Nineteen-year-old Elias is a royal explorer, a skilled mapmaker, and the new king of del Mar's oldest friend. Soon he will embark on the adventure of a lifetime, an expedition past the Strait of Cain and into uncharted waters. Nothing stands in his way...until a long-ago tragedy creeps back into the light, threatening all he holds dear.

The people of St. John del Mar have never recovered from the loss of their boy princes, kidnapped eighteen years ago, both presumed dead. But when two maps surface, each bearing the same hidden riddle, troubling questions arise. What really happened to the young heirs? And why do the maps appear to be drawn by Lord Antoni, Elias's father, who vanished on that same fateful day? With the king's beautiful cousin by his side-whether he wants her there or not-Elias will race to solve the riddle of the princes. He will have to use his wits and guard his back. Because some truths are better left buried...and an unknown enemy stalks his every turn."
Goodreads 


I did enjoy this book, and will most likely be checking out the next book in the series. Overall I enjoyed Elias and Mercedes as characters. I enjoyed that the romance didn't take over the plot. I absolutely loved the girl power aspects of this book. I really was rooting for Reyna in particular. I didn't guess what was going to happen for the major plot line in this book which is always a plus! There was a couple good surprises in this book! The reason why I gave this book a three star is due to the fact that I put it down very easily. I wasn't desperate to find out what happened because some of the action fell a little flat for me. I do believe this book had great parts though because I always got back to it! There was a couple other issues I had. Sometimes it was really confusing as to where the characters were, and a couple of the characters weren't given an introduction so I would mix them up a little. 

Overall: 
I think this book would be absolutely great for middle grade readers who are transitioning into reading YA. This book was a little slow paced but I enjoyed the adventure aspects.

I was given an ARC from the publishers via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. To be honest, I did not finish it. I think in this instance it was an "It's not you, it's me" thing. I just couldn't get into it and I cannot put into words why. I think it just wasn't my thing.

This was a much slower and not as action packed YA Fantasy than I am used to reading and at times made it hard to continue. Especially since its garnered as an adventure mystery fantasy you would think the high stakes would g=create an action packed plot but no. I find when you are recreating whole new worlds you can't be slow in your pacing as it is very hard to stay interested. Now with that said this was still an enjoyable read and I liked that it had a male protagonist. You don't see a lot of YA fantasy books with male leads and I hope this will snag some reluctant male readers. I really did enjoy reading from Elias's POV and how refreshing is it to have a cartographer as a lead. Usually its warriors or healers etc. etc..  that was a nice spin. Oh can we say how awesome Mercedes was she handled some tough situations gracefully and if need be was a total badass. 
Overall this was an interesting fantasy adventure read that could use some faced paced plotting to help further sluggish scenes.

Isle of Blood and Stone is fantastic. Sorry, I had more to say about leprosy before, but yes, the book is very very good. Leprosy plays a vital role in the novel, which made me love it more as it enabled me to go on the above tirade. 

Eighteen years ago, Bartolome and Teodor, two young princes of the Kingdom of St. John del Mar were kidnapped, along with famous navigator, Lord Antoni. It was assumed that the princes and Lord Antoni were to be held for ransom, but instead they were killed when their ship sank. The neighboring Island of Mondrago got the blame, and after a Mondrogan soldier was tortured into a confession, del Mar invaded Mondrago and razed it to the ground. Ever since, the people of del Mar have hated Mondrago, to the extent that they will even spit at people who are half Mondragan.

Anyway, Isle of Blood and Stone starts off eighteen years after the event. Ulises, the youngest prince who was just a baby when his brothers disappeared, has become king. Lord Antoni’s son, Elias, has become a Navigator/Explorer/Mapmaker/Sailor in his own right. Elias is definitely in love with the king’s cousin, the expert spy Mercedes, who has the misfortune to be half Mondrogan on del Mar. Mercedes, with the help of Reyna, granddaughter of master navigator Lord Silva, has discovered a strange map. It is a map that could only have been painted by Lord Antoni - but it features landmarks that didn’t exist until ten years prior. Meaning Lord Antoni was around ten years ago. Meaning he might be alive. And if he’s alive, there’s a chance Bartolome and Teodor are alive, too.

Well, shit.

Ulises asks Elias for his help in solving the riddles embedded in the map. This all must be handled delicately - Ulises is in a precarious position if it turns out his two older brother are still alive, and Elias’s mother has since happily remarried, having three other children with her second husband. And in the world of del Mar, bigamy is a serious crime, and if it turns out Antoni is still alive, Elias’s younger sisters and brother will be forever shamed as bastards. So rather than going with a traditional fantasy scenario of “holy shit, [insert person here] is still alive, that’s awesome!” the reaction is more realistic: it’s been nearly two decades, everyone has already moved on, if two princes and a lord were to suddenly reappear, it would be great at first, but would mean bad news for a lot of people.

Oh, yeah, and remember that whole “they razed Mondrago to the ground because they supposedly murdered the princes and Lord Antoni” thing? Yeah, that, too.

So Elias, with the help of Mercedes, set off to do their best to solve this puzzle without starting a war, ruining their lives, or creating political chaos. Good luck!

This book is awesome. It’s exciting, the characters are great,and the world is lush and beautiful. It reminds me of a more tropical, technically advanced version of Earthsea. There’s some subtle magic in there, too, that I really really want to see more of. I believe this is the first in a series - why do I keep getting attached to serieses? - but I will definitely be looking out for the next books. I have one criticism of this book, but to mention it would be to spoil the end, so I will keep that to myself for now. Still, it’s a great story.

Also, shout out to Makiia Lucier who wrote A Death-Struck Year - one of the few YA historical fiction books set in early 20th Century Portland. There’s not a lot of Portland-set historical fiction out there…or maybe there is and I just can’t find it. If you know some, let me know, please.

I discovered this book online last month and I read the blurb and just knew I wanted to read this book! I started reading it one evening and I just didn't want to stop, it instantly captured my attention. It was fantastic from the first page. Though I am a little sad that I have finished the book already. However, the ending of the book left some wonderful possibilities open and I have a feeling that the next book is going to be amazing as well.

The Isle of Blood and Stone doesn't have any magic in it, which makes it an unusual read for me, however, what it lacks in magic it really makes up for with well written characters, incredible world-building and a good old fashioned mystery. I was left guessing right up until the big reveal - though you will get no spoilers from me. I found the suspense really helped pull the pace of the book along without making me want to read so fast that I skipped over descriptions.

Talking of descriptions; the world-building in The Isle of Blood and Stone is incredible, Lucier creates a vivid world with a strong focus on sailing and exploration, which I found really interesting. Everything in the kingdom of St John del Mar is focused around the sea from their laws to their food, even their currency, with silver shells and gold squids! 

The world created in the book is so vivid, and I loved that there were so many unique experiences we could enjoy with the protagonist Elias, from cockfighting to a trip to the Barber-Surgeon. I loved the main three characters, Elias the explorer, Ulises the king of St John del Mar and Mercedes the king's cousin, who is a strong and very independent female character, it's always nice to read about one of those! They were all so different and all so well written. I enjoyed reading the banter between the three of them. The friendship between these three character was lovely to read. At the start of the book you could feel that the dynamic had recently changed. Ulises had recently become king at the start of the book, and as a result everything was off kilter, and yet their friendship and loyalty to each other held them together, and only grew stronger throughout the book.

Besides the main trio I have to say that Reyna, a girl of nine, was a character that really stood out in The Isle of Blood Stone - I love the way she was written. It was nice to have two strong female characters in a book, characters that were changing the rules instead of living by them! 

The main thread of the plot is a mystery to be solved which starts off with a riddle on a map, and I have to admit from the very beginning I was hooked. I needed to know the answer, and for me when the answer came it was not one I expected at all! I also really enjoyed the fact that the mystery was not the only thing drawing the book along, we still had time for rich and fabulous descriptions, we still got to meet a wide range of vivid and unique characters. 

I really enjoyed The Isle of Blood and Stone, and I would definitely recommend it to any fantasy fans. I have already convinced my husband that he needs to read it once he has finished with his current re-read of Robin Hobb's books.

I love anything with maps, exploring and adventure! It really brings me back to my childhood and everything I loved as a kid. The promise of those such things in the blurb for Isle of Blood and Stone grabbed my attention and I can honestly say I had a lot of fun reading this one!

The story revolves around the events that happened 18 years ago when there was an attack on a party of people that included two young princes, the Royal Navigator Antoni, and so many others. Most everyone that day was poisoned and those who weren’t disappeared and were believed dead, murdered by another kingdom and then subsequently started a war. That is until maps are found made with a skill and likeness of a certain presumed dead navigator that could only have been made more recently than the previous tragic event. Determined to find answers, King Ulises, Elias, and Mercedes embark on a secret mission to find out what happened to the family they lost that day.

As these three discovered clues hidden in the map, they find themselves on a adventure through spooky woods haunted with spirits, dangerous waters infested with sea serpents, and more! The more answers they uncovered the more they realized the real dangers lurked much closer than they could have expected. I loved uncovering all the little secrets and clues along the way and even though I tried to piece together everything myself, there was quite a bit that surprised me!

I really enjoyed the characters and the relationships they had with each other. They were all so selfless and compassionate. I especially enjoyed Mercedes as a strong and smart heroine. There is a touch of romance that brews between her and Elias in that perfect slow burn I love. There is also the spunky Reyna, a 9 year old future mapmaker and explorer who doesn’t let being a girl stop her from her dreams, despite what others may say. She was my very own hidden gem of the story and probably my favorite of them all.

All in all, I found myself completely swept away by this story! It’s not particularly fast paced or filled with action like I thought it might be but I found myself completely okay with that. It kept my attention with all of its mysteries to unravel and was never boring. I had a lot of fun reading this book and I think many others will also find a great adventure to partake in!

The review goes live on my blog on March 26th!

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

DNF at 50%

I'm not going to rate this one. I think it might be a strong case of it's not you, it's me. I hate DNFing books especially ARCs but this is just doing nothing for me. I don't dislike it nor do I like it. I am not engaged with the plot or the characters or the world building. I don't think this is the author's fault exactly, it's just a complete miss where I'm concerned. Others have rated this book highly and I feel like I must be reading a different book to them. There is just nothing for me to get hold of. At halfway through I still feel like I'm waiting for the story to start. I don't mind quiet fantasy but this is too slow even for me.

This is fantasy in the sense that it's set in an alternate world but don't expect magic or fantastical creatures. Or a lot of action tbh. This one just wasn't for me.

I liked the Isle of Blood and Stone but I didn't love it. It had good pacing and was intriguing enough that I want to check out the next book. Isle of Blood and Stone was a nice YA fantasy with adventure and a little romance. If you are a fan of adventures with lots of mysteries then Isle of Blood and Stone is a good one to read.

On the face of it, this is your classic adventure/mystery story in a fantasy setting. A clue turns up after several decades hinting that two kidnapped princes, presumed dead, are actually alive. Some really amazing worldbuilding (I loved the details about the serpents which breathed fire and roamed the kingdom's seas) with lots of small details becoming relevant later on to the overall mystery. But to leave it at that would be simplifying so much of what I loved about this story. The full repercussions of the princes' disappearance is explored, both in Mercedes' family history with people's reactions against her mixed heritage and how their return would threaten all the main characters' statuses: the current king would be deposed; marriages would be rendered invalid; children would become illegitimate. But the real thing that made me fall in love with the story was the maps. All the small details about how important maps were and about the Mapmakers' guild drew me in. I couldn't stop reading this book, finished it in a day. Would wholeheartedly recommend.

*I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

"How can I look at these maps, see this riddle, and do nothing? They are my brothers."

DNF @32% 

The beginning was promising, it was intriguing and it made me want to keep reading to find out what happened to the brothers. But, as soon as I got to the now part, I was so confused that I found myself reading the same sentence more than once or twice.

Why did I get so confused? Well, the author was trying to add some world building by just telling and not showing and the more I kept reading the more I was like where the hell are the protagonists right now?? There were just too many names and characters that the protagonists already know and that we're introduced to without a single explanation.

At least the protagonist - Elias - isn't bad. He's a traveler and his scenes with his family were adorable, I loved his relationship with his stepfather and stepbrothers. Actually, I think that the scenes where he was interacting with his family were the only ones I enjoyed.

So all in all, Isle of blood and stone isn't a bad book, it's just a bit boring and incredibly confusing and I don't want to waste time to read something I'm not enjoying.

*I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

I arrived at 22% but I could not finish it!
As far as I arrived, the book was boring and practically nothing happened, what a pity.

Oh, how I ADORED this book! The writing is simple yet extremely engaging, especially since the characters are all unique and full of life and just so much fun! I loved Elias and Mercedes and Ulises and the adventure they have in ISLE OF BLOOD AND STONE. They were fully fleshed out and shared so many moments full of easy going cameraderie and jokes, and I was just smitten!
The mystery part of this novel was extremely well thought out AND well executed. I loved how everything was combined!
Overall, I highly recommend this novel! I cannot wait for book 2

It wasn't the nail-biting thriller I thought it was going to be. It was more like a political intrigue mystery but I'm here for it. It was pretty enjoyable; I'd recommend it to readers who like a little mystery and intrigue.

I really enjoyed this book. Lots of action, main characters I enjoyed getting to know, and some surprising plot twists. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. Once this book is published, I will definitely be purchasing it for my library. I already have a student I plan to give it to first.

I really liked this one, and am grateful to Netgalley for the ARC. It was a good adventure story with likable characters, a plot that was easy enough to follow, and a male protagonist! I am eager for it to be released!

Thank you to netgalley for the chance to read this book.

It seemed like the plot was inspired by several true life mysteries, such as the Princes in the Tower, and then given a fantastical YA spin and I loved that!
It was full of adventure, secrets, and royal intrigue and the characters and the descriptions jumped off the pages and into my head. I felt like I was there, I wanted to know how it would end and I raced all the way through it. I think it's a book that would benefit from being read multiple times so I could pick up on all the little hints as to what was going on.

I'd recommend it for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Sara Raasch.

Unable to download the book. Tried numerous times. This does not go directly to kindle. Tried opening it in overdrive but doesn't work
If you can fix it or have another way for me to download it or upload to my kindle that would be helpful. Thanks

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a digital ARC of “Isle of Blood and Stone” by Makiia Lucier. I was pleasantly surprised by this story. The blurb did not catch my attention, the cover picture did that but I am glad I requested it. The writing is phenomenal. The style reminds me a bit of “The Winner’s Curse” by Marie Rutkoski which is my favorite book. This story immediately went to the top of my “must purchase” list after only a few pages and then I could not stop reading it. The story is action packed and yet detailed enough that is still has some density to it. I fell in love with all the characters. They are vibrant and emotionally gripping. This book is perfect for all who enjoy fantasy and action stories.

Page-turning, smartly written and consistently intriguing, Isle of Blood and Stone centres on cartographer Elias' search for his island's long lost princes and the father he never got the chance to know. The plot is pacy, well constructed and for the most part believable, with plenty of twists I didn't see coming. This is historical fantasy with only the lightest of emphases on the historical, but plenty of action and just enough worldbuilding - the spirit-soaked forest, the blue indigo fire, the network of islands - to keep you reading.

Elias, Ulises and Mercedes make for a suitable trio of leads: the stubborn but caring mapmaker, the world-heavy young king, the sharp and defensive emissary. A busy supporting cast made the book vibrant, from the forbidding Commander Aimon to the mysterious Brother Francis. The lively and watchful Reyna, who wants to be a mapmaker like Elias, is a stand-out. She was just the start of one of my favourite features of the book: families and kids in a fictional world that otherwise leans rather heavily on the storytelling trope of the orphan or dead parent. It would have been pretty standard for Elias' mother Sabine, for example, to become an outcast widow, but instead she's remarried. As well as honourary sister Reyna, Elias has younger half-siblings Nieve, Lea and Jonas, and a positive stepfather figure in jovial Lord Isidore.

The islands and cartographers of Kiran Millwood Hargrave's The Girl of Ink and Stars and The Island at the End of Everything meet the pacy YA fantasy of the likes of Lori M. Lee and Sara Raasch in Makiia Lucier's first foray into the genre. It has some pitfalls, but I read it in one sitting and it's full of twists. 

A longer version of this review will appear on my blog closer to publication.