Isle of Blood and Stone (Tower of Winds)

Title Isle of Blood and Stone Author Makiia Lucier Description from Amazon Eighteen years ago, two princes vanished. Now a riddle hidden on a mysterious map could chart a course towards the truth and the missing royals in this historical fantasy that’s perfect for fans of Rachel Hartman and Tamora Pierce. Eighteen years ago two princes of the island kingdom of St. John del Mar were kidnapped and murdered, a deadly plot by the rival kingdom of Mondrago. Everyone knows the story, but for Elias, Mercedes, and Ulises, the aftermath of that tragic day is deeply personal. Elias grew up without his father, who was killed trying to protect the princes. Mercedes is half-Mondragan, leaving her to grow up in the shadow of del Mar’s hate. And Ulises, as the youngest and only remaining prince, inherited the throne meant for his older brothers. Now, the three friends just want to move on with their lives. But when two maps surface—each with the same hidden riddle—troubling questions arise. What really happened to the young princes? And why do the maps look like they were drawn by Elias’s father, whose body was never found? To discover what really happened that fateful day, Elias, Mercedes, and Ulises must follow the clues hidden in the maps, uncovering long-held secrets and unimaginable betrayals along the way. But the truth is dangerous, and not everyone wants it to come out. Isle of Blood and Stone is a sweeping fantasy full of intrigue and schemes, romance and friendship, and fearless explorers searching for the truth. Initial Thoughts As I said in my hype post, I didn’t realize that the book I was approved for on NetGalley, Song of the Abyss, was a sequel. So, naturally, I had to read the first book before I tackled my latest NetGalley assignment. Favorite Character Mercedes – I want so much more about Mercedes. Spin-off books, short stories, anything and everything. She was mysterious and strong and I thought she deserved a bigger role in the whole story (but, I understand why she didn’t have it). Something I Wasn’t Crazy About The romance element — it was understated (but present). I wanted it to be more prominent. However, that being said, I was totally ok with romance being on the back-burner in favor of a mystery being solved. Series Value Makiia Lucier has created a vast world with tons of rich settings and characters that I would definitely revisit in future books. I can easily see many sequels, spin-offs, and short stories stemming from this world. I would like to point out, I probably didn’t need to read this one first in order to understand the plot of Song of the Abyss, but I’m glad I read it anyway. Final Thoughts This was a total stumble-upon read for me. It wasn’t something that sat on my TBR for a while or something that was a highly anticipated release. It fell in my lap and I was very pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Recommendations for Further Reading Descendant of the Crane by Joan He – I really loved this story and Isle of Blood and Stone gave me similar feelings. Both are stories about royals, mysteries, a little bit of magic, and a dash of romance. The Queen’s Rising by Rebecca Ross – this is another story of tragedy and a mystery that takes years to fully solve. Missing royals, political intrigue, revenge, and romance, need I say more? Furyborn by Claire Legrand – the settings of both of these books are very similar. They are both fictionalized versions of France (or at least what I imagine France to be like).

"We are responsible for no one's conduct but our own," (380). At first Isle of Blood and Stone by Makiia Lucier felt like a meh book, nothing special, but boy did it surprise me when it reached a point in which I could not put it down! It starts off with a mass murder of the royal family and their servants at a picnic. Eighteen years later, a map shows up. A map that can only have been made by Elias's father. A father who was supposedly killed at the picnic that day. With current king Ulises, and lady friend Mercedes, Elias believes his father is still alive out there and that there is much more to the massacre than anyone could have comprehended. The appearance of the map is the only clue the trio have to go off of. Upon closer inspection, something about the tiny drawing of the children on the map calls them to visit the Javelin Forest. After meeting some vengeful spirits of deceased orphans in the forest, Elias and company come across someone they thought to have died at the picnic all those years ago. From her, more questions than answers are found. While the picnic was set up to look like Mondrago had done this to the del Marians, the one witness they have says otherwise. The men were not Mondragon, but del Marian. This means the massacre of the royal family and their servants came from within but was blamed without. After returning to the capital, Elias tries to figure out the next step using clues from the map. He questions his own path: does he keep trying to find his father and the lost princes, who just might be alive, or is it a pointless feat? My favorite character: Reyna. A nine-year-old girl who wants to be a cartographer, like Elias. But she's a girl! Who would ever take a girl on as an apprentice in such a trade? Reyna is head-strong and determined, and also a good swimmer. More about her later... The element of mystery in this book, the sort of "Who Done It" aspect, is what really made this book pick up, brought the pacing to be upbeat and just right. I thought the names were a bit basic because a lot of them are Spanish names that are common to many places in contemporary society today, but I also found the slight mysticism to be a nice element to this fantasy world. Spirits, sea serpents, and royal dilemmas brought this fantasy up a notch, but not in a way that makes it unrealistic. This story felt very real, which was a nice touch. I wish there was a bit more to the map; it feels small and makes the world of the book feel small as well, though with the potential to discover more. One of the other things I really liked about this book was the fact that it's a good stand-alone. Once again, the potential for more, but a satisfying end in itself. On that note, I highly recommend to lovers of fantasy and adventure with minimal romance. And the potential for more? There is a companion book called Song of the Abyss that features a character from Isle of Blood and Stone: Reyna. Age nine in the original book, she is now a seventeen-year-old girl who has finally made it as an explorer. Who says a girl can't survive a voyage and explore the world?

I fell in love with this book. I love how it's in one part, a mystery of what happened to the prince, another part, world building of magic and creatures, and yet another part, of relationship building that lends itself to character growth. This has become one of my comfort reads, and I also love Song of the Abyss.

Loved the character development and storyline development and plot twist. Very engaging and descriptive with imaginative subject I want MORE!

Isle of Blood and Stone by Makiia Lucier is the first book in the Isle of Blood and Stone duology. This series is a young adult historical fantasy with a touch of romance involved. The story starts with the royal navigator Lord Antoni out on and excursion with a group including two of the young princes. As everyone in the group is setting down to eat and rest Antoni is gathering supplies to show the boys how to make a compass. After the wine is passed around however everyone in the group begins getting sick and the sounds of someone approaching can be heard. Fast forward the story eighteen years where a young girl, Reyna, who is studying to be a map maker herself has come across maps that look like the work of Lord Antoni. The problem with this discovery is that it looks as if the maps were made after the horrific massacre eighteen years ago. Little Reyna takes her discovery to King Ulises who approaches his friend Elias who has just become a master mapmaker himself with the discovery. When a hidden clue is found Elias and Ulises’s cousin, Mercedes take on the quest to uncover the mystery of just what happened that day eighteen years before. Isle of Blood and Stone is a slow building story that felt very heavy on the historical and lighter on the fantasy side. It takes a reader back to the time of Kings, courts, politics, spies and intrigue. It becomes known that after the poisoning where everyone out that day was thought to have died that someone confessed to the crime which started a war with a neighboring kingdom but now the question comes up as to whether or not they were even involved. As it jumped the eighteen years it was a tad confusing to join in on new characters as it slowly established who everyone was and slowly came back to what had happened at the beginning of the story. It was a tad slow for my own taste as I’m always looking for more action but despite that I still enjoyed what the author created and will certainly be curious as to how it all turns out in the next book. I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

This may have become one of my favorite reads of 2018! I loved the characters, although Elias was probably my least favorite and I can't really put my finger on why. I wasn't expecting this to have such a big mystery, but it was the perfect blend of a fantasy setting with a major mystery that needed to be solved. I absolutely could NOT put this book down and I had to know who it was that kidnapped the two young princes. I had my suspicions, but I didn't really know who it was until the big reveal! The only thing that I wish had been added was a more detailed version of the map that matched the one described in the book, since maps and mapmaking is such a huge part of this book.

This book was the absolute best mix of everything I love: fantasy, mystery, adventure, and a little romance. I really enjoyed watching the mystery unravel. Elias and Mercedes were very interesting and fun to watch. Great book!

A definite yes for Tamora Pierce fans! Unexpected and delightfully welcome! Lures you in and keeps you turning page after page...Or lying in bed thinking your way through,should you reluctantly need to put the book down for something as tedious as sleep...but when you're already up half the night,what's a few more pages??! So. Good.