I enjoyed this page turner from beginning to end, and found the fantasy kingdom setting, mysterious origin stories, the powerful creatures and majestic vistas very absorbing. At the heart of the story though was the relationship between two sisters, the main protagonists. They were brave, strong and their love and loyalty for family was heartwarming. Read over a few sittings (it's got a nice, meaty length to it, but not too overwhelming!), I kept coming back curious for the next twist and reveal. These two sisters, one with obvious supernatural power, the other her protector and best friend, both carry the story through the family tensions between their parents, the epic battles between magical creatures and beings, and finally to the cliff-hanger ending.

I would recommend this book to our fantasy-loving students, who also value romance that's not overbearing, and strong female characters who enjoy disappearing into a substantial book for the weekend!

I loved this book!!! The story was so unique and the characters were so great. I loved that you could really feel the bond between Zuhra and Inara. I can’t wait for the next book. I look forward to reading more about Zuhra, Inara, their family, friends, and the Paladin.

I genuinely just finished the book and was a bit bereft at the fact that there wasn’t still more left and now I’ll be waiting on tenterhooks for the second!!

I found the world building interesting in this one, as well as the devotion of the two sisters, Zuhra and Inara. Growing up in an Paladin citadel surrounded by a magical plant wall that rarely lets anyone in or out (Paladin here meaning magically powered folks, as opposed to the normal D&D class I’d USUALLY associate with the term), Zuhra is 18 and has lived completely devoid of interaction outside her home or her mother, sister, and sort-of servant, Sami.

Zuhra knows her 15 year old sister is a Paladin, but Inara’s powers render her unable to hear or understand anything 97% of the time, and her mother is cold and largely remote since the birth of her sister and the attendant disappearance of her father. She’s forbidden to speak of the Paladin, let alone learn of them, and has had no information outside what she could read in quick snatches in the last 15 years.

When a young man appears (the first she’s ever seen since she was 3 years old, and even then only the second male ever next to her missing father), things are thrown into upheaval. I won’t spoil anything, but this book has an interesting take on the YA fantasy novel, and I’m a fan! It’s a rarity to find a YA fantasy title not centered around a life at court and intrigues — although those do feature in a BIT here, they aren’t the main attraction.

I’d recommend picking it up, and I look forward to the next installment!! I’ll also be checking out Larson’s other work!!

This story features a wonderfully-crafted heroine, an intriguing premise, a world hanging in the balance, and a heart-pounding plot. I savored every bit of it.

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 3 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!

I received a copy of the this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a fantastical, engaging read. I loved the mysteries. I loved the characters. I cannot wait to read the sequel!

Review goes live on blog 11,/7

Knowing this was the first in a series failed to make up for the dreadfully abrupt ending. There should, of course, be unresolved arcs, but in this case the reader is barely informed of where everyone even is at the end, much less how they fared.

I loved Sisters of Shadow and Light! I've really enjoyed all of Sara B. Larson's books since I was in middle school, and this book didn't disappoint. The magic system was so interesting, and I loved the description of the Paladin citadel and the Paladin in general. I really enjoyed the amount of character growth both Inara and Zuhra went through in such a short amount of time. Once Inara becomes lucid, I liked reading her perspective the most. She was very unique because she has only been lucid for short periods of time in her life. I liked Zuhra, too, especially her close relationship with Inara and her complicated relationship with her mother. I know the reader is supposed to sympathize with Cinnia, their mother, but even once the trauma she had been through was revealed, I still had very little sympathy for her and thought her actions were horrible throughout the book. She was a very weak character and I hated the things she did to her daughters.
The romances were so interesting because I initially thought that Zuhra would end up with Halvor. But when she enters the world of the Paladin, it becomes clear that she would be with Raidyn, while Halvor and Inara would become closer since they were working together in Vamala to open the gateway,
I cried when Zuhra reunited with her father, and I think that was the most compelling and heart-wrenching moment of the entire book. I really liked seeing Zuhra and Adelric getting to know each other after so many years.

I was really looking forward to this one. I literally started it the day I was approved and yet it took me a lot longer to read than it normally takes. I found myself not wanting to pick it up again for a couple reasons. Finally after a few days of not reading anything, I picked it up once again. Unfortunately, it didn't get better for me.

One of the bigger issues I had with this book was the characters. They were just okay and a lot of the things they did were eye-roll worthy. Zuhra was the biggest offender and got the most eye-rolls. The only good quality she possessed was the love she had for her sister. She would have done anything for her and I can appreciate that since I have sisters. It wasn't enough to make me like her since every encounter with a boy had her talking about how attractive he was. She also instantly felt attracted to them in a way. She gets upset when the first doesn't like her back and it's like, what do you expect? You haven't even known him for that long!

It didn't just stop there when it came to Zuhra. Two more guys get introduced and the same thing happens again expect for with one but that doesn't mean he is off the hook. There is still a cringey scene with that one.

When it came to her sister, not much was really known about her, besides the fact that she had great power, and not really any dialogue until around 38%. At that point, the book is then two point-of-views. Even with this, I thought Inara was just okay and besides her power she just didn't intrigue me. Just like her sister, she falls for a guy quite easily with little interaction between them to ever have a relationship. Besides, not sure why she would like him since he is only obsessed with paladins. It seems that would be the only reason for him liking her.

The plot about paladins was unique and had its moments of being good. Besides not being able to like any of the characters, the book was filled with lots of cliches that I tend to not like. It was off-putting and not for me. I also guessed a lot of twists besides one and even then it didn't make too much sense but I am assuming more will come from that in book two.

The writing style at the beginning was very beautiful but then when Zuhra started doing her it quickly felt different and the two styles just didn't mesh.

Overall, this one just wasn't for me. I wanted to like it, I really did. Sadly, we can't like every book we read.

I really adored this read. I found the duel POV to super compelling. I loved how this book changed it structure throughout the book to not only expand that characters we met but also expanded the world that we were in. I really did love the sisters in this novel. I thought the world building in this book was a strong highlight of this read. I felt that for a majority of this book the plot was strong and clear and really had a hard time putting the book down. I was equally invested in both POV. I felt the ending of this book was a bit rushed and I just wanted more out of the end. I found this book to such sweeping story and really hope we get more books in this series.

This book starts off very slow. It doesn’t start with the action and substance u til halfway through. The concept was cool and the story was fun but the fist 10 or so chapters could have been condensed to two.

I went into this book with pretty high expectations, as I loved Larson's previously series. One of the highlights of this book for me was the magic system and history that is woven throughout the story. This was a vast improvement for me from Dark Breaks the Dawn, as I didn't feel dumped into a strange fantasy world and left to struggle along at the beginning, but came about more naturally within the text. The multiple narrators didn't bother me. I enjoyed the sisterly bonds that were described in the story. This also felt like a pretty "light" fantasy for me, which might make it more accessible to younger readers. Overall a fun and enjoyable story.

I had an idea going into this of how the story would play out and I couldn't have been more wrong. Larson weaves a story about love, familial, romantic and the love for power. With plenty of twists and turns that managed to keep me guessing throughout the book I was hooked and finished it in a matter of days.

The story is told from two perspectives, that of Zuhra and Inara. Both interesting and strong characters in their own right. Zuhra's whole life has revolved around her sister, ensuring her safety and health, she lives for the moment's that Inara breaks through her Paladin powers to have conversation, no matter how few and far between they are. When the strange, almost sentient Hedge that has kept them trapped their whole lives lets a stranger through she see's this as a chance. The strange boy knows all about Paladin, and might finally give her the answers she seeks to be able to help her sister for good. Zuhra's love for her sister impacts almost every single decision she makes, and she would do anything to protect her, including risking her own life.

Inara's perspective only really appears in the second half of the book, in holding in her Paladin powers she lives in a world of noise unable to communicate or truly understand her family. It is only in the moments when she uses her power, to induce the growth of a plant that she becomes coherent. Both her and Zuhra live for these moments of lucidity, when they can talk and spend real time together. She believes that her sister will protect her from everything, and Zuhra is the one person who can calm her down in her moments of madness.

Everything changes when a stranger boy appears. He makes the sisters believe there might be a way to help Inara, to keep her lucid for good. But their mother is adamant that he not mention Paladins, let alone be allowed into the Library where the wealth of Paladin knowledge resides.

I flew through the pages of this book, totally unaware where they would take me but wholly invested in the ride. Larson manages to tell a story about sisterly love, familial love, romantic love and the love for power with such heartbreaking intensity there were moments I was sat on the edge of my seat, hoping beyond hope that everything would turn out ok. Though there is romance in this book the interweaving arc is the love these two sisters share for each other. I was terrified reading this that it would turn into the much overused setting sister against sister trope. I needn't have worried. The love these sisters share outshines everything else, their feelings for boys, even the love for their mother. They have relied on each other for so long they could never imagine anything getting between them. The romance is at once bittersweet and all consuming, you know exactly who is meant for whom, but the journey to get there was beautiful to read.

I really enjoyed learning all about the Paladin magic system and their history, most of which you learn from Halvar (the stranger that the hedge lets through.) There are no 'history dumps' but the author introduces titbits of their lore throughout the story and entwines them so effortlessly that you don't even realise you are learning something. It's hard for me to talk about the entirety of this book without giving away major spoilers, but while I will say that the first half is set wholly in the Citadel and at parts I felt that it dragged slightly. In the second half we get transported, to where I can not tell you, but the pace significantly picks up and I read the last half in a matter of hours.

This was an easy 5/5 read for me. I truly didn't expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. It ends on a cliffhanger that had me reaching for my bookshelf, hopelessly searching for the sequel I didn't have. I need the next book now, and will definitely be picking up the authors other works to sate my appetite while I wait for the next instalment.

SISTERS OF SHADOW AND LIGHT is about two sisters who have been trapped in an abandoned citadel with their mother and nurse for fifteen years--since the night the younger sister was born and their Paladin father disappeared. Then a stranger shows up and everything changes.

I loved this book. The magic was mesmerizing, the romance realistic and swoon-worthy, and the twists completely unexpected but perfectly logical. And the bond between the sisters was, of course, the very best part.

Sisters of Shadow and Light is a teen romance dressed in semi-fantasy garb. Fans of works like Twilight and Fallen may are likely to find it appealing, but I did not. Pacing struggles abound and the story itself often plays second fiddle to the author's desire to dig into the hurt feelings of her various characters.

The interactions between the characters felt very genuine. The plot hooked me from the very beginning. I am looking forward to reading the next book!

I really really liked this book! I was sucked in as soon as I started reading and I finished it in a day. I loved the story idea and how the author led us on a journey. I will be recommending this to everyone.

SISTERS OF SHADOW AND LIGHT-ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review (Thank you!)

This first book in a soon to be series, is about two sisters who have been trapped in an abandoned citadel with their mother and nurse for fifteen years. Since the night the younger sister was born and their Paladin father disappeared. Then a stranger shows up and everything changes for the two sisters lives.

I loved this book. The magic was mesmerizing, the romance realistic and swoon-worthy level, and the twists completely unexpected but perfectly logical to follow the narrative of the story. And the bond between the sisters was, of course, the very best part of all.

This novel tells the story of two sisters, Zara and Inara. The two of them are trapped in the citadel because Inara is a paladin. When a boy enters through the hedge that traps them, the two girls lives change forever.

I like Zuhra, but I also liked Inara better. Inara was a more fascinating character because she was quiet, guarded, and unsure of herself. I was interested in learning about her powers. Thus, I was interested in the sisters and how they mature.

Overall, this novel is about self-discovery, family, and love. The characters were all well-developed and interesting. The world-building was confusing and lacked explanations. Still, I recommend for fans of The Star-Touched Queen, City of Brass, and The Forbidden Wish.