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Ruinsong

Julia Ember (Goodreads Author)

4.19 · Rating details · 47 ratings · 31 reviews

In Julia Ember's dark and lush LGBTQ+ romantic fantasy Ruinsong, two young women from rival factions must work together to reunite their country, as they wrestle with their feelings for each other.

Her voice was her prison…
Now it’s her weapon.

In a world where magic is sung, a powerful mage named Cadence has been forced to torture her country's disgraced nobility at her ruth ...more

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Hardcover, 368 pages

Expected publication: November 24th 2020 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

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Average rating 4.19 ·

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· 47 ratings · 31 reviews

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Nov 29, 2018 Julia Ember rated it it was amazing · (Review from the author)

UPDATE: Ruinsong will be released on November 24, 2020!

This book is a queer Phantom of the Opera retelling with music magic and girls wearing pink ballgowns and ribbons while brutally destroying their enemies.

I'm made an aesthetic for it today, so I decided to share it here too:

...more

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Jun 11, 2019 Tabi⁷ (ᕗツ)ᕗ marked it as to-read

Shelves: edelweiss, netgalley

please don't let instalove ruin the glorious song of this concept

also that cover is PURPLE and glorious and therefore I love it dearly

flag 16 likes · Like · see review

Sep 27, 2019 Rebecca Schaeffer rated it it was amazing

Shelves: deliciously-atmospheric, pretty-words

I am so excited for all of you guys to read this book. It is everything I love in my fantasy, lush, immersive world-building, unique, vicious magic, morally grey characters, and a twisty, twisted plot. 2020 can't come fast enough!

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Nov 30, 2019 ˗ˏˋliaˎˊ˗ marked it as anticipated-2020

ahhh just noticed we now have a release date, i’m so excited for this!!

flag 8 likes · Like · see review

Dec 31, 2018 helena marked it as to-read

omg. look at that description!!!!! this book won me already

flag 7 likes · Like · see review

Oct 18, 2020 Toya (the reading chemist) rated it it was amazing

4.5 stars rounded up!

Ruinsong is a brilliant dark fantasy that features enchanted songs and a slow-burn sapphic romance. The story follows two young woman. Cadence is the queen's new Principal singer who uses her magical songs to torture the queen's enemies (mainly the nobles). Remi, the daughter of a Viscount, wants nothing more than the queen's torturous reign to finally be over.

There are so many things that I just loved about this book. The world building is lush and incredibly intricate. Th ...more

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Aug 07, 2020 Jules ✨ marked it as arcs-tbr-pile

Shelves: fantasy, tbr-2020-2021, lgbtq, lets-go-lesbians, cant-wait-to-read, young-adult, 2020-release, less-than-400-pages, sci-fi, ebook-tbr-pile

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley.

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Oct 14, 2020 USOM rated it really liked it

(Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)

Tw: torture

Ruinsong is a story about choices. About taking a stand, discovering the truth about our own power, and figuring out how to use it. To reject people's choices about who you are, and to let your voice be heard. Cadence knows loss. She knows poverty and what it sounds like when that voice in the back of your head is ignored. Remi feels the boiling beneath the surface and the ...more

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Sep 18, 2020 Dylan Miller rated it it was amazing

Shelves: retellings, mult-perspectives, lgbtq, young-adult, fantasy, sapphic

While in some ways Ruinsong is a slow burn of a novel, the word count and world building are very welcome. Because of how lush the world of Ruinsong is especially concerning the logistics of magical song and class divides, I think this is one of those rare opportunities in which the audience needs that solid foundation. Ember delivered a gorgeous sapphic fantasy book for teens and up.

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Oct 12, 2020 Rachel rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2020-reads, netgalley-arcs, lgbtq

A lush fantasy novel about song magic and fighting for what's right--even when you've been complicit in wrongdoing.

In the Queendom of Bordea, music is magic-- at least for those gifted with it by the goddess. But for the Queen's Principal Singer, Cadence, her powers feel like more of a curse. At least, they have ever since she was taken in by the new queen and trained to become her chief weapon against the nobility. Now, her voice is used in shows of mass torture, used to keep the nobility livi ...more

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Jun 30, 2020 Vee_Bookish // YA Book Blogger marked it as not-yet-released

Hopefully this is like Song Quest but not sheet

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Oct 22, 2018 Alyssa Mead marked it as in-the-distant-future

Shelves: i-need-these-now

This sounds so interesting! I just finished the Seafarer’s Kiss and I *loved* it, so I’m really excited to buy this novel, too! 💙

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Apr 28, 2020 Chantal Aurora marked it as to-read

Shelves: sapphic, releases-2020

How did I miss that this book is phantom inspired and queer?! *screams* I NEED THIS BOOK.

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May 04, 2020 Arien marked it as to-read

two young women from rival factions must work together

Dude, my gay heart is like, in love

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Jul 13, 2020 mo marked it as to-read

✓ magic being music/song-related
✓ "lgbtq+ romantic fantasy"
✓ that luscious purple cover
✓ themes of dismantling systems of oppression i hope??

basically, sign me up for this one

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Oct 13, 2020 Zoey Perrigo rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arc

*I received a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

There were a lot of reasons that I wanted to read this book. All of the buzzwords used in the blurb and the idea of a f/f YA? That's all I needed! I got so much more out of it than I thought I would.

This world and the magic behind it captivated me. A world where magic is song? That is right up my alley! I so liked learning about how the magic worked. I always found myself wondering what it each song would sound like.

There was one th ...more

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Aug 23, 2020 Sarah Leigh rated it really liked it

Ruinsong is pitched as a dark, sapphic, romantic fantasy and in many ways, it delivers on that promise. The novel focuses on two young women; Cadence, the queen's powerful new Principal singer who is forced to use her magic to torture the queen's enemies, and Remi, the daughter of nobles who desperately wants to see her country change for the better. As the novel progresses, the two young women are thrust together and must figure out what they ultimately want and how to achieve it, while also de Ruinsong is pitched as a dark, sapphic, romantic fantasy and in many ways, it delivers on that promise. The novel focuses on two young women; Cadence, the queen's powerful new Principal singer who is forced to use her magic to torture the queen's enemies, and Remi, the daughter of nobles who desperately wants to see her country change for the better. As the novel progresses, the two young women are thrust together and must figure out what they ultimately want and how to achieve it, while also dealing with their emotions and growing feelings for each other.

There were many things that I enjoyed about this novel. I loved the premise, and I genuinely enjoyed the character development. Cadence and Remi both feel complex in ways that (at times) fantasy characters don't, and I appreciate the effort to give them desires and hopes beyond the obvious or the simple. Although Cadence has been treated cruelly by the queen, she is also a parental figure which means that Cadence has more complex feelings about her than others might. Remi is a noble, which brings a certain amount of power and privilege, but she behaves as any 17-year-old young woman might, with the right impulses that can also be destructive in certain circumstances. The idea of singing magic was interesting and fun and made me wish that I could hear some of the songs. The descriptive language in the novel is well written and paints a picture of what these characters are like, and the world in which they live, without being over the top.

My issues are mostly with the pacing and the worldbuilding. In terms of the pacing, I genuinely enjoyed the novel's slow build and leisurely pace, so it was genuinely shocking to reach the climax and then have everything happen all at once. A lot of the last act of the novel felt rushed, which was in contrast to the rest of the book, and although I enjoyed what happened, I didn't enjoy feeling like I was missing things because they all happened so fast. Without giving spoilers, once certain choices are made by the characters, the novel almost speedruns to the finish and we get most of the information about what happens after in an epilogue. It just didn't seem to fit with the rest of the novel to get SO much information all at once rather than to continue the slow build. While I enjoy a happy ending, I wish at times that it had been slightly darker, especially when compared to The Phantom of the Opera. I also found the worldbuilding to be slightly lacking. Although the premise is interesting I don't feel like I fully understand how the magic works in this novel. It just...does. Furthermore, there are some questions raised about how individuals shape their magic through song, and whether you actually need your voice to accomplish things. I would have liked more detail and information about this, as well as maybe more information on the effect of magic on the wielder's body. I was confused that Cadence kept losing her voice - trained singers can sing for days without issues, so is it the magic? I don't know.

Overall, I did genuinely enjoy reading the novel (although I'm not sure I see a clear connection with the phantom of the opera other than there is an oppressed person with ties to the opera house). The romance is sweet and the settings feel incredibly lush. It's a beautiful novel and carries a strong message about the choices we make and the people we become. 3.5/5 stars (rounded up for the review). ...more

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Jul 31, 2020 paperbackfruit rated it really liked it

3.75

Thank you to Unplugged Book and Edelweiss for this ARC. In exchange, here is my honest review.

I love the story idea. The world-building and characters are alright. Even though I didn’t connect with them a lot, but the book itself is okay. An interesting read. The plot is quite cool, and the pace is relatively good, but I wasn’t a fan of the ending, mainly because I found it predictable. A happy ending. Yay. But it felt rushed and insignificant –– I expected more from it. I guess I would call ...more

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Dec 30, 2018 Ashlee » Library In The Country marked it as to-read

I just really love this title.

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Dec 05, 2019 amara ☾ marked it as to-read

Shelves: lgbtrep

look at that bomb ass cover 😍😍

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Aug 30, 2020 Shelby rated it liked it

*Thanks to the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review
3.5 stars
RUINSONG is a beautiful fantastical story set in a world where magic is transferred through song. We follow two characters, one of which is the queen’s personal mage. Cadence sings destructive music for the queen at annual Performances, and at the one in this book, we also meet our second perspective, Remi, who was friends with Cadence as children. The two girls are soon reunited and forced into danger ...more

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Sep 04, 2020 Thindbooks rated it liked it

*This e-arc was given to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*

I liked this book. It's about a powerful mage, Candence, who is forced to torture her kingdom by the queen until she meets her childhood friend and they try to find a way for Candence to defeat the queen. I thought the book was basic and wish there was more to the story. There was little information about the world and I wish the author did well with the world-building. I did enjoy the story but wish there was more t ...more

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Apr 19, 2020 Chloe rated it liked it

*Spoiler free*

When I found out about this book, I kind of felt like I'd fallen off something. A queer book, a f/f book, where song is magic and a girl has been forced to do the bidding of a powerful and cruel queen, but she's reunited with her childhood friend. And that friend has ties to a rebellion. Yes, and the cover in all it's purple glory just cemented everything for me. I was very, very eager to give this book a shot. Trigger warnings: violent animal deaths, torture, blood

This book had a *Spoiler free*

When I found out about this book, I kind of felt like I'd fallen off something. A queer book, a f/f book, where song is magic and a girl has been forced to do the bidding of a powerful and cruel queen, but she's reunited with her childhood friend. And that friend has ties to a rebellion. Yes, and the cover in all it's purple glory just cemented everything for me. I was very, very eager to give this book a shot. Trigger warnings: violent animal deaths, torture, blood

This book had a lot of good things in it. But, there were also some things that I wasn't the biggest fan of. I didn't hate, but I also didn't end up falling totally in love with.

The pacing was the biggest thing that was off for me. To me, the whole book read like exposition. The whole book had a feeling of waiting on the edge, of things just about to happen. I was actually surprised to find myself in the middle of the book when the pace made it seem like things were still being set up. It was a weird feeling and I think it made the book fly by way too fast for me. Or maybe it just didn't make the story progressions feel concrete enough for me.

The writing though was something I enjoyed. While it might have moved a bit too fast for my personal tastes, I did enjoy reading it. It was light and it sort of moved along like a breeze. I know that's a weird way to describe it, but it was enjoyable to experience.

One of my favorite things about this book was the class dynamics. Nobles are hated because the queen had horrible experience with one of them. Now they are treated poorly and submitted to a horrible experience once a year, but they still have all the money and more they need to support themselves. Then there's the commoners, hard workers and the queen thinks they're the backbone of the country. There's also mages, able perform magic through song, employed to the queen. The way these factions interact and how the power dynamics and are totally unique to this story was fascinating to see. To see the people who are usually at the top of society, keep their titles and their wealth, but be treated so poorly was seriously something to see. It was extremely well woven and written.

I enjoyed the characters. Cadence is guilt ridden and a powerful mage. She's forced by the queen to do horrible things. Though I would have liked to see her blossom more, I did like her POV. She's human. Remi was also really great. Fierce, stubborn, and a bit wild.

I feel like the pace didn't leave enough room for a ton of character development to happen. I would have liked to see more of the relationships across the board. To see of a more slow burn between Cadence and the queen, to see Cadence and Remi really start to come together. But things moved so quickly and I feel like there could have been to all the characters.

The magic system was interesting. Magic comes from song and different people can perform different kinds of magic. I'm pretty sure this is going to be a series and I'm very eager to see where this aspect goes. Because I think there's a lot more too it and lot hidden underneath what was shown in this book.

I didn't love the ending. It felt more rushed than the rest of book. It sort of felt like it was trying to wrap things up like this was a standalone, though with the possibility to be more books. I would have liked things to be more open ended because it made everything seem a bit forced.

All in all, this book was pretty good. There were some things I didn't like about it, but there were plenty of things I did like about it as well! If you're looking for a book with unique class dynamics, a sweet f/f romance, a cruel queen, and magic system made of song, then this is the book for you! ...more

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Aug 11, 2020 GhostBird rated it liked it

I was very excited by the premise of Ruinsong, but ultimately put it down around 40% of the way through.

First, the good: I really enjoyed the world building, and the author does a great job of making the evil queen truly evil. I also liked how she made it clear that Cadence had no choice but to do what she does, and gives her redeeming things to do like helping at the hospital. I think there's enough of interest to the book that some readers may really enjoy it.

However, I reached the 40% mark I was very excited by the premise of Ruinsong, but ultimately put it down around 40% of the way through.

First, the good: I really enjoyed the world building, and the author does a great job of making the evil queen truly evil. I also liked how she made it clear that Cadence had no choice but to do what she does, and gives her redeeming things to do like helping at the hospital. I think there's enough of interest to the book that some readers may really enjoy it.

However, I reached the 40% mark and was still waiting for the plot to truly start, and waiting to feel attached to any of the characters. Everything I read up until that point fit into the category of "this is how the world is and we must endure it," and never crossed over into "we can't stand for this anymore, and we must change it." I felt like I didn't have anything specific to look forward to, other than the vague "I assume they're going to team up to take down the queen at some point." It wasn't bad, just... stagnant.

Cadence is supposedly a very powerful mage, but I don't get the sense that she has further to grow, so I'm not sure if I have a power arc to look forward to or not. Cadence and Remi are supposedly going to fall in love, but I didn't feel tension or a tug between them in the brief moments they were in the narrative together, so I'm not dying for them to meet again. (That's likely personal preference on my part--I like for my ships to really grab me and drag me along for the ride.)

I was also surprised to revisit the book description after reading for a while, and find that Ruinsong is supposedly a retelling of Phantom of the Opera? I'm not well versed in the Leroux novel but I've seen the silent film and the musical, and the only similarities I found were "there is singing" and "there is an opera house." I would have loved to see more parallels, since Phantom is one of my favorite things.

I have other minor gripes that fall into personal preference (such as the violence against animals--I find that hard to stomach when it isn't met with swift retribution), so ultimately I'm choosing not to continue the book because it's just not speaking to me and the reasons I picked it up weren't really delivered how I'd hoped.

However, I do think there's enough of merit in it that I wouldn't dissuade anyone else from picking it up to see if it speaks to them. Give it a shot! ...more

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Oct 14, 2020 Kaylee Pereyra rated it it was ok

*eARC provided by publisher. All opinions are my own.*

BEAUTIFUL FRICKIN’ COVER. Sadly, I just wasn’t into this book. I read something about this being Phantom of the Opera-esque but I really didn’t pick up on that at all, besides the singing aspect and murder??

I did like the idea of using song as weapon and such, but the worldbuilding just felt a bit weak at times. The plot sort of meanders for a majority of the book until the very end when everything is rushed together and wrapped up VERY quick ...more

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Aug 24, 2020 Molly the Gemini rated it liked it

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Hmmmm...I was super excited for this book because, fantasy, magic, diverse characters but it just fell flat for me. It started out really strong with a really cool magic concept and didn't hold back from the cruelty of the evil queen but as the story went on it was super rushed. I didn't believe the romance (these characters were only separated for a couple years but seemed to forget about each other even though they ...more

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Sep 04, 2020 Landice (Manic Femme Reviews) marked it as to-read

Shelves: unreleased-hype, sapphic-tbr, sapphic-rep, pre-ordered, lgbtq-rep, ya-fantasy, 2020-releases, ya, ya-with-adult-appeal

I NEED THIS LIKE I NEED AIR OH MAN

Love sapphic books, too? Let's be friends! Bookstagram | Booktube | Book Blog | Twitter ...more

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May 01, 2020 Vanessa is currently reading it

[November expiry.]

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Oct 07, 2020 kat marked it as nov-2020

This book is a queer Phantom of the Opera retelling with music magic and girls wearing pink ballgowns and ribbons while brutally destroying their enemies.

this sounds amazing.

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Dec 15, 2019 Benjamin marked it as to-read

Shelves: cant-wait-to-read

This is...so purple...

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About Julia Ember

Julia Ember

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Julia lives with her wife-to-be and their city based menagerie of pets with literary names in Seattle.

She is the author of The Seafarer's Kiss and The Navigator's Touch, released by Interlude Press/Duet Books in 2017 and 2018. The duology features Norse retellings of The Little Mermaid and Peter Pan and was heavily influenced by Julia's postgraduate work in Medieval Literature at the University of ...more