Blog Tour: Song of Blood and Stone by L. Penelope

Blog Tour: Song of Blood and Stone by L. Penelope

I am extremely happy to take part in the blog tour for Song of Blood and Stone by L. Penelope, the first book in the Earthsinger Chronicles series. Here’s a summary of what you can look forward to:

“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.”

Intrigued yet?! I sure was and once I got my hands on this I couldn’t stop reading. The world building is beautifully wrapped into the story telling and the pace never lets up. The social commentary is laced throughout and I loved the descriptions of magic and thought its history was extremely well imagined. Check out my Question and Answer session with L. Penelope below:

What inspired you to write a book where the population is ultimately divided by bigotry, hatred and fear and yet before that boundary everyone lived in peace and harmony?

“So much of history is the perspective through which it’s told. In the book, the vision of the past where everyone lived in harmony was through one character’s eyes. If the flashbacks had been narrated by a different character, they may have looked very different. True, the world wasn’t at war, but there were seeds of discontent that were used to create dissention and eventually cause a big rift in society. So, I think it’s partly a cautionary tale that inequality can cause issues that may not be seen at first, but ultimately are very destructive.

But the whole goal of the series is also to explore how people who are so divided can eventually mend those wounds and come together. What would it take to force them to put away their differences and reunite? Having a shared past that they can return to is one part of it, it proves that unity is achievable, even if it isn’t perfect."

The history is told through Jasminda's visions of the past through the caldera and are told through the Queen. How important was it for the true history to be shown through Jasminda's experience, especially since she is both Elsiran and Lagrimara?

"It’s exactly because Jasminda is a child of both lands that I thought it important for her to be the one to unlock the secrets of the past. She’s a living example that the lost unity of the past isn’t impossible in the present."

 We learn while reading the novel that at one point the people were divided between singers and silents. What inspired you to refer to those with magic as singers and to have their developed magic be referred to as a song?

 "The name “Earthsong” owes a lot to an ex-boyfriend of mine who was into New Agey type mysticism. He once told me that the universe vibrates in the key of C. That concept stuck with me when I began thinking of this magic system that was powered by the energy of every living thing—a constant vibration that certain people were sensitive to. If this energy could be described musically, then the ability to manipulate it was called a Song. However, just like the vibration of the universe isn’t audible, neither is Earthsong, it’s just a soundless connection to Life and nature. And those without a Song are called Silent."

I would really like to take this time to thank L. Penelope and the publisher, St. Martin’s press for inviting me to take place in this blog tour. Here’s some more information about the Penelope here:

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.

I hope everyone gets a chance to read and enjoy Song of Blood and Stone which comes out May 1, 2018! 

Barnes & Noble  Amazon


Also make sure to check out my full review of Song of Blood and Stone!