Reviews

Stone & Sky by Z.S. Diamanti

mindwrack's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

ovium_reads's review against another edition

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5.0

This was a blast. If you're looking for a classic, nostalgic fantasy adventure...give this a go!

This story throws off many vibes for me that I really enjoyed. For me, I definitely get a ton of classic Warcraft vibes from this. And being a player, I ate it up. I also enjoyed the somewhat cozy fantasy parts sprinkled throughout here and there.

Overall, this was a really fun and epic classic feeling fantasy. With tons of interesting creatures, positive vibes, and some new friends, I can't wait to check in on with Stone & Tide.

slorogs's review against another edition

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3.0

A classic fantasy for lovers of vibes like WoW or D&D; it’s flooded with all kinds of fantastical creatures. The depth and tension was missing for me, and it read as YA. But I enjoyed how easy it was to read Diamanti’s writing style, and their imagination leaped off the page. Overall just not for me, but I can see how fans of this sub-genre would have fun with it.

mgnc2867's review against another edition

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5.0

This fantastic fantasy novel is fast paced, with just enough side information to form the world around you. If you like long, laborious ramblings about insignificant details, this book is not for you. It is punchy, filled with fights, magic, adventure and friendship. You won't regret it.

chrisb913's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This was a fantastic read. The story was a fast paced tale of epic and fun adventures, cozy family moments, heart-wrenching character moments, and just so much hope.

There were a ton of fantasy tropes throughout that I simply loved and were integrated with so much love and care by the author.

The characters were well developed and you could feel the love and companionship between the relationships formed throughout the story.

The worldbuilding was fantastic for it being a debut novel. I loved learning about the lore and different areas of Finlestia.

The plot was truly incredible. Diamanti had so many plot threads going on throughout the book and was able to coalesce them into a truly epic adventure. You could feel the heavy influence of ttrpg's such as D&D and I loved it. It almost felt like a group of friends sitting at a table living out these different characters as they traveled along all for them to meet up at the ultima climax of the story and gather for a truly remarkable battle.

My only complaint was there were some instances I would have liked to see more emotional impact from some of the characters. At certain points, I felt like the story was moving along too quickly to truly sit and deal with the turmoil going on around the characters.

thenerdynoveller's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

bookswithaudreyb_'s review against another edition

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5.0

This is a classic fantasy book where you are following a couple different groups of people and their point of view along the way. This story is told from third person perspective.

The Griffon guard are protecting the citizens from the dangerous orcs. When Orin is the only survivor from the battle and Ellaria and her family find him and heal him from his injuries. Orin, Merrick and Ellaria are sent on a journey to go back to Whitestone. On their trek they meet new friends and come across new dangers.

This story is an amazing fantasy story that will have you hooked and excited to see what happens next.

The Precludes Collection goes amazing with this as you get to know some of the characters before meeting them in Stone & Sky.

wynwicket's review against another edition

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adventurous slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? Yes

3.5

lara_lucretia's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

What an epic, fantastic, amazing first book in a series!

The story is told from many different POVs and is done really well. Over time you see how some of the charges are connected and find out more about them as you go along. 
- Orin  and his new friends 
- Pernden, cousin to the king, and his squadron of griffin riders
- King Garron and his advisers
- Karnak, an orc and wyvern rider and his people
- Reglese (really loved his chapters)

There are some more, but then I would have to go into too much detail and might spoil the book for you. 

I really liked all the action and the magic, because it was (imo) perfectly balanced. There are magical artifacts, lots of adventure and the whole feel of this book is very classic fantasy which I love. 
It was fresh, but still had all the elements I enjoy so much in the classic fantasy stories.

Usually, I have a favorite character but it was impossible for me to choose one here. They were all so perfectly written and what I liked most was, that there were so many different races and magical beings. Maybe I have a favorite after finishing book 2.



nclcaitlin's review against another edition

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2.5

This book saddles many different marketing targets and for this reason will appeal to a range of fantasy readers!

Orin is a member of the Griffin Guard whose squadron is attacked and presumed dead. At first, Orin – is sure he is dead too, but he is saved by a lovely family and ventures on a quest to inform his kingdom of the powerful weapon the enemy plans to use.

This book borders between a late middle-grade, early YA tone with some great world building reminiscent of Middle-Earth, albeit more simple and less painstakingly detailed. 
I think it will appeal to fans of The Belgariad! 

The story is told through told through several POV’s which gives you a broad scope of the world and the different sides and even ranks of individuals. 
Who is to say who are the monsters? Who gets to decide which side is good or bad? 

Life doesn’t always give us what we expect, but what we do with the unexpected tells the tale of who we are.

The orc Karnak was my favourite! Orcs are not normally considered the good guys and his perspective really makes you question these pre-conceptions of archetypes. Karnak is incredibly loyal and honourable and his love for his family is very compelling!

Personally, I struggled to connect to most of the other characters and I think I would have wanted more time getting to know the characters with slower moments. 
To be fair, I am not a huge fan of constant battles, so perhaps that’s why I struggled to stay invested. 

However, the battle scenes were fast-paced and will definitely propel readers along!

I couldn’t keep focus on the plot or characters, and I wonder if I should tried the ebook rather than the audiobook. 
However, the narrator was fantastic and really made me chuckle with some of the voices and effects!

If you want epic fantasy bundled with a dose of cozy and nostalgia, this might be for you!
I am definitely recommending it to my younger brothers! 
I think this just wasn’t the book for me sadly!! 

Thank you to the author for providing me the audiobook!