Thank you to NetGalley and Publishers for this ARC

The world building the Ross creates is wonderful. Halcyon and Evadne relationship is beautiful the bond is so clear. enjoyable read.

Thank you to Netgalley, Rebecca Ross and Harper Collins for my arc of Sisters of Sword and Song in exchange for an honest review.
Title: Sisters of Sword & Song
Author: Rebecca Ross
Publisher: Harper Collins
Publication date: 25th June 2020
Page count: 432 pages
Genre: fantasy
Star rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Synopsis: Evadne has been waiting 8 years for her sister Halcyon to return after she joins the legion of Hoplites, fighting in the Queen's honour. But Halcyon appears earlier than expected, and she's on the run. Hunted by her commander and wanted for murder she turns to Evadne for help. But despite the girl's efforts she is captured, her sentence is heavy and when Evadne offers to take part of the sentence for her she is determined to find out exactly what happened. But as the mystery begins to unravel both girls become embroiled in a plot that means more than just the risk to their lives, but the lives of everyone in the kingdom.

Evadne and Halcyon were badass! I loved the two sisters, their honest, special relationship which represents the bond between sisters so well. The openness about the jealousies between them but the love and closeness too. I loved how they were both fierce in their own way and the way the book showed the importance of the family connection not just the family you are related too but the family you make for yourself too. The story was fresh and original, terrifying in parts, but I felt that Evadne in particular had a passion that shone through and impressed upon the reader. Also had a great disability rep which you don't see often! Can't wait to read more books by this author.

I really enjoyed the world building of this, but not so much the story. The plot hinged on the trope of having the goodies not communicate with each other. If the heroes had each told the other what they knew, and worked together, the whole thing would have been over in a chapter. It was a little irritating, especially because the lynch-pin character was a Commander (ie in charge of strategy and tactics). It was really hard to believe that, knowing everything he knew, he didn't simply get all the goodies together and solve the problem.

This is the third book I've read by Rebecca Ross and I enjoyed it just as much as the last two, perhaps even a little more. She packs more into this standalone novel than most YA trilogies I've read, and it didn't feel rushed either.

I loved that the sisters were so different and appreciated the importance given to their relationship, and that their family featured so prominently. It was full of great characters all around, had brilliant world building reminiscent of the ancient Greeks and their Gods, a romance that didn't overwhelm the story, quests to find magical relics and plenty of action. I'd quite happily read any other novels Ross writes, set in this world or any other.

(ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley)

Well this is one I didn't expect to like as much as I did! I didn't have much of a clue about the plot when I started reading, and I was pleasantly surprised. I LOVED the borrowings from Ancient Greece, and I thought the magical elements were really well thought out and integrated. I also really enjoyed the relationship between Halcyon and Evadne. The main reason I gave 3 stars and not 4 was the last quarter. It felt really rushed and a bit packed in - I usually complain that YA books are stretched out needlessly to make trilogies, but this story could really have done with a second book. I also wasn't 100% sold on the relationship between Evadne and Damon.

At the heart of this story, for me, is this relationship between our two main characters, Evadne and Halcyon, whom are sisters. This sisterly relationship is great and is developed brilliantly throughout the story and isn’t one that you see a lot in books, so it was really nice to see this bond, this connection, throughout and within this story. This actually meant a lot to me, with me having my own sisters and knowing that strong bond between sisters, even with time and space between us.

The writing of this book was so good and is one of the reason why I enjoyed it so much! The writing brought this story and the characters to life so much, which is often and issue for me when it comes to fantasy and creating this new fantasy world within in my minds eye. Plus, within this new world, is this new magical world and system and this was relatively easy for me to get my head behind, which again isn’t usually easy for me to understand. The visuals that the writing created and the emotions also created within me at time, goes to show how amazing the writing of this book was. For me to worry and care how much as I did, for how the lives of these characters turned out, was deep.

This book had a unique way of building and lowering as I was reading it, as it equalled the events that were taking place within the story itself. When the story was calm. the book was read at a calm and relaxing pace, yet when you were at a more active section, then the book read more fast paced and hectic. This was a really nice touch, giving me a rest bite when needed and making me feel apart of the battle and making me feel like everything could happen.

This book has a nice, easy and engaging writing style which made this a book that was very easy to read in large chunks.

I felt very sorry for Halcyon but Evadne was a very meh character for me as I just didn't find her very endearing.

This book had a great atmosphere that I really enjoyed.

However, for me, this came across as very cliche and this book used a lot of tropes that I personally don't like - I also saw the love interest coming a mile off and would really love to see a ya fantasy book that doesn't include romance

I loved this book. The story revolves around two sisters who will do anything for each other and show themselves to be strong women. The other other characters in the book are interwoven but their relationship to one, or both, of the sisters in the important part. Both have a quest and one will fail and the other succeed, some characters will live, some will die, some will get strong, some weaker, some will become what they wish and others lose it. A fast paced, complex story line ensures the reader wants to keep on reading.

Mythology, magic, Gods, battles, love, friendship, adventure - what is there not to like.

This is a book primarily about sisters. The romance is very much a lesser blip on the side (and it's not teacher/student, yay!) that doesn't come into play for a while. The other girl/boy relationship (Halcyon/Xander) is clearly shown as being friends-as-close-as-siblings, and I really liked that there was no romance there.

Instead, the story centres on the lengths Halcyon and Evadne. Seeing sisters at the heart of the book was so nice, the lengths they will go to protect each other - from Evadne taking on part of Halcyon's punishment to the many scenes of them caring for one another.

The world is inspired by Ancient Greece, I think (the back just says "ancient world", but judging by the names and landscape, it is Greek). I really liked it, as it's not your typical Greek world full of the gods and myths that we all know. The pantheon of gods is all new, as are the mythical objects featured in the story. However, it has the feel of Greece, with the mountains and olive groves, chitons and scrolls. It's a well realised world.

My main comment is that the start felt a little... off. The crime is bigged up, but it could have all been easily avoided and resolved if Halcyon had remained and talked. The character she was afraid of and so flees is shown to be much more understanding throughout the book, and they have a father-daughter relationship. But, instead, she flees and so he punishes her - angrier about that than anything else. Once the book gets past that, the story becomes much more stable as this is the weakest part of the plot.

I was so happy when I read it was set in Ancient Greece, I love Greek history, mythology and stories. This was just amazing, I’ve read Rebecca’s books before so I knew I was in for some great writing and storytelling, but this just blew me away. It’s just wonderful fast paced, full of magic, action, adventure and a little romance too, but it doesn’t overtake the story which I enjoyed. The world building is just first rate, with fantastic and relatable characters. I just loved the focus on family and sisterhood in this, it made the story so much more touching. This is definitely going on my list of favourite books of 2020. Just a beautiful world !

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Evadne’s older sister Halcyon has spent eight years away from home, serving in the queen’s army. She’s the shining star of her family, the descendants of a fallen disgraced God, and they’re incredibly proud. So when Halcyon appears on the eve on her return, looking anything but the proud daughter returning home, Evadne knows something is wrong. Halcyon is on the run, hunted by her commander and charged with murder. Halcyon’s punishment for such a crime is severe, but Evadne is convinced there’s more to Halcyon’s story than meets the eye – and takes on part of her sentence in order to clear her name. But Evadne may be taking on more than she can handle – there’s discourse in the magical courts, and rumblings in the forbidden mountain that hint are bigger threats, and fates worse than death if Evadne continues to pry.

I really liked the setting for this, which places it somewhere in between Ancient Greek and Roman mythology, where individuals are descendants of Gods who use to roam the Earth and grant their specific powers to their children. The Gods controlled all aspects of nature, from the earth to the sun and wind, until they grew tired of humanity and moved on. All that’s left of them is the magical ichor that runs in some of their descendants, known as mages, and a number of magical relics that will help the wielder control the power of whichever God’s essence is imbued within. I do think that it could have been expanded on however, especially the aspects involving the mages – who are not able to transcribe their magic as it will not stay on scrolls, meaning it must be sung. I liked the connection between the written word, stories and magic and the overarching belief that everything is interlinked throughout nature – but I think the author could have took this further, and added more depth to these descriptions.

I also liked the overall relationship between the two sisters. Throughout the novel there’s a strong connection between Halcyon and Evadne, even when they spend a good portion of the story apart from each other. There’s a clear message of sisterhood and eternal bonds, protection and supporting one another, and their love and deeper connection towards each other shines through in the story. Anyone who enjoys strong female, sister relationships in books will love this. The two sisters are also incredibly strong, powerful women in completely different ways and at times there are important conversations about being strong women in a world surrounded by men. I also really enjoyed Evadne and Damon’s relationship together. It’s sweet, with an obvious connection that doesn’t feel forced or overpowering to the story.

I will say that this reads as rather ‘young’ YA, and the writing feels a little stilted in places – especially within conversations between characters, which can come across as too formal and stiff. I also found the plot itself to be rather underwhelming, lacking in the substance and depth that I was expecting. There’s a lot of talk about the Gods, but we see very little of their backstory beyond mentions of an underworld, which left me feeling a little flat. I also found that because we don’t really see a lot of the queen and Selene, their character development is left to the minimal, and as such also underwhelming. Nothing feels like a threat, and as such there doesn’t seem to be any sense of urgency to the mission Evadne finds herself on. There’s no real tension.

Wonderful setting, this falls a little short in the story telling, but the sister relationship is beautiful to see unfold.

I really loved this book, it has all the hallmarks of a good story. Romance, family, villains and disaster! They world building was great, with the way magic was explained it was easy to understand. And the main characters were easy to a love,

"She had come from the one divine who was not afraid to break."

This book follows two sisters, Halcyon and the younger Evadne, who live in a world with strong similarities to Ancient Greece. They are descended from Kirkos, the god of wind, who renounced his immortality after falling in love with a mortal woman. Their family possess no magical power, much to the disappointment of Evadne, and many citizens fail to class Kirkos as a divine since his fall. I really liked that the two protagonists were not magical, as it made their strength and devotion to each other more commendable. I also loved the sisterly bond between the two, and how seeing the story from both perspectives allowed us to glimpse their different personalities.

The plot was very fast paced and featured lots of action, adventure and magic. The world building was amazing and there was no need for info-dumping. I liked that it was a standalone, and that there was no need to drag out the story into another book. Halcyon and Evadne were both strong characters, but I preferred Halcyon's perspective. I would have liked to see more of her relationship with Xander, the commander and the rest of the Hoplites. The romance was a bit lackluster and insta-love and some of the plot twists were predictable.

However, I still devoured the book and look forward to future releases by this author. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Rebecca Ross hit my auto-buy author list with her debut novel, and this (her third outing with a truly beautiful standalone novel) has cemented that position. It’s a truly beautiful novel, and the fact that it’s contained in a single book rather than investing in a new series just made me love it more. It’s refreshing in a world full of trilogies to be able to enjoy a book on its own.
I adored the world that Ross created, filled with Gods and relics and myths. It’s very reminiscent of ancient Greece, with its own twists and magic seeping into every crevice. Frankly I’d love a masterclass from Ross in world building, because she is just so good and with every story she tells, her world building becomes more complex and brilliant.
It’s a beautiful plot, tripping along from piece to piece and drawing you further into the world. But truly, the characters are what bring this to life. The sisters particularly are so complex, layered and their growth is so wonderful to watch. I was initially curious how the two differing voices would work in this story, but as it unfolds it becomes more obvious precisely why you need to hear both voices. Evadne and Halcyon demand to be hard, and their love for each other is what propels the book. They are two sides to the same coin, and I fell for them hard.
This was a standout book for the year. It’s filled with gorgeous prose, engaging characters, and fully immerses you in a stunning world. It’s a book that has stayed with me long after reading, and will be a story I return to again and again.

This review will be published on The Review Diaries on 13th July 2020.

Set in an Ancient Greece-like world, this is the story of two sisters on their quest to save the world. One of them, Halcyon, is a warrior with a great future ahead of her until she is accused of the murder of a fellow warrior. Her sister Evadne would do anything for her sister so she offers to take on part of her sentence and as she serves in the house of Halcyon’s former commander as part of her punishment, she finds out that there is more to Halcyon’s story than she thought.

This a story about sisters. There is some romance and, of course the struggle for power (good vs bad), but this is above all, a story about the very strong relationship about two sisters. The pace is slow, the characters are well-developed, and the wold building is good. I really enjoyed this novel. It didn’t completely captivate me, but I did enjoy it, an entertaining YA fantasy stand-alone.

Sisters of Sword and Song is an atmospheric fantasy novel set in a Graeco-Roman inspired world. It's got all the staples of a classic YA fantasy: a slightly underdog heroine, a dashing young man with a talent that can help her, the villain working in the shadows but also not. I found it an enjoyable read and it definitely had its moments as a whole, but it wasn't completely outstanding, and a little cliché and bland at times.

The plot is perhaps a little weak: there was a lot of build-up to a specific task they would need to carry out, except that didn't end up being the climax and instead the plot meandered off to another, bigger and yet not as impactful due to lack of build-up, event. It was at times predictable in the way that these books can get once you read quite a few of them, but it was never to the point of being too much. This is something that quite a few readers can enjoy, especially in terms of escapism, and this particular iteration stays fresh. As mentioned, it meandered at the end, but overall it held well enough and was engaging throughout the book.

Evadne and Halcyon were very good narrators to have - the author mentioned in the acknowledgements that adding Halcyon's POV made it a much better book and I wholeheartedly agree. Evadne wasn't a particularly special main character in terms of ability: she can't walk without a limp due to an accident, she has no magic, she's not a fighter, but she's resourceful and thinks well on her feet. She was able to piece information together well, something that I really liked about her. Halcyon was a slightly more confusing character, as we are presented with two images of her: the wonderful and perfect sister, and the person who is on the run after killing her friend. She was well written, especially in terms of the challenges she had to face and the new situations she had to overcome.

And now for the thing that irked me the most: the main relationship. This is very much a personal thing, so feel free to completely ignore this part of my review, but I was able to tell exactly what was going to happen as soon as the love interest stepped onto the page and that's something that I'm tired of in YA fantasy. I'm sure many readers enjoy it very much, but it's not for me, and knowing what was going to happen made some parts of the book a bit of a drag for me. I'd also have liked more of Evadne and Halcyon's relationship, especially because they haven't seen each other for many years, and it was slightly difficult, as a sibling myself, to connect with the bond they supposedly had without seeing much of how strong it actually was.

The world building was quite interesting - it was set in a world that was very much inspired by Ancient Greece with some Roman elements (as is wont to happen, but that's the history student in me) yet not a carbon copy. The deities were particularly interesting to me, and I would have enjoyed learning more about their relics and their stories, though the absence of more depth was not a detraction from the story. The concept of the Common Court and the Magical Court was something that definitely could have gotten development, considering the class issue that were touched on at times, although I realise that it's a standalone and more could have made it lengthy. The mage-scribe relationship was another aspect I liked, with the way that magic manifests itself in literacy, and the singing element of that was also very cool.

It's a solid book, with some weak parts, but overall I feel like it can appeal very much to fans of YA fantasy who are looking for a world that's both familiar and new, and a story that is the same. While I did have my issues with certain clichés and characterisation, this is something that a lot of readers like about this genre and Sisters of Sword and Songs holds its own as a new and interesting addition to the catalogue.

I enjoyed this book! It gave me strong fairytale vibes. It's about two sisters, Evadne and Halcyon, both who get a point of view. Evadne has been at home while her sister has been away from home for 8 years in the queen's army. When she returns, things aren't what they seem.

I loved that this fantasy had it's own mythology and historical background, with Gods who have hidden relics that people dedicate their lives to find. These relics are magical, powerful and dangerous in the wrong hands.

I am also a big fan of stories about sisters, and these girls definitely have each other's backs even though they've been apart for 8 years. They have such a strong relationship, and even though they spend a lot of this book apart on different journeys, when they re-untie it is great.

Mages are another big part of this book, and my favourite was Damon. The romance was a little insta-love, but I liked Damon so much it didn't really bother me. I also really liked that neither Evadne or Halcyon were Mages because it made them resourceful and determined.

This is a really sweet book, and Halcyon and Evadne have such a supportive family. I loved their father's nicknames for them, Sprout and Pupa. Pupa was such a perfect nickname for Evadne. Overall I'm glad I read it, and it had such a different vibe to The Queen's Rising which I also really liked, so props to Rebecca Ross.