Upon finishing this book, I really wanted to love it. Unfortunately, there were just too many missed opportunities, pacing felt off in parts, and there was a lack of proper development in characters and certain plot points. While all of this might add up to a definite dislike of the book, I thought some parts helped redeem the book. At least enough for me to want to read the second book in the hopes that it would entirely redeem the first.

As I briefly mentioned, pacing was a little off for me. Mostly it was the fact that Sisters of Shadow and Light did not start out strongly. The first 40% of the book was extremely slow. I think Larson took too much time and space for setting up the story, which never left me excited to jump back into the story until after I hit 40%. I also kept expecting things to immediately jump start as the stranger from the blurb shows up within the first two chapters. At the 40% mark, things get exciting, then slow down again before everything going fast until the end. It took me about four days to get to just before the halfway point and then was able to finish the book a day later.

I also thought that Larson didn’t take the time to really give proper development to the characters, at least not from beginning to end. I think part of the issue is that the first part of the book is all from Zuhra’s POV, so any characteristics or personality traits we get, we get from Zuhra. That isn’t always a bad thing, except, anything that I did get, made the characters feel just shy of fully developed. Zuhra gets a little more developed in the second half of the book, but she still didn’t feel fully like a three dimensional character. I did love her dedication to being a loving and protective sister as well her seemingly endless curiosity (though never really sated). In the end, I just didn’t connect that well with any of the characters.

Speaking of characters, I really disliked the way that romance/ romantic connections were written in this book. I thought they were way too obvious and felt simple. My biggest complaint though is that there was no real development between the characters to explain the romantic feelings. I mean, there was an explanation, but it felt a cop out and way too easy. It seemed that Larson wanted romance to be a part of the story, but didn’t want to or didn’t have the space to develop the relationship realistically. Though I guess in a fictional world created and owned by the author, that author sets the rules.

The world that Larson created is intriguing. I just wished that more time was given to developing it. I also thought that were so many missed opportunities to share about both Zuhra’s world and the world that the Paladin come from. At 368 pages, I would think that there would be enough room to fully develop everything. Larson’s writing went back and forth a lot with using beautiful descriptions and language to not using it as well or enough. There was enough of it though that I did enjoy these parts; I just hope that the second book gives us more. Sadly, I think the first half of the book should have been shorter. Or maybe the book itself could have been written to be longer.

It may seem like I really disliked this book. That is not the case. Overall, I thought it was well written. I just think that there were some missing aspects and several missed opportunities to expand on or describe something more. While I would forgive the lack of world building and parts of the writing, it’s harder to do so with the poorly developed characters and romance aspects.

I will hope that the next book redeems this one and the series.

I received this galley from the publisher via NetGalley.

<i>Sisters of Shadow and Light</i> twists around many traditional fantasy tropes in ways that feel fresh and fun. You have a mysterious castle, isolated by a sentient hedge. A family lives inside, though some may consider them monstrous. A mother, a servant and friend, and two teenage girls. Zuhra and Inara have never been beyond the hedge. They dare not. Inara was born with the glowing eyes of a Paladin, the entities who built their home and who were once the celebrated heroes of the realm; public opinion is not as kind now. Inara is so overwhelmed by her power, a roar that consumes her senses, that she can barely interact with the world. Her older sister Zuhra is her fierce advocate and defender--and desperately want to know about the world beyond the hedge.

Then one day, the hedge actually lets a strange man through, and the girls' world begins to change in radical ways.

Larson does a wonderful job of allowing readers to discover the outer world through the sisters' experiences, but the family dynamics are the true heart of the book. There is a great deal here about sisterly love, and also about abuse and forgiveness. Their mother was utterly broken when her Paladin husband vanished the night Inara was born, and she protects her daughters through deprivation and cruelty. There's a grim note of realism about their relationships, and I loved seeing how the family grew and changed. To me, that was much more interesting than the romantic entanglements of the siblings.

I found this YA fantasy to be a fast, breezy read--I blazed through it in a day! It will be released on November 5th, 2019.

Despite an interesting premise, I found it hard to feel invested in the story or the characters. The romantic elements and the sisters' relationship didn't particularly appeal to me.

I loved the excitement this books generated in me. Quite an adventurous trip it was.

2 sisters, Zuhra and Inara, living with their broken mother in a citadel which hid the portal between two realms of human and rakasa. Their father, a paladin, had disappeared on the night Inara was born. A hedge separated the citadel from the village and protected them actively from attacks. Till Inara's power grew to such a momentum that she could open the doorway and a rakasa came through and sister was pulled into the other side. And the story continued..

My first book by Sara B. Larson, the story gripped me from the beginning to end. A rocking ride with Gryphons and demonic creatures and sisters with love in their heart and power coursing through their veins. The skirmishes and the history between magical Paladin and human was well described. I found the worldbuilding and backstiry easy to understand.

I loved the bond between the sisters, it was palpable and alive down the pages. Their need to save each other brought out my emotions too. That was the driving force behind the story and made me keep turning the pages late into the night. There were romantic elements, but I skim read through them as it came on instantly.

Overall, I found this a soothing yet rocking, loving yet magical, simple yet a powerful read.

This is a beautifully written story, with elements (that I've noticed) of sleeping beauty. The female characters are portrayed as strong and independent in their own way, while none of them is perfect either.
I did find it hard to get into the story though, sometimes it seemed to take just a bit too long to get to a point.

This was excellent. I loved the world building and the alternate points of view. The main characters are really well done and distinctive and I really enjoy that. And I adore Raidyn and Naomi. This book comes out on November 5th and I am already ready to read the next book.

What drew me in to this book from the beginning was actually the synopsis and the quote in it. It sounded kind of poetic and right up my alley. Even though it did not live up to all my expectations, I still really liked this book!

Sisters of Shadow and Light is rich with lore and myths about these great Paladins, of which Zuhra and Inara know so little. They were supposedly the great heroes of the world, with amazing magical powers. But where are they now? Zuhra has grown up more or less alone, yearning for the few moments she gets with her sister Inara, when the “roar” subsides. Being locked inside an abandoned citadel with no friends, she spent her days dreaming about the legendary Paladins, longing for more information. Then one day, the hedge that has kept them imprisoned lets a man pass into the citadel, and suddenly everything changes. Here is the chance Zuhra had always wanted. The chance to learn more about the father who so suddenly disappeared. About the “roar” that has been stealing her sister for as long as she has lived.

This is where the story kicks off and I found myself intrigued right from the beginning. With this mysterious stranger, an unfamiliar power and so many secrets to uncover, I could barely put it down. I love the two main characters, Zuhra and Inara. I love the focus this book puts on sisterhood and friendship, above romantic interests and insta-love. Zuhra is a character one could easily feel attached to. She sneaks away books to read and is always looking to learn more and discover the hidden truths. This made her a great main character!

The world-building and the magic system are also highly enjoyable, once one gets to the point where things become more clear. The book is written so that as the characters learn more about the world, so do we. So we are going on a journey with the characters, to figure out what actually happened the night Inara was born. The mystery of it all makes the book addicting and fast-paced. I think the writing is really good as well, I appreciated a lot of the inner thoughts of the characters and a lot of the descriptions of the places.

The reason this book landed on 3.5 stars is that I did not like the romances at all. I found them more or less annoying and unnecessary and I think the book would have been much better without, or with them in a much smaller scale. Both romances felt a lot like insta-love and I hate how it took the focus away from the sisterhood of Zuhra and Inara. I also found myself annoyed with how the story progressed and the characters acted towards the end, which brought down the level of enjoyment.

This being said, I really like the way the book ended. It’s obvious that it is written to have a sequel and I think it did a really good job of wrapping up the plot-line but also making me excited for the next book. I am actually really looking forward to see where the story goes in the next book and what happens now. I also appreciated the plot-twist towards the end, even though it felt kind of out of place.

To summarize: this is a book about adventure, magic, family, sisterhood, secrets and lies. It is fast-paced, has a great cast of characters, stunning descriptions and an engaging plot. I would recommend it to fans of magical adventures and complex characters!

I couldn't (wouldn't) put this book down. I've read some books by Ms. Larson and really liked them and was excited to read Sisters of Shadow and Light. It definitely did not disappoint. Trapped in the Citadel of Paladins, sisters Zuhra and Inara, along with their mother and a servant have lived there all of Inara's life - almost 16 years without seeing anyone. Inara, inheriting her Paladin father's power, seems to be going more and more mad and Zuhra does her best to draw Inara back towards sanity. It's not until a stranger is allowed into the Citadel do Zuhra and Inara begin to piece together the secrets of their background and future. While there is romance involved (lovely), it's more a story of sisters, familial ties, and the power of those ties. I can't wait to read more!

I couldn't put this book down. I don't typically read YA anymore, though I used to quite a bit. This was the perfect book to get back into it and I can't wait for the rest of the series.

I loved the writing. It felt true to the characters but still sophisticated. The world-building was excellent. I appreciated being kept in the dark about the history of the Palladin alongside Zuhra and Inara. The pace of the plot worked well. It felt like we were always gearing up for a big battle. I felt surprised with every page, which is rare for my reading life.

DNF. Discussed in SBTB’s bimonthly whatcha reading post: https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2019/10/whatcha-reading-october-2019-edition-part-two/

“I’m in the middle of Sara B. Larson’s Sisters of Shadow and Light ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) and am perilously close to a DNF. It’s…fine? It’s one of those situations where I like the characters and the writing, but I’m strangely emotionally detached to everything (which is NOT how I want to feel when I’m reading). I can’t tell if the problem is me or the book (it’s me, if I had to pick). I’m going to shelve this and come back to it later. Normally I really like YA SFF about magical sisters, but I’m not in the mood now.”

For anyone who loved Strange the Dreamer, and is ready for a story in which the love between sisters is the most powerful force imaginable.

I was fortunate enough to get an advanced copy of this book via Netgalley, so thank you Tor Teen! Sisters of Shadow and Lights comes out Nov. 5.

Things I loved:
- LOVE the relationship between Zuhra and Inara. Their relationship could have easily but uninterestingly written as more hateful or resentful, but instead it's supporting and loving.
- Also Zuhra and Inara themselves are great female characters, I love their voices.
- Inara's storyline is REALLY good, you guys.
- Honestly did NOT see the first twist coming in the best way. It totally takes the story in a direction I wasn't expecting.
- There's a LOT set up for book 2 to have enough action.

Things I didn't love:
- I felt there was room for a LOT more description and world-building. The pace, especially the middle of the book, dragged, and I think it's because there was a lot of telling, not showing.
- The twist toward the end...eh. It was a little too convenient and out of left-field IMO.
- I didn't love that the mother is defined by trauma that happened to her and not who she is as a person
- Why are the sisters into every boy that comes across their path? I know they're young women and hormones are a-ragin' and this their first exposure to dudes, but like, EVERY single guy?
- A lot of the characters in the citadel world are pretty well-developed and complex, but I felt the Paladins' characters were more one-dimensional/overly "good."

The story is very solid, and I love the main characters, it was just too much "telling" for me.

Two sisters grow up in a derelict castle surrounded by a sentient hedge, where their controlling mother sulks a lot and tells them nothing about their missing father--who happened to be from another plane. One of the girls is presented as normate, while the other has superpowers in healing and growing and is presented as neurodiverse, although not in a positive way. When two men are able to get through the hedge, seeking knowledge, the hedge absorbs one of them, leaving the younger to serve as a hero and potential love interest for the sisters. There is much melodrama and wow emotions and more italics than any single book should ever have, I found it ableist and weirdly centered on men as heroes and women as victims and neither of the narrators--the sisters--are particularly interesting and serve mostly to induce the melodrama.

As soon as I saw the synopsis of this novel, I was curious to find out more! I love fantasy YA and it was a good opportunity to discover an author I didn’t know.

Inara and Zuhra have lived with their mother in a citadel since birth. They cannot leave and only their “governess” can sometimes go down to the city to buy food. But here they are, their mother is completely broken since Inara’s birth, which also coincides with their father’s disappearance. What about Inara? Well, this girl has a lot of power, but she never manages to stay lucid for very long and Zuhra tries to help her as best she can. It’s complicated, especially when their mother has no interest in Inara. However, things will change drastically when one day a man passes through the hedges that keep them away from the outside world, the only man who has managed to cross them since birth. And this change will completely change their lives.

I really enjoyed following the two young girls, although I was always looking forward to returning from Zuhra’s point of view. This young girl is resourceful, curious and above all ready to do anything for her sister. Unfortunately, things will not be so simple and if our heroine is happy to see a newcomer, the dangers are getting closer, but that is also how we will discover the truth about her father, about the Paladins and about what is happening in the outside world.

As I said, I had a good time and I’m very curious to learn more about the characters, especially about Raydin, and I look forward to reading the sequel now!

Two sisters grow up in an abandoned citadel that once was home to magical Paladin Warriors. For more than fifteen years they’ve been trapped behind a sentient, deadly hedge until a young man is mysteriously allowed through. Zuhra has always protected her baby sister Inara but the hope of escape and possibly love is something that burns brightly within her. Inara’s appearance brands her as half Paladin but many forget that so too is Zuhra and that’s something no one should ever overlook !
I truly enjoyed this and thought the pace was excellent. Initially it’s quiet , almost placid and allows the reader to understand the complex relationships that exist within the citadel. Then everything changes as the sisters are separated and it truly took on a vibrancy with new characters and endless possibilities. This is just the start of this series and I definitely will want to read more.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me read this early. I really enjoyed the bound that the sisters had in the book and that made it a really enjoyable read for me and the magic system was really unique and refreshing. A lot of places kept you wanting to read and I loved the world building and characters and the plot was also great. I give this book 4 stars and highly recommend

Real rating: 3.8/5

Thank you netgalley and publisher for the arc.

Sisters of Shadow and Light felt like both a unique and mysterious fantasy and also a familiar fairy tale- and I mean this in a good way. Many aspects were refreshingly realistic- the characters behaved like real people and the romance wasn't ridiculous. The sisterly bond almost reminded me a bit of Frozen (which is why I first wanted to read it) but I realized I was wrong and this book was so much more.

The plot went by smoothly and over all the book was very easy to get into. It's one of those reads that are so engaging you almost forget you are reading and instead you feel transported into the world.

This book wasn't perfect, but it was a really good read and I will for sure acquire it for my library collection.

This was a very good book that had a strong bond of sisterhood. The magical elements were unique and interesting. There were so many mysterious factors that keep you curious and wanting to know what happened while still given you enough information periodically to not make it annoying. There were several times I was getting a vibe like this could have been a classic fairytale type story. I am looking forward to the sequel!

Sisters of Shadow and Light is the first novel in an all-new series by Sara B. Larson. It's the tale of two sisters, and their very strange and unexpected lives. They've been abandoned, and worse, trapped within a citadel. That is, until everything takes a sudden change fifteen years in.
These sisters lived in a world in which Paladins used o be commonplace. They were the magical warriors set to protect them all. Until they disappeared. Now there are none. None, unless you count Inara, a half Paladin born with the light of the stars in her eyes.
Zuhra is a loyal and loving sister. For the past fifteen years, she's loved her sister where their mother would not. She treasured her sister's rare moments of lucidity. She also knew what her mother's plans were for her, and what she believed to be her destiny.
Inara is only half-human. Her other half is Paladin, even if her mother would never truly admit that. Inara loves her gardens, and her sister. And she doesn't seem troubled at all by her lack of maternal care.

“We were in the citadel, so we didn't see the night sky, didn't witness the pulse of darkness that obliterated all light – including the stars – at the moment my sister cried and turned her burning eyes on my mother for the first time.”

Sisters of Shadow and Light was a beautiful and heartwarming tale, full of mystery and lore. It has a little bit of something for everyone. There's some romance, devoted sisters, betrayal, mystery, and magical creatures.
I'll confess that it took me a little bit of time to get into this one. I wanted to like it right from the start, of course. But it took about three or so chapters for me to find myself invested in what was really happening. So if you find yourself struggling, try giving it an extra chapter or two before you give up.
Sara B. Larson's writing style was absolutely brilliant. It flowed wonderfully, and was reason enough to make me want to keep reading it through to the end. I know that this isn't Larson's first novel, but it's the first one that I've read. And I've clearly got to check out the rest of her works!
This was the start of a series, and I'm more than a little bit curious to see where the next novel is going to take us. I hope to hear news about it sooner rather than later. But like I said, at least I have a decent backlog to work through in the meantime.

Some books draw me in slowly, others capture me at the beginning but then disappoint, but with Sisters of Shadow and Light I was utterly enchanted on page one, and as the story continued, the only complaint I had was that I can't read book two right now.

This is a YA fantasy about sisters and magic, heartbreak and healing, and unending love. It's a story of hope and family and finding yourself. It follows the tale of a sister who was born with forbidden magic, and a sister born without it. They grow up hidden away in a citadel that's protected from the world by a magical hedge. And they can never leave it. And no one else can ever join them, until the day a boy makes it through. This story gave me Strange The Dreamer vibes in all the best ways (which is high praise for me, Strange is one of my all-time favorite books). For those who are concerned about the maturity level of YA books, this one doesn't have anything I would find objectionable for my twelve-year-old. There's no coarse or offensive language, romance doesn't develop beyond kissing, and violence is not overly graphic or gruesome. I can't wait for this book to come out, and hopefully many of you will read it and I can chat with you about it. I met some of my new favorite characters in this story and I need someone to gush to about them! P.S. I saw that Sara has a pre-order incentive going on up until November 5th with a signed bookplate and bookmark and gorgeous character cards. Also, this was the first of her books that I read and I will definitely be adding her others to my TBR now! Thank you so much NetGalley and Tor/Forge for the free advanced copy of this ebook.

(On October 24th I will post this on IG and Goodreads and my blog: http://runningwithspears.com/book-review-sisters-of-shadow-and-light/ as well as on Barnes and Noble and Amazon once it is published.)