This was straight up awesome. 

A mystery, a treasure hunt, royal intrigue, a young king and his friends doing the best they can. It gets dark, but that only makes things more wrenching and interesting. The relationships are good, and the worldbuilding is compellingly detailed without being overwhelming. 

I honestly don't even know what to say. This was so good.

I'm withholding the last full star just because this book didn't rearrange my entire life and change me as a person, but honestly I would give it 4.5 if I could, or even a higher fraction. I'm adding <i>Isle of Blood and Stone</i> to my list of books that inspire me to write. I can't wait until I can add it to my physical bookshelf as well.

Completely surpassed all my expectations ... 

So I was looking forward to this as a quick fantasy read. And I did read it quick, in one sitting (with a break for dinner) but I found the world to be completely immersive and the characters easy to fall in love with despite their human flaws. The plot is dark, fast paced, political and unpredictable (though I did guess the villain a few chapters before the main character did). The author steers away from the picture perfect ending and I love that not all the ends are perfectly tied up.

My apologies -- I could not review the book in its current format :( If it is available as a kindle book, I would love to review.