Sisters of Shadow and Light by Sara B. Larson (Website, Blog, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads)Also by this author: Endure (Defy, Book 3), Dark Breaks the Dawn
Published by Tom Doherty Associates on November 5th 2019
Genres: Fairy Tales & Folklore, Fantasy, General, Romance, Young Adult Fiction
Pages: 368
"The night my sister was born, the stars died and were reborn in her eyes…".
Zuhra and Inara have grown up in the Citadel of the Paladins, an abandoned fortress where legendary, magical warriors once lived before disappearing from the world―including their Paladin father the night Inara was born.
On that same night, a massive, magical hedge grew and imprisoned them within the citadel. Inara inherited their father’s Paladin power; her eyes glow blue and she is able to make plants grow at unbelievable rates, but she has been trapped in her own mind because of a “roar” that drowns everything else out―leaving Zuhra virtually alone with their emotionally broken human mother.
For fifteen years they have lived, trapped in the citadel, with little contact from the outside world…until the day a stranger passes through the hedge, and everything changes.
Sisters of Shadow and Light by Sara B. Larson is the first book in the series of the same name and if you know me at all, just by reading the summary you know this story is exactly what I look for in my books. I was so excited that I was able to get my hands on an early copy of this book because of that reason but also, I have loved Larson’s other books so I didn’t really have any doubts that this would be the same.
Zuhra and Inara are sisters and have grown up in the Citadel of the Paladins which is an abandoned fortress where legendary magical warriors one lived…before they left the world. There is a backstory here that will come out as you read the book and I thought Larson did a great job of revealing this to the reader. I thought things were revealed around this part of the story at a good pace. As for Zuhra and Inara, they didn’t really have a choice where they lived though, as the hedge surrounding the citadel has kept them trapped inside since the day Inara was born.
The day Inara was born was a critical day for many reasons. First, that was the day their Paladin father disappeared, and their mother became someone Zuhra didn’t recognize. Second, it appears that Inara was born with their father’s Paladin powers and not only do her eyes glow blue, but she can make plants grow and because of her power, Inara has been trapped in her own mind with the exception of some rare occasions where the noise in her brain quiets down enough for her to talk with Zuhra. The outcome is that Zuhra is left on her own with their broken mother who refuses to engage with Inara.
I loved the relationship that Larson developed for these two characters. It didn’t matter that Inara couldn’t speak or in most cases articulate what she needed. Zuhra loved her no matter what and eventually she decides she needs to do something to escape their cage and their mother. With little to no interaction with the outside world, Zuhra knows it won’t be easy, but she will do anything to protect her sister. Just when she thinks she has things figured out, the hedge opens up and lets someone in and everything changes.
Larson has built out this world where there is danger around every corner. Whether it is from monsters or people, and the history between humans and the Paladins has created a situation where fear rules a lot of the decisions made. She has also created a cast of characters I could get behind. Not only the sisters, but we get introduced to Halvor, Raidyn, Loukas, and so many more. Their stories are so well-developed that I couldn’t help but get invested in them right along with Zuhra and Inara.
I can’t say too much about the details of the book because I don’t want to give anything away but what I will tell you is that after Halvor enters the Citadel, things start to happen. A hunt begins for clues to help Zuhra and Inara escape the Citadel but when Inara finds the Paladin gateway in the Hall of Miracles, everything takes a turn and the sisters end up separated. It’s at this point that Inara, along with those still in the Citadel, start to figure out what happened. Not only is that happening, but Zuhra, having been dragged through the gateway, is now in a world she never knew she would get to and surrounded by those she never expected to meet.
Experiencing the story from both Inara’s and Zuhra’s perspectives after they were split up, made it interesting because as a reader I was able to see what was happening in both worlds. There were so many things happening on both sides of the gateway that it was key to tying the whole story together.
I know I’m being fairly vague but that’s because I don’t want to ruin the story for anyone. What I will tell you is that this book focuses on family and what people will do to protect the ones they love. There is magic, gryphons, plenty of action, and swoony bits so if you’re looking for a fantasy that has all of that (and more) and will keep you turning the pages to see how things turn out, consider picking up this book. I will definitely be grabbing the next book as soon as I can so I can find out what happens next.
Thank you to the publisher and the author for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.
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