Elsira, and, in a secret known only to a few of them, the possible rescue of Jasminda’s family. Of all the characters in this series so far, Darvyn and Kyara remain my favorites, and their viewpoints were the highlight of the book for me. Watching the sheltered and angry Lizvette shed the shell her parents built around her was also quite enjoyable, especially her interactions with Tai, who can’t resist yanking her chain. I have to say, though, coming off reading the previous novella, that I especially missed Ani in this one, though I would agree that adding in one more POV wouldn’t have been prudent. The Yalyan portions of the book are very action-packed, so much so that in comparison the parts of the book set in Elsira drag. The worldbuilding continues to be excellent, and I loved the stark comparisons between Yalya and the much more agricultural and “backwards” Elsira.

“She knew he felt the need to make this right. Isn’t that what the Shadowfox did? He’d spent his whole life saving people he didn’t even know, and she loved him all the more for his determination to rescue her, even when she didn’t deserve it.”

While the book ends on quite a cliffhanger, there’s also a clearer idea of what Jasminda and crew will be facing down in the next book. I’m especially looking forward to all the hints pointing to more Kyara in the next one! So, overall, while I enjoyed the book – especially how it upped the stakes – all the POVs never quite meshed for me, so I’d give this 3.5 stars, rounding up to 4. I will definitely be looking forward to the next book next year, and hoping for another novella in the meantime!

I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.