Sisters of Sword and Song by Rebecca Ross
Publisher: HarperTeenRelease
Date: June 23rd 2020
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
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.
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Sisters of Sword and Song by Rebecca Ross is a beautiful tale of family, love, honour, loyalty. Of finding one’s place in the world. (Break free of your chrysalis and become who you were meant to be.)
It was refreshing to read a book where romance didn’t thread the bulk of the story. This is a tale of war and intrigue. Bright, vivid, harsh. It is a tale of familial love, sisterly love. I wanted to be a part of Hal and Eva’s family. I wish my own family had the same camaraderie as between this extended family of olive growers.
I adored Hal and Eva. Usually, in multi-POV stories, I tend to prefer one character over the other(s). In this case, I was as enthralled by Eva’s story as I was by Hal’s. Each was different, but captivating. Eva has an injury that causes her to limp. In spite of this supposed infirmity, Eva still managed to do all manner of things, including caving, confronting her deep phobias, and helping to save the kingdom. Both are kick-ass heroines! Hal trained as a hoplite, and endures a terrible sickness wrought of poison, all without losing her fire. Damon was my favourite secondary character. He was absolutely precious in his actions toward Eva. And he has an unusual type of heterochromia! Pretty cool, and mismatched eyes are something we share.
The magic system in this story was awesome! Song and poetry as magic is nothing new, but here it was just lovely. Not being able to write with your dominant hand because the letters won’t stay on the page, that’s new. Most magi in this world have a scribe to write down spells, and take correspondence for their mage. I found it a brilliant new variant of having a familiar.
Selene’s plots, plans, and machinations to subjugate the common population, and elevate the mages to an untouchable level because they were allegedly superior called to mind the currents events, where subjugated peoples, and their allies, are finally (finally!) taking a stand, pushing back, seeking true equality. This pandemic was the tinder to this Wildfire.
Highly recommended!
