Title: Song of Blood & Stone
(Earthsinger Chronicles #1)
Author: L. Penelope
Age Category/Genre: New Adult Fantasy
Release Date: May 1st, 2018
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
From the very first pages of her debut, L. Penelope delivers as a new force in the fantasy genre. The first book in the historical fantasy Earthsinger series was originally self-published, earning a quick fan base, the Black Caucus of the American Library Association Self-Publishing Award and a starred Publishers Weekly review calling it a “fantastic opening to a promising series”. Now traditionally published to kick off the new series, SONG OF BLOOD & STONE (St. Martin’s Press; May 1, 2018) is a treacherous, thrilling, epic fantasy about an outcast drawn into a war between two powerful rulers. With the world building of Brandon Sanderson, the romance of Ilona Andrews, the epic quest of Lord of the Rings, and the doomed star-crossed love of Romeo & Juliet, the start of the Earthsinger series has something to keep any reader entranced for books to come.
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.
As a reader, it’s not common to come across a truly original world, but Penelope manages to do just that in SONG OF BLOOD & STONE. In the vein of Brandon Sanderson’s Way of Kings, Penelope “shines a bright light into epic fantasy” (Booklist) and bridges the gap between the world of romance and fantasy. Inspired by religion and folklore, Penelope develops the start to what will be a series that will take readers by a storm.
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Buy Link: Amazon
CHAPTER TWO
Jackal and Monkey stood at the edge of a wide canyon. Monkey asked, If I leap and make it to the other side, was that my destiny or merely my good luck?
Jackal replied, Our destiny can be taken in hand, molded, and shaped, while chance makes foolishness out of whatever attempts to control it. Does this make destiny the master of luck?
—collected folktales
Jack had found himself in a great many hopeless situations in his life, but this one was the grand champion—a twentytwoyear rec ord for dire occurrences. He only hoped this wouldn’t be the last occurrence and sent up yet another prayer that he might live to see his twentythird year.
The temperature had dropped precipitously. His
spine was as saulted by the rocky ground on which
he lay, but really that was the least of his discomforts.
His vision had begun
to swim about an hour ago, and so at first he thought the girl looming above him
was a mirage. She peered down at his hiding spot behind a cluster of coarse shrubbery,
her head cocked at an angle. Jack went to stand, years of breeding kick ing in,
his muscle memory ofended at the idea of not standing in the presence of a lady,
but apparently his muscles had forgotten the bullet currently lodged within them.
And the girl was Lagrimari— not strictly a lady, but a woman nonetheless—and a beautiful
one, he noticed as he squinted into the dying light. Wild, midnight curls floated
carelessly around her head, and piercing dark eyes regarded him. Her dress was drab
and tattered, but her smooth skin was a confectioner’s delight. His stomach growled.
When was the last time he’d eaten?
Her presence meant he was still on the Lagrimari side of the mountain range bordering the two lands and had yet to cross the other, more powerful barrier keeping him from his home of Elsira: the Mantle.
The girl frowned down at him, taking in his bedraggled appear ance. From his position lying on the ground,
he tried his best to smooth his ripped uniform, the green fatigues
of the Lagrimari army. Her confusion was apparent. Jack was obviously Elsiran; aside from his skin tone, the ginger hair and golden honeycolored eyes were a dead giveaway. And yet he wore the uniform
of his enemy.
“Please don’t be scared,” he said in Lagrimari. Her brows rose toward her hairline
as she scanned his supine and bloodied body. Well, that was rather a ridiculous thing to say. “I only meant that I mean you no harm. I . . .” He struggled
with how to explain him self.
There were two possibilities. She could be a nationalist who would turn him in to the squad of soldiers currently combing the mountain for him, perhaps to gain favor with the government, or she could be like so many Lagrimari citizens,
beaten down by the war with no real loyalty
to their dictator or his thugs.
If she was the former, he
was already dead, so he took a chance with the truth.
“You see, I was undercover, spying from within the Lagrimari army. But now there are men looking for me, they’re not far, but . . .” He paused to take a breath; the efort of speaking was draining. He suspected he had several cracked or broken ribs in addition to the gunshot wound. His vision swirled again, and the girl turned into two. Two beautiful girls. If these
were his last moments before traveling to the World After, then at least he had something pleas ant to look at.
He blinked rapidly and took another strained breath. His mis sion was not complete; he could not die yet. “Can you help me? Please. I’ve got to get back to Elsira.”
She stole an
anxious glance skyward before kneeling next to him. Her cool hand moved to his forehead. The simple touch was soothing, and a wave of tension rolled of him.
“You must be delirious.” Her voice was rich, deeper than he’d expected. It eased the harsh consonants of the Lagrimari language, for the first time making it sound like something he could imagine being pleasant to listen to. She worked at the remaining buttons of his shirt, pulling the fabric apart to reveal his ruined chest. Her expression was appraising as she viewed the damage, then sat back on her haunches, pensive.
“It probably looks worse than it is,” he said. “I doubt that.”
Jack’s chuckle sounded deranged to his own ears, so it was no surprise that the girl
looked at him askance. He winced—laughing was a bad idea at this point—and struggled for breath again. “The soldiers . . . they’re after me. I have to get back through the Mantle.”
“Shh,” she said, peering closely at him. “Hush all that foolish ness; you’re not in your right mind. Though I’ll admit, you speak Lagrimari surprisingly well. I’m not sure what happened to you, but you should save your strength.”
She closed her eyes, and suddenly his whole body grew warmer, lighter. The odd sensation of Earthsong pulsated through him. He had only experienced it once before, and it hadn’t been quite like this. The touch of her magic stroked him intimately, like a brush of fingers across his skin. The soft vibration cascaded over his entire body, leaving
him feeling weightless.
He gasped, pulling in a breath, and it was very nearly an easy thing to accomplish. Tears pricked his eyes. “Sovereign bless you.”
Her expression was
grave as she dug around in her bag. “It’s just a patch. You must have ticked someone of real good. It’d take quite a while to fix you up properly, and the storm’s coming. You need to find shelter.”
She retrieved a jar filled with a sweetsmelling substance and began spreading it over his wounds. The Earthsong
had turned down the volume of his pain, and the cream soothed him even more.
“What is that?”
“Just a balm. Helps with burns, cuts.” Her hand paused for a moment. “Never gunshot wounds, but it’s worth a try.”
He laid his head back on the ground, closing his eyes to savor the ability
to breathe deeply again. “A quick
rest and I’ll be back on my way. Need to keep moving, though. Need to get back.”
“Back through the Mantle?” Her tone vibrated
with skepticism. “And away from the Lagrimari soldiers chasing
you?”
“Yes.” Her palm met his forehead again. She thought he was delusional. He wished he was. Wished the last few weeks had been nothing but the imaginings of an impaired mind.
3 “Earthsong” Stars
ARC via NetGalley
Thank you, St. Martin's Press
I'm always excited to see New Adult Fantasy books with lots of romance, so this seemed right up my alley. And while it didn't make me fall as madly in love with it as I had hoped, it was still a entertaining read.
Song of Blood & Stone creates an interesting and unique world with magic, guns instead of swords, and a World War feel to it (hard to explain how I got that reference, though. LOL). In this world, we have Jasmine and Jack; the two main characters who meet in a difficult situation and fall in love while trying to save their kingdom.
Both Jasmine and Jack are Elsira, but Jasmine doesn't look like the rest of her people. The daughter of a Lagamiri man, she has his darker skin and his ability to use magic. It also doesn't help her situation that the Elsira and the Lagamiri have been at war for years, with the Lagamiri tyrant looking for the perfect opportunity to cross the border and take over. Due to all of that, Jasmine has to deal with racism from her people while trying to find a way to protect them.
Racism, oppresion, the struggles of birracial kids and refugees are just some of the important themes in this story, and I thought they were mostly handled well. In a lighter tone, the romance was one of the main attractions of this book. The relationship between Jasmine and Jack was both sweet and sexy. As I said before, this falls in the new adult category, so expect explicit steamy scenes.
On top of liking them together, I liked Jack and Jasmine as individuals. Jasmine was a strong heroine who had to overcome a lot of guilt and prejudice to help the people who looked down on her; and Jack was one of those kind kind and respectful guys I wish I saw more in books and real life.
With likable characters and good romance, this turned out to be an enjoyable read. Besides, this cover is pretty stunning!
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 new adult, fantasy, and paranormal romance. She lives in Maryland with her husband and their furry dependents: an eighty-pound lap dog and an aspiring feral cat.
*If you liked this review (or not), if you read the book (or not), come say hello and leave your comments bellow.
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