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.
Sisters of Sword and Song is a beautiful twist on Greek mythology that left me wanting more. It has a great story of sisterhood and friendship with a strong cast of characters. The writing flows easily allowing you to slip into the world and feel completely emersed in its richness. It follows Evadne and Halcyon, two sisters carrying out punishments for an accident that left Halcyon's shield mate in the queen's army dead at her hand. This turns out to be her commander Lord Straton's son. Evadne takes part of Halcyon's sentence and has to serve his household for the next few years to come. Straton's other son Damon is a mage and Evadne grows to learn more magic through him. Meanwhile, Halcyon is sent to the quarry where she struggles each day to stay alive. The story unravels as we learn more about the threats to the queen and a deadly mission to save the kingdom. The dangerous quest involved also reminded me of Percy Jackson with our heroes out to save the world. If you enjoy this classic storyline this book is perfect for you.
The first thing that won me over in the book was the Greek-inspired mythology and the idea of the relics that all hold individual powers. This is set in a world where gods had once reigned and left magical relics behind for mortals so that they may be able to experience a small piece of magic. Some abandon their families in order to become relic hunters to attempt to get their hands on the few relics that are still lost. I would have liked a bit more explanation or back story to the relics as I found this to be a really interesting aspect of the mythology. There is a guide page at the beginning that lists the relics and their powers, which was very useful and it definitely set the mood for the book.
The pacing in this book is brilliant and I was never bored. It had a brilliantly original concept that I was immediately interested in. I always find with books with dual POV that I occasionally dread to read one character’s chapters because I prefer the other character’s chapters. However, I did not feel like this at all in this book and found myself loving how it made the story feel complete. I loved that it was about sisters and embodied the depth of family love. The romance in this book does not take centre stage but adds such a nice element to the story in the midst of everything going on. I also loved how sweet and real it felt as it was a slow-burning romance that could have easily been a case of insta-love. For a standalone novel it had an ending that was satisfying overall and a great way to tie-up the story.
If you are looking for YA fantasy with kick-ass characters and great world-building I would highly recommend this book. It is a strong standalone with a lot of heart and I cannot wait to get my hands on other books by Rebecca Ross.
Rating
4.5 Falling Books
A review copy was provided by HarperTeen on Edelweiss.
