Reviews

Isle of Blood and Stone by Makiia Lucier

myownlittlelibrary's review against another edition

4.0

4.5

I love it

anxietee9's review

4.0

This surprised me. I was expecting a fairly typical YA adventure/romance, but that's not quite what I got. At the heart of this story is an amazing mystery that kept me flipping the pages. I had the opportunity to chat with Makiia and it added such an amazing depth to this already fascinating story. I love that everything included in this novel is relevant -- as a member of my book club said, "There's no fluff." I loved the characters, particularly Reyna, and there's so much more depth to them than I would have expected from a book of this genre.
While there is technically a sequel, it's more of a companion novel and is not necessary to read, though I plan to. All of the elements of the mystery are tied up perfectly and the ending is very satisfying.
I recommend this book to fans of medieval-inspired low fantasy, political intrigue, mystery-driven adventure, and character-rich novels. I look forward to reading more from Makiia!

15bedford's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

shayla_b_reads's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

luna_staci's review against another edition

adventurous dark inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

misterintensity's review against another edition

3.0

Eighteen years ago the two princes and the royal navigator of St. John del Mar were kidnapped and presumed dead. Elias, the royal navigator's son comes into possession of two maps which suggest they may still be alive. Thus opens the compelling mystery that is at the heart of this book. It takes awhile before the plot of this book picks up as the first few chapters establish the characters and the aftermath of the kidnapping. Once Elias and his friends Mercedes and Ulises, the king starts on their quest for the truth of the fate of the princes and Elias's father the story picks up. The characters are likable if a little flat but Lucier succeeds in making the mystery compelling and the history she creates for St. John del Mar believable and alive. There is a little romance between Elias and Mercedes it does not derail the narrative. While there are fantasy elements like sea monsters and ghosts this book is primarily a mystery and may appeal more to mystery fans than to fans of high fantasy.

vespix's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism

Moderate: Terminal illness

k8so's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I loved this map-focused adventure fantasy story so much! I also loved that there seems to be a series but the book stands alone.

chronicallybookish's review against another edition

adventurous challenging medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

raohyrule's review against another edition

3.0

3.65 stars

I can’t really put into words exactly what this book was lacking for me, but the entire time I was reading it I just felt like it was one big /sigh/.