Scan barcode
A review by vorpalblad
Isle of Blood and Stone by Makiia Lucier
5.0
Often the terms "Young Adult" and "Teen" get used interchangeably to describe a genre of books; however, Isle of Blood and Stone fits firmly in the Teen genre. Romance is minimal, so no descriptive scenes a la Throne of Glass. I'd feel comfortable giving this to anyone with the reading skills to understand it. And while it's a "Teen" book, it has descriptive writing and a plot to please nearly any reader.
I really feel like the publisher dropped the ball on this one--from the meaningless title and ho-hum cover to the lack of publicity surrounding its release. Anyone who enjoys a little bit of fantasy, a lot of adventure, with a healthy dollop of mystery will likely enjoy this book. And it's not just the plot and setting that hold up this novel. Makiia Lucier is a masterful writer. Rather than explain everything, Lucier writes scene after scene that develops the multi-faceted characters. We've already seen Mercedes, part of the protagonist trio, show a stiff upper lip, but also make mistakes. When showing how she works to make everyone feel comfortable, Lucier writes about Mercedes entering the premise of a surgeon/barber. Lucier writes, "Mercedes looked perfectly comfortable, she might have spent every morning surrounded by teeth carpeting the floor and chatting with men covered in blood," which tells us more about Mercedes' character than pages of exposition.
One thing I do want to note: this is not an inclusive story in many ways. But I think that has more to do with a lack of focus on romance rather than the author purposely leaving out representation.
I really feel like the publisher dropped the ball on this one--from the meaningless title and ho-hum cover to the lack of publicity surrounding its release. Anyone who enjoys a little bit of fantasy, a lot of adventure, with a healthy dollop of mystery will likely enjoy this book. And it's not just the plot and setting that hold up this novel. Makiia Lucier is a masterful writer. Rather than explain everything, Lucier writes scene after scene that develops the multi-faceted characters. We've already seen Mercedes, part of the protagonist trio, show a stiff upper lip, but also make mistakes. When showing how she works to make everyone feel comfortable, Lucier writes about Mercedes entering the premise of a surgeon/barber. Lucier writes, "Mercedes looked perfectly comfortable, she might have spent every morning surrounded by teeth carpeting the floor and chatting with men covered in blood," which tells us more about Mercedes' character than pages of exposition.
One thing I do want to note: this is not an inclusive story in many ways. But I think that has more to do with a lack of focus on romance rather than the author purposely leaving out representation.