Reseña de ARC: Song of Blood & STone (Earthsinger Chronicles, #1)

 +eARC gently provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review+

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

by 

L. Penelope

 372 pages

Published May 1st 2018 by St. Martin's Press (first published January 8th 2015)

ISBN: 1250148073 (ISBN13: 9781250148070)

Edition Language: English

Series: Earthsinger Chronicles #1

BLURB:  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.
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.

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

“To rule is dangerous. To love the act of ruling is tyranny.”

This is a fantasy blender mashup book. There are horses, axes, guns, smiths (very frontier style); and then airships, pilots, and four-wheelers. And there are magical users called "singers". Cults to gods and saints. Monarchy. Fantasy romance too.

Not YA, btw. There are at least two attempted rapes, one of them a detailed almost too-close rape . Plus sex scenes.

Large part of the plot is about racism , prejudice and xenophobia.

The story? Elsira and Lagrimar have been in war for centuries divided by a magical barrier. When there is a breach in the Mantle , Lagrimari try to invade and open war followed. Lagrimari are hated and feared because of Eathsong, the power to change enviroment and heal, there are called 'witches'. Jasminda ul-Sarifor is a goat farmer , the last survivor of her family, a mix-raced woman daughter of a Lagrimari settler and a Elsiran. She lives ostracized in her own country because of her dark skin color and litle earthsong power gift . Jack has been infiltrated spying after enemy lines, but has been discovered and after him arrive soldiers of the tyrant Lagrimari. Jasminda and Jack have to join forces to flee and try to prevent a bloody war from breaking out again.

The book goes round and round, with several flashback/memories included, though the end is very predectible.

Meanwhile, follow the story of Zorelladine Farmafield, a hairdresser from Yalyish married to an Elsiran official, whom, following the call for help from her older sister, discovers dangerous secrets and even a conspiracy.

The good: Jasminda and Ella are strong woman. They don't just go with the flow, they fight despite been afraid and told not to.

The not-so-good: The fuel is...? the guns and airship works because...? The goverment in the other countries are...? what they think of Earthsong....? I have no idea. The book doesn't inform about that.

Notwithstanding the book tell about 'Songs' and 'Cantors', still I am not sure if that is in literal form or some other kind of expression. The idea of singing is confusing.

Thought the idea is cool, is not really new. I feel like the author try to cover too much without enough worlbuilding or deep or clair direction . I hope could adquire more maturity in the writting later.

There is a ending in this book, but because of the epilogue I guess the other countries and /SPOILER--->[because of the Priestess conspiracy for power, the not-more-gods faction; and what about the Queen feeling jeolous of Jasminda? Other forces are prepared to act<---SPOILER/ , I do not think there will be much peace in those realms.

War.
It drags us under.
It tears us apart.

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Este es un libro que desafia eso de colocarlo en un solo género literario. Por un lado parece en principio algo muy de frontera y siglo 18 con herreros, caballos, granjas y cabras, y despues te salen con camiones a traccion, aviones y armas . A pesar de que le tachan de YA, no lo es. Hay dos intentos de violacion, y uno casicasi casi. Tambien hay sexo.

La historia te da vueltas por todos lados, pero yo para aclararlo pongo que se trata de dos reinos que han vivido en guerra por siglos. Elsira, donde son de piel clara y ojos dorados y pelo rojizo, y Lagrimar donde son de piel y ojos oscuros y poseen una magia que llaman Earthsong . Viven separados por una barrera mágica (el Mantle) y hay guerras cuando ocurren brechas y hay invasiones del tiranico "Padre Verdadero" de  Lagrimar.

Jasminda ul-Sarifor es la hija de soldado Lagrimari que quedo tras las lineas y una mujer Elsinar de un grupo de caridad llamado Sisters que ayudan a refugiados y tienen templos de la "Reina Que Duerme" de Elsira. Huerfana, a punto de perder su granja de cabras por impuestos, además la desprecian y temen en su propia tierra por ser de piel oscura. Posee escaso poder que usa más bien para sanar, pero se agota rápido. Jack ha estado espiando en Lagrimar disfrazado magicamente, trae informacion y es perseguido por soldados enemigos que llegan por una tormenta hasta la granja de Jasminda. De ahi quedan flechados, pero deben salir huyendo tratando de evitar una guerra, enfrentandose a enemigos conocidos e inesperados por el camino.

En una trama paralela,  Zorelladine Farmafield (Ella) es de Yalyish, esta trabajando en esos momentos de peluquera mientras su marido es un oficial de oficina , recibe un llamado urgente de su hermana mayor a quien no ha visto en muchos años y termina asi entrando en un monton de peligros por secretos peligrosos y se ve metida en una conspiracion.

Aca lo de los reinos se define por apariencia fisica, hay mucha xenofobia , racismo y prejuicio que es el gran tema del libro.

Ambas mujeres son fuertes y no retroceden pese a sentir miedo.

A pesar de las vueltas y las frases que no convencen, el final es bastante predecible.

Aunque llega a un final el arco argumental, se ve que va a seguir por los hilos pendientes y los reinos añadidos a la historia.

No me convencio al final, porque como que falto informacion del mundo, de las diferencias, de que combustible, de donde viene la magia, y parece que mete mucho abarca mucho y le falta profundidad. Espero que mejore en el futuro.

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