BiteIntoBooks: Review: Song of Blood & Stone (Earthsinger Chronicles #1)

Monday, May 7, 2018

Review: Song of Blood & Stone (Earthsinger Chronicles #1)

Author: L. Penelope
Started reading: April 29th 2018
Finished the book: May 5th 2018
Pages: 384
Genres: Fantasy, YA
Published: May 1st 2018
Source: Netgalley
Goodreads score: 3.76
My score:

Synopsis
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.

My thoughts

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm trying to write this review in a respectful manner. I know that probably a lot of people don't agree with me, because I've seen a lot of very positive reviews, but I'm not that positive at all. I really liked the start of the story, but while I was reading, it felt like more of the same. A girl with her own struggles, meets a boy, gets in a romance and plays a very large role in a war...
Let's break this book down into pros and cons!

Pros

Chapter beginnings: The chapter beginnings were artistic in my opinion. I liked that there's a moral aspect in those chapter beginnings and I felt like it was always connected to the things happening in the chapter. I liked how the animals represented a big role in the small stories in the chapter beginnings.
Visions: The visions were so strong. I loved the characters and how all the emotions were so strong. I found the pieces of the puzzle pretty quick, but every time I saw that another vision was described, I was excited to read that part.
Magic: I like how the magic is used in very different ways and that you discover all the different aspects during the story. I've seen people who think it's a bit vague, but I also believe that you can walk different paths in the story, as an author, if you don't restrict the magic too much.

Cons

All the crying: I like Jasminda. She is fierce and brave, and other people see her that way as well. But what's up with all the crying? There are way too many tears and I felt like it didn't add up to her character. I can understand if your heart aches for other people, or if things make you mad, but the crying.....
Romance: I felt like Jasminda and Jack didn't even know each other that good. I've read books where the characters have conversations where they lay their soul bare for each other and I missed that. There was a lot of affection and I felt like there could've been much more development in their relationship and getting to know each other, really getting to know each other.
Plot: I didn't think the plot was that strong. I started my review by pointing out that it didn't feel like a very new story with the war, the girl with the struggles and the romance. I also figured out the plot pretty quick and the story didn't end with a surprise for me, sadly.

Overall

I feel like a lot of people maybe disagree with me, and they have the right to. I do believe that this is a book and a series that people will love, but this was not really for me. It wasn't strong enough to grip me and to awaken strong emotions within me. I was so pumped to read this book and sadly it did not live up to my expectations, although I see good things in this book as well and I do believe a big audience will still love it.