As soon as I saw the cover reveal for Sisters of Shadow and Light I knew I wanted to read it! Then add in the combination of a story about sisters and I was sold!
Summary
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.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Sisters of Shadow and Light is a story that grows in complexity. At the beginning we aren’t sure what keeps them trapped. Why the magic seems to have turned against them. Like Inara and Zuhra, trapped in isolation, we as readers are confused about what has happened. Therefore we are able to empathize with these sisters as they find out how different the world is to what they expected. There’s magic screaming in our mind, enchanted vines that keep those out, and a lingering question in the air.
I love that I was promised a book about sisterhood and I got it! My favorite part of Sisters of Shadow and Light is the relationship between Inara and Zuhra, their complete love for each other. In a world that seems to pit them against each other, a family they don’t understand, their love is the only guiding force they have. A complex relationship between the sisters and their mother is a constant in their life. What I also loved about Sisters of Shadow and Light is how honest the portrayal of sisterhood is.
The love they have for each other isn’t just about their bond. There’s ties and chains within. Because while their love connects them, it also is full of guilt and disappointment. How we can love someone so much we can let it hold us back. We can forget who we are when we don’t have them. Sisterly love, like all love, has the potential to lift us up and bind us. Sisters of Shadow and Light is a story about these sisters together, but also apart. They have the chance to right mistakes, to speak out, and stand on their own.
Overall,
Sisters of Shadow and Light is a story about fighting against propaganda, of not letting our fear get the better of us, turning us against our neighbors. When we are judged by an image, an expectation, a lie, and like wildfire, it spreads and destroys. Power isn’t just blinding light and fire in our veins. It’s up to us what we choose to do with the power. And who will we be without the source of comfort? And at the same time, Sisters of Shadow and Light is about the fear of being hurt. Of letting love into your heart, which is already battered and bruised. The terror because we know too deeply the scars love leaves.
Giveaway
Prize: Win (1) of (10) copy of SISTERS OF SHADOW & LIGHT by Sara B. Larson (US/CAN Only)
Starts: 30th November 2019
Ends:
13th November 2019
About the Author
Sara B. Larson is the best-selling and critically acclaimed author of the YA fantasy DEFY trilogy (DEFY, IGNITE, and ENDURE) and the DARK BREAKS THE DAWN duology. Her next YA fantasy, SISTERS OF SHADOW AND LIGHT, comes out November 5th from Tor Teen. She can’t remember a time when she didn’t write books—although she now uses a computer instead of a Little Mermaid notebook. Sara lives in Utah with her husband, their four children, and their Maltese, Loki. She writes in brief snippets throughout the day and the quiet hours when most people are sleeping. Her husband claims she should have a degree in “the art of multitasking.” When she’s not mothering or writing, you can often find her at the gym repenting for her sugar addiction.
Tour Schedule
October 30th
The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club – Welcome Post
October 31st
BookCrushin – Tell Your Story in 3 or 5 GIFs
Library of a Book Witch – Review
L.M. Durand – Review
The Clever Reader – Review + Favourite Quotes
Gwendalyn’s Books – Review
November 1st
NovelKnight – Story Behind The Cover
Moonlight Rendezvous – Review + Favourite Quotes
Utopia State of Mind – Review + Favourite Quotes
Write, Read, Repeat – Review
Book Briefs – Review
November 2nd
Bookish Looks – Character Playlist
Here’s To Happy Endings – Review
The Boozy Reader – Review
Book Slaying – Review + Favourite Quotes
Becky’s Book Blog – Review
November 3rd
books_andpoetrii – Mood Board/Book Style
Musings of a (Book) Girl – Official Playlist
Shalini’s Books & Reviews – Review
Adventures and Reading – Review
Novelishly – Review
November 4th
Kait Plus Books – Top 10 List
Artsy Draft – Review + Favourite Quotes
Novel Nerd Faction – Review + Playlist
Jrsbookreviews – Review
Fictitiouswonderland – Review
November 5th
Sereadipity – Video Interview A Court of Coffee and Books – Review + Favourite Quotes Sometimes Leelynn Reads – Review + Dream Cast Wishful Endings – Review Story-eyed Reviews – Review