i have been very vocal about my new found love of the r/fantasy bingo , and one of the challenges (with hard mode activated) is to read a self pubbed i have been very vocal about my new found love of the r/fantasy bingo , and one of the challenges (with hard mode activated) is to read a self pubbed or indie book with less than 100 ratings on goodreads. And as of typing this review, i am number 43! but also, i really love Mark Lawrence's spfbo awards that he (and a team of so many cool sff bloggers) holds every year, really honoring and uplifting indie and self published authors and their stories! So this very long preamble is to inform you that i knew i had to pick a crossover book for this challenge and this one was on the list of spfbo x books and was free on kindle unlimited!
this was a really charming story about a girl named rose, who very unexpectedly gets a message from her aunt lily, asking her to come take care of her flower nursery for her, because she has to leave immediately. and basically, once rose arrives she thinks everything is normal and what she has always known to be true, but a magical elf inspector comes and shows her a secret magical greenhouse and teaches her about a whole new world filled with magic. but together, they also need to figure out where lily went and how to get her safely back asap!
this was really cute and i easily fell in love with both characters. rose is also an artist, and i really loved that about her, and just her finding happiness and being able to navigate the new and old world a little less lonely. i liked the small town, i liked meeting all the side characters (i loved* a faun in a blazer), and i really liked learning about all the magical plants and potions that can be made with them.
this story also just reminded me how much fun it can be to pick up a book not really knowing anything about it and just being able to have a good time with it, without any expectations. yes, the writing and banter was a little cheesy at times, but sometimes cheesy isn’t bad. and i hope this just really helps me reach for more unrated indie stories, because this really was a fun and cozy reading experience!
trigger + content warnings: mention of loss of grandparents and parents in past (illness and car accident), brief talk of addiction, brief mention of bullying in past, talk of drugs, magical compulsion / slavery / captivity, gun violence, drinking, grief, vomiting, unexpected loss of consciousness, magical overdose
“Because if I allow myself to be angry, I will never stop.”
i'll be completely honest with you, i adored the cover of this book, and it kept catchi
“Because if I allow myself to be angry, I will never stop.”
i'll be completely honest with you, i adored the cover of this book, and it kept catching my eye over and over, so i picked it up without knowing anything! i liked the story, but i didn't love the story, but i do believe the next book in this series will be even better. and i did really love and appreciate that one of the biggest themes of this book is getting your own agency back, no matter what, especially after years of someone forcing you through abuse to be codependent on them.
trigger + content warnings: blood, death, war, genocide, murder, invasion, slavery, kidnapping, abuse, torture, brief mention of animal death, mention of rape in past, self harm to get blood, mentions of suicide, vomit mentions, loss of a loved one in past, child death in past, grief, anxiety, possession / magical compulsion, gaslighting in past, a little bit of a medical/surgery setting, a lot of talk of scars + burns, snakes + insects
[image] ARC provided by St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review.
Song of Blood & Stone is the historical fantasy I’ve been looking for. This[image] ARC provided by St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review.
Song of Blood & Stone is the historical fantasy I’ve been looking for. This story is set in an alternate 1920 and has a really unexpected wild west feel to it, but I loved it. The romance was so good, the topics were so important, and the characters completely stole my heart. This book has a lot to love within its pages, and I completely recommend this story to you all.
“Most folks hate easy and love hard. Should be the other way around, I reckon.”
Jasminda is a girl torn between to worlds, while learning more and more every day the definition of loneliness. The book starts out with Jasminda’s grandfather trying to pay her off to erase her mother’s name. Her parents come from warring cultures; Jasminda's mother was Elsiran, and her father was Lagamiri.
➽ The Lagamiri people are dark skinned, worship a queen who has been asleep for a long while, and can wield magic by the way of song. ➽ The Elsira people are light skinned, magicless, and ruled by a cruel and oppressive ruler who calls himself the True Father. They are magicless because the True Father steals magic from his people, taking more and more and more, but now he wants to pierce the veil and rule both.
These lands are separated by the Mantle, which is a magical border that can only be crossed by people who can Earthsing. And throughout the story, we learn more and more about the Queen Who Sleeps and the tyrant True Father. And it slowly unfolds the story of what happened and what events took place to create the world that Jasminda knows.
Jasminda is an outcast that doesn’t fit into either world after the death of her family members. She lives in Elsira, but because of her darker skin she is constantly reminded that she isn’t one of them, but she knows close to nothing about Lagamiri culture and customs. I loved the discussion of being an interracial woman in this book, and it is a theme that is highlighted throughout the entire book. She lives a life of isolation, feeling like an outcast, until she stumbles upon a wounded soldier who has been spying on the enemy. And Jasminda can’t resist using her Earth song to heal him.
This book switches points of view between Jasminda, and the rebel solider, Jack. And this healer and undercover solider start the most beautiful of friendships that eventually might lead to something more. *whispers slowly* The something more is so damn good. OTP status.
This book also really heavily mirrors the world we live in today with it’s handling of refugees. The parallels to 2018 and how we (Americans) treat refugees is unmissable, and it is something I wish more fantasy authors would incorporate within their writing. It’s powerful, it’s eye opening, and more people need to be aware of their internal prejudices. Also, this book shows how news reports can blatantly lie and make a population of people act off pure hatred.
And besides this starring a biracial protagonist, who is starting an interracial romance, this book also has a lesbian side character who warmed my heart. There are also discussions to be had about abuse, about cultural erasure, and systematic oppression. Again, this is such a powerful story.
One of my favorite aspects of this book was seeing Jack learn, understand, and use his privilege and power to do what is right. He always treats Jasminda with the respect she deserves but seeing him understand that all the Lagamiri people deserve the same respect was so important to me. And again, it shows what people in power, who truly want equal rights for all, can do if they truly want to. And Jack listening and learning because of Jasminda was perfection.
“Honor is doing the hard thing and letting history determine your legacy.”
And it was a treat to read about Jasminda. She is such a strong main protagonist, with so much agency. She is smart, empathetic, brave, and everything I look for in a character who will eventually steal my heart.
The writing in this is lyrical poetry. I love L. Penelope’s prose so very much. They continued to blow me away with each powerful sentence after powerful sentence. This book honestly has some of the most beautiful writing I’ve read in a long while.
I only truly have one complaint and that is a scene that happens very early in the book where it is implied that it is more evil or wrong for a man rape another man than it is to rape a woman. It’s only in one sentence, but it still felt really bad to read, and I really wish it wouldn’t have been included.
Trigger/Content Warnings: attempted rape, violence, death, and war themes. Also, I personally believe that this is a new adult novel, and there is sexual content within these pages.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The messages are powerful, the discussions are needed, the story is beautiful, and I want more. I loved the world, the magic system, and the characters so much. This was such an enthralling and atmospheric read, and it was a joy to read. I can’t wait to see what L. Penelope does next!
[image] ARC provided to me by author Ben Galley in exchange for an honest review.
The Heart of Stone is a very addicting read, with very heart filled ch[image] ARC provided to me by author Ben Galley in exchange for an honest review.
The Heart of Stone is a very addicting read, with very heart filled characters that will make you question your empathy. It may also be the only book I've ever read that's main protagonist is a Golem.
“A knight. A girl. A lord. A golem.”
Task is a Windcut Stone Golem, the last of his kind, and was solely made for killing, destruction, and war. Yet, Task has a soul, a heart, and feelings, no matter how hard he tries to suppress them. After being made and then sold from warmonger to warmonger for 400 years, unable to do anything but listen to his master's orders, Task has been taught to turn his feelings off and never get close to anyone. That is, until a little girl teaches him that feeling things do not make you weak and everyone is capable of love and doing the right thing, always.
“Friendship was a dangerous thing for a golem.”
Lesky is a stable girl, carrying all the lessons her mother taught her, while still having a sharp wit and tongue. Lesky made this story for me. She was so wise beyond her years, yet still so vulnerable. She was the heart of this story, and she constantly broke mine while reading. Despite being young and being dealt such an unfair hand at life so early, she is so strong and capable. Lesky was everything in this story to me.
Besides Lesky, my favorite character was Alabast Flint, the Knight of Dawn. He has a preceding reputation from slaying a dragon in his youth, which has given him a lot of fame, which he has chosen to squalor in gambling halls and brothels. Now he has a drinking problem and owes some very scary people money. That is, until his debt is paid and he is recruited, maybe against his will, to kill a Windcut Stone Golem. It should be no problem since he's killed a dragon, true?
Last, but not least, we have Lord Lash. I always get so disheartened when I read books surrounding war and none of the leaders are disabled in any way. This book gives you the representation and it feels so believable and authentic. Lash leads Last Fading, who has been winning this civil war for 9 years. That is, until the other side, the Truehards, purchase a Windcut Stone Golem named Task!
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“You humans are fascinated by the death of your own kind. You bicker as an excuse to battle, caring not what damage it wreaks in the process. There will always be wars. And I will always fight them”
The main villain in this book is also so expertly written. I was constantly reevaluating and making up crazy theories, just trying to figure out whose side this person was on. The constant twists and turns with this character were nothing short of amazing, and the emotional journey I went on reading about them was pretty insane. Honestly, this was one of the best villains I've ever read about, and I'd love to know their complete backstory.
“History was a bloody mess, scraped up and strained into the books of the people who made the mess in the first place”
But even with the amazing characters, The Heart of Stone's pacing is just so very slow. I was constantly getting fed breadcrumbs and promises for this huge civil war, but all I got was a few gory and violent snippets, but never any real war action. I also felt like the first 85% was very world building and character based, with drawn out promises of war, then that last 15% had everything coming at me really quickly, with a new promise of a brand new story line.
This book was still super enjoyable, and don't get me wrong, the messages within this book were great and very important, but it made the almost 400 page book feel even longer. In addition to as much as I loved the characters and their growth, it just didn't help the book and its constant war theme from not dragging. It also made for a very anticlimactic ending, which for sure leaves a foot in the door for additional stories in this world. (Which I totally would read!)
And I know there is a lot of world building to do in a standalone novel, but the magic system didn't feel completely cohesive, either. I wish I knew more about Glimpses and Grims, and the full spectrum of their power. I feel like we were only privy to certain aspects, since old magic is banned in this world, but it left me with a lot of questions. Again, I know only so much be done with 400 pages, but with the down time of the war developments I feel like we could have learned more about the magical abilities in this world.
“Humans put far too much trust in their muskets. They wielded them like wizards’ staffs, as if just pointing and praying could solve any problem.”
Despite those two qualms, I really enjoyed this book and think it was a pretty strong stand alone. Plus, I love these characters and will cherish a few for days to come. I also love supporting independently published authors and I truly think this book is a gem of 2017's fantasies. The Heart of Stone is unique and captivating, and has some really important messages inside of it.
This highly praised indie book series has recently been picked up by Orbit! After that news, and seeing the first two b[image] Buddy Read with Petrik ❤
This highly praised indie book series has recently been picked up by Orbit! After that news, and seeing the first two beautifully sitting on my shelf for far too long, I decided I wanted to experience this self published series before the year was over, but now I just want all the books immediately, because Senlin Ascends is a literary masterpiece.
“The Tower of Babel is most famous for the silk fineries and marvelous airships it produces, but visitors will discover other intangible exports. Whimsy, adventure, and romance are the Tower’s real trade”
Senlin Ascends is unlike anything I've ever read before. The basic premise seems easy enough: A headmaster that works at a school in a very small and far away village, has newly married a girl who compliments him perfectly. Senlin is a man of planning, habit, and always following the rules, while his new bride, Marya, follows her own beat completely and just wants to see the world. Senlin is also obsessed with a mysterious tower that is far, far away from him and Marya's village. So, what better place for them to honeymoon than the tower that he's been obsessing over his whole life. I mean, Senlin has a guidebook, and he always follows the rules, what could go wrong?
“the Tower is a tar pit. Once you put a toe in her, you’re caught forever. No one leaves. No one goes home.”
Yet, we soon find out that inside the Tower of Babel there are completely different worlds living and dwelling inside each level, or maybe I should say functioning inside each level. And, yes, I said Tower of Babel, like the bible story you probably grew up hearing at least once about why we speak so many different languages. Basically, after the Great Flood happened, a bunch of people came together and agreed to build a tower that would touch Heaven itself. God, realizing what they are attempting, scatters them all around the world and makes them all speak different languages, hence our world today. Yet, obviously, the higher in the tower you are the closer you are to God and Heaven.
Also, unbeknownst to me both times, this is the second Tower of Babel inspired story I've read this month, because I also read Nyxia (The Nyxia Triad, #1) by Scott Reintgen . So now I'm lowkey sitting at my computer like, "Is God trying to tell me something?"
Anyways, this is a glorious painting done by Peter Bruegel, that I found because of my wonderful friend Mike's review, that is a very close interpretation to how I pictured the Tower in this book: [image]
And here is the Tower that the amazingly talented author, Josiah Bancroft, made that shows us around and inside a few of the levels known to man: [image] (I looked at this constantly once Petrik showed it to me!)
Okay, so now you guys know sort of what the gist of the Tower is and sort of what it looks like, but I'm sure you're reading this review to find out about the story. Oh, my friends, this story is a treat to any book lover who happens to stumble upon this tale. It's mystery after mystery, surprise after surprise, whimsical new steampunk world after whimsical new steampunk world.
“Not a solitary soul will help you here. The good souls don’t have the means or mind for it, and the bad souls will only bleed you dry.”
As Senlin is ascending the Tower, this book will constantly lead you to believe something, and you will, with your whole heart, but it will end up being so completely different. And the book will do this over and over again, but it will never feel forced or gimmicky, but it will always surprise you. I'm not sure any author I've ever read has been capable of doing that before, and, again, this is a debut novel by a self published author. (Which is why we need to support indie authors and find more hidden gems like this little masterpiece.)
And the writing is so fantastic. It's entrancing and addicting, while also being one of the most immersive works I've ever read. Especially the baths, like, I'm still halfway convinced that I was there in my own little pinecone like shelf, watching everything play out through the streets of that city. This story reads like you're in a lucid dream that you're not sure you want to wake up from. Yet, it still feels like you're seeing everything through somewhat of a haze. Again, this tale is glorious and unlike anything I've ever read in my many years of reading.
“It is easier to accept who you’ve become than to recollect who you were.”
And Senlin as a character was wonderful to read about, too. Seeing the Tower shape him into what he needs to be, is worth its own review. I mean, the Tower changes everyone, but Senlin always stays true to his caring self that loves to learn and to teach others and it makes him flourish. Senlin's journey is nothing short of beautiful. I also loved the Tower itself, and how it is so much bigger than anyone realizes. I loved Senlin's theory and I can't wait to ascend the next levels with him.
“The Tower is only as tall as the man that climbs”
The side characters that Senlin meets along his journey are also nothing short of exquisite. Iren, Goll, Tarrou, Edith, Adam, Ogier, they were all such wonderful additions that truly shaped this story into something remarkable that leaves me with a loss for words. I could read side story after side story about each of these individuals and their time spent in the Tower.
At this point, I also believe that Josiah Bancroft could very well just be a genius for crafting this complex tale that is so entrancing yet easy to follow. The only negative thing I can really say is that this book does end, and I mean it ends somewhat abruptly, and if you don't have the next book, Arm of the Sphinx, on hand, you are probably going to cry. If you're looking for a fast paced adventure, with a completely addicting story, with some of the most beautiful prose I've ever read, that is unlike anything you've ever read, please give Senlin Ascends a try.