| Title | : | Stone Song (The Isle of Destiny, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 296 |
| Publication | : | First published June 2, 2016 |
Clare MacBride has her life in exactly the order she wants it. In a year, she’ll have finished her geology dissertation, though she’s no closer to figuring out the answer to one question that plagues her.
Why does she feel stones pulse with energy?
A centuries-old curse, a mysterious faction of protectors, and a mythological godstone all sound like old world fairytale nonsense to Clare. It only takes one rainy evening with a silver-eyed fae and a handsome stranger promising protection to rock her world forever.
With her life plans shattered at her feet, the lines of science and fiction blur as Clare is forced to throw everything she knows about the world out the window and look deep within her heart for answers.
Stone Song (The Isle of Destiny, #1) Reviews
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As an avid reader you find books you like, some you love. Every so often you come across a book that not only is amazing and brilliant but touches your heart and soul. This is that book.
The book that makes you feel , inserts you into the storyline and touches your heart. This book is about true love, friendships, trust, finding and believing in your self. It has mystery, supernatural aspects, Irish mythology and a quest for good vs. Evil.
This book reminded me of a combination of Karen Marie Moaning Fever series and J.R.R Tolikens the Hobbit. Good fae, bad fae, a quest to save Ireland by finding four supernatural items, love and friendships along with some comedy makes this book one of my favorite reads of all time!!! Bonus if you've read the Mystic Cove series some characters pop up from those books. -
Clare’s life was in order, a geology student, she thought she understood rocks, stones, the earth and the stories they could tell. Only one thing bothered her, why did she sense energy from the stones she came near? Why don’t others feel it? Facts were her life, so when she heard of ancient curses, magical stones, she had no idea that those fairytales would change her life forever. Then, there was the beautiful Fae with the dazzling eyes…had she fallen down the rabbit hole?
STONE SONG by Tricia O’Malley is filled with the magic of the Fae, Ireland and the quest to save the isle. Completely likable characters, the eternal battle of good versus evil and an ending that is really rather simple and direct, this tale is a comfortable, entertaining read to pass an afternoon away lost in the magic of this author’s imagination. A little love, a little laughter, unlikely alliances and an uphill struggle to complete a quest!
I received a complimentary copy! This is my honest and voluntary review.
Series: The Isle of Destiny - Book 1
Publisher: Lovewrite Publishing (June 2, 2016)
Publication Date: June 2, 2016
Genre: Fantasy
Print Length: 302 pages
Available from:
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I’m conflicted about this review, and the rating. It was SO slow getting started it was bloody painful. Like the percent read meter was broken. I realized on chapter 18 that they hadn’t actually DONE anything yet. Gah!
But, the characters were likable, some of them even lovable. Esther!
There was a similarity in feel to Moning’s Fever series. Seeker, protector, quest to find magical object. Good Fae vs Dark Fae. But, the FMC was preferable (for me) to Mac, and the MMC wasn’t a bastard you wanted to stab 99% of the time. So, yay! And, I imagine the similarities can be chalked up to both authors drawing from actual Irish Fae lore.
Some bits were overly predictable. Some bits were overly convenient. Some bits were painfully slow. But, in the end, I actually liked it, and I think that the slow factor may not be an issue in later books, as the ground has been laid. So, I intend to give it at least one more book to see if I want to read on.
The editing was fairly good. Also a plus in my book.
Honestly, I wanted to rate it higher, but I can’t. If part of the issue (as I hope) is just 1st book syndrome, then I will be able to rate the next one higher. -
Cheesy. Flat characters. Underdeveloped world.
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★ 1 star ★
Y'all, I don't have enough energy to write a full review about this book, so I'll keep it short.
The writing was (excuse me, I'm about to go full-on English teacher) always tell and never show. I hated everyone in this book. They were all flat, and none of them showed any character growth. At all. Which sucks, because they sucked the entire way through. (Allow me to excuse my unkindness with the headache pounding in my head right now.)
The plot was all over the place, and sometimes (most of the time), there was no plot at all. Blake sounded super r*pey the entire time, and every conflict was fixed on the same page. The word 'lust' was used wayyy too many times. The word 'ladybits' was also used, and that simply should not be allowed.
I wrote out a lot of thoughts while I was reading this, but putting them into a paragraph that makes sense is too much work for my sobbing brain right now. I can't do it guys, I just can't. Not after reading about four straight White people for 300 pages.
In conclusion (Yes, this is a high school essay), can I give this less than one star? Please? -
This is the branch off of the missing side of the family mentioned in the Mystic Cove series. You won't be sorry that you continued down this branch of the family either. Excellent characters, endearing love stories with a bit of wit tossed in for fun and exciting action both on and off the battle field! You get a few Mystic Cove characters laced in for an added bonus! I can't wait to hear what happens in the next book!
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4.5 stars on the re-read.
Clare MacBride is busy and stressed, but she's where she wants to be and only a year away from completing her PhD in geology at prestigious Trinity College. She's just no closer to understanding why she can feel the energy and stories within stones. When a mysterious, leather-clad man saves her from a mugging, claiming to be her protector, she's not sure what to make of it. When he tells her of an ancient curse and two warring factions of fae, it all sounds like a mythological fiction, until continued attacks make it all too real.
Science-minded Clare struggles to come to grips with things she can't explain as she finds her world completely upended. Soon she must question everything she thought she knew and, with help from her friends and Blake, her official protector, she'll find the answers were within herself all along.
This was an audio revisit of a book I loved when I read it a few years ago. It didn't hold up quite as well with age, but I think a lot of that was due to my dislike of the narrator; an Irish narrator would've suited much better than an American. I still adored Blake and he's still one of the most sensual and swoon-worthy heroes I've read. Clare was a bit annoying in all of the stupid decisions she made, endangering the entire group, despite the fact that her above average intelligence is mentioned often. Nonetheless, I still enjoyed the fantasy and adventure of this book and found it to be a lovely escape from reality. I'm continuing on with my audio revisit. -
I've started and stopped a LOT of books lately, so credit to this one that I made it through in full, I liked the world and am a total sucker for chosen one story with a healthy dash of romance. Unfortunately, as curious as I was about how this would end, I couldn't quite get over a problematic main character, really odd writing choices and - crucially - the clichéd portrayal of Oirish people, to be sure, to be sure.
So firstly, Claire as our heroine didn't really work for me. I understand the confusion and anxiety over her destiny, but she kind of came across as an unreasonable diva on multiple occasions. She was also portrayed as being without fault, and of course her magical magicness was awesome and saved the day more than once. The love story with Blake got my interest at first, but it quickly descended into creepy territory, with ten years of watching, longing, and then a random 'conflict' where he got mad because she saved him... No thank you.
The writing was really strange. From the standard "she looked in the mirror and described her perfect appearance in detail" style to let us know what the heroine looks like, to on-the-nose dialogue that was all tell and zero show, this brought me out of the story repeatedly.
And to be fair, all the Irish people I know are older and not from Dublin, but the attempt to capture Irish speech patterns never really felt authentic, this seemed to be a very cheesy and unrealistic depiction of Irish people.
I kind of loved Bianca and Seamus though, it's a shame the quest wasn't just them, as I suspect it would have been more fun. -
Nope, DNf. Not for me...
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A very pleasant reading experience. Part of a trilogy that I look forward to finishing. Love the Irish culture and the supernatural conflict of good and evil. The love story was an extra plus. Mildly graphic sex.
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Love is the light that shines its truth in darkness
I’ve actually found this book through Bookbub emailing, it instantly caught my eye, so I purchased it as a light reading. When I started reading it, I got caught up and couldn't let go until i’ve read the last sentence.
In this story, Claire’s quest is not only to find the stone that would help her save Ireland’s fate but, furthermore, to find herself and fulfill her destiny. The story brings us a tale where Ireland’s fate is in the hands of four seakers, who have to fulfill a series of quests in order to maintain reality and life as we mortals know it.
I’ve really enjoyed reading this book, seeing how Claire and Blake’s paths come together, how friendships are forged more stronger than they already were and, most of all, how Claire’s knowledge of reality gets twisted and changed when becoming close to the reality that magic exists. Her scientific brain struggles at times, but it's a journey she has to take in order to achieve her goal.
It was a fun, entertaining read and I can't wait to get my hands on the next book of the series. -
The plot was so promising — set in Ireland, a regular woman named Clare, finds out she is a part of the fae world. This fell so flat. I have no idea how it’s rated as high as it is. First of all her acceptance into this world and the meaning for her was so quick and casual. Alright cool I’m doing this, what!??! Then the terminology they used throughout the whole thing referring to the “quest” and “last battle” it was so odd and cheesy with them saying that from two people who have been human basically their entire life. Also there was just 0 connection of why these fae were “bad”. The only part that actually made sense was Clare questioning that and of course they want to be free they’ve been imprisoned for 100s of years.
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I tried this one in audio and the narration didn't work for me. The American accent for parts of the story, then switching to an Irish accent for the dialogue was jarring and kept throwing me out of the story. Also, when the dialogue was occurring, the narrator spoke extremely slowly. I had to speed up the playback to get past it, but it wasn't perfect. I think I will skip this one in audio and try again in print.
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DNF 31%
Boring! Several fantasy tropes assembled in the usual way: THE CHOSEN ONE, A RELUCTANT HEROINE, SHOULD GO ON A QUEST TO FIND A MAGICAL STONE. THE FATE OF IRELAND DEPENDS ON HER. The clock is ticking too. And, of course, she has magic, although she is a scientist and doesn't believe in magic, so she resists her destiny. At first. Plus some lust and a hunky sidekick. It was all so predictable and so slow, I couldn't read it anymore. -
2.5 stars. My god was this cheesy. For some unknown reason, I'm feeling compelled to read the next one though, hence the extra 1/2 star. Her tequila series is 1000x better. Stick with that one, people.
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Great read!
I love magical book series!
This was a sweet, fun, entertaining read.
I’m off to start Sword Song......
Can’t wait to see where the next adventure takes me!! -
Not at all what I expected. The thought behind it is interesting. But the characters are badly developed, the conclusion way too easily reached. And the fact that the author seems to mix up Scottish accents with Irish is simply annoying after a while. I desperately wanted to read a book set in Ireland, but after this I‘m only disappointed. There‘s hardly anything authentic about the description of Ireland. The plot could be set anywhere with a coast in sight. This whole ‚Saving Ireland‘ unfortunately doesn‘t spark much emotion for me.
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This review is of the audiobook. It seemed a little immature to me. The narration by Amy Landon distracted from my enjoyment of the book. The switching back and forth between American and the Irish accent didn't work well. They should have found an Irish narrator. I doubt if I will continue with the other books in the series.
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I didn't realize that this book would tie into the Mystic Cove series that I just finished by Tricia O'Malley. I would say that I enjoyed the Mystic Cove series more and would go that route if you were to pick one of the series to read. That being said it is still a romance set in Ireland so not bad.
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Sooooooo I finally decided to try another book of this author since I am having withdraws from the series I just finished (which I heard a rumor she is adding a book to that series. eee!)
The story follows Clare who thought she had life all set up and ready to go. Her plans shatter like glass at her feet when she realizes she is chosen by forces beyond her control. She must put her life and heart on the line on this journey.
My favorite part of this book is the fact that it takes place in the same world as the other series! You do not have to read the other series to understand, but it really made it feel like I was at home. It was so nice to see a couple of people from the previous books make a quick appearance. ^_^
Oh Clare. Oh Clare. I have mixed feelings about you.
Blake...he was okay. Very grumpy but he has been in love with Clare for 10 years and couldn't even say hi to her without messing up her fate. So sad.
I LOVED Clare's friend. She was adorable. I think I would've liked her to be the Chosen One ;) hehe.
This was far too short. I feel like we need more time as they try and solve the mystery and find the stone. I wanted more time with these 4 adventurers. Maybe we'll see them more in the next book? We shall see.
The narrator is awesome as per normal. Love her voices!!
Overall, I liked it, but I felt like there should've been more. I'll have to read book 2 someday. I'll give this 3 stars. -
It took me a while to warm to the characters in this book but once I did it had me hooked.
Clare has her life sorted, she has liked rocks and stones since she was a child, she found they spoke to her, not in a vocal way but in a feeling. She worked part time in a mystic shop that sold rocks and crystals amongst other things, but it was these she was most interested in. When someone came to the shop with a particular problem, maybe migraine, she knew instantly which crystal or stone would help them as it called to her in her mind.
She was studying Geology at university too which she loved, Then all this changed when a very attractive man came to her rescue when she thought she was being stalked down an alley, to her shock he stabbed the stalker who turned into a silver puddle.
He then expplained he was her Protector and has been watching over her for over a decade waiting for this time, as she was chosen to take on a quest to find a particular rock that would save all the human lives in Ireland.
The book contains, battles, a couple of love stories, lost and found families and dark and light fae all the things I love from a book and set in my favourite place - Ireland.
There are a furthe two books in this series and I have them stored in my Kindle ready to read.
