There was a time when the Tribes lived in harmony. Sun, Moon, even the fabled Shadow Tribe. That time is no longer. Now the land has become a wicked wasteland, plagued by strange creatures, enchanted storms, and bubbles of trapped time, remnants of the Shaman Wars. Magic has been outlawed by the Sun, the Moon have gone into seclusion, and the Shadow are all but annihilated.
This is Iamar.
For Elea, the idea of peace between the tribes is a nothing more than a legend from the history books. She works for a circus of outcasts who travel between the Sun cities. All she wants is freedom: from the circus, to perform her magic, to be herself. But she possesses a deadly secret that makes any chance of liberty impossible.
Ashe is heir to one of the seven Sun cities. He rebels against his overprotective father by competing in illegal fight dens. Like most Sun, he believes that science is the future, and he's never traveled outside the walls of his city due to the dangers that lie beyond.
When a new kind of evil begins to terrorize the land, Elea and Ashe find themselves thrown into the center of a coup that could destroy Iamar. To fight the enemy, the Sun and Moon must unite, something that hasn't been done in three hundred years. But first they must find the Moon Tribe, and that means crossing Iamar, which grows more and more unstable as the dark magic spreads. Dark magic which has everything to do with Elea and her terrible secret.
Alexia writes novels about magic, adventure, and romance. She lives in Florida with her son and a menagerie of animals. When she's not writing or reading, she can be found playing with horses, drinking wine, traveling to the next place on her global wish list, or maybe doing yoga. Dr. Who, unicorns, and katanas make her very happy.
This was pretty good, I'll be honest, but it seemed to be trying to be other recent fantasy novels, without anything that was really its own. I saw a lot of Children of Blood and Bone, An Ember in the Ashes, and Roar, with the ideas of people from two worlds, a city with a ban on magic and another society that practices it in secret, and a secret royal runaway. But it really didn't seem to have anything of its own to distinguish it from these books, or to create characters that stick with me as the reader.
The pacing of this was also a little confusing. It seemed like it wasn't getting started, and then we were thrown into the middle of the story with too much action and not enough character development, and I didn't care enough about the characters. It was also obvious that they were going to make it out okay in each situation, and there just wasn't enough plot or buildup to care. Then at 65% I started wondering about a sequel, because the problem they solved then was just the tip of the iceberg. Then the ending just sped up really quickly, and it just didn't fit. I feel like this should have had a sequel, and perhaps should have ended with the first battle.
I would have wanted to know more about the world, which again would be a good reason to have a sequel and elaborate more in both books. I wanted to know more about the war and the history of this world. There's a lot that didn't line up in the story, and it should have been elaborated on more.
Still, it was a good, quick read, and it's something I've been meaning to read for a while, so I'm glad I got to it now. I definitely needed a short, standalone fantasy like this, even if it could definitely have been longer.
In the beginning, there were three tribes: Sun, Moon, and Shadow. They lived in relative harmony until the Shadow Tribe attacked the other tribes. They were defeated by Sun and Moon and banished from the land. But the effects of a magical war have left significant damage on the land that still lingers to this day.
Hundreds of years later Of Blood, Earth, and Magic follows two people: Elea, a young circus performer hiding a terrible secret, she is half-Moon and half-Shadow. And Ashe, a Sun Tribe boy living in a tribe that no longer believes in magic.
The two are thrown together when Ashe runs away from his overbearing life and stumbles upon the circus. Then some shadowy monster begins attacking people and Elea and Ashe must embark on a quest to save their home from evil forces.
Elea is a strong female protagonist. Ashe is a bit bumbling in the beginning of their journey, which I like because he has been thrown into a situation he had never been prepared for, so it makes sense that he has a rusty start. Characters that are consistently perfect all the way through are boring. Elea and Ashe are certainly not that.
This book is good for people who like magic, fantasy, and adventure.
This was such a great book. I really enjoyed reading. The storyline was well written and enjoyable. Loved the characters. I definitely recommend reading. (I received this book as an arc and am leaving a voluntary honest review)
Wow oh wow! This book is simply amazing! Great world building, the main characters are so likeable, and the plot kept me interested throughout the whole book! Elea and Ashe are amazing, and fleshed out characters! I devoured this book in one sitting!
A fantastic story. Really enjoyed the different elements of this story and the characters are rich, detailed and very fascinating. The world building is totally different from what I usually read and it's original. A great book all around.
Of Blood, Earth, and Magic was a lot of fun to dive into. It was never truly on my radar until yesterday. So I'm really happy that I got the time to dive into it. The entire story, from start to finish, kept me engaged. The characters and the actual plot were pretty interesting and likable. And yet, yep there's a yet here folks, I couldn't really connect to anyone throughout it. Still likable though.
In it, you will meet Elea and Ashe. She is a young circus performer hiding a secret and he's currently living in a tribe that doesn't believe in magic. Talk about complete opposites. After they meet one another, I just kept waiting for her secret to come out and see how Ashe was going to handle it all.
The adventure was definitely a page turner and I really liked all the action and twists as well. Definitely something different and after all the mystery books I've read - I needed different. In the end, I'm very happy that I randomly decided to dive into this.
My interest was piqued when I read the title of this book and then the cover sealed the deal. I am a horse lover and the horse on this cover pulled me in. The story line was good and it held my interest throughout. I loved Elea. She has a very strong character and she's tough as nails, which I really like in a female character. She has things to hide/keep secret from others so as so often happens even in real life, she puts up a wall and won't let others in easily. I thought the other characters were also interesting and I liked them all.
Of Blood, Earth, and Magic presented quite an intriguing teaser, hooked me further with an engaging opening and never let me go. It has been quite an immersive reading experience, each scene described with just the right amount of details to spark the imagination without overwhelming the mind. I felt more than saw the world of Iamar unfolding through the eyes of Elea and Ashe, as both of them explored and discovered the hidden mysteries of the world surrounding them, uncovering lies and finding their deepest truths along the way.
Every emotion that hangs above them, between them, and all around them were all thoughtfully described and felt naturally occurring, never going overboard and overwrought with words. And I really loved the way Elea and Ashe processed their thoughts and feelings, both of them showing a sense of maturity I dare say is way beyond their age. They may be rebellious and felt oppressed by the adults in their lives, but I loved that this, too, was eventually addressed and worked out in a rather satisfying way - for now.
Another thing that I really loved about this novel is the way it made every action scene move: with urgency for the life-and-death battles, and a tenderness that just makes you sigh for the quieter interactions between its characters, humans and horses alike. ♥
I also really loved how magic is described as part of the earth, having scent like the earth, moving and springing from the earth. It is as much a part of the story as its characters, playing both a destructive and a healing role.
My only complaint is that the "circus of outcasts" didn't really play a more significant role as I had hoped it would. The novel opened quite astoundingly at the circus, but it soon became apparent that the circus was really just a backdrop to a much larger narrative that it was never meant to be a part of. Or is it too early to tell?
Aside from that, I love everything about this novel and I really hope to read more about Elea and Ashe's journey to spread peace across Iamar. ^^
I received a digital review copy of this book from Reedsy Discovery.
Three hundred years since the last war that divided the Sun, the Moon, and The Shadow. Is another on the horizon? Orphaned, Elea has been raised in a circus since she was two. She has been told by Anoki (the leader of the circus and the one who found her) to disguise her eye color and never use magic. She doesn’t know why but she obeys. Until shadow creatures invade, and she must save herself and a friend. Ashe grew up in the Sun cities, believing he would become the new leader of the city after his father passed away. But he has been trapped in the city. Told not leave because it wouldn’t be safe because the Shadow Magic people and the Moon people were a threat because of their magic. But now something evil is attacking all three peoples. Can two young adversaries come together to save the Earth? It was wonderful seeing Elea come into her own and learn to use her magic. And Ashe learn that everything he had been told growing up wasn’t always true. Denying magic hurt the Earth. But now the Earth needs the magic of all three groups to heal. Can Elea and Ashe bring everyone together? It will be hard because Elea is a combination of two groups who distrust each other.
Once I read the book description, I knew I needed to read this book. It has different tribes, magic, young love, and a fight against evil. This book was well written and moved at a good pace! There weren’t any parts that I found boring or wanted to skim over. I really like Elea, our female protagonist. She’s tough, but not in an obnoxious way. She’s just had a difficult life and has secrets she needs to keep hidden, so she puts up a wall around herself that almost no one gets to enter. I also liked Ashe, our male protagonist. He leaves the life he knows behind to seek freedom and adventure. He’s really cute with Elea. He makes it clear how he feels about her, but he isn’t pushy. I would categorize the romance in this book as ‘sweet’, which worked with the characters.
“I can still see in the dark.” - definitely one of my favorite lines!
Much thanks to A.A Chamberlynn for sending me an e-arc of this book ❤
If you like magic,horses,a well-paced story and an interesting world this book is for you.
Before starting this book,I thought that I would like it a lot. And truth be told,it's a very good book with nice writing buuuttt the thing is personal: I just didn't connect to it the way I thought I would.
The tribes,the circus,the history and everything in this world were really good and interesting and the magic in this book was something I had never seen before.
So if you want to pick this book up,go ahead!You'll probably going to like it a lot! Like I said, it's personal. I may didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would but who cares?Pick "Of Blood,Earth and Magic" up and see if you're going to like it or not!
What an excellent story!! It is a well plotted story with intriguing characters. It is the perfect blend of engaging writing, a strong & independent heroine, fantasy, magic, and romance. What a great book, totally loved it. I highly recommend this book! You won't be disappointed.
I received an advance review copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I definitely enjoyed this book/story! It's well written, the characters are great and it moves quickly. There were a few unexpected moments which is always enjoyable and the romance isn't over done because it wasn't needed. It has an important message about not judging and how working together makes a difference. I am a new fan of the author.