I really didn't expect to love this as much as I did. I've read a LOT of Arthurian inspired tales over the last couple of years, and thought I was over it. But I couldn't have been more wrong, I devoured this. From its feminist tones and message about craving out a space for yourself and finding your support system, to the female knights, training scenes and battles. I WAS HOOKED.

Sisters of Sword and Shadow is a super fun, engaging and fast paced read, that follows Cass, a farm girl who ends up with the Sisterhood and chooses to stay, learn to fight and seizes the opportunity to turn away from societies expectations that womanhood is nothing more than becoming a wife or a mother.

This reached part of my soul that as a kid who wished she could become a knight or an adventurer and was sad that I never saw that in the media I had access too. It's the book teenage me would have adored (I still adore it as an adult).

I loved the premise for this book, women knights?? Sign me up!! Unfortunately though the story just fell a little short for me.

In theory this book has a lot of potential, Cass, the main character, one day meets a female knight who carries her away to the Sisterhood of Silk Knights, a group of women training and fighting to challenge the wrongs of men.

The problem is Cass is just not a strong enough character to be the heart of the book. She’s naïve, hypocritical and at times incredibly reckless to the point of stupid and selfish so I found it difficult to route for her. The Sisterhood is sworn to secrecy, they cannot be revealed as they know they will be punished – Cass spies on multiple sisters and learns of actions that she judges would endanger the sisterhood and judges these women for their actions (and her sheltered life) – however she also reveals herself, in turns out, to multiple people, one of which makes absolutely no sense or reason beyond ‘insta love’ and ‘not all men’.

In terms of the romance, there was more chemistry between Cass and Sigrid (who I instantly fancied because obviously), however the book doesn’t go in that direction, in fact when it comes to LGBT+ representation, it follows a disappointing trope again.

The jousting and the battles were the most interesting part of this story however it just felt very rushed and disorientating. There’s multiple unnecessary character deaths that don’t really move the story particularly along beyond the punishment of women, and the more interesting characters, with back stories and personal trials, such as Sigrid, fall into supporting roles without much voice. This is book 1 so I appreciate there are areas, such as alternate POVs etc that could be rectified in the next instalment.

There’s also a very obvious reveal that frustratingly Cass won’t listen to, it’s hinted at the whole book – any time it’s mentioned, Cass shuts the subject down, and you have to wait the whole book for her to catch up with you as a reader.

For the supporting characters, I can’t say I won’t read the next instalment however I just wish I were more emotionally invested in this because when it comes to armour clad women, I’m very easy to impress!

Thank you NetGalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

I tried very hard multiple times to get into this book but alas it just isn't right for me. There is nothing wrong with it. The writing is good and the main character interesting. I simply can't get into unfortunately.

This was such a great take on the Arthurian legends and such a fantastic feminist reimagining! Absolutely loved the sisterhood and it made me want to be part of this story so bad!
Can’t wait to read book 2!

This book was made of everything I should love: fantasy, feminist retelling of King Arthur's Court, knights, swords, battles, female empowerment... and yet, I feel myself disappointed.

Overall, this feels like a step backwards in the work for gender equality, which is interesting to say when there's literally a sword-wielding female main character! This is because all men (apart from the love interest) are portrayed as terrible beings who are only interested in power and sexually assaulting any woman they see.

The other main issue I have is that this is a fairly long story, but for the majority of it, nothing really seems to be happening.

The world building and detailing in this tale is excellent (the reason for my 3-star review). There are some amazing passages, and this is what kept me reading onwards.

Finally, it's not obvious before you read the book that this is not a standalone story, but part one of a duology. Be prepared for what feels like a sudden ending with many unanswered questions!

"Sisters of Sword and Shadow" by Laura Bates is a captivating tale of empowerment and adventure that follows Cass, a young woman destined for an arranged marriage who seizes an opportunity for freedom. When a fierce, leather-clad woman offers her an escape, Cass eagerly is drawn into the Sisters of Sword and Shadow, a group of female knights committed to justice and protection. This premise sets the stage for an exciting journey filled with ancient feuds, glorious battles, and deadly intrigue.

Cass's transformation from a constrained bride-to-be into a powerful member of the sisterhood is both inspiring and engaging. The depiction of her training and the camaraderie among the women is one of the book's strengths, showcasing the bonds formed in the face of adversity. The author does a commendable job of highlighting themes of female empowerment and solidarity, making Cass's journey a heartfelt exploration of self-discovery and strength. The action scenes are well-crafted, adding excitement and a sense of urgency to the narrative.

However, while the story is compelling, it occasionally falls short in depth and character development. Some plot points feel rushed, and certain aspects of the world-building and the ancient feuds could have been explored more thoroughly. Additionally, while the secondary characters are intriguing, they lack the development needed to fully understand their motivations and backstories. Despite these shortcomings, "Sisters of Sword and Shadow" remains a solid three-star read, offering a thrilling and empowering adventure that will resonate with readers who enjoy tales of female strength and camaraderie.

Cass is thrown into an adventure almost from the very start and grabs it with one outstretched hand, taking her away from the domesticity of her family home.

Set in the era of the Arthurian court we are introduced to an alternative court where women run the castle they are in and truly believe in equality and honour, but have to hide it due to the patriarchal powers around them and some of the deeds that they’ve committed to get to where they are and to keep them there.

I really enjoyed the various training montages throughout that concentrated on the martial training of the young women, and the physical and mental development of the main character which is well described.

This is not a book for someone who wants a nice gentle read as it is full of peril/revelation/battle which really ramps up in the last quarter of the book, especially when the Big Bad™ is finally let loose upon the world these women have nurtured.

A great twist on the Knight genre, with old British myths woven throughout, and the ending leaves so much open for a revisit to this world.

I received this from NetGalley and Simon Schuster in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so very much to NetGalley and the publisher for accepting my request to read and review this book!

I really really enjoyed this book, I requested it as I saw a stunning edition available to preorder from waterstones,

This was my first ever Arthurian retelling and I was worried I would be really confused but I found the book was very accessible.

I really loved the writing style, which isn’t usually a compliment I give the books I read but something about Laura Bates writing kept me drawn in even if nothing super eventful was actually happening in the book at the time.

Case was a brillaint character, I felt her depth and her determination, I loved the queerness, loved the feminism. Lesbian knights? I mean hell yeah.

This band of awesome epic badass chicks stole my heart and I had so much fun following them on their adventures. Will definitely read more from this author in the future.

I have loved all Laura Bates' non fiction books so I was really excited to pick up this fiction book from her. Unfortunately this just didn't pack the punch I was expecting after reading her non fiction. There was nothing majorly wrong with it, it was just fine. I had high expectations which just weren't met. I didn't connect with the characters or the plot much, however the setting was top tier, so well done and easy to imagine. Laura Bates is a brilliant writer and educator and I wish all young women would read her work!

3.5 Stars. A unique, feminist take on the Knights of King Arthur's era. I enjoyed the story overall but felt that there was something lacking. I wasn't as fully as invested as I thought I would be.

What a wonderful book! I truly couldn’t stop reading till I got to the end, Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

Cass's sister was getting married that afternoon. Soon she would also be married off and lose her freedom. She rides off with a surprisingly leather-clad, helmet-wearing woman to save her locket from a bandit. She is then led to a fellowship of female knights, The Sisters of Sword and Shadow. As she joins them and begins to train, she taps into an unknown power of hers that may change the destiny of the sisterhood.
"An interesting thing happens when a man is defeated in combat by a woman."
"He tells nobody."

With a prologue that tickles your curiosity, there is a comfortable flow to the storytelling that results in you going through pages quicker than you realize. A welcoming narrative that comes alive with a bounty of details and beautiful vibrant wording. Adventurous and with greatly written action, the true meaning of being a knight is showcased in all its valiant honesty. In this Arthurian tale, there are little crumbs of intrigue as you are reading that bring forth surprises and revelations indicating all may not be as they seem. I really liked that the sisterhood was hiding that they were women and how they did it. You really do anticipate the reveal for that.

Cass is full of life. I really like how she asks questions, wanting to understand, wanting things to change for the better. Seeing her training, her evolution into a knight is so satisfying. It's as if we feel what she feels, the writing wonderfully emotive. You will adore the character of Lily. She is a delight and brings the most humor to the story. She is the ultimate friend, the ultimate ally.

A slow burner, it did kind of lag in some parts. Also, I expected it to get to some of 'the good stuff' earlier. Though you do have a great time reading this for it has made you care for the characters and their cause. It does promise an even more exciting sequel.

Celebrates woman power and rallies against misogyny, inequality, and any kind of injustice. This is a story about heroes, and badass women fighting for what is right.

This cover is what initially caught my eye. You know me and covers.

Set in a time when females were chattel and incapable, we follow Cass as she is taken from home and begins her training to become a knight. Clearly, she isn't allowed to do this but neither are all the other women living at the manor!

The training and lessons are those that we've read in other knightly tales just with women and girls.

If any men come to call, the Lord is away hunting, visiting, jousting with his men. I couldn't help thinking that it was too unlikely that no one calling world think it strange that there were no men about within the grounds or house. Yes, the girls were pages and stables hands but surely you can tell they're female?

There isn't a huge amount of plot, it's mainly Cass and the other pages learning to fight, ride and helping at melees.

Originally, the publication date was January according to my e-arc details but it was bumped to November so you can ask go and have a read...

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster, all opinions are my own.

“An interesting thing happens, when a man is defeated in combat by a woman…He tells nobody”

I really love Laura’s non fiction and I’ve enjoyed her contemporary fiction books so I was looking forward to reading this fantasy inspired by King Arthur but the knights are women.

Unfortunately this book just didn’t work for me. There wasn’t much of a plot or much character development. Everything felt shallow even though the idea was great, I just felt it wasn’t executed well.

The feminism was very white and a version that felt like it was from a decade ago. The feminism was very heavy handed with lots of saying that the women are empowered but not actually showing it.
And honestly it didn’t seem like they were truly empowered because the women had to hide in a castle and stay there to be safe and cut off everyone else in their life before.

The feminism was very “we are empowered because we can fight like men” and while they learnt to use swords and duel they didn’t really use that skill to actually implement any real change for themselves or the people living there.
The leader had to sleep with a man who happened to turn up unexpectedly to the castle to keep him from telling others that it was just women that lived there.

There was a heavy emphasis on marriage & having kids is the worst thing a woman can do but I thought we were past that either or brand of feminism and it just had no nuance.
It also showed all men as horrible people. Which, again, I thought we were past this brand of feminism, except for the love interest who was single man who was not an awful person.

I feel like this would have been a great book had it been released a decade ago but now it just wasn’t.
I felt like the way the feminist views were so focused on took away from there being an actual plot because we get hints of a prophecy and yet we don’t get any real arc on this with a proper conclusion. Or how that will impact the MC.

None of the characters were truly developed so it was hard to understand why they did the things they did except that they were feminists. I wanted to know more about all the characters and it made it hard to feel invested in the story. The ending was also not very satisfying for me because there’s a battle and then it just…ends.

Anyways I was so disappointed with this though I still recommend her non fiction

2.5⭐️

"An interesting thing happens when a man is defeated in combat by a woman... he tells nobody. "

What if instead of the knights of the round table, we have a sisterhood of female knights formed in a safe haven for women. Well, you'd get a lot of the found family trope, which I really enjoyed. Cass and Lily's friendship was probably my favourite part of the book.

The last 20% of this book is quite action-packed and features some emotional moments that added to the intensity of the final moments.

Sadly, the first 80% felt somewhat aimless, I struggled to figure out what the overarching plot of the book was meant to be. There was a lot of training going on, but I was waiting for the endgame and the arthurian legend to kick in.

There was also the fact that a lot of what happens isn't explained. Cass occasionally has visions and super fighting prowess, and we aren't told why. Then there's the truth about cass, which is mentioned but extremely vague. I guess the author was trying to show rather than tell, but sometimes that results in confusion.

I believe this is a duology, and I'm genuinely unsure what the next book is going to follow. It ends rather abruptly without setting up any plot for the next book. I'm unsure if I will continue with the series, which is a shame because I was really looking forward to the premise the blurb and the quote starting this review detailed.

I received an advance review copy of this book, and this review represents my honest opinion. Thank you to netgalley, Allie Sarah, and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

Quality Rating: Four Stars
Enjoyment Rating: Five Stars

I was caught off guard by how much I fell head over heels for this book. It's an epic tale of adventure and belonging, going places you don't expect but are perfectly conceived, almost sidelining as a spin-off to Arthurian legend. While it's seemingly targeted at a younger audience, it's still massively enjoyable for older readers.

While the main narrative focuses on Cass and her journey to becoming a knight, the side plots are the real bursts of colour in this tapestry. Whether it's her relationship with secondary characters, coming to terms with her past, the relationships of the sisterhood's leaders, the politics of land ownership and more, it paints this whole story with so much more detail. But it never, even in moments of drama or angst, do they overwhelm the main story being told or the backbone of the heroine. Cass remains Cass the whole way through and everything else just makes it more vibrant.

Some may argue that the themes explored aren't suitable for a younger audience, but I think the tough things are done in such a responsible way. Obviously, misogyny was going to be core to this story, but Bates also touches on things like sexual violence, classism and mental health sensitively and without being graphic. She also focuses on the emotional experiences surrounding them, and how to move on with a support system.

I actually hadn't realised the author was Laura Bates of the Everyday Sexism project until I got to the acknowledgements at the end. While I'm not overly familiar with that book, it went a long way to explaining how this book had managed to be so exciting and fun, but accessible, political and brave. With so much detail, fun exploration and representation, it was awesome. To put it simply, I would've been obsessed with it as a child, and it was a pretty great ride as an adult too.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I really liked the found family element of this novel, and how it slotted in nicely against the other Arthurian mythology I'm familiar with. Its feminist message is one that will chime easily and well with middle grade and young adult readers. I'm reserving judgement on the ending until the next book in the series to see how it develops! But I actually think this could have worked quite well as a standalone novel. 3.5 stars.

I enjoyed this a lot, but I felt at times that it could have been stronger on the plot. It felt more character focused with Cass going through her training as a squire. At the end, it was easy to see where it led up to, but while reading I was left wondering where it was going sometimes.

I really liked the characters. Cass was possibly not the strongest, but some of the older knights had more defined characteristics and it was fun seeing them interact, especially with the world around them. I loved how they used stereotypically feminine traits almost as a weapon to use against the men that would threaten them.

The ending intrigued me and I can't wait to see what happens with that, but I do wish it could have come a bit earlier in the book, if I'm honest.

Comprehensive world building and enjoyable characters that swept me along for the ride. Will likely stock this title.

Content Warnings: Animal Death, Death, Gore, Child Death, Sexual Assault, Misogyny, Physical Abuse, Depersonalisation
Additionally: Incestuous feelings that aren't exactly explicit but it certainly felt like it.

Thank you Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

2.75/5 stars

So, I went into this book thinking it was going to be a very gay, sapphic, arthurian tale. What I got instead was just a kinda fun romp around medieval England that was insanely loosely based on arthurian legends and a book that if you call it mainly gay you'd also have to say it's incestuous.

Normally when a book promotes itself as queer I'd expect it to either have an overwhelmingly gay cast or the main character is what's being advertised (so for this, I'd expect the main character to be sapphic).
Instead what's in the book is a single sapphic relationship between 2 side characters and the main character having the same intense relationship with Lily, the squire she meets, as she does with her own biological sister. They sleep in the same bed together cuddled up, tell each other all their secrets, Cass pines over both of them in the same way, talks about them in the same way... There's absolutely no way to say Cass and Lily have a romantic relationship without saying that Cass and Mary (her sister) where also in a romantic relationship. And it's kinda hard to just say they're friends or just sisters with just how much emphasis is put on some parts of the relationships. It just felt a bit odd throughout the whole book imo.

And then there's additionally that ending twist with a kiss... *with a man* (This isn't a spoiler, it literally changes like, nothing lmao). I literally thought I had missed out a whole chapter or 2 between the sentence before the kiss, and the kiss itself because of just how random and out of place it is. I'd imagine it has a place in the second book (I guess there's gonna be a second book?) but I can't see much other place than, she'll be in a hetero relationship. So I'm really failing to see how this is being pushed so hard as a queer, specifically *sapphic*, fantasy.

Now that rant about that point is out of the way, apologies lmao, onto my thoughts for the rest of the book. Some minor spoilers, but points that are more than worth bringing up I believe and worth knowing before reading. The book is already marketed as fantasy so it shouldn't be that big of a spoiler.

The plot is pretty thin in general. Cass runs away from home to join a secret guild of female knights - how she got there was kinda just pure randomness and kinda odd when you learn about how secretive they all are. The plot is mainly just Cass training to become a knight and working towards that goal. It's quite nice though, it's pretty fun to read a medieval knights book but with a female twist that's based in reality (.......... mainly. More on that in a bit) because I don't really think I've read something similar before. It was fun reading through the training and the contests and life battling land borders and such.

The feminist angle, while nice, was kinda just, hitting you over the head with a brick for a bit. Very much a "all men bad" but then in the final couple chapters is suddenly changes to "well, some aren't I guess". Though some people need points being so explicitly pointed out so, eh I guess. Just don't go into this expecting any message to be subtle.

Now for the fantasy vs realism point. This book is around like 90% realism and a bit of random, vague fantasy thrown in. I thought this would be a good story of a woman working her way up the ranks starting with nothing and growing in power more and more with perserverance and strength. In reality, it's another "chosen one" type story despite it starting off like that. Cass kinda just, goes into a state of depersonalisation kind of and magic takes over and makes her super powerful with no effort. No this is not explained, no this is not really making any sense, yes it does kinda just feel pushed in to be part of the Chosen One trend that still seems to exist.
IMO this is feeling like exactly what happened with Mulan's live action remake. The original Disney animated Mulan film was a fantastic film about female strength as Mulan had to use her own cunning and wits to make up for a lack of strength and training. She was on her own and had to work harder than the others to prove herself. And what did the live action remake do? Oh mulan now just has magical powers that make her a god from as young as a child. It just undermines any feminist point imo. That's exactly how this book feels to me.

I'll presume book 2 will go into the fantasy side a lot more and drop more of the realism which honestly will be a shame in my opinion. I am kind of worried about what direction it'll take. The ending of this book feels like the actual ending was entirely missing, it just kind of cuts of and feels a bit jarring so I honestly don't really know what the sequel would do.

Reading some bits about the book, it seems like it'll be a duology. I'm not sure how well the story will be wrapped up in just 1 more book. There's a lot of *major* plot threads that got started here and barely progressed at all, so I'm concerned the sequel will feel a bit too packed to try and establish, and then wrap up everything. I don't think I'd currently recommend the book, I'll be reading the sequel and then based on that I might come back to this review.