Blog Tour Book Review: SONG OF BLOOD & STONE
Song of Blood & Stone by L. Penelope 
Series: Earthsinger Chronicles
Published by St. Martin's Press on May 1, 2018
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 384
Source: Netgalley
Amazon
Goodreads
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
Today is my stop on the St Martin’s Press Blog Tour for L. Penelope’s new novel, Song of Blood & Stone., so in this post, I’ll be sharing my honest thoughts on this first installment in Penelope’s exciting new historical fantasy series, Earthsinger Chronicles.
MY REVIEW:
Song of Blood & Stone is the captivating and thrilling first installment in L. Penelope’s new Earthsinger Chronicles fantasy series. It follows Jasminda, a young woman who is orphaned and living alone. She lives caught between two warring lands, Elsira and Lagrimar. The people of Lagrimar are dark-skinned and many of them possess an unusual magic called Earthsong, while the people of Elsira are fair-skinned, non-magical, and possess a strong fear of this strange magic. The Elsirans and Lagrimars have disliked and distrusted each other for generations and live in relative peace only because the two lands are separated by a magical wall called the Mantle. The mantle has occasionally been breached over the years and each time there has been a breach, war has followed.
Even though she considers Elsira to be her homeland, because she is half-Elsiran and half-Lagrimar, Jasminda is treated as an outcast by everyone around her. She therefore lives alone on the outskirts of Elsira and has little human contact on any given day, that is, until a group of menacing Elsiran soldiers show up on her doorstep seeking refuge. With them is a prisoner they have clearly mistreated and beaten within an inch of his life. Jasminda is drawn to this prisoner, whose name is Jack, right away and communicates with him whenever she can steal a moment to visit him. She learns that Jack is actually a spy who had disguised himself to go behind enemy lines and prove that the rumors are true: the Mantle is about to be destroyed and then nothing will stop the tyrant True Father and the people of Lagrimar from bring war and their magic to Elsira.
Jasminda helps Jack heal from his wounds and, working together, they manage to slip away from the Elsiran soldiers. Realizing that their homeland truly is in danger, Jack and Jasminda vow to do whatever they can to stop this war and so they set off on a dangerous journey together to save Elsira by unlocking the mystery of what caused these two lands to become enemies in the first place…
Jasminda was such an easy character to fall in love with. Being half Elsiran and half Lagrimar, Jasminda is dark-skinned and possesses a weak version of the Earthsong like the Lagrimars, so while the Elsirans tolerate her on their land, they do not trust her and shun her at every opportunity. She endeared herself to me from the opening scenes of the book when some Elsiran ladies sneer at her while she is retrieving her mail, and she responds by using her Earthsong to change her skin color to match theirs, taunting the women and asking them if that made her appearance more acceptable to them. I laughed aloud as the ladies, with horrified looks on their faces, scurried away from Jasminda as fast as they possibly could.
I’m always drawn to a character who is portrayed as an underdog anyway, but Jasminda also appealed to me because she’s smart, independent, and resourceful. She knows how to take care of herself and she’s also a proud woman who refuses to hang her head no matter how poorly those around her treat her, not even when her grandfather tries to pay her to say that she is not related to him. Apparently he fears that this mixed race child, visible proof of his own daughter’s transgression, might put a crimp in his political ambitions, so he wants Jasminda out of his life permanently.
Jack was also a likeable character. He’s a proud Elsiran who serves in their military. When Jasminda first encounters him, he is working as a spy, trying to gather evidence to prove there is a breach imminent so that his people can prepare for the war that will also be imminent. Even though he’s fiercely devoted to his own people, what I immediately liked about Jack was that he didn’t turn his nose up at Jasminda because of her skin color like the rest of his people do. Instead, because she lives on Elsiran land, he sees it as his duty to protect her just as he would protect any other Elsiran citizen. I admired his sense of duty and how passionate he was about doing what was right and honorable.
Even though I liked Jack, I have to admit there were a few moments when I wanted to throttle him. As he became more and more attracted to Jasminda, he became very intense in his need to protect her. I found myself yelling at him: “Dude, she wears a knife strapped to her with a garter belt and she has saved your ass more than once already! She does NOT need you to save her!” LOL!
That said, I did very much enjoy their relationship. Even though there was a bit of instant attraction, there was clearly chemistry between them and it felt like their relationship naturally progressed throughout the novel. Even more than the romantic aspect of their relationship, what I really liked was how well they worked together as a team to try to find a way to stop the breach and the war.
Aside from these two great characters, what appealed to me the most about Song of Blood & Stone is that even though it was a fantasy, the author has packed it full of social issues that parallel important issues we are dealing with today in our own society. This fantasy world very much mirrors our reality so it just made the story feel all the more relevant. The two warring lands have created a refugee crisis similar to what we have witnessed in Syria. Elsira has hundreds of Lagrimar refugees, and as we’ve witnessed with the Syrian refugees, reactions to them are very mixed. While some are accepting of them, by and large, people are prejudiced against them and afraid of the magic and just want them to go back where they came from. We also clearly see the racism and prejudice everywhere Jasminda goes. She even experiences it as a guest in the royal palace.
The author also creates a magnificent backstory that explains how the war between the Elsirans and the Lagrimars got started in the first place. The story is locked inside of a magical stone, and for reasons no one understands, only Jasminda is able to connect with the stone and reveal the story. She does so a little at a time so that the backstory unfolds parallel to the story we’re following. I don’t want to give away any spoilers so I’ll just say that it illustrates the roles that both the noble Sleeping Queen and the tyrannical True Father play in the conflict’s origins, as well as how the magical Earthsong factors in, and it ultimately reveals why Jasminda is able to connect with the stone when no one else can. It’s all quite fascinating and I loved watching the two stories unfold alongside each other.
I don’t want to call any of these issues dislikes, but there were a few areas where I just felt like I wanted more from the story.
The first of which is the worldbuilding. While I loved what the author created with the two warring lands and the mantle dividing them, I still felt like I only had a vague notion of what this fantasy world actually looked like. I just couldn’t easily picture it, which was a little disappointing. I like to be able to vividly picture the fantasy land I’m reading about, so I’m really hoping for more detail in the next book.
I had the same experience with the magical system. The idea of the Earthsong completely fascinated me, especially with its intense healing powers and the way Earthsingers can “link” and share their songs. That said, however, I felt like I never quite fully understand how exactly the Earthsong worked or what exactly one could do with it. It seemed like everyone who could use it did something different with it and I didn’t really see a common thread. So yeah, I’d definitely love to learn more about this Earthsong and what it entails, especially after seeing how differently True Father used it from so many others.
Finally, even though I enjoyed the romance between Jasminda and Jack, I still felt like it started to become a distraction the further along in the book I got. I’m frantically flipping through pages trying to figure out how they’re going to stop the war, and Jack and Jasminda seem more and more preoccupied with how they’re going to be together since their relationship will be deemed unacceptable because of Jasminda’s mixed heritage. War is coming, people. Focus! Fight first, love later! Needless to say, it was a little frustrating at times, haha!
Even with those few issues, I still thought this was a very strong start to what promises to be an outstanding fantasy series. I thought the ending was absolutely brilliant and look forward to seeing where the story goes next. I would recommend this to any reader who enjoys fantasy, romance, or even books that focus on social issues. I would also say that this is probably best geared toward mature readers as the sexual encounters between Jasminda and Jack are quite detailed and intense.
That said, if you like fantasy and a badass heroine, definitely consider reading Song of Blood & Stone!
GOODREADS 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.
About L. Penelope
Leslye 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 was born in the Bronx, just after the birth of hip hop, but left before she could acquire an accent. Equally left and right-brained, she studied Film at Howard University and minored in Computer Science. This led to a graduate degree in Multimedia and a career in website development. She’s also an award-winning independent filmmaker, co-founded a literary magazine, and sometimes dreams in HTML.
Leslye lives in Maryland with her husband and their furry dependents. Sign up for new release information and giveaways on her website: http://www.lpenelope.com.
Top 10 Upcoming Releases I’d Walk into a Lion’s Den to Get Early
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Top Ten Tuesday has been one of my favorite memes ever since I started blogging, so huge thanks to Jana for taking over the hosting duties!
This week’s TTT topic is Books I’d Slay a Lion to Get Early. I tweaked the topic a little just because I LOVE lions and even the hypothetical idea of slaying one just made me sad, lol. But anyway, there are definitely some incredible books coming out that I would do almost anything to get my hands on early, even walking into a den of lions!
Created at canva.com
Top 10 Upcoming Releases I’d Walk into a Lion’s Den to Get Early
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1. THE WINTER OF THE WITCH by Katherine Arden
(This Russian folklore-inspired trilogy has become one of my favorite series and I’m just dying to see how it ends.)
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2. MUSE OF NIGHTMARES by Laini Taylor
(After the way Strange the Dreamer ended, I need this book in my life ASAP!)
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3. ON THE COME UP by Angie Thomas
(The Hate U Give was one of my favorite reads of 2017 so I truly can’t wait to read more from Angie Thomas.)
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4. MY PLAIN JANE by Cynthia Hand, Jodi Meadows, and Brodie Ashton
(If this is anywhere near as hilarious as the first book, I’m going to be laughing for days and I can’t wait!)
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5. ESCAPING FROM HOUDINI by Kerri Maniscalco
(I need more Audrey Rose and Thomas Cresswell in my life!)
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6. THE LADY’S GUIDE TO PETTICOATS AND PIRACY by Mackenzi Lee
(Felicity gets a book of her own!!!!!!!)
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7. HULLMETAL GIRLS by Emily Skrutskie
(This one first caught my attention because the author was raised in my home state, but what really makes me want to get my hands on it ASAP is the author’s own description of her book, which I saw on Goodreads: “This is my third book. The closer I look at it, the more I realize it’s made of things that scare me. Physical things, like surgery and irrevocable body modification and sci-fi body horror. Abstract things, like being known too well, giving away too much of yourself, and being used. But it’s also made of things I love: spaceships, jacked up cyborgs, angry girls, and machines with a little sass in them. I hope it scares you, but you love it too.”)
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8. CATWOMAN: SOULSTEALDER by Sarah J. Maas
(It’s Catwoman and it’s Maas…what more do I need to say?)
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9. VENGEFUL by V.E. Schwab
(How much do I love Schwab? So much so that I haven’t even read Vicious yet and I already want the sequel so that I can binge them together!)
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10. KING OF SCARS by Leigh Bardugo
(I quite literally just heard about this one yesterday and have just been sitting here with grabby hands ever since, like GIMME, please!)
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Question: What books would you do just about anything to get your hands on early?
REVIEW: YOU THINK IT, I’LL SAY IT
You Think It, I'll Say It by Curtis Sittenfeld Also by this author: Eligible: A Modern Retelling of Pride and Prejudice
Published by Transworld Digital on May 3, 2018
Genres: Fiction, Contemporary Fiction
Pages: 256
Source: Netgalley
Amazon
Goodreads
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
MY REVIEW:
I’m normally not the biggest fan of short stories. Whenever I read one, I always think of it as a teaser for a full-fledged novel that I’d rather be reading. Just when I’m starting to get to know and become invested in character, boom, the story’s over. I’m a big fan of Curtis Sittenfeld’s writing, however, so when I heard she had written You Think It, I’ll Say It, a collection of ten short stories, I decided to give them a try, figuring that if any writer out there could change my mind about short stories, it would be Sittenfeld.
What appealed to me the most as I was reading each of these stories is the same thing that always appeals to me when I read anything from Curtis Sittenfeld and that’s the way she is able to get inside of a character’s head and convey everything they’re thinking in such a way that I then can’t get her characters out of my head. They just always leave me with so much to think about, and all 10 main characters in this collection did exactly that. Sittenfeld presents each of these characters’ stories from their individual perspectives so that we’re getting an ongoing internal dialogue from each main character as we’re watching the events of the stories play out. In doing so, Sittenfeld is able to weave several important messages and themes throughout all ten stories so as to make it a cohesive collection.
These themes, in addition to the characters themselves, are what truly kept me engaged. The central theme of the collection is basically that we’re all human and we all mess up, especially when it comes to our relationships with other equally fallible humans. All of Sittenfeld’s characters tend to make assumptions about people, maybe based on how they look or how they act, and more often than not, their assumptions end up being not only wrong, but also flat-out unfair. Her characters are also prone to misinterpreting signals they think other people are giving off, which leads to awkward and embarrassing situations. There were times when I found myself judging them as well, but then a few pages later, I’d think “I could see myself doing the same thing this character has done, so maybe I’ll just shut up and not judge them.” In that sense, even though Sittenfeld soundly criticizes these characters for their erroneous snap judgments, she also makes them sympathetic and relatable. I liked that balance, which she is able to successfully strike with each story.
I also liked that the stories all felt very modern and timely and were filled with Sittenfeld’s trademark insightful social commentary and satire. There’s mention of the Trump administration in at least one of them, gender inequality factors in at times, there is at least one story that focuses on LGBTQ issues, and one that focuses on the challenges of being a working mother.
I won’t go through all ten stories in detail, but I will say that I don’t think there’s a weak story in the entire collection. I definitely had my favorites though, including ‘The Prairie Wife,” where an unhappy housewife, Kirsten, is obsessed with Lucy, a popular celebrity. Kirsten recognizes Lucy, a Martha Stewart-type who is now married with two children and living a conservative lifestyle, as someone she worked with, and had a sexual relationship with, at a summer camp many years ago. Everything about Lucy’s life infuriates Kirsten because she thinks Lucy is now living a lie and Kirsten dreams of using the knowledge she has about her to destroy her. This was such an intense and riveting story and I absolutely loved the unexpected twist at the end.
Another favorite was “The World Has Many Butterflies,” which contains the title of the actual short story collection, “You Think It, I’ll Say It” in it. It turns out “You Think It, I’ll Say It” is the name of a gossip-driven game that two people – Graham and Julie – play every time they see each other. Julie misinterprets why Graham has started playing this game with her and all kinds of awkwardness ensues. I felt secondhand embarrassment for Julie while I was reading this one!
My only issue with this collection was exactly what I feared it might be, that I would become invested enough in the main character from each story, that I would want to hear more from them. Each story is well-crafted and conveys an interesting and relevant theme, but I couldn’t help but think by the end that I would rather have 10 novels from Sittenfeld about these characters than these brief, although beautiful, snippets. I’m going to classify that as a “me” problem though. It has nothing to do with the stories themselves or with Sittenfeld’s writing. She is just such a gifted storyteller that I’ll always want more.
While I can’t say that Curtis Sittenfeld has completely changed my mind about short stories overall, I would still highly recommend this very solid collection of stories to anyone who is interested in reading stories filled with messy and unforgettable characters as well as insightful social commentary about how people read and misread each other. I’d recommend this collection both to those who are new to Curtis Sittenfeld and to those who are long-time fans.
GOODREADS SYNOPSIS:
A suburban mother of two fantasizes about the downfall of an old friend whose wholesome lifestyle empire may or may not be built on a lie. A high-powered lawyer honeymooning with her husband is caught off guard by the appearance of the girl who tormented her in high school. A shy Ivy League student learns the truth about a classmate’s seemingly enviable life.
Curtis Sittenfeld has established a reputation as a sharp chronicler of the modern age who humanizes her subjects even as she skewers them. Now, with this first collection of short fiction, her “astonishing gift for creating characters that take up residence in readers’ heads” (The Washington Post) is showcased like never before. Throughout the ten stories in You Think It, I’ll Say It, Sittenfeld upends assumptions about class, relationships, and gender roles in a nation that feels both adrift and viscerally divided.
With moving insight and uncanny precision, Curtis Sittenfeld pinpoints the questionable decisions, missed connections, and sometimes extraordinary coincidences that make up a life. Indeed, she writes what we’re all thinking—if only we could express it with the wit of a master satirist, the storytelling gifts of an old-fashioned raconteur, and the vision of an American original.
About Curtis Sittenfeld
CURTIS SITTENFELD is the bestselling author of five novels: Prep, The Man of My Dreams, American Wife, Sisterland, and Eligible. Her first story collection, You Think It, I’ll Say It, will be published in 2018. Her books have been selected by The New York Times, Time, Entertainment Weekly, and People for their “Ten Best Books of the Year” lists, optioned for television and film, and translated into thirty languages. Her short stories have appeared in The New Yorker, The Washington Post, and Esquire, and her non-fiction has appeared in The New York Times, Time, Vanity Fair, The Atlantic, Slate, and on “This American Life.” A graduate of Stanford University and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, Curtis has interviewed Michelle Obama for Time; appeared as a guest on NPR’s “Fresh Air,” CBS’s “Early Show,” and PBS’s Newshour; and twice been a strangely easy “Jeopardy!” answer.