Review for Booklist, not online yet.
Following up on her epic series that began with Daughters of the Storm, Wilkins draws readers in from page one following up on the sisters that are now strewn across the kingdom of Thrysland. Bluebell, still the unkillable warrior, is on a quest to find out who bears the sword that she saw would be her ending. Rose lives in exile as she was cast aside from her former husband, but must come out of hiding in order to seek her long lost daughter, Rowan, and prevent tragedy. Ash seeks a dragon that she has forseen destroying her and her loved ones. Ivy seeks to rule Seacaster, and after slowly poisoning her elderly husband to his death, she soon learns that ruling is no easy task. Willow is as fanatic as ever about her religion and planning on the worst kind of revenge. Wilkins details each story with action, magic, betrayal and even love. This fast-paced fantasy brings readers across a Kingdom with each heroine fighting her own personal battle, yet battles that will never the less draw them together.

Sisters of the Fire takes place 4 years after the ending of Daughters of the Storm. Each of the princesses has gone to different lives. Bluebell hasn’t changed much from the last book. She is charged with protecting the kingdom and she takes that seriously. After a battle that ends with a randerman raider held captive, Bluebell learns something interesting. She learns that one of her sisters has possession of a sword that can kill her. But which one hates her that much that they want her dead? Is it Rose? Who’s actions caused her to be separated from her daughter Rowan and live in isolation with her undermagician aunt. Or is it Ash? Ash has kept herself isolated from her sisters. She fears that the prophecy she saw in a vision will not only kill her but her sisters. Plus, she has a dragon to kill and a vision that she is determined not to come true. How about Ivy? Ivy who was the reason Rose was sent away from her daughter. Ivy, who’s scheming will end up costing her more than she thought it would. And then Willow. Meek, mousey Willow whose outer appearance doesn’t hint at the fanatic inside. Willow, who is willing to do anything to bring Maava to her father’s kingdom. Which sister will betray her?

I enjoyed reading Sisters of the Fire but it did take me a while to get into the book. The book got off to a slow start. The author had to give the background on 6 separate storylines before the book could get off the ground. She had to explain what happened to the sisters and Rowan in those 4 years. I would say that the first 30% of the book crept by for me. But, when Bluebell met with Rose, then I saw the book pick up steam. After that, the book flew. I couldn’t put it down.

If I had to have a sister that I disliked the most, it would have to be Willow. I knew that her mind wasn’t well during the first book. I mean, she heard flipping angels for crying out loud. What she morphed into in this book frightened me. She was what I call an uber fantastic. I felt so bad for her child. Look at what she put the poor thing through. She cut off eyelashes, gave the kid a bath and used a wire brush and refused to let the kid act like a child. But, what shocked me the most, was what Willow did. Even though she was bat poop crazy, I wasn’t expecting her to do what she did. I was saddened and surprised by it.

If I had to have a favorite character, it would have to be Rowan. For a small child, she was very wise. She saw what people were like. She also suffered from Rose not being there. Snowy was a good father figure but it wasn’t enough. She needed her mother. I thought her hearing the singing tree was interesting. Even more interesting was her connection to the First Folk. I wish more time had been spent explaining her time with the First Folk.

I can’t even get into all the storylines. If I did, this review would be way too long. Let me say that I thought they were amazing. I also thought that the author did a fantastic job at merging all them.

There was even a bit of romance in the book. I wasn’t expecting who the characters were (took me by surprise) but I thought it was sweet. I can’t wait to see if that romance will survive the next book.

The end of the book was good. I liked how the author took each sister and left their storyline open. The epilogue fascinated me. It left more questions than anything.

I gave Sisters of the Fire a 4-star rating. This was a good read. It did get off to a slow start but once the book got rolling, it took off. It was well written. I liked (or hated) the characters. The plotlines were intriguing. I did wish that there was more of an explanation of Rowan’s time with the First People. Other than that, I enjoyed the book.

I would give Sisters of the Fire an Adult rating. There is sex (not graphic). There is graphic violence. There is language. There are triggers. They would be the talk of child abuse. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Sisters of the Fire. I would also recommend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine, Del Ray, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Sisters of Fire.

All opinions stated in this review of Sisters of Fire are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Kim Wilkins writes great young female heroes. I liked the characters and the urgency of the story, and I felt Wilkins built up her writing style a lot in this book. I think I'd recommend to teens who like love, romance, self-sufficiency, and great writing.

The bottom line is if you like stories featuring strong women, sisters with complex relationships, fights, and love, dragons, and multiple perspectives, you have to read the Blood and Gold series. From the beginning I was hooked all over again on these fabulous women. They each have such a strong personality and you never lose track of who they are. Fierce, strong, intelligent, and cunning.
Characters

We are immersed back into their worlds, their histories, their mistakes, and their ambitions. While I certainly have my favorites of this book, what I loved was that in Sisters of the Fire we know these women so much better. We can genuinely appreciate their choices. The ways they have their types, their flaws, and their sacrifices. While Bluebell certainly ties this book together, with her quest to save everyone, and better the kingdom, I never felt like she took over my other favorites.

I received this ARC of Kim Wilkin's book Sister's of the Fire, the second book in the Blood and Gold Series in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.
I have to say, as much as I enjoyed the first book I LOVED the 2nd one! The story seems to flow effortlessly between two of the sisters, Ash and Bluebell. The other sisters have parts to play but the story seems to focus more on these than the other sisters. Bluebell has placed Rose's daughter, Rowan, from an illicit relationship with her lover, Snowy, who lives a remote life in the woods caring for the king's lands. We find out that Rowan has her own magic and the First Folk want to claim her as their own queen. Ash has been traveling for years with an undermagician who relies on her blood to transform into other creatures to look for their elusive prize, a dragon. This is the dragon that Ash fears will bring on her unbecoming.
Everyone's stories converge as an army of raiders led by Bluebell's nemisis and her sister Willow attack the city and the fates of everyone rest on the shoulders of Bluebell and Ash and the decisions they make.

I am pretty sure this is the only Historical Fantasy series that I read. All five of the Princess Sisters are back, but alas, not together.

Each has her own path to follow and gifts to learn to control before they meet again in a fight that will pit sister against sister.

Bluebell is watching over Rowan and fighting the good fight for her father, but when she finds out there is a sword out there forged for the sole purpose of killing her, she sets out to find it. Along the way she will meet her sister Ash, searching for a dragon, Ivy, being Ivy, Rose, who is living so many lies sometimes I can't keep up, and Willow. 

Willow who has embraced the Trimartyr faith, believing the voices in her head are the mighty Maava. She has hooked up with Hakon now and is causing all kinds of trouble! 

It took me a bit to get into the first book, but when this one came to me I was hooked from the beginning. Luckily this is a fast paced read and even the evil characters are interesting.

Sisters of the Fire is Book 2 in the Blood and Gold trilogy. This book started a little slow for me, and it took me a little while to get back into the story. But then it grabbed my attention and held it until the very end. This is a great sequel, and a great story of very diverse sisters, daughters of the king. We get to see a more vulnerable side of the warrior and heir apparent Bluebell, but also more of her commanding presence. Ash’s somewhat tragic story is more fleshed out. Willow is still a nutcase and pretty unlikeable, but her actions help drive the story. And little Rowan has grown into an interesting and important character. Throw in some magic, dragons, and some surprising plot twists and you have a pretty intriguing tale! Can’t wait to see what happens next. Many thanks to Netgalley and Random House/Ballantine/Del Rey for the e-arc. 4+ stars!

Sisters of the Fire by Kim Wilkins was a good story, full of a compelling and fast paced plot with great characters.

An excellent continuation of the Daughters of the Storm trilogy---a bit darker and more complex, as the sisters evolve and grow. Bluebell continues to be an intriguing lead character, with so much to admire; but the growth of little Rowan, an infant in the first book, promises to make the third installment even more enjoyable. Truly such a fun and compelling series, with much to dig into in terms of women's roles and choices. Although it's clear that this is the second in a third book, Wilkins manages to avoid the flatness of many middle books. Highly recommend!

I was so excited to get my hands on book 2, and it did not disappoint! I think it may even be better than the first, and I absolutely loved the first book. Wilkins is such a great storyteller, and it's so easy to become immersed in the world she's created. One of my favorite things about this series is the way she jumps from character to character and how each of the sisters is so different. I was never once bored while reading. I would easily get caught up in each of their stories, which made it a lot of fun to read. I don't understand how Wilkins does this so seamlessly, but she does, and it's awesome. This book is filled with magic, some pretty awesome fight scenes, relatable characters, and dragons!! I can't wait for book 3!!!


A big thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

Great sequel! Hoping there will be a third book, because I really want more on that ending touched on. Willow is driving me crazy, though, and there's definitely it's heartbreaking moments. Especially when you realize how Ash's fears unfold. My only complaint is the seeing eye necklace didn't seem consistent with the previous book, so either I misread the books somewhere and was confused or the writing was inconsistent, but either is plausible. Either way, it wasn't worth dwelling on as I really enjoyed the book.

Oh, this is one of those times when I’m going to try hard not to do one of those irritatingly gushy reviews. You know…the ones where the exclamation points outnumber the vowels and every other word is written TOTALLY in CAPS?

But seriously, I love this series and loved this book.

Now, I caution you that you should read book 1 first. There’s so much world building and character building in that book. You can still get into this one, but I think you’ll miss out on a lot that deals directly with our plot here.

In book 2, Bluebell is at her bitey best. I adore the fact that this woman is all fire, familial loyalty, and will use a sword (or an axe) on a perceived enemy without stopping to breathe. However, in book 2, the author also brings the other sisters to life – sometimes to their benefit…sometimes not. (Oh, Ivy! I started out thinking she had grown so much and ended up wanting to slap her.)

Expect epic battles, lots of heartbreak, some sweetness, and so much betrayal. (And maybe a dragon or two.)

This was a breathless read for me and I can’t wait for the next book!

*ARC Provided via Net Galley (and yes, a couple of exclamation points snuck in there.)

Sisters of the Fire was excellent - no less engaging than the first book in the series. I did have trouble, initially, getting into it - I read the first book some time ago, and my brain couldn't seem to go back to the sisters and remember where I left them. For the first 20% or so, I struggled, and went back to Daughters to refresh my memory. But once I was all refreshed, I devoured this.

As in Daughters, the sisters are very real, in that they have qualities you may dislike, and qualities you admire - some more than others. But all of them are strong, passionate, independent, and believe they know what's best, even if it clashes with one of their other sisters.

The story had me drawn in all the way through - the world is so well built, the plot thrilling and twisty, and when I set it down I immediately looked to see when I could find the next one. Very happy to have received this as an ARC from Netgalley.

A solid sequel that answered many questions. Female lead characters thar are amazing and fascinating world building. Read book 1 first!