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The Secret & the Stone
Her whole life, Aurelia has only wanted one thing: to prove herself to her father, the King of Sumpton. When she's sent across the continent to lead negotiations with Willhardt's queen she thinks she's getting just that. What she doesn't know is that this trip will change everything for her. With the magic that she thought the continent had lost access to flourishing in the capital, a monarch that underestimates and challenges her at every turn, and thoughts of a pretty princess to distract her, Aurelia's world is quickly turned upside down. She's left wondering how she'll survive the trip, and, more importantly, how can she keep everyone happy while she tries?
256 pages, Paperback
Published September 15, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 23, 2022
I read this a month prior, and I'm still recollecting the intricate ways this novel unfolded in storytelling. The first thought I have is that this series so far feels like a love letter to the fantasy genre, and interestingly enough, tabletop gaming-roleplaying. Aurelia, her crush Harper, and their guard Kaden have the trio dynamic of real-life players intermingling in a make-believe dungeon, rolling for investigation checks and checking for magical traps on doorknobs. Essentially, the characterizations weave a reality that makes sense to the reader -- everyone is well-rounded, easy to care about, and most of all: fun to read about. This is my personal appeal for this first novel of the Lifestone Chronicles, but for those who may not be familiar with this anecdote, think of this novel as reading a life-threatening sleuth among a cast of characters with real-life ambitions: Aurelia with her chronic need for her father's approval, Harper's resilience amongst generational betrayal, and many others' plights. You want to see them unscathed while also harboring jest in exposing their main threat in the plot. It's something you can't put down!
It's also always nice to see another entry to queer/LGBTQIA+ genre fiction, especially sapphic relationships. Aurelia and Harper are loveable and I want to see more of them. Their relationship and the way its written is also another major highlight of this novel.
If you enjoy what I have described in this review, this is worth your time! This novel was a breath of fresh air from this year of heavy reading and has rejuvenated sparks of my joy for leisure reading. Support this author!
It's also always nice to see another entry to queer/LGBTQIA+ genre fiction, especially sapphic relationships. Aurelia and Harper are loveable and I want to see more of them. Their relationship and the way its written is also another major highlight of this novel.
If you enjoy what I have described in this review, this is worth your time! This novel was a breath of fresh air from this year of heavy reading and has rejuvenated sparks of my joy for leisure reading. Support this author!
April 7, 2024
3.5
this is an adult novel written like the characters are teenagers and it just doesn’t work, the characters are naive and reckless in ways which just don’t work when the characters are 22 and not 12. certain characters are given large roles but only really exist for one specific event to help push the story and then become redundant other than that.
There are also errors in the sequencing of the story; at one point after the attack, aurelia discusses how the queen hasn’t been seen in nearly 2 weeks and then that night she shows up for dinner and says “yesterday’s attack” so what is the truth?
I think this book is all over the place to be honest and i’m quite baffled as to how it had 100% 5 star reviews prior to mine
this is an adult novel written like the characters are teenagers and it just doesn’t work, the characters are naive and reckless in ways which just don’t work when the characters are 22 and not 12. certain characters are given large roles but only really exist for one specific event to help push the story and then become redundant other than that.
There are also errors in the sequencing of the story; at one point after the attack, aurelia discusses how the queen hasn’t been seen in nearly 2 weeks and then that night she shows up for dinner and says “yesterday’s attack” so what is the truth?
I think this book is all over the place to be honest and i’m quite baffled as to how it had 100% 5 star reviews prior to mine
April 3, 2023
This was such a beautiful story that was so wonderful to get lost into. The characters were so charming and it was great to be able to follow their journeys. I was hooked the entire time that I spent reading this book. It was an amazing read and I am looking forward to what the next book has in store.
December 19, 2022
This was a beautifully crafted story that kept me engaged the entire time. I truly felt like I cared about the characters and wanted to see what would happen next! I am so excited for book 2 of The Lifestone Chronicles!
May 29, 2026
Two princesses in a relationship having to negotiate policy and try keeping everyone happy when it's virtually impossible? AND it's an indie book? I love it!
Plot
Princess Aurelia is on a mission to a neighboring kingdom to negotiate policy. Her goal is to prove that she's worthy of ruling, but the queen challenges her at every turn. Between days of difficult negotiations, Aurelia grows closer to Princess Harper and discovers secrets about the kingdom's harbored magic. What Aurelia hoped would be a simple trip turns into a high-stakes struggle to make everyone happy while holding the lives of others in her hands.
Characters
I love the character growth that Aurelia and Harper undergo. Harper's fierceness develops strongly over the course of the book while still prioritizing her kind, selfless nature. The side characters have their own emotional struggles and don't always work together cohesively, making for tangled situations that aren't easy for Aurelia to address.
Romance
As soon as Harper was introduced, I was hoping for a queer romance—I'm so glad the book went that direction! Aurelia and Harper don't always agree, but they do their best to work through their emotions together.
Representation
The main two characters are in a lesbian romance. The idea of royalty being in a queer relationship doesn't seem strongly contested in the kingdom, so it might be viewed as normal (but that's my assumption, and that might be explored more in future books). The (royal) love interest is Black. The cast includes characters of different races and sexualities.
Worldbuilding
Magic used to be more normal in this story, but it hasn't been for a while. I appreciate how the magic is explained as Aurelia learns more about it. Most of the story focuses on the two kingdoms, as that's the heart of the conflict. I'm looking forward to learning more about this world in the next book!
Plot
Princess Aurelia is on a mission to a neighboring kingdom to negotiate policy. Her goal is to prove that she's worthy of ruling, but the queen challenges her at every turn. Between days of difficult negotiations, Aurelia grows closer to Princess Harper and discovers secrets about the kingdom's harbored magic. What Aurelia hoped would be a simple trip turns into a high-stakes struggle to make everyone happy while holding the lives of others in her hands.
Characters
I love the character growth that Aurelia and Harper undergo. Harper's fierceness develops strongly over the course of the book while still prioritizing her kind, selfless nature. The side characters have their own emotional struggles and don't always work together cohesively, making for tangled situations that aren't easy for Aurelia to address.
Romance
As soon as Harper was introduced, I was hoping for a queer romance—I'm so glad the book went that direction! Aurelia and Harper don't always agree, but they do their best to work through their emotions together.
Representation
The main two characters are in a lesbian romance. The idea of royalty being in a queer relationship doesn't seem strongly contested in the kingdom, so it might be viewed as normal (but that's my assumption, and that might be explored more in future books). The (royal) love interest is Black. The cast includes characters of different races and sexualities.
Worldbuilding
Magic used to be more normal in this story, but it hasn't been for a while. I appreciate how the magic is explained as Aurelia learns more about it. Most of the story focuses on the two kingdoms, as that's the heart of the conflict. I'm looking forward to learning more about this world in the next book!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews