Your Amazon Prime 30-day FREE trial includes:
Delivery Options | ![]() |
Without Prime |
---|---|---|
Standard Delivery | FREE delivery | From £2.99* |
One-Day Delivery | FREE delivery | £4.99/delivery |
Same-Day Delivery (on eligible orders over £20 to selected postcodes) Details | FREE delivery | £5.99/delivery |
Unlimited Premium Delivery is available to Amazon Prime members. To join, select "Yes, I want a free trial with FREE Premium Delivery on this order." above the Add to Basket button and confirm your Amazon Prime free trial sign-up.
Important: Your credit card will NOT be charged when you start your free trial or if you cancel during the trial period. If you're happy with Amazon Prime, do nothing. At the end of the free trial, you will be charged £95/year for Prime (annual) membership or £8.99/month for Prime (monthly) membership.
Buy new:
£21.89£21.89
Dispatches from: Amazon Sold by: Essjays Enterprises Ltd
Save with Used - Like New
£2.19£2.19
£2.80 delivery 6 - 8 March
Dispatches from: World of Books Ltd Sold by: World of Books Ltd

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet or computer – no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Ruinsong Hardcover – 1 Dec. 2020
Purchase options and add-ons
- Print length368 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherFarrar, Straus and Giroux
- Publication date1 Dec. 2020
- Grade level10 - 12
- Reading age14 years and up
- Dimensions14.35 x 3.2 x 22.43 cm
- ISBN-100374313350
- ISBN-13978-0374313357
Product description
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Farrar, Straus and Giroux (1 Dec. 2020)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 368 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0374313350
- ISBN-13 : 978-0374313357
- Reading age : 14 years and up
- Dimensions : 14.35 x 3.2 x 22.43 cm
- Best Sellers Rank: 1,108,331 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 1,306 in LGBTQ+ Romance for Young Adults
- 1,611 in Dark Fantasy for Young Adults
- 2,937 in Fantasy Romance for Young Adults
- Customer reviews:
About the author

Julia Ember is the author of The Seafarer’s Kiss duology, a Norse myth inspired retelling of The Little Mermaid, published by Interlude Press (Duet Books), and Ruinsong, a standalone high fantasy reimagining of The Phantom of the Opera, forthcoming from Macmillan Kids (FSG) in November 2020. She lives with her wife and two fluffy cats in the Pacific Northwest.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings, help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyses reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonTop reviews from United Kingdom
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 May 2021Wow. I can't remember the last time I read an entire book in three days! I absolutely could not put it down. Sapphic, magic, evil queen, music-y goodness! I love it!
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 December 2020I loved this! It was dark, romantic and the world-building was subtle but strong. Would love more stories set in the universe tbh.
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 February 20215 stars!
Top reviews from other countries
- Janessa SawatzkyReviewed in Canada on 18 July 2021
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it!
I loved this book! The world building was very easy to follow and the enemies to lovers romance was very well written
-
AndreaReviewed in Mexico on 7 June 2021
5.0 out of 5 stars Recomendado
El libro está muy bonito. Tanto por fuera como por dentro. Lectura ágil y te atrapa fácilmente. Apenas lo empecé hoy y ya llevo la mitad del libro.
AndreaRecomendado
Reviewed in Mexico on 7 June 2021
Images in this review
- DebzReviewed in the United States on 29 November 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific Book!
Ruinsong is an amazing fantasy novel. The imaginative plot returns to contemplate days after reading. Evil twists will keep you connected to the end.
- AndreaReviewed in Germany on 24 March 2021
5.0 out of 5 stars Music is magic
This was sooo good I loved the magic Trough song. I want to read it all over again.
- AnnabelleReviewed in Germany on 3 September 2024
2.0 out of 5 stars Good concept, disappointing writing
Short summary: I was very disappointed by the (in my opinion) flat and hollow writing to the point where I didn't enjoy reading it.
More detailed critique below:
(Shouldn't have any spoilers as I used abstract descriptions instead of specific plot points for examples)
Point one: Plot
I picked this book up because the reviews were good and I liked the concept, hoping for a sapphic fantasy novel with a unique aspect of world building that I hadnt seen before. When I started this book my first impression was, in fact, rather positive. However, that impression quickly changed to disappointment. The more of the book I read, the more I realized that the story didn't feel particularly well rounded.
There are some classic fantasy tropes, for example an orphaned background for a (of course particularly powerful) character, an evil ruler terrorising people and a magic schooling system that ranks it's users by prowess. That in itself however wasn't the problem. All these and many more well known tropes can work well and be enjoyable to read when the writing executes it in a good way.
But sadly, in my opinion that is not the case here. I found myself stuck between long descriptions of palace luxuries and the recurring theme of telling us how much everyone is suffering without any of the reactions of the characters actually feeling real. The plot and conflict itself stretches out over an almost comical length and doesn't make sense in places between how threatening the situation is supposed to be and how lightly the characters choose what to do as well as the few consequences they have to face for risky behavior. The danger doesn't quite feel real as it rarely affects the characters themselves but rather other characters that are close to them, who we, as readers, never got to know.
Point two: characters & romance
Now for the second aspect that greatly demolished my enjoyment of this book. It is described as a sapphic book and as such, I expected an element of queer romance in the plot. And while there is technically a romance here, it is quite frankly very bland. The character's interactions feel very empty.
The readers are yet again told that, for example, the characters were childhood friends without showing us banter or memories of them playing games. This sets up a very half-hearted friends-to-lovers pipeline without the effort of actually incorporating the friendship part.
The interactions in the present are likewise odd in that I think there was supposed to be some enemies to lovers aspect or at least a conflict here with the different standpoints and actions of the characters, but not even that is conveyed clearly. There is a very inconsistent inner monologue of one of the characters that jumps between condemning the other person entirely and without any regard for the context and on the other hand suddenly being incredibly in love and understanding and compassionate. This is very confusing and sometimes frustrating to read, because it is not written in a way that these two perspectives are part of a learning process, of changing their viewpoints or of character growth. This contrast persist throughout almost the entire book with little change and without the character reflecting or acknowledging these contradicting views. It's tiring to read. And for a last point the main characters themselves lack character traits beyond surface level descriptors.
Conclusion
I think one of the big problems this book has, is that it doesnt follow the 'show, don't tell' principle. The readers are TOLD that this or that is very dangerous and that this character is in love without SHOWING us actual consequences for risk and characters actually growing to know and care for one another. The ideas and world building is good and has a lot of potential, but in my opinion, the writing sadly just falls flat.