Retellings have been killing it for me lately!!
I didn’t know this story, but this book made me wish I did!
Fantastical historical fiction might be my new favorite sub genre.
This was beautiful and magical and I ate it up.
There were times when it was a little slow, but I think the overall story was just wonderful.

Sistersong is a retelling of the "Twa Sisters" folktale in ancient Britan with the looming threat of the Saxons attacking. The story centers around 3 siblings - Keyne who wants to prove that he has always been the son his father longed for, Riva who was marred by fire at a young age, and Sinne who dreams of adventure.

I don't typically love multiple POV stories, as I find myself getting pulled into one POV more and wanting the whole book to be through their eyes. I started to feel that in the beginning of this book with Keyne's POV - I wanted to spend more time with him and his journey through figuring out his true self. But by the middle of the book, I also became invested and interested in Sinne and Riva's journeys.

I will say I still only sort of understand the magic system, but that really didn't take away from the story for me too much. I really enjoyed this story and I've never read a book from this time period before! I would absolutely be interested in reading more from this author.

Thank you to netgalley and Redhook books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

I’ve always been a fan of retellings based off of folklore, so the moment I picked up Sistersong, I knew I was going to love it. It was an intriguing and thrilling read about magic, jealously, betrayal with complex relationship dynamics and great representation. Each character's journey was well thought out and allowed me to enjoy the book that much more.

Holland’s lyrical writing propelled me through her story and the complex themes woven throughout the book were wonderfully written. I cannot wait to hear more from her!

This book honestly hit all of my checkmarks. I loved it cover-to-cover and I cannot wait to pick up a copy on October 5th!

A huge thank you to Hachette Book Group, Redhook Books and Netgalley for providing an ARC of Sistersong.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Man, I feel like I read a different book than everyone else because other reviewers are loving this and I didn't connect at all!

This book feels like it's trying it's trying to be the spiritual successor to The Mists of Avalon and doesn't quite live up to the task.

To give credit where it's due, this book does have strengths. There are three POV characters and they really do all have unique voices, which isn't an easy feat. The relationships between the sisters read as authentic also. Last but not least, the prose is quite lyrical, which is always a bonus.

Unfortunately, I just couldn't get into the world. This story takes place in ancient Britain, but I didn't really feel a strong sense of place. I'm a pretty big fan of this setting, so the "pagan tradition vs. Christian conversion" plot line is familiar to me and I didn't really feel like this book brought anything new to the table in that respect. The characters also expressed a lot of modern viewpoints and attitudes, which felt out of place in a book that takes places in the 500s AD. Like, a character literally tells someone off for being "intolerant" at one point. And, while I agree that intolerance is bad, I also live in 2021 and don't need to worry about Saxons pillaging my village. It sounds silly, but this juxtaposition kept pulling me out of the text and made it hard to suspend disbelief.

Friends, never in my life have I longed for a half-star rating possibility more than I do now. This book desperately deserves a 4.5 rating and is just fantastic. I can't recommend it enough with just one caveat that knocked it down from a perfect 5.

In Sistersong, Lucy Holland presents a well-rounded world, incredibly believable and realistic characters, and the opportunity to explore how relationships between people shape the course of the future. Three sisters begin the story: Keyne, Sinne, and Riva. By the end, none of them are living the lives they expect but each has explored who and what they are, learning that things are rarely what they seem.

The pros are almost too many to list here, including incredibly engaging characters, wonderful LGBTQA+ representation that is complex and totally relatable, and a wonderful immersion into folklore. We have a fantastic mentorship relationship, complicated social and political implications, and romance that should satisfy slow burn and love-at-first-sight folks alike.

I was particularly struck by how almost anyone could see themselves represented between these three sisters. Each of them spoke to me separately and the way they loved on each other (and bumped heads like real sisters) was engaging. The scope of the story was completely perfect as was the pacing. By the end, as Holland weaved the ending together I found myself longing for more, but still appreciating and fully agreeing with her choices on where and how to end.

The single substantive con, and the reason for its rating, is that I was able to predict the major twist from the outset. It was so very, very clear- if you read this and suspect you know the outcome, I promise you do. However, I still loved watching it unfold. Sometimes being proven right isn't that big of a deal, and I could love watching it become clear to the characters even as I knew well in advance.

Go read this book. Go read it now. Share it with anyone you think loves good stories, wants to read about compelling characters, and enjoys a hint of magic in their stories. I cannot recommend it enough.

**my thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review**

Sistersong, a reimagining of the "Twa Sisters" folktale in post-Roman Britain, is an intricate story of sisterhood, jealousy, storytelling, identity, magic, and loss. Three children of an ancient Dumnonian king struggle to assert themselves against the rising tides of Christianity and conquest. Eldest Riva, permanently scarred from a fire, cannot shake her persona of shy propriety. Middle child Keyne knows he is a man, but everyone only sees him as a girl. And youngest Sinne, with her alluring beauty and enchanting singing voice, dreams of an all-consuming love. Together, the three siblings must confront a changing world threatening to leave their community behind. I don't want to give much more away, but their three storylines become increasingly intense and intertwined.

[4.5/5: A heartbreaking retelling of a tragic ballad with vivid characters and an evocative ancient setting. I can see fans of books like The Witch's Heart, Circe, and Ariadne really loving this one!]

Many thanks to NetGalley and Redhook books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.

Sistersong is a retelling of an older legend, one which I wasn’t familiar with prior to picking up this book. This book has elicited comparisons to Madeline Miller’s books, and now having struggled to gel with Miller’s work and had a mixed experience with this one, I can see why. Oftentimes, the style and structure, while evocative, felt a bit too stylized for my liking, and I didn’t feel like I was as connected to the characters as I should be.

I was initially a bit put off to see that the book is in first person multiple POV, and I did occasionally forget whose head I was in. However, I did somewhat adapt as I got deeper into the story, while also finding the short chapters jarring and the fact that some characters are more vibrant than others definitely doesn’t help.

Keyne is the most well-drawn, and I feel could have easily been the main POV, if the story had been fleshed out more in that direction. Keyne longs to be a boy, and I really liked the exploration of gender identity from a medieval lens, exploring that while the vocabulary for it may have evolved over the centuries, people who don’t follow the prescribed sex-gender binary have always existed. I was much less drawn to the other sisters individually, but I did respect the direction taken with them, highlighting them as flawed, and finding pleasure in what they can in the small things in their lives.

Pacing wise, this book dragged. It’s incredibly monotonous for a good part of the book, and I get why. It does pick up by the end, and I did feel the world was captured very well in the meantime.

I didn’t 100% love this book, but can understand why it might appeal to other readers. With comp titles like Madeline Miller’s work and The Bear and the Nightingale, it’s very possible that if you like both of those, you’ll like this one.

I really enjoyed this. The backdrop of ancient Britain with the ever looming threat of the Saxons was interesting and written in a really atmospheric way. The overall story was really intriguing and I was interested in where each of the main characters' stories would go. The folklore portions was mostly done pretty well, the magic explanation was a little lacking at first but it eventually made sense and had me hooked. The hole harp piece of it was a little too weird for me, I will admit.

My favorite part of this book was the three siblings, Riva, Keyne and Sinne were so different but portrayed really clearly to play off each other beautifully. Sinne's story was a little lack-luster, she was mostly there as a counter point. Riva's story was interesting but a little typical. Keyne's story was by far my favorite. His discovery of himself along with magic was so beautifully written and went from heart-wrenching to joyful and back multiple times. Following the story of a trans (although it's never said in these terms) character in 535 AD was something totally new for me and a really interesting look at discovering ones truth when he didn't know he wasn't the only one.

Overall, I really liked this one and would recommend it. I will note that a big plot line in here makes a priest and his God the villain though so for someone who is religious, this might be something to consider before deciding to pick it up.

*I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is an interesting retelling of something I was not familiar with beforehand, and I don't know if that was to my benefit. I feel quite conflicted about my review of this novel, as there were some things I enjoyed, but lots of things I found difficult to enjoy.

In a transition from paganism to Christianity, three daughters of the king are each tied to the source of magic that is threatening to fade completely from their land, which used to thrive and prosper. As the world around them changes for the worse, the three sisters fight for their own individual futures, though interwoven and tied together through the story.

I find that when a story is told in multiple perspectives, there is one that always outshines the others. Here, that is in Keyne's case, the middle sister. His story is truly compelling, as we see him discover himself and his connection to their land, wanting to earn the respect of not just his father, the king, but his people as well - as himself.

His story was certainly the highlight of this novel, and I honestly wished at times that it was just his story, and not Sinne's and Riva's as well. The romance element soured how I viewed the other two sisters, though I understand that this is something reflective of their youth and particularly sheltered backgrounds. I just found it rather frustrating at times, and often I felt myself dreading their upcoming chapters, wanting to simply sink into Keyne's path and experiences. This made me quite sad, especially since I rather liked Riva in the beginning of the story. I do appreciate that this was ultimately a tale of the bond between sisters, however.

I wasn't expecting this to be quite as emotionally charged and dramatic as it turned out to be, but I appreciated this more the closer I came to the reveal of the ballad that inspired the story.

There are very disturbing elements to this story, especially towards the end -- please look into the content warnings that have been posted if this is something that concerns you. I was not expecting it, and I'm still somewhat disturbed even after hours of finishing the novel. It was indeed gripping, but it was not pleasant.

I found the ending wrapped out too happily, leaving me confused, and found some major plot points painfully and frustratingly predictable (how did the characters not connect the dots?). The last 50 pages were a complete whirlwind of events, quickly and neatly tying up into a sudden 'happily ever after' type of vibe. That left me perplexed.

Also, can we please stop trying to entice readers with the 'similar to Madeline Miller' pitch? This was a solid debut for the author, but I don't agree with the comparison. I'm hesitant to read things that are described as 'for fans of Circe', because they never quite hold up the same way.

Overall, this had some strong writing and had some some interesting elements (I loved the magic!) and highlights. I'm just disappointed that there were so many low points for me.

Sistersong is an enchanting, haunting and thoroughly wonderful story of magic, love, betrayal, jealousy and acceptance. Set in the lands of Dumnonia after the Romans have left Britain, the story follows Riva, Sinne and Keyne, the daughters of King Cador. The King has turned his back on the magic of the land for the new religion of Christianity and the local priest vehemently discourages any of the long time practices of the Britons. As crops begin to fail, healing arts begin to falter and war with the Saxons seems imminent the sisters seek their own connections to the magic of the land. All three sisters have strong connections to the magic just in very different ways. Riva has skills and power in healing, Sinne is a seer and Keyne's connection is the strongest of all and very much like what her father's had been. When the handsome Tristan arrives from a nearby kingdom it sets into motion events that will impact each sister and all brings things to a head with the Christian priest. All of these changes and the choices each sister makes will have profound and deadly consequences.

I loved this story from beginning to end. The descriptions of all the different festivals throughout the year like Imbolc and Beltane, plus the way the magic is felt by each of the sisters is written beautifully and you really feel how important the connection to the land was for the Britons. The changes that are wrought with the coming of Christianity plus the conflicts with the Saxons show just how fragile the Britons hold on the land was. The relationship of the three sisters and how they are tested throughout is the true heart of the story and Keyne's journey is just so poignant. The building tensions through the story combined with the twists and turns make the ending truly satisfying and oh my that epilogue just gutted me. I would highly recommend this to fans of both historical fantasy and fantasy books, it's just a marvelous tale!!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

This was such a beautiful tale from the first line till the last one. A tale of sisterhood, being who you are and the family bonds that tie a family together. I was hooked from the first line and I am forever thankful to be able to experience such a beautifully written book. The sisterhood in this book was unmatched and my heart broke for all of them. The ugly side of war was vividly described. One person I didn't like was Tristan and I'm really perplexed on how his story was resolved because really, Arlyn deserved better and so did Bradan. I love how we get the message from this book to accept who you really are, a burnt hand ir anything else in general doesn't matter because in the end we are all souls given a human body. Overall, I loved this book and hope you do too!

3.75 stars!💖

I'm always a fan of folkloric retellings; I love discovering the unique spin a contemporary author can provide to a historic context. Sistersong was exactly that and more. With the pacing of a historical fiction but a prominent theme of old magic traditions, Sistersong follows three main siblings as they each make decisions unique to their contexts. While the siblings make some imperfect decisions at some points, I feel as though that fits with the narrative because they are young and traumatized while also being sheltered by their noble upbringings. I saw their justification of their actions-- both the impulsive reactions and the thought-out decisions-- and saw that they flowed well with the story, and gave each character more agency. I really loved the historical aspect of it, and found myself reading and looking up some history of the era that I hadn't already known. The themes of the dawn of a Christian/Church-ruled Britain were prevalent, and I really appreciated the interweaving of pagan holidays that remain steadfast even today despite ideological colonization, like Easter. There's even some elements of the Merlin mythos we know and love, and I appreciated that this story didn't center around the typical white-cis-male hero archetype. Some content notes to be aware of: death, burning, trauma, gore, blood, violence, war, religious bigotry, transphobia, misgendering, murder. A big thank you to Redhook and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Sistersong is a beautiful, lyric retelling of the murder ballad "The Twa Sisters." The story is set in a transitional period of British history, I believe specifically the 6th century, as the people of the British Isles adjust to the absence of their Roman conquerors and face the choice of continuing their pagan religious traditions or converting to the Roman Catholic church to gain alliances and trade benefits.

The story unwinds through the perspectives of the two sisters of the ballad, beautiful but scarred and shy Riva and her wild younger sister Sinne as they are pulled inevitably toward their tragic destiny. The book also includes the perspective of a third sibling, Keyne, who explores their gender identity and powerful connection to the land and who may have the most important destiny of all despite not appearing in the ballad. The relationship between the siblings and their people is a powerful force that is beautifully described in this story. I highly recommend reading "The Twa Sisters" before the novel if you aren't familiar with it already as it casts an eerie air of foreboding and destiny over the novel similar to the pain of reading The Song of Achilles.

The rich historical setting, themes of family, religion, and nature, and lyrical prose make Sistersong one of the better folklore retellings. I would give this book 4.5 stars, just missing the 5 star mark since this is a very popular premise for fantasy novels right now and while the book was excellent it didn't quite live up to my favorite retellings of the last few years like Circe and Spinning Silver.

Sistersong is a feminist reimagining of the ballad “The Twa Sisters,” and it follows three sisters, Riva, Sinne, and Keyne, who are daughters of the king. Holland’s writing is beautiful and immersive and easily pulls you into 6th-century Britain, a time when Christianity and paganism are at conflict and the ever-present threat of invading Saxons looms. I found this part of the book really interesting, as I don’t know much about the time period, and the author’s knowledge is vast.

The story is told from each of the sisters’ perspectives as they try to traverse these complicated times, hold onto their beliefs and ideals, and embrace their identities. Riva is the eldest sister, a young woman who has been horribly burned and scarred from a fire. Though she questions her marriageability, she falls in love with a mysterious stranger. Keyne is the middle sister, who was born female but identifies as male and struggles to find their place in the world. Sinne is the youngest sister, and she longs for adventure, romance, and love. Of the three sisters, I found Keyne’s story the most compelling. However, each sister has a strong voice and an interesting story arc.

Each sister also has a unique magical power, which could prove dangerous in their world. Riva has the ability to heal, though she can’t heal herself. Keyne has a connection to nature, like their father, and Sinne can influence people’s thoughts. I enjoyed reading each of their perspectives and seeing how each dealt with the changing and dangerous times, as well as the personal obstacles that stood in their way. Including all three of their points of view gives an in-depth view of the thoughts and feelings of each young woman, which I loved.

A unique blend of history, mythology, and fantasy, Sistersong includes themes of family, love, loyalty, religion, and gender identity. It’s about familial expectations, societal and religious pressures, and political manipulations, and it also highlights accepting and being true to yourself. The themes are universal, relevant, and poignant, as is the strong prose.

The detailed setting, the magic, the dynamic characterization, the mystery, and more make for an interesting read, and the writing is beautifully lyrical. I think the book will appeal to readers of retellings, myths, and folklore. Thanks so much to NetGalley, Lucy Holland, and Redhook Books for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

A beautiful and lyrical re-imagining of a British ballad, Holland masterfully crafts a world in which the gods are pitched against Christianity and so are the followers, I really enjoyed this novel, even though I did not know anything previously about this book. Holland is definitely a truly talented writer and I can't wait to read more from her. I loved the relationships between the sister and the priest definitely angered me! I also enjoyed the sort of olden traditions that were mentioned, that was an incredibly interesting and beautifully written part of the book.
Thank you to NetGalley for the e-ARC!

Sistersong is a retelling of a folk ballad, set in ancient Britain and combines magic, old traditions, sisterhood, gender identity, betrayal and tragedy. The story is character-driven and told from 3 POVs: Keyne, Riva and Sinne. Keyne's POV was my favorite and I loved how she developed through the story, discovering herself and finding her true identity. I also loved the worldbuilding and the writing style, which was lyrical and captivating. The ending was unexpected but fitting, and wrapped up perfectly the story.

Just finished and such a wonderful book. Felt like a ballad in the way it was written and really beautiful prose. You felt for the characters and really wanted what’s best and were absolutely gutted when something turned out wrong for them. Would read more books by Lucy Holland.

sistersong reimagines the traditional british murder ballad “the twa sisters” as a haunting historical fantasy about bonds—the bonds between siblings and the bond between a people and their land.

set in ancient britain during the saxon invasion, sistersong follows the children of the king of dumnonia: riva, keyne, and sinne. the siblings grow up confined to the hold, where—as in much of britain—the transition from paganism to christianity is well underway. though even the king and queen have abandoned the old ways, all three siblings are still tied to the old traditions. these ties, along with their ties to each other, will be tested by the rapidly changing world around them.

while i thought lucy holland’s writing was lovely and emotive and really captured both the harsh realities and the joys of the time period, i hated the heavy-handed, anachronistic handling of the paganism vs. christianity theme. on one hand you have myrdhin the magician spouting jarringly contemporary opinions on religion, tolerance, and the church; on the other you have gildas the priest, who is so cartoonishly unpleasant that it’s difficult to view him as a threat.

the actual retelling of the ballad was intriguing, and i enjoyed watching those events unfold alongside keyne’s storyline. while riva and sinne are the sisters from the ballad, keyne takes the role of the uninvolved third sister who appears in a few versions. he has a truly compelling arc about discovering himself and his connection to the land.

i’m truly torn on my rating of this book. i loved certain aspects, but i also came very close to dnf’ing on a couple of occasions. it’s definitely a rocky read, but i think it’s worthwhile for keyne’s storyline, the sibling relationships, and the conclusion.

This book was everything I wanted! Lyrical, well researched, and brimming with myth and feminism. The representation in the book felt very impactful. I loved it. People who enjoyed books like The Wolf and the Woodsman or Spinning Silver would love this book.

4.75 stars
Hey yes! Can I thank the publishers and Lucy Holand from the bottom of my heart for bringing this Celtic/Britannia tale into my life because I got so many flashbacks from my childhood and reading my Irish folktale storybook.

Taking inspiration from the 'Sister song' ballad and turning it into a tale of heartbreak, betrayal, accident and taking hold of the power within and being who you are, the SisterSong gives us a tale that holds LGBTQ+ characters (transgender REP!) family ties, trauma, magic and religion/beliefs.

Although it was a tad slow in the beginning, I couldn't put this book down the moment I read the third siblings tale (Not spoiling their name, also I will not deadname them) because seeing through their eyes hooked me in, but the dynamic between the siblings and their own beliefs and pains and wants is what really drove this story. This book will be great for any fans of old folklore, mythology tales and tales with magic, family ties, and touches on historical elements perfectly -like I loved how well fact and fiction were done in this book.