Summary:
From the author of The Queen’s Rising comes a thrilling YA stand-alone fantasy about the unbreakable bond between sisters. Perfect for fans of Ember in the Ashes, Sky in the Deep, and Court of Fives.
After eight long years, Evadne will finally be reunited with her older sister, Halcyon, who has been proudly serving in the queen’s army. But when Halcyon appears earlier than expected, Eva knows something has gone terribly wrong. Halcyon is on the run, hunted by her commander and charged with murder.
Though Halcyon’s life is spared during her trial, the punishment is heavy. And when Eva volunteers to serve part of Halcyon’s sentence, she’s determined to find out exactly what happened. But as Eva begins her sentence, she quickly learns that there are fates much worse than death.
Review: 4.5 Stars
I really loved this book. I originally picked it up because I loved the cover and I love stories about sisters, and Sisters of Sword and Song did not disappoint. The book started a bit slow, but by the end of the fifth chapter I was invested. This was a great fantasy read that really got to my heart and had an amazing world. I actually almost gave up on the book in the beginning, but the incredible reviews encouraged me to give it more of a chance.
The characters truly made this book shine. Evadne and Halcyon were an incredible pair of sisters to read about and they were developed well. I loved how loyal they were to each other and how they fought for one another and went to extreme lengths to protect each other. The themes of love and loyalty truly pulled at my heart and got me invested in these character’s stories. I really loved that the story focused on Evadne rather than Halcyon. Halcyon is the tough warrior character that you see in many fantasy books, but Evadne isn’t a fighter and she doesn’t have any magic. So I really enjoyed that we got a story of a normal girl trying to make a difference in the world and make sacrifices for her sister out of love. I did enjoy that we got several chapters from Halcyon’s point of view and I really loved her as a character, but I felt like Evadne was easier to relate to and empathize with.
The plot and the world building were both really cool. The divines left behind relics that Evadne and Halcyon each searched for in order to save the kingdom. There were mages and scribes and myths and religious history that all came together so well to create this unique world. I loved the way magic worked and how mages relied on their scribes to help record their magic, but also perform it. The quest to find Acantha’s All-Seeing Crown was really exciting and had me on the edge of my seat at times. I also thought the villains were done well and they had clear political motivations to want the crown for themselves. All of the different relics were so cool and the world just really felt unique.
Sisters of Sword and Song was a fantasy with a rich world that was about sisterhood, loyalty, love and the lengths you would go to for someone you loved. It was a fantastic standalone and now I am really excited to check out Rebecca Ross’s prior series. This was a character driven novel and even though it started slow the plot did eventually take off and really had me whipping through this story of Halcyon and Evadne’s journey.
Devouring Books 