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.)

The writing is very much like a fairy tale, slow and introspective with a tiny touch of magic. It feels like a book much bigger than it is, but that’s not a bad thing. There is a lot of reflection, but it fills in blanks and drives the story forward. The first 100 pages or so are a particularly slow, but not entirely dull. These first pages are told from the older sister, Zuhra’s perspective. Then, after a pivotal moment, the remainder of the book alternates between her and her younger sister, Inara.

Inara and Zuhra are both wonderful main characters. Their love for one another is fierce, and it’s clear they would do anything for the other. They are both flawed but oh so fierce and strong. Neither is without fear and doubt, but their bond is unconditional and enduring. I think I like Inara best but enjoyed Zuhra’s storyline more. I also very much preferred Zuhra’s love interest. Inara’s was a weak-a** boy who needed to leave after the halfway mark. I’ve also realized I’m not a fan of mean, suffocating, I-was-slighted-and-I-will-take-it-out-on-you-for-your-own-good mothers, and this one is a piece of work.

The worldbuilding was well-done, even if it did take a little too long to learn what we needed to. No thanks to Mother dearest. The concept of the Paladins and their magic is interesting and felt somewhat unique. The history played well into setting up the story, and served it well in building the plot and leading to the end.

This may sound weird, but I’m almost bummed it’s a series. I don’t know where on earth I got the idea this was a standalone, and it didn’t click until I had five percent left that I was not getting an ending here. This isn’t to say that there isn’t potential for this to be a series. There isn’t exactly a cliff-hanger ending, but it is very open ended with a lot of loose ends left to tie up. This fantasy is not a romance, although it does feature heavily towards the end and, I suspect, will be more prominent in the second book.

Where this lost a star for me was in believability. I had a hard time with how Zuhra, and especially Inara handled and understood things. These are girls who have lived their entire lives trapped behind a magical, fighting hedge, in a crumbling, abandoned Citadel, with no one but each other, their awful mother, and an old midwife. Zuhra is woefully naïve, and yet the first thing that happens when she meets a boy is she falls head over heels and feels it “deep in her belly.” Really? You have literally zero context and experience and that’s how you react? Inara is even worse in terms of life skills. She has been lost to the Roar her whole life, never lucid for more than a few hours every other week, if that, and has to be locked in her room every night, and yet she has a full vocabulary, can do everything put in front of her, and, like her sister, falls for the first boy she meets. It cheapened the story and the girls’ strength and development.

Looking forward to participating in the blog tour on Nov 1

**Review will be posted on my blog on October 17, 2019**
**4.5 Stars**

Thank you to Tor Teen and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.

I had been reading so many books lately about witches (because tis the season) so reading about Paladins and their magic was so refreshing. Zuhra, her sister Inara, and their mother are trapped in the citadel that they call home. A magical hedge outside of their home keeps them from leaving. Zuhra’s father was a Paladin but he is nowhere to be found, her mother is broken from his leaving and Inara has powers that no one understands. It’s a lonely existence for all of them, but one day the hedge lets a scholar into the citadel and that’s when things get wild.

What I Liked:

* Zuhra and Inara’s sisterly bond is so tight, I loved it. We get more of Zuhra’s thoughts and feelings about Inara because Inara isn’t lucid most of the time when under the influence of her Paladin powers. Eventually we get Inara’s perspective but I feel like it’s most Zuhra that dominates the story. Zuhra helped raise Inara and Inara only knows her sister’s affection growing up in the citadel. When they are torn apart, all they want to do is get back to one each other. 😭

*The world of the Paladin was so fascinating, I was devouring anything and everything about them. Halvor, the scholar is a wealth of information for Zuhra. Yes, Zuhra grew up in the citadel but knows NOTHING about the Paladin because her mother refuses to talk about them.

*The budding romance between Raidyn and Zuhra had me on edge!🔥 And this comes in the second half of the book – which I think was fine except I knew, just knew it wouldn’t be resolved and it would have to wait until book two. 😞 There is a romance growing also between Halvor and Inara, but we shall see what happens with that one.

*Zuhra to me is an interesting character. I wasn’t sure that I was connecting to her in the beginning but I understand why. She has had no interaction with the outside world. The only people she has come into contact with is her sister (who is barely lucid), her mother (who comes off cruel and cold) and Sami (her nanny/maid who loves her but cares for her mother too). How do we get a feel for someone who is cloistered in a magical citadel with no way out, no one to really talk to, who sees the first guy in her life and wonders if she’s falling for him She doesn’t…but she’s trying to discern what she’s feeling for the first time in a lot of new situations. Zuhra has always felt hopeless, weak and helpless. But we see her grow, we see her come out of her shell…and I can’t wait to see how much more she changes in the sequel.

* The family issues, there is a LOT…ugh…I didn’t love it, because who loves family strife? But there were parts in the end that really made me tear up. I was quite emotional about it. I liked that it made me care about this broken family.

*So much action at the end, but it makes me wish the sequel was coming out tomorrow.

What I Didn’t Like:

~ Some might find the beginning of this book slow. It is, if you are waiting for action to start right away. But we are getting to know Zuhra and Inara and their cloistered, sparse, depressing life. There was a time when I said, ok…is anything going to happen?! I remember looking at the page and realized I was around 100 when things really started happening.

~ Zuhra’s mother, Cinnia…I know her heart was broken, I know she despaired being alone to raise her kids in a citadel that entrapped them. I know she had no way of understanding what happened, but damn it was she cold and cruel to her girls. Because she was hurt and afraid she took it out on them. And I don’t forgive her still…even though at the end, there was some understanding between all of them. But Zuhra took the brunt of it in her upbringing and Cinnia needs to do a 180 in the next book because…these girls needed their mother.

~Though the perspectives alternate between Zuhra and Inara, I was more invested in Zuhra’s experience. It felt uneven, but I hope it does even out in the sequel.

~ I’ll have to wait forever for the sequel. Sigh….

{ Final Thoughts }

I enjoyed this book so much because of the sisterly love, the amazing magical world of the Paladins and their gryphons, and that frustrating growing romance between Zuhra and Raidyn. I wanted to scream, Kiss ALREADY!!! 🤣 I hope we see Zuhra grow stronger and confident in herself and I’m worried about Inara. What will happen to her? 😞

Sisters of Shadow and Light is an emotional journey of two sisters, finding themselves and bringing their family back together. I am eagerly awaiting the sequel.

Thanks to The Fantastic Flying Book Club and Tor Teen for having me on this tour and sending me an electronic copy to review!
I first started hearing about this book back in July and knew that it was going to be a great read. The whole premise of magic hedges, legendary warriors, sisters that had a special bond, and a hint of a “Beauty and the Beast” thing going on with being hidden away until a stranger arrives was incredibly intriguing. And Sisters of Shadow and Light was more than I could’ve hoped for and is one of my favorite reads for the year!
Sisters of Shadow and Light follow Zuhra and Inara. Sisters, one born seemingly natural like her mother while the other was born with incredible power that she inherited from her father. On the day of Inara’s birth, her and Zuhra’s father disappeared and a magical hedge sprouted to block everyone on the property in, only opening in cases of dire need and only Sami, the midwife that stayed, could traverse through it. Zuhra, when we first truly meet her is tired of her mother ignoring Inara, of the lessons to be a wife that don’t seem relevant, and just wants to spend time with her sister. Inara is constantly in need of being watched as she lives in a ‘roar’ that only dissipates when she releases her power to help her garden, and then only for short spurts. One day, a stranger appears and Zhura believes that Halvor, the stranger is there to help Inara. As Zuhra and Halvor seek answers to help Inara they leave a door open that ends up changing everything. In a single moment, both girls' lives are changed forever. What follows is a fantastic story of the bond of sisters as they fight their way back to each other, navigate being around other people for the first time in their lives, learning who they really are, and becoming who they’re truly meant to be. It’s captivating, lovably awkward at times, and storytelling that will keep you bound to the pages.
I absolutely loved this book, this story, and these characters. The whole idea was well thought out and written incredibly well. Even when the book split into telling both Zhura and Inara’s separate views, you never got lost in what was happening.
Zhura and Inara are amazing written characters. They’ve literally never been around people and yet when thrown into the midst of crowds and with people, they try their hardest. Some of the parts I loved the most is when both of them are in situations where they’re not understanding what’s happening (cause they’ve been trapped in the citadel for 15 years), question everything, and then take it in stride when others are super confused as to why they don’t understand.
I really loved the relationships that are formed/reformed in this book. The dynamics between all of them are interesting, but Larson did a really great job of truly bringing life to them. I was a super awkward teenager, especially around guys, and Larson also does a really great job of writing these girls where they’re relatable to the girls that will pick up this book and read it. Zuhra and Inara are super awkward on occasion, yes, but they also show girls that they do hold power and that there’s nothing wrong with that. That what they believe and what they think is right are important to stand for, even if it feels like everything is against you.
I’m so incredibly in love with this book. It was an absolute JOY to read and I can’t wait to pick up a copy and read it again. This is one of those books that keeps you glued to the page. And I’m so glad that as of this Tuesday, November 5th, 2019, you’ll get to read it too. This is one for the year that you don’t want to miss.

First of all - Thank you to netgalley for giving me an arc in exchange for a review!

This book does not start slow. There is so much going on from right at the beginning and that’s what I liked about it. Definitely not slow paced! I liked the relationship between the sisters and the story and plot was actually really good! But- I wasn’t really invested in the book and got through it only because I had too. I think that maybe the evolution of the storyline could have been a little more attractive and the characters could have been made worth investing into!
A good read if you are into this genre.

I enjoyed this page turner from beginning to end, and found the fantasy kingdom setting, mysterious origin stories, the powerful creatures and majestic vistas very absorbing. At the heart of the story though was the relationship between two sisters, the main protagonists. They were brave, strong and their love and loyalty for family was heartwarming. Read over a few sittings (it's got a nice, meaty length to it, but not too overwhelming!), I kept coming back curious for the next twist and reveal. These two sisters, one with obvious supernatural power, the other her protector and best friend, both carry the story through the family tensions between their parents, the epic battles between magical creatures and beings, and finally to the cliff-hanger ending.

I would recommend this book to our fantasy-loving students, who also value romance that's not overbearing, and strong female characters who enjoy disappearing into a substantial book for the weekend!

I loved this book!!! The story was so unique and the characters were so great. I loved that you could really feel the bond between Zuhra and Inara. I can’t wait for the next book. I look forward to reading more about Zuhra, Inara, their family, friends, and the Paladin.

I genuinely just finished the book and was a bit bereft at the fact that there wasn’t still more left and now I’ll be waiting on tenterhooks for the second!!

I found the world building interesting in this one, as well as the devotion of the two sisters, Zuhra and Inara. Growing up in an Paladin citadel surrounded by a magical plant wall that rarely lets anyone in or out (Paladin here meaning magically powered folks, as opposed to the normal D&D class I’d USUALLY associate with the term), Zuhra is 18 and has lived completely devoid of interaction outside her home or her mother, sister, and sort-of servant, Sami.

Zuhra knows her 15 year old sister is a Paladin, but Inara’s powers render her unable to hear or understand anything 97% of the time, and her mother is cold and largely remote since the birth of her sister and the attendant disappearance of her father. She’s forbidden to speak of the Paladin, let alone learn of them, and has had no information outside what she could read in quick snatches in the last 15 years.

When a young man appears (the first she’s ever seen since she was 3 years old, and even then only the second male ever next to her missing father), things are thrown into upheaval. I won’t spoil anything, but this book has an interesting take on the YA fantasy novel, and I’m a fan! It’s a rarity to find a YA fantasy title not centered around a life at court and intrigues — although those do feature in a BIT here, they aren’t the main attraction.

I’d recommend picking it up, and I look forward to the next installment!! I’ll also be checking out Larson’s other work!!

This story features a wonderfully-crafted heroine, an intriguing premise, a world hanging in the balance, and a heart-pounding plot. I savored every bit of it.

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 3 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!

I received a copy of the this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a fantastical, engaging read. I loved the mysteries. I loved the characters. I cannot wait to read the sequel!

Review goes live on blog 11,/7

Knowing this was the first in a series failed to make up for the dreadfully abrupt ending. There should, of course, be unresolved arcs, but in this case the reader is barely informed of where everyone even is at the end, much less how they fared.

I loved Sisters of Shadow and Light! I've really enjoyed all of Sara B. Larson's books since I was in middle school, and this book didn't disappoint. The magic system was so interesting, and I loved the description of the Paladin citadel and the Paladin in general. I really enjoyed the amount of character growth both Inara and Zuhra went through in such a short amount of time. Once Inara becomes lucid, I liked reading her perspective the most. She was very unique because she has only been lucid for short periods of time in her life. I liked Zuhra, too, especially her close relationship with Inara and her complicated relationship with her mother. I know the reader is supposed to sympathize with Cinnia, their mother, but even once the trauma she had been through was revealed, I still had very little sympathy for her and thought her actions were horrible throughout the book. She was a very weak character and I hated the things she did to her daughters.
The romances were so interesting because I initially thought that Zuhra would end up with Halvor. But when she enters the world of the Paladin, it becomes clear that she would be with Raidyn, while Halvor and Inara would become closer since they were working together in Vamala to open the gateway,
I cried when Zuhra reunited with her father, and I think that was the most compelling and heart-wrenching moment of the entire book. I really liked seeing Zuhra and Adelric getting to know each other after so many years.

I was really looking forward to this one. I literally started it the day I was approved and yet it took me a lot longer to read than it normally takes. I found myself not wanting to pick it up again for a couple reasons. Finally after a few days of not reading anything, I picked it up once again. Unfortunately, it didn't get better for me.

One of the bigger issues I had with this book was the characters. They were just okay and a lot of the things they did were eye-roll worthy. Zuhra was the biggest offender and got the most eye-rolls. The only good quality she possessed was the love she had for her sister. She would have done anything for her and I can appreciate that since I have sisters. It wasn't enough to make me like her since every encounter with a boy had her talking about how attractive he was. She also instantly felt attracted to them in a way. She gets upset when the first doesn't like her back and it's like, what do you expect? You haven't even known him for that long!

It didn't just stop there when it came to Zuhra. Two more guys get introduced and the same thing happens again expect for with one but that doesn't mean he is off the hook. There is still a cringey scene with that one.

When it came to her sister, not much was really known about her, besides the fact that she had great power, and not really any dialogue until around 38%. At that point, the book is then two point-of-views. Even with this, I thought Inara was just okay and besides her power she just didn't intrigue me. Just like her sister, she falls for a guy quite easily with little interaction between them to ever have a relationship. Besides, not sure why she would like him since he is only obsessed with paladins. It seems that would be the only reason for him liking her.

The plot about paladins was unique and had its moments of being good. Besides not being able to like any of the characters, the book was filled with lots of cliches that I tend to not like. It was off-putting and not for me. I also guessed a lot of twists besides one and even then it didn't make too much sense but I am assuming more will come from that in book two.

The writing style at the beginning was very beautiful but then when Zuhra started doing her it quickly felt different and the two styles just didn't mesh.

Overall, this one just wasn't for me. I wanted to like it, I really did. Sadly, we can't like every book we read.

I really adored this read. I found the duel POV to super compelling. I loved how this book changed it structure throughout the book to not only expand that characters we met but also expanded the world that we were in. I really did love the sisters in this novel. I thought the world building in this book was a strong highlight of this read. I felt that for a majority of this book the plot was strong and clear and really had a hard time putting the book down. I was equally invested in both POV. I felt the ending of this book was a bit rushed and I just wanted more out of the end. I found this book to such sweeping story and really hope we get more books in this series.

This book starts off very slow. It doesn’t start with the action and substance u til halfway through. The concept was cool and the story was fun but the fist 10 or so chapters could have been condensed to two.

I went into this book with pretty high expectations, as I loved Larson's previously series. One of the highlights of this book for me was the magic system and history that is woven throughout the story. This was a vast improvement for me from Dark Breaks the Dawn, as I didn't feel dumped into a strange fantasy world and left to struggle along at the beginning, but came about more naturally within the text. The multiple narrators didn't bother me. I enjoyed the sisterly bonds that were described in the story. This also felt like a pretty "light" fantasy for me, which might make it more accessible to younger readers. Overall a fun and enjoyable story.

I had an idea going into this of how the story would play out and I couldn't have been more wrong. Larson weaves a story about love, familial, romantic and the love for power. With plenty of twists and turns that managed to keep me guessing throughout the book I was hooked and finished it in a matter of days.

The story is told from two perspectives, that of Zuhra and Inara. Both interesting and strong characters in their own right. Zuhra's whole life has revolved around her sister, ensuring her safety and health, she lives for the moment's that Inara breaks through her Paladin powers to have conversation, no matter how few and far between they are. When the strange, almost sentient Hedge that has kept them trapped their whole lives lets a stranger through she see's this as a chance. The strange boy knows all about Paladin, and might finally give her the answers she seeks to be able to help her sister for good. Zuhra's love for her sister impacts almost every single decision she makes, and she would do anything to protect her, including risking her own life.

Inara's perspective only really appears in the second half of the book, in holding in her Paladin powers she lives in a world of noise unable to communicate or truly understand her family. It is only in the moments when she uses her power, to induce the growth of a plant that she becomes coherent. Both her and Zuhra live for these moments of lucidity, when they can talk and spend real time together. She believes that her sister will protect her from everything, and Zuhra is the one person who can calm her down in her moments of madness.

Everything changes when a stranger boy appears. He makes the sisters believe there might be a way to help Inara, to keep her lucid for good. But their mother is adamant that he not mention Paladins, let alone be allowed into the Library where the wealth of Paladin knowledge resides.

I flew through the pages of this book, totally unaware where they would take me but wholly invested in the ride. Larson manages to tell a story about sisterly love, familial love, romantic love and the love for power with such heartbreaking intensity there were moments I was sat on the edge of my seat, hoping beyond hope that everything would turn out ok. Though there is romance in this book the interweaving arc is the love these two sisters share for each other. I was terrified reading this that it would turn into the much overused setting sister against sister trope. I needn't have worried. The love these sisters share outshines everything else, their feelings for boys, even the love for their mother. They have relied on each other for so long they could never imagine anything getting between them. The romance is at once bittersweet and all consuming, you know exactly who is meant for whom, but the journey to get there was beautiful to read.

I really enjoyed learning all about the Paladin magic system and their history, most of which you learn from Halvar (the stranger that the hedge lets through.) There are no 'history dumps' but the author introduces titbits of their lore throughout the story and entwines them so effortlessly that you don't even realise you are learning something. It's hard for me to talk about the entirety of this book without giving away major spoilers, but while I will say that the first half is set wholly in the Citadel and at parts I felt that it dragged slightly. In the second half we get transported, to where I can not tell you, but the pace significantly picks up and I read the last half in a matter of hours.

This was an easy 5/5 read for me. I truly didn't expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. It ends on a cliffhanger that had me reaching for my bookshelf, hopelessly searching for the sequel I didn't have. I need the next book now, and will definitely be picking up the authors other works to sate my appetite while I wait for the next instalment.

SISTERS OF SHADOW AND LIGHT is about two sisters who have been trapped in an abandoned citadel with their mother and nurse for fifteen years--since the night the younger sister was born and their Paladin father disappeared. Then a stranger shows up and everything changes.

I loved this book. The magic was mesmerizing, the romance realistic and swoon-worthy, and the twists completely unexpected but perfectly logical. And the bond between the sisters was, of course, the very best part.

Sisters of Shadow and Light is a teen romance dressed in semi-fantasy garb. Fans of works like Twilight and Fallen may are likely to find it appealing, but I did not. Pacing struggles abound and the story itself often plays second fiddle to the author's desire to dig into the hurt feelings of her various characters.