Rebecca Ross, acclaimed author of The Queen’s Rising duology, delivers a thrilling new fantasy about the lengths two sisters will go for each other. Perfect for fans of Ember in the Ashes, Sky In the Deep, and Court of Fives. After eight years, Evadne will finally be reunited with her older sister, Halcyon, who has been serving in the queen’s army. But when Halcyon unexpectedly appears a day … army. But when Halcyon unexpectedly appears a day early, Eva knows something is wrong. Halcyon has charged with a heinous crime, and though her life is spared, she is sentenced to 15 years.
Suspicious of the charges, brought forth by Halcyon’s army commander, as well as the details of the crime, Eva volunteers to take part of her sister’s sentence. If there’s a way to absolve Halcyon, she’ll find it. But as the sisters begin their sentences, they quickly learn that there are fates worse than death.
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Couldn’t put it down. YA fantasy at its best!
A tale of two sisters and their journey to save the kingdom from evil forces. It was full of magic, dangerous adventures, tough challenges, and sweet moments.
This book exceeded my expectation. I knew that this book would be excellent because I’ve read one of Rebecca’s book before called The Queen’s Rising, and it was an excellent book. I had no doubt this one would be the same too, and turns out I was right. She’s back at it again writing a wonderful story, and delivering it in a fabulous way. I would buy any books written by her, she is my only auto-buy author so far.
The story is about two sisters named Halcyon and Evadne, and their journey to save the kingdom from people with evil intentions. Halcyon was supposed to serve her sentence for 15 years due to the accident that happened between her and her shield brother, Xander. But Evadne came forward to take 5 years of her sister’s sentence and discover a lot of things she didn’t know before. Damon (Xander’s younger brother) and Evadne paired up to complete a dangerous mission to save the kingdom, while Halcyon was working to save the kingdom differently from them.
There are a lot happening in the story. It mainly focused on the relics which all came from different gods and goddesses. I liked the concept of the story actually. How the gods and goddesses are important and why their relics played a huge part in everything that happened in this book. Each gods and goddesses had a relic that can give someone different abilities, and I find it so mesmerizing. Also, the references to Greek mythology made me feel so giddy. As a person who has been a long-time fan of mythologies, I will never get tired of seeing the references of it in books. I can definitely see how the ancient Greece inspired some of the things in this book too. No wonder this story is wonderful and so excellent from the start to the end.
In this one, the magic is either by speaking or singing, but mostly it was done by singing which I find it to be so fascinating. The mages in this book are quite smart. They created their own magic and then use it by singing it for most of the time. Hence the reason why I said the magic in this book is unique. Usually, magic can be use by either a wand or just shoot it from the hands, but in this one it doesn’t need any of those two. You sing it, your magic will show itself, and it will protect you and help you defeat your enemies if you continue to sing it. Another thing I liked is how the mages needed their scribe to help back them up during a duel. That is the thing I liked seeing the most. Mages are considered powerful since they have magical abilities, but here they have a weakness and their scribe is the key to help them achieve their success in a duel which is very rare to see in most books.
I will never ever get over how amazing swords fighting is in every fantasy books. Here, there wasn’t a lot of swords fighting, but the amounts are just enough to keep the readers satisfied. At least, there was another action that doesn’t required magic. I also come to understand the reason why there are two different actions; sword (weapon) and song (magic). Each represent the ability of each sister, and when I realized it, I wasn’t just shocked but also had my mind blown. Rebecca is so clever, this is one of the many reasons why she is my top favorite author.
To me, all of the actions are extremely intense, especially the duel between mages. I find that to be the most extreme action considering how hard it is to create your own enchantments and sing it with all your power and strength. But the outcome of doing it when you’re just an average mage doesn’t look so good. I was impressed by how the actions of both magic and non-magic were written. I can never ever forget it.
Aside from all of that, the story also has a lot of surprises in it. Especially the type of surprise that shocked you when you learn the truth about something or someone, and also when you were met with a plot twist. What I noticed the most from the story is the fact that each characters have secrets they’d been holding from everyone, and the moment I found out what secrets each of them held, I was shocked—like extremely shocked. Evadne’s family kept a big secret, and so does Damon’s family. I loved how everything is connected and it blew my mind to find out about it. One mission connects all characters. It was just so fascinating to see how the characters in this book are connected to each other—be it directly or indirectly.
Damon is a young mage, the same age as Evadne. Even though in the book, it was stated a couple times that he is just an average mage, and not as powerful as the other mages. But, Damon is powerful to me. He had the courage to go up against a much more powerful mage and used the magic he created on his own to battle the said mage. His bravery and confidence are the keys to his success, and also the reason why he wasn’t afraid to battle someone so powerful than him. He has a good heart and has been so kind to Evadne. He was the only one who treated her as if she is his friend when she was working at his family’s manor while the others treated her a bit harshly. He sees Evadne as his equal and he always have a strong faith in her. The fact that he trusted her the most warms my heart. All the good things he did only proved that he is an overall a good person with a good heart. He’s wise beyond his age, has a strong and good manners, possessed a mature attitude, and has a strong personality. All of this makes his character so enjoyable to read.
Evadne is just as interesting as Damon. I do feel sorry for her the most because she was the innocent in all of this chaos and yet she did the bravest thing ever by stepping up to serve some of his sister’s sentence in order to find out what was going on. I teared up a bit at the part when she stood up and made the decision that forever changed her life. She might not have any fighting skills and magic, but her wise mind and smart brain are enough to help her get out of any bad situation. She doesn’t need to train as a warrior for her to be able to fight her enemy, and she definitely didn’t need any power to help her face a greater challenge. I never see her as a weak character because she is definitely strong, and strong doesn’t have to be physical strength or how much power a person possess. Being strong can come in many form but in Evadne’s case, it came from her mind. Being the only one without any magical abilities or any fighting skills made her the most stand out character because she only need to rely on her brain and her mind to figure everything. She’s very clever, always love to help others, so caring, is kind with a good heart because there isn’t a doubt that she was born to be kind, and most importantly she has a very quick thinking. Her bright personality fits her character so well too.
Halcyon which is Evadne’s older sister is part of the Bronze Legion, a group of the queen’s warrior who are loyal to their commander and their queen only. Halcyon’s loyalty to her commander and her queen never faded, it stays strong and still going strong despite how many times she was tortured by the enemies. Her spirit is hard to break, she’s not only physically tough, but also emotionally and mentally tough. Despite all the things she endured, and how weak her state is, she still wanted to fight against the enemies to bring justice. I admired her just as I did Evadne and Damon.
About the main villain…I don’t expect it at all, but from the few times she appeared and the way she spoke that one time during her family dinner, I knew right away that something doesn’t sit right with her. It was being revealed a bit early but not too early in the book that she is the main villain. It was fine by me to find out that early because then the rest of the story will have more room to develop her character as the main villain and to have her achieve the evil things she wanted to do so that she will be seen as powerfully terrifying and unbeatable.
One other thing I like about Rebecca’s writing is how she managed to write a beautifully sweet slow-burn romance between her two characters and still make it realistic. I knew that Damon and Evadne eventually end up together, all the hints are there since the first time they laid eyes on each other. Their relationship started off as two strangers then to two friends who are working together on a secret mission and it eventually ended up with these two becoming lovers. I loved that the process of their relationship is slowly evolving into something more. The development was solid and on point. I don’t see a single flaw in it. It was one of the purest relationship I’ve ever seen. Honestly, I was happy they ended up together. Damon and Evadne are each other’s equal in a lot of ways. They’ve spent a lot of times together that it was easy to have them developed a strong romantic feelings to each other. They bonded through their joy of singing the magic, through the deadliest missions they had to complete, and through the many obstacles they both had to face when they were off to a great but very challenging adventure.
Overall, this book is a very excellent book and has the most compelling story. I enjoyed it and literally devoured it in one sitting. Any book by Rebecca Ross are bound to be great, I have no doubt about it at all. This book put me on edge the whole time, the story drew me in, the plot intrigued me, the world-building is fantastic, and the characters entertained me. This makes me feel like I’m in the story going on a journey with the characters. The joy of experiencing the story by reading it for the first time will always be the special moment I can never forget.
4.5 Stars
I adore the threads of mythology throughout. There’s just something appealing about magic and how Rebecca manipulates it to suit this story about a sister’s willingness to sacrifice is fantastic.
When Halcyon is sentenced harshly for an unintentional crime, Evadne begs to take on part of the punishment. The book follows the sisters with dual POVS as they have vastly different trials.
The overwhelming takeaway is the love the sisters have for each other. Their heartaches and attempts to repair their fates are wonderfully set against the backdrop of Rebecca’s vivid imagery.
Loved it!
Sisters of Sword and Song tells the story of two sisters, Evadne and Halcyon, and the lengths they’ll go to for one another. This fantasy takes elements of Ancient Greece and from it, develops an ‘alternate’ world with magic and its own mythology. This book got me hooked from the very first chapter, and the world building, character development, surprises, and love (in all its many forms) kept me hooked the whole way through. Ross’ storytelling is beautiful, and the storyline both broke and made my heart feel whole simultaneously. This book has everything I look for in a young adult fantasy, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys mythology, slow burn romance, sister bonds, and/or adventure.
Considering this was a standalone (a rarity in the YA fantasy genre), it’s incredible how Ross created such a lush and rich world. Her prose is captivating and keeps you hooked throughout the entire story.
A story filled with an interesting magic system, a beautiful sister dynamic, and some swooning, I can’t recommend this enough.
The story itself feels complete, but Ross could definitely continue telling stories centred in this world. Or perhaps I’m just feeling greedy because I’m not ready to leave it yet.
Sisters of Sword and Song is such a stunning novel. Ross has created something beautiful and imaginative, creating her mythology to build the world within the story.
Amazing Mythology
The mythology in Sisters of Sword and Song is fantastic. It is reminiscent of Greek and Roman mythology and has this powerful impact on the story. These gods came to the world and lived among the people, having families and spreading their bloodline before returning to the heavens. The result of this was creating magic users.
For Evadne and Halcyon, while they are descendants of a god, they are descendants of a god who gave up his power and immortality to live among the people resulting in his descendants having no magic. That does not stop these two sisters from being fierce.
However the mythology does more than just giving the sisters history; it gives the story a strong foundation. There is so much magic in the story and it is all connected to the life Ross has given to her mythology.
It is incredible to see the stories come to life for the sisters to see the mythology come to life, and it gives the story such a powerful resonance.
These are tales that have their own life outside of this novel, leaving a lasting impact on the reader.
While the mythology gives the story and world a strong foundation, it is the characters that drive the tension forward. Two sisters who are so different are utterly devoted to one another. This bond between them is incredible and highlights the strengths of the characters.
Great Sisterly Dynamics
Evadne and Halcyon balance each other out perfectly. While Halcyon is a warrior, Evadne is just a girl with dreams of grandeur. She always wanted magic and instead settles for her simple life. However, her simple life does not last as her sisters’ web of mystery catches her attention.
The adventure encourages them to go, to see the world they live in differently, to see the magic all around them. Together, without magic, they flip the balance, relying on their inner strength to save the kingdom. Granted, there are times when Halcyon is not wholly unlikeable. When an accident results in the death of her comrade, she goes on the run. This does not seem to fit with how the story sees her or her relationship with her caption and comes off more as a plot device to create tension and push the story forward.
Evadne is the star here. She rises to the occasion and proves to everyone that her devotion and love for those she cares about gives her more strength and magic than anyone. Her journey throughout the novel is, quite simply, incredible. Evadne has to face her darkest fears and discover who she is outside her sisters’ shadow, and that is a journey worth reading.
Final Thoughts
Sisters of Sword and Song is perfect for fans of mythology, held together by strong characters and an intricately woven plot.