Format: Hardcover, 368 pages
Release Date: November 5, 2019
Publisher: Tor Teen
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy
"The night my sister was born, the stars died and were reborn in her eyes…."
Zuhra and Inara have grown up in the Citadel of the Paladins, an abandoned fortress where legendary, magical warriors once lived before disappearing from the world—including their Paladin father the night Inara was born.
On that same night, a massive, magical hedge grew and imprisoned them within the citadel. Inara inherited their father’s Paladin power; her eyes glow blue and she is able to make plants grow at unbelievable rates, but she has been trapped in her own mind because of a “roar” that drowns everything else out—leaving Zuhra virtually alone with their emotionally broken human mother.
For fifteen years they have lived, trapped in the citadel, with little contact from the outside world…until the day a stranger passes through the hedge, and everything changes.
Sisters of Shadow and Light is the first installment in author Sara B. Larson's duology. Sisters Zuhra and Inara Montieth grew up in a place called Citadel of the Paladin. The Citadel is all that remains of their father's kind, the Paladins.
Beings with great magical powers from another world that came to Vamala to save it from monsters that escaped the
Paladin world through a portal. When Inara was born, their father (Aldric) disappeared and hasn't been seen since. At the same time, an enormous sentient hedge grew over night not allowing either sister to leave the property.
As the oldest, Zuhra has always wondered what was out there past the hedges that has kept them virtual prisoners. The only one who has been able to leave, has been their trusty do everything, Mahsami (Sami), who made a difficult choice to stay with the family instead of fleeing. Zuhra is the only one who seems eager to ensure that Inara is happy and not treated as a monster because of her parentage. When
a stranger named Halver Roskery is allowed thru the hedge, his arrival sets off a chain of events that pushes both young women
to uncover the secrets of the past and embark on a journey that hopes
to heal even the deepest of wounds.
Inara
was born with the glowing eyes of a Paladin, the entities who built
their home and who were once the celebrated heroes of the realm; public
opinion is not as kind now. Inara has everyone afraid of her because she goes into a sort of fugue state for entire days that prevents her from communicating with anyone. Inara's fugue state is being called roar because she has an overwhelming power that prevents her from interacting with the world. She also has an interesting ability to make plants grow which of course comes in handy when you can't leave.
Zuhra could never imagine the adventure that she will have after meeting her father and his people live and uncovering the reason for his 15 year disappearance. It's especially entertaining once you get the squadron of Paladins and their Gryphons and the fact that Zuhra finds a connection with a Paladin named Raidyn. I had a hard time not screaming at the mother figure. She's broken by the disappearance of her husband and protects her daughters through deprivation and cruelty. She really doesn't much care for Inara for much of the story which is just a sad state of affairs. The ending, of course, ends on a whopper of a cliffhanger. Thankfully, this is apparently only a duology! Yay!
i think the writing is off the charts when an author can get me to yell, scream and want to jump through my kindle and do something about it. great review
ReplyDeletesherry @ fundinmental