This is a beautifully written story, with elements (that I've noticed) of sleeping beauty. The female characters are portrayed as strong and independent in their own way, while none of them is perfect either.
I did find it hard to get into the story though, sometimes it seemed to take just a bit too long to get to a point.

This was excellent. I loved the world building and the alternate points of view. The main characters are really well done and distinctive and I really enjoy that. And I adore Raidyn and Naomi. This book comes out on November 5th and I am already ready to read the next book.

What drew me in to this book from the beginning was actually the synopsis and the quote in it. It sounded kind of poetic and right up my alley. Even though it did not live up to all my expectations, I still really liked this book!

Sisters of Shadow and Light is rich with lore and myths about these great Paladins, of which Zuhra and Inara know so little. They were supposedly the great heroes of the world, with amazing magical powers. But where are they now? Zuhra has grown up more or less alone, yearning for the few moments she gets with her sister Inara, when the “roar” subsides. Being locked inside an abandoned citadel with no friends, she spent her days dreaming about the legendary Paladins, longing for more information. Then one day, the hedge that has kept them imprisoned lets a man pass into the citadel, and suddenly everything changes. Here is the chance Zuhra had always wanted. The chance to learn more about the father who so suddenly disappeared. About the “roar” that has been stealing her sister for as long as she has lived.

This is where the story kicks off and I found myself intrigued right from the beginning. With this mysterious stranger, an unfamiliar power and so many secrets to uncover, I could barely put it down. I love the two main characters, Zuhra and Inara. I love the focus this book puts on sisterhood and friendship, above romantic interests and insta-love. Zuhra is a character one could easily feel attached to. She sneaks away books to read and is always looking to learn more and discover the hidden truths. This made her a great main character!

The world-building and the magic system are also highly enjoyable, once one gets to the point where things become more clear. The book is written so that as the characters learn more about the world, so do we. So we are going on a journey with the characters, to figure out what actually happened the night Inara was born. The mystery of it all makes the book addicting and fast-paced. I think the writing is really good as well, I appreciated a lot of the inner thoughts of the characters and a lot of the descriptions of the places.

The reason this book landed on 3.5 stars is that I did not like the romances at all. I found them more or less annoying and unnecessary and I think the book would have been much better without, or with them in a much smaller scale. Both romances felt a lot like insta-love and I hate how it took the focus away from the sisterhood of Zuhra and Inara. I also found myself annoyed with how the story progressed and the characters acted towards the end, which brought down the level of enjoyment.

This being said, I really like the way the book ended. It’s obvious that it is written to have a sequel and I think it did a really good job of wrapping up the plot-line but also making me excited for the next book. I am actually really looking forward to see where the story goes in the next book and what happens now. I also appreciated the plot-twist towards the end, even though it felt kind of out of place.

To summarize: this is a book about adventure, magic, family, sisterhood, secrets and lies. It is fast-paced, has a great cast of characters, stunning descriptions and an engaging plot. I would recommend it to fans of magical adventures and complex characters!

I couldn't (wouldn't) put this book down. I've read some books by Ms. Larson and really liked them and was excited to read Sisters of Shadow and Light. It definitely did not disappoint. Trapped in the Citadel of Paladins, sisters Zuhra and Inara, along with their mother and a servant have lived there all of Inara's life - almost 16 years without seeing anyone. Inara, inheriting her Paladin father's power, seems to be going more and more mad and Zuhra does her best to draw Inara back towards sanity. It's not until a stranger is allowed into the Citadel do Zuhra and Inara begin to piece together the secrets of their background and future. While there is romance involved (lovely), it's more a story of sisters, familial ties, and the power of those ties. I can't wait to read more!

I couldn't put this book down. I don't typically read YA anymore, though I used to quite a bit. This was the perfect book to get back into it and I can't wait for the rest of the series.

I loved the writing. It felt true to the characters but still sophisticated. The world-building was excellent. I appreciated being kept in the dark about the history of the Palladin alongside Zuhra and Inara. The pace of the plot worked well. It felt like we were always gearing up for a big battle. I felt surprised with every page, which is rare for my reading life.

DNF. Discussed in SBTB’s bimonthly whatcha reading post: https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2019/10/whatcha-reading-october-2019-edition-part-two/

“I’m in the middle of Sara B. Larson’s Sisters of Shadow and Light ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) and am perilously close to a DNF. It’s…fine? It’s one of those situations where I like the characters and the writing, but I’m strangely emotionally detached to everything (which is NOT how I want to feel when I’m reading). I can’t tell if the problem is me or the book (it’s me, if I had to pick). I’m going to shelve this and come back to it later. Normally I really like YA SFF about magical sisters, but I’m not in the mood now.”

For anyone who loved Strange the Dreamer, and is ready for a story in which the love between sisters is the most powerful force imaginable.

I was fortunate enough to get an advanced copy of this book via Netgalley, so thank you Tor Teen! Sisters of Shadow and Lights comes out Nov. 5.

Things I loved:
- LOVE the relationship between Zuhra and Inara. Their relationship could have easily but uninterestingly written as more hateful or resentful, but instead it's supporting and loving.
- Also Zuhra and Inara themselves are great female characters, I love their voices.
- Inara's storyline is REALLY good, you guys.
- Honestly did NOT see the first twist coming in the best way. It totally takes the story in a direction I wasn't expecting.
- There's a LOT set up for book 2 to have enough action.

Things I didn't love:
- I felt there was room for a LOT more description and world-building. The pace, especially the middle of the book, dragged, and I think it's because there was a lot of telling, not showing.
- The twist toward the end...eh. It was a little too convenient and out of left-field IMO.
- I didn't love that the mother is defined by trauma that happened to her and not who she is as a person
- Why are the sisters into every boy that comes across their path? I know they're young women and hormones are a-ragin' and this their first exposure to dudes, but like, EVERY single guy?
- A lot of the characters in the citadel world are pretty well-developed and complex, but I felt the Paladins' characters were more one-dimensional/overly "good."

The story is very solid, and I love the main characters, it was just too much "telling" for me.

Two sisters grow up in a derelict castle surrounded by a sentient hedge, where their controlling mother sulks a lot and tells them nothing about their missing father--who happened to be from another plane. One of the girls is presented as normate, while the other has superpowers in healing and growing and is presented as neurodiverse, although not in a positive way. When two men are able to get through the hedge, seeking knowledge, the hedge absorbs one of them, leaving the younger to serve as a hero and potential love interest for the sisters. There is much melodrama and wow emotions and more italics than any single book should ever have, I found it ableist and weirdly centered on men as heroes and women as victims and neither of the narrators--the sisters--are particularly interesting and serve mostly to induce the melodrama.

As soon as I saw the synopsis of this novel, I was curious to find out more! I love fantasy YA and it was a good opportunity to discover an author I didn’t know.

Inara and Zuhra have lived with their mother in a citadel since birth. They cannot leave and only their “governess” can sometimes go down to the city to buy food. But here they are, their mother is completely broken since Inara’s birth, which also coincides with their father’s disappearance. What about Inara? Well, this girl has a lot of power, but she never manages to stay lucid for very long and Zuhra tries to help her as best she can. It’s complicated, especially when their mother has no interest in Inara. However, things will change drastically when one day a man passes through the hedges that keep them away from the outside world, the only man who has managed to cross them since birth. And this change will completely change their lives.

I really enjoyed following the two young girls, although I was always looking forward to returning from Zuhra’s point of view. This young girl is resourceful, curious and above all ready to do anything for her sister. Unfortunately, things will not be so simple and if our heroine is happy to see a newcomer, the dangers are getting closer, but that is also how we will discover the truth about her father, about the Paladins and about what is happening in the outside world.

As I said, I had a good time and I’m very curious to learn more about the characters, especially about Raydin, and I look forward to reading the sequel now!

Two sisters grow up in an abandoned citadel that once was home to magical Paladin Warriors. For more than fifteen years they’ve been trapped behind a sentient, deadly hedge until a young man is mysteriously allowed through. Zuhra has always protected her baby sister Inara but the hope of escape and possibly love is something that burns brightly within her. Inara’s appearance brands her as half Paladin but many forget that so too is Zuhra and that’s something no one should ever overlook !
I truly enjoyed this and thought the pace was excellent. Initially it’s quiet , almost placid and allows the reader to understand the complex relationships that exist within the citadel. Then everything changes as the sisters are separated and it truly took on a vibrancy with new characters and endless possibilities. This is just the start of this series and I definitely will want to read more.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me read this early. I really enjoyed the bound that the sisters had in the book and that made it a really enjoyable read for me and the magic system was really unique and refreshing. A lot of places kept you wanting to read and I loved the world building and characters and the plot was also great. I give this book 4 stars and highly recommend

Real rating: 3.8/5

Thank you netgalley and publisher for the arc.

Sisters of Shadow and Light felt like both a unique and mysterious fantasy and also a familiar fairy tale- and I mean this in a good way. Many aspects were refreshingly realistic- the characters behaved like real people and the romance wasn't ridiculous. The sisterly bond almost reminded me a bit of Frozen (which is why I first wanted to read it) but I realized I was wrong and this book was so much more.

The plot went by smoothly and over all the book was very easy to get into. It's one of those reads that are so engaging you almost forget you are reading and instead you feel transported into the world.

This book wasn't perfect, but it was a really good read and I will for sure acquire it for my library collection.

This was a very good book that had a strong bond of sisterhood. The magical elements were unique and interesting. There were so many mysterious factors that keep you curious and wanting to know what happened while still given you enough information periodically to not make it annoying. There were several times I was getting a vibe like this could have been a classic fairytale type story. I am looking forward to the sequel!

Sisters of Shadow and Light is the first novel in an all-new series by Sara B. Larson. It's the tale of two sisters, and their very strange and unexpected lives. They've been abandoned, and worse, trapped within a citadel. That is, until everything takes a sudden change fifteen years in.
These sisters lived in a world in which Paladins used o be commonplace. They were the magical warriors set to protect them all. Until they disappeared. Now there are none. None, unless you count Inara, a half Paladin born with the light of the stars in her eyes.
Zuhra is a loyal and loving sister. For the past fifteen years, she's loved her sister where their mother would not. She treasured her sister's rare moments of lucidity. She also knew what her mother's plans were for her, and what she believed to be her destiny.
Inara is only half-human. Her other half is Paladin, even if her mother would never truly admit that. Inara loves her gardens, and her sister. And she doesn't seem troubled at all by her lack of maternal care.

“We were in the citadel, so we didn't see the night sky, didn't witness the pulse of darkness that obliterated all light – including the stars – at the moment my sister cried and turned her burning eyes on my mother for the first time.”

Sisters of Shadow and Light was a beautiful and heartwarming tale, full of mystery and lore. It has a little bit of something for everyone. There's some romance, devoted sisters, betrayal, mystery, and magical creatures.
I'll confess that it took me a little bit of time to get into this one. I wanted to like it right from the start, of course. But it took about three or so chapters for me to find myself invested in what was really happening. So if you find yourself struggling, try giving it an extra chapter or two before you give up.
Sara B. Larson's writing style was absolutely brilliant. It flowed wonderfully, and was reason enough to make me want to keep reading it through to the end. I know that this isn't Larson's first novel, but it's the first one that I've read. And I've clearly got to check out the rest of her works!
This was the start of a series, and I'm more than a little bit curious to see where the next novel is going to take us. I hope to hear news about it sooner rather than later. But like I said, at least I have a decent backlog to work through in the meantime.

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.