About the Book:

Title: Sisters of Sword and Song

Author: Rebecca Ross

Publisher: Harper Teen

Release Date: June 23, 2020

Pages: 432

Genre: YA Fantasy

Synopsis:

From the author of The Queen’s Rising comes a thrilling YA stand-alone fantasy about the unbreakable bond between sisters. Perfect for fans of Ember in the Ashes, Sky in the Deep, and Court of Fives.

After eight long years, Evadne will finally be reunited with her older sister, Halcyon, who has been proudly serving in the queen’s army. But when Halcyon appears earlier than expected, Eva knows something has gone terribly wrong. Halcyon is on the run, hunted by her commander and charged with murder.
Though Halcyon’s life is spared during her trial, the punishment is heavy. And when Eva volunteers to serve part of Halcyon’s sentence, she’s determined to find out exactly what happened. But as Eva begins her sentence, she quickly learns that there are fates much worse than death.

 

 

 

Review:

* I received an arc from the author and the publisher, Harper Teen in exchange for an honest review*

I absolutely loved this beautiful book! This is the third book I’ve read by Rebecca Ross, and she definitely has a fan for life in me. Her writing is so alluring and captivating, and I was drawn into the story from the very beginning.

This standalone YA Fantasy takes place in an alternate Ancient Greek world. The setting is so lush and vivid. I loved the unique mythology. There were 9 “divines” that left behind earthly relics for humankind to find that contained magical properties, and some of them were never recovered. The divine that the two main characters, Halcyon and Evadne were descended from was fallen. Evadne was always fascinated with magic though, and hoped that she would have it somehow. Halcyon is a great fighter, and could beat the boys, and outrun everyone, and so joined the Queen’s army when she was very young. The two sisters were very close, and Evadne missed Halcyon terribly when she left. They are about to finally be reunited after eight long years, when Halcyon arrives earlier than expected, and Evadne surmises that things have gone terribly wrong. Halcyon is being hunted by her commander and the charge is murder. Halcyon’s life winds up being spared at her trial, but the punishment is very heavy. Evadne volunteers to take part of her sentence, and get to the bottom of what happened with her sister. And so begins an epic adventure, and things aren’t all as they seem.

I truly enjoyed the relationship between the two sisters and how strong their bond was, even though they had been apart for eight years. They were truly devoted to each other and would do anything to protect the other.  I also loved that they came from a big loving family that all lived together in the olive grove in Isaura.  You could just feel the love between them all.

When Evadne goes to serve her portion of Halcyon’s sentence, she is sent to a city. The city is full of warriors, mages, scribes, and even prisoners. I love how we see Evadne grow and change and come into her own, as she’s separated from her sister and her family. There’s a male character that she meets in the city that I completely adore. He’s so caring and kind, and a romance blossoms that completely made me swoon.

If you enjoy stories about kick butt warriors, mages and scribes, strong females, family relationships, pain that is complex, slow burn romance, and more importantly sisterhood, hope, and forgiveness, then this book is for you. Do yourself a favor and add this to your TBR. You won’t regret it!

About the Author:

Rebecca Ross grew up in Georgia, where she continues to reside with her husband, lively dog and endless piles of books. She received her bachelor’s degree in English from UGA. In the past she has worked at a Colorado dude ranch, as a school librarian, and as a live-time captionist for a college.

Rebecca writes fantasy for young adult readers. Her debut novel, THE QUEEN’S RISING, was released on February 6, 2018 from HarperTeen.

THE QUEEN’S RISING is set to be translated into Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, Hungarian, Turkish, Bulgarian, Dutch, German, Hebrew and will be available in the UK.