Song of Blood & Stone by L Penelope

Song of Blood & Stone (Earthsinger Chronicles, #1)

by L. Penelope

The kingdoms of Elsira and Lagrimar have been separated for centuries by the Mantle, a magical veil that has enforced a tremulous peace between the two lands. But now, the Mantle is cracking and the True Father, ruler of Lagrimar and the most powerful Earthsinger in the world, finally sees a way into Elsira to seize power.

All Jasminda ever wanted was to live quietly on her farm, away from the prying eyes of those in the nearby town. Branded an outcast by the color of her skin and her gift of Earthsong, she’s been shunned all her life and has learned to steer clear from the townsfolk . . . until a group of Lagrimari soldiers wander into her valley with an Elsiran spy, believing they are still in Lagrimar.

Through Jack, the spy, Jasminda learns that the Mantle is weakening, allowing people to slip through without notice. And even more troubling: Lagrimar is mobilising, and if no one finds a way to restore the Mantle, it might be too late for Elsira. Their only hope lies in uncovering the secrets of the Queen Who Sleeps and Jasminda’s Earthsong is the key to unravel them.

Thrust into a hostile society and a world she doesn’t know, Jasminda and Jack race to unveil an ancient mystery that might offer salvation.

Reviewed by layawaydragon on

5 of 5 stars

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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.

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  • 26 July, 2018: Reviewed