Your New Favourite High Fantasy Series
Book Review of Bloodstone and Dandelions by Elle Brockett
Published: November 2nd, 2024
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5 Stars)
Genres: High Fantasy (Epic Fantasy),
Series: The Threads of Ailiar (Book 1 of Unknown)
Disclaimer: Thank you Elle Brockett for sending me this book. All thoughts and opinions are 100% honest and my own.
CW/TW: Death, gruesome injury/injury description, blood, animal attack, death of minors, fire/fire injury, body horror, violence, gaslighting, sexual harassment, self-harm and self-mutilation, enslavement, parental neglect, displacement.
Blurb
A royal betrothal
A treasonous plot
The betrayal of a lifetime
As two young royals prepare for their upcoming nuptials, dark forces are at work in the elven queendom of Ailiar. Towns along the Colosian border are being burned to the ground and the Queen seems to have nothing to say about it. Whispers of war are stirring, and the fragile peace that the royal marriage is intended to bring seems so very far out of reach.
Crown Princess Calliope is dreading the arrival of her intended, while Prince Di’Ath of Zadanai wars with his sense of duty and his desire for freedom. Could they possibly find love and companionship within one another, or are they doomed to a loveless marriage for the sake of politics?
Meanwhile, in the Eastern-most reaches of Ailiar, Aros C’Asad finds a young human girl moments away from death. As soon as he takes her into his arms, he can feel the burden of responsibility settle deep within his gut.
Just who did he find?
What secrets will she uncover?
And what do they mean for the future of the Ailian realm?
Mind Blowing
Bloodstone and Dandelions absolutely blew my mind.
I met the author, Elle Brockett, through BookTok. The fact that I know her and consider her a friend and that she wrote this incredibly masterful piece of art honestly leaves me speechless. Oh, and did I mention it’s her debut? I cannot fathom the amount of time and effort she put into honing her craft to produce this book.
Your New Fav Fantasy Series
Bloodstone and Dandelions is the first in a fantasy series.
As always, with fantasy books, especially those that are the first in the series, there is a lot of world-building and exposition to set up the story and characters. This tends to create slow pacing at the beginning that picks up as you make your way through the story and the action and stakes rise. Although the story follows this to establish the world, characters, environments, and cultures, it’s done in a way that makes it easy for the reader.
With all the POV characters, each in a different place and going through different things, it would be understandable if things got confusing. However, that wasn’t the case for me while reading. I was engaged with the story and exploring the characters.
I will say that the slow pacing in Bloodstone and Dandelions lasts longer than other books. This is because each POV character and environment must be established before getting into the higher stakes and intense plot.
Diverse Characters and Settings
Not only are the voices of the different POV characters unique and make them feel real, but each POV character comes from a different background with their own experiences, beliefs, religion and culture. This all makes for a rich and diverse story that only scratches the surface in Bloodstone and Dandelions.
Emotionally Driven
While reading Bloodstone and Dandelions, the standout thing for me was how each character is so full of emotion. They’re all driven by it; it seeps out of the page and into the hearts of readers. This makes such an impact on the reading experience. Being able to feel the emotions of the characters not only makes them feel more alive but also puts the reader in their place. It makes everything more. More impactful, more beautiful, more poetic, just more.
Favourite Quotes From Bloodstone and Dandelions
Ifs are useless. They will not save you. Do not ask yourself if something else could have been done. Ask yourself what you can do to change your fate.
Di’Ath was resigned to be, at best, forgotten, lest he be remembered as a villain.
With nothing else to do other than walking exercises and staring out the window, toying with Aros had become Maida’s favourite past-time.
“It’s a story about a woman thrust into a role she didn’t want, all because she decided to run when faced with an equally unsavoury alternative,”
You would burn yourself to keep her warm.
Perhaps I’ll get lucky and she’ll stop breathing all together.
If only she could boil water with the heat that his laugh brought to her body.
“Sometimes,” he said softly. “Our mind decides to be cruel and will remember things that we would rather forget. I, for one, have many memories that I wish time would take from me. Unfortunately, we do not have control over what we keep in our minds and what we do not.”
“And when you do not have faith in yourself,” Dapsa said. “Just know that I have enough of it for you.”
“Boys need to learn that women can say no. Otherwise, they become men who are deaf to the word.”
She looked as though a river of fire flowed from the crown atop her head. She looked fierce. She looked… right through Calliope.
Final Thoughts
Obviously, Elle knows how to craft an epic story that grips its readers and makes them feel such deep emotions that no matter what you do, this story will stay with you.
As I said before, the fact that Bloodstone and Dandelions is a debut book completely blows my mind. I’m so excited to see where this series goes. Of course you can expect reviews for all of Elle’s upcoming works.
If you enjoy multiple POV epic fantasies (aka high fantasy), elemental magic and a deep and emotional story then do yourself a favour and go pick up Bloodstone and Dandelions, you won’t regret it.
In order to make sure you don’t regret it, please read the trigger & content warnings. This book is dark and does not hide the gruesome depictions and utter heartbreak of war and battle. Your mental health is more important than reading a book.
Author’s Website | Amazon AU | Amazon US
Where you can, please purchase from the author’s website to support indie authors
Available on Kindle Unlimited
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