I will likely not be buying this to add to my class library. It didn't stand out to me and was just a pretty min novel.

Sometimes my inability to read a book straightaway really messes me over because for the past four years I could have been enjoying and reading Sisters of Shadow and Light, but instead I waited until now. I don't know why I'm this way, but at least I still had this delightful fantasy book by Sara B. Larson to enjoy! Macmillan-Tor/Forge and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. My sincere apologies for the delay in reviewing!

One of my favourite things about Sisters of Shadow and Light was just how strongly the focus did lay on the sisters. Now, it would make sense that it would, with the title. But very often a sibling relationship gets utterly overshadowed by the potential romance or the discovery of powers etc. While all kinds of other things are going on with Zuhra and Inara, their main priority is their bond. If there is a way to save the other, they will choose that way. Even if it seems like the end has come, their love for each other remains. I really enjoyed the way Larson built up their relationship and how she showed the different burdens lying on each. The novel also leaves them at two very different points in their journeys, which means there are going to be some major developments in the second book. My only hope and prayer to Larson is that this relationship does not get broken or strained just for the sake of tension. I have some trust, but I'm nonetheless sending that message into the universe!

Zuhra has lived in the Citadel with her mother, sister Inara, and maid/friend Sami for as long as she can remember. hidden behind a magical hedge that refuses to let them out, her life is incredibly limited. She knows her sister is special though, that she has inherited Paladin power from their father, who mysteriously disappeared on the night of Inara's birth. It seems like life will forever be this way, until the hedge one night allows a young man in. That's only the beginning, as both Inara and Zuhra explore their father's legacy, the power they do or do not have, and get to know the world beyond the hedge. I'm keeping this super-vague because I really enjoyed the way that Sisters of Shadow and Light built up the world slowly but surely. The novel is split into two parts, and from the second part on we also get split narratives which really help enhance the worldbuilding and the excitement.

This was my first time reading anything by Sara B. Larson and I really enjoyed her writing. The approach to Sisters of Shadow and Light is definitely aimed towards a YA/Teen audience, with a lot of questioning of self and emotions, but I also found elements to enjoy as a more mature reader. The worldbuilding was intriguing and the development of the plot was exactly what I'd hoped for. With this book being aimed squarely at teens, it is also no surprise that the romance stays relatively tame, in the sense that it is non-explicit. But I loved the way Larson builds up the tension, the "will they won't they". It is that tension I often enjoy more than a full on explicit romance, although I am known to enjoy that as well. The yearning! It gets me, it really does. The only downside to that is that now I'm desperate to read Warriors of Wing and Fire, the sequel! Another downside, which is a minor gripe of mine, is that the novel is technically not a complete story, in the sense that much of what happens is not resolved and will occur in the sequel. While I understand the appeal behind that, it always frustrates me a little. But not enough to not want to keep reading.

While it took me unreasonably long to finally sit down and read Sisters of Shadow and Light I very much enjoyed it. With some lovely Fantasy elements, it really is a story about sisterhood and about growing into yourself as a young woman. With a healthy dose of yeeaarrninnggg.

I was not able to finish this book although I recognize a lot of potential in it. This book was loaded with such heavy handed writing and connections that are so insta-love they are painful. The reader is supposed to believe that Zurah is so naive she has no knowledge of the outside world, but then her descriptions of things around her and her feelings towards people show clear references to things she wouldn't have known about.

This is not a BAD book, it just was not a good fit for me.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this novel in exchange from my honest opinon.

The blurb for this title refers to it as "fantastical," and really... I cannot think of any better description!

Lush, dark, and filled with magic, SISTERS OF SHADOW AND LIGHT boasts a premise as whip-smart and fierce as a paladin's blade, featuring a sisterly bond to shake the heavens and a powerful commentary on life, love, and mental health.

This story gripped me, and wouldn't let me go -- from the first page to the very last. It's been close to a week since I finished it, and I still cannot get its words, its themes out of my mind.

If you're looking for a beautiful new read, filled with action, lyrical prose, and straight-up magic, SISTERS OF SHADOW AND LIGHT is the book for you!

I did not finish - I have tried reading this book on multiple occasions and just could not get into it.

This book was an absolute delight! It was my first time reading anything by Sara B. Larson, but I'll definitely be looking forward to more in the future. The characters were well fleshed out; it felt like as a reader I was learning about them while they continued to discover themselves. I'm generally a fan of books about sibling relationships, and this was no exception. Best of all, I wasn't able to predict much, and the plot twist took me totally by surprise. Super good read!

Larson surprised me with this novel. The writing is solid and the tale is wonderfully told with sisters full of tragedy and getting to know who they are. The writing is also descriptive which made it easy to envision the scenes easily.

Powerful and beautifully written. A wonderful fantasy about two sisters who would do anything to be together. However I was a little put off by the pacing of the story, and found myself drifiting away from the book.

The world that Sara created was beautiful and powerful. I love how each sister become more herself as the book went on yet they become sisters too. Sara gave such a beautiful fantasy world and I cant explain how much it truly amaze me. I need more book from Sara and I fully recommend reading this entire series together

I was pulled into this story the second I read the first line: "The night my sister was born, the stars died and were reborn in her eyes." That is an insanely powerful beginning line and it just foreshadow's how amazing Sara Larson's writing will be throughout the rest of the story. I will say that I had initially planned on only giving this three stars because I felt that the story was slow paced and it didn't really pick up for me until I was at part two, which is 149 pages into the book, but once I got to that point I didn't want to put it down. The worldbulding is amazing and everything about the Paladins and their history is insanely intriguing. I love a good story about sisters, and the love that Zuhra and Inara share for each other is so fiercely beautiful. Even when their mother intentionally avoids Inara because of what she is, Zuhra's feelings for her sister never faulter. She lives to protect her and she'll do whatever needs to be done to keep her safe, no matter the cost. The story is told from both Zuhra and Inara's perspectives so you get to experience what they're both going through, although at first Zuhra's chapters are much more detailed because Inara is stuck within what she refers to as the "roar".

I don't care what Cinnia went through, I can't stand the way she treats both of her daughters and the anger that grew inside of me because of her was enough to make me want to stop reading, that is until we meet Zuhra and Inara's father. The love that Alderic shows for Zuhra after not seeing her for fifteen years had me SOBBING. I had all the feels while reading about them together, and then when she meets her grandfather for the first time I sobbed even more. It made me so freaking happy that Zuhra finally received the love that she should've been getting from her mom for the past fifteen years of her life.

Also, Zuhra and Raidyn. My heart. I need more of them in my life. I also need more scenes with his gryphon because I love her too. I am so ready for book two to be released because I need to know how this amazing story ends!

Thank you so much to TorTeen and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!

So i both loved this and kind of didn't at the same time. I loved that its about sisters who would love literal worlds to reunite. But i didn't love that it took so long to reach a point where I was excited to continue.

Broken down into 2 main parts, the first 30ish percent is the group moseying around the citadel with no particular purpose other than to show that Inara is equal parts crazy and sweet and that Zuhra will do anything to protect her. It is after this first act that things got interesting. Once "things" start to happen, i absolutely flew through this one.

I feel like Inara and Zuhra were a little ho-hum in parts but absolutely loved the young male Paladins with whom Zuhra interacts. There's a little bit of flirting and happiness at finally meeting a guy but i was so happy that she didn't suddenly start making googly eyes at every boy she met (yay for not making a female centred fantasy novel turn into a romance!).

Overall, it was a good fantasy. Was it the best thing I have read all year? No, but it definitely filled a Saturday evening once I got past the slow bits

This was just okay for me. I felt like it fell flat for me, but I enjoyed the end half more than the beginning of this book. I thought that the end half was so much more fast paced, had more interesting things happening, and relationships with forming and such. Overall I enjoyed my time, but I just felt this wasn't it for me. I do want to check out SBLarson's other books and I will in the future. I just think this wasn't for me.

There were many elements of Sisters of Shadow and Light I liked…and many I didn’t. I was so confused about my own thoughts about this book that I was falling into a reading slump, and I ended up being glad when it was over.

The book started off very strong. I love the author’s prose, and the storytelling atmosphere that we get in the very early chapters. The mystery of the Paladin and the disappearance of Zuhra and Inara’s father kept me engrossed, but what I loved most of all was the bond between these two sisters, which shone through the entire book. The genuine love between them, and they way they were one the tether and strength of the other, was truly heartwarming and I wish we got more of these sorts of bonds in YA fantasy.
Another aspect I enjoyed was the character development of the sisters. Though both Inara and Zuhra had some behaviors that struck me as childish, they were perfectly aligned with their age and the circumstances of their upbringing. The author did a great job at showing the vulnerabilities tied to growing up isolated from the rest of the world, and the familiar tensions that generate from it. The relationships and balances of the life in the Citadel were very realistic and believable.

However, some things made the book less enjoyable. The mystery of the Paladin started to drag in the second half of the book. There is a lot of building up to their role in the story, but I feel like much was either not explained or not explored in enough detail to result satisfying. This was further aggravated by the discrepancies in pacing. The first half of the book moved rather slowly, but the second half moved quicker, to the point where events transitioned too abruptly and were told, and not shown. This affected both Inara and Eliara’s romance subplots, which lacked development and therefore fell flat, and the ending. The events leading up to the “cliffhanger” felt jerky, and a betrayal came out of nowhere and with no explanation, leaving me quite unsatisfied.

Overall, it was an okay read, and one I would still recommend to YA fantasy readers looking for reads with strong familiar bonds and mythical creatures (in this case, gryphons) we see rarely in fantasy books.

This was such a fun read!! I saw a lot of people worried it was similar to Laini Taylor's "Strange The Dreamer" series but it really is not aside from the premise of being locked in one place.

I started this book a bit trepidatiously as I had not read anything by Sara B. Larson before but I was immersed within the first twenty or so pages. All of the main characters are really compelling and it is so interesting to watch how they interact with one another.

The best part about this book, I think, is the relationship between the sisters Zuhra and Inara. It is just so wonderful to see sisters who do not necessarily have the same goals but are always on the same team. They are not competitive with each-other and we do not see that enough in books.

This book was a wild ride and I cannot wait to read the sequel!

I do however have a couple of concerns. One of the main plot points is that Inara is non-verbal most of the time for spoilery reasons but becomes more verbal as the book progresses. While I do think it was really interesting, I think it is a little insensitive to those who are non-verbal that it is something Inara can somewhat turn on and off. Fantasy, as a whole, needs to be better about erasing people's disabilities and this book fell into the trap of using fantasy as a method of erasing a disability. The other concern was that the last couple of chapters felt much too rushed: I had to keep going back to previous pages because I felt lost. Important moments lost their impact because it was unclear what was going on.

Overall, this was such an intriguing read and definitely explored parenting and responsibility in ways that fantasy frequently glosses over.

The author managed to create an original world of magic as well as tell a great story. Definitely recommend.

There were some really interesting ideas and some interesting world-building in this book, but the narrative wasn't strong enough to carry it for me.

Disclaimer: I received an Advance Reader Copy at no cost from the publisher/author. All opinions in my review are my own.

This book had me intrigued from the moment I read the synopsis. The synopsis alone gave off the feeling of old fairy tales, which I love! The story does have the feel of traditional fairy tales with some extra fantasy bits thrown in.

The thing about this book that I think I loved the most was the very special and close relationship between Zuhra and Inara. Their relationship is deep and complex for two sisters so young. You can really feel the experiences that they have gone through and the difficulties that they have had to deal with through their relationship with each other. I also liked that their relationship seemed to be the focal point of the story. There was romance in the story but it didn't overpower or overshadow the sisters' bond. That bond was the heart of this story and I think that the author wrote it beautifully.

This is actually my first time reading a book by this author even though I actually own some of her other novels. I very much enjoyed her storytelling. She has a perfect way of bringing the story to life with her words. The world-building is vivid and dream-like and I could very much feel myself in the story living it alongside the characters.

I enjoyed the plot of the story and all of the imaginative elements. There were some things about this world that I would have liked to either know more about or have a little more explanation for, but all in all, this was a story that swept me away.

Overall, this is a book that weaves a magical tale that will have you hooked and wanting more. You'll love the way that the author weaves the creative elements of the story into something totally original and like nothing I've read before. I am excited to find out what comes next in this series and I very much recommend this story! If you are a lover of young adult fantasy then this is a book that you'll want to add to your collection.

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read and review this title. I will review this title at a different date.

3.5*
Once there was an impenetrable hedge that kept two sisters and their mother separated from the outside world. Only their housekeeper was able, on a few occasions, to pass through the wall of thorns. Suddenly, a young man appears on their doorstep and their world changes dramatically.

Zuhra and Inara’s house is a former fortress of the Paladins, magical beings who were kicked out of the world by humans who mistrusted their abilities. Inara’s father was a Paladin but she has never met him. The girls seek answers to what happened to the Paladins and why their family is held as virtual prisoners, but their inquiry could lead to unexpected answers and consequences.

Larson’s story starts out with the tale of sisters in confinement but as the book progresses, the magical elements become more pronounced. With the focus changing, the girls’ and the world’s situation becomes more precarious. Throw in some romance to add a little heat, and the fantasy takes off. Many readers who have loved Larson’s books should welcome this new story of sisters and the magical realm that can wreak havoc on their world.

Zuhra and Inara are sisters with a most unusual upbringing. They live in the otherwise abandoned Citadel of the Paladins with their mother and a caretaker. The Paladins are a mysterious and magical race of humanoids from another world, and Zuhra and Inara's father is one. Was one? They don't know— he disappeared the night Inara was born, and a magical hedge has kept them inside ever since. Zuhra spends her days preparing a trousseau for her unlikely wedding under her mother's direction and taking care of Inara, who's rarely coherent but instead consumed by the magical powers she inherited from their father. One day, an apprentice scholar appears and prompts a chain of events into motion that will change everything.

The heart of this book are the relationships between these women. Zuhra cares deeply about Inara, and we see this not just by how often we're told, but Zuhra's goals and actions, often contrary to her own well-being. Their mother, traumatized by her husband's disappearance, treats Zuhra like clay to be molded who will never make the mistakes she made. Zuhra both loves and deeply resents her mother. Their caretaker Sami has a haunting history that motivates her to continue looking after the strange family.

The heart of these relationships really drives the story, and I thought the flow of the story suffered when these characters were pulled apart to enter a rather generic fantasy world. The first part of the book really builds up those relationships— in effect, the relationships are the world-building— so the transition to a new setting with different motivators and new relationships didn't quite gel for me. As one minor example, we're told Zuhra enters into intense physical training (we see very little of it "on-screen"). I think this would have been a perfect opportunity to contrast how the book opened, with the interminable embroidery she was forced to do under her mother's watchful eye.

That said, this is still head and shoulders over most YA fantasy with a romantic subplot thanks to that complex web between the female characters.