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thenovelmaura's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Look, this book isn't bad so much as entirely predictable and forgettable. I love South Asian-inspired fantasy and Prince and the Pauper retellings, so this should have been right up my alley. And I probably would have loved it if I had read it in middle school but as an adult... how could these two girls switch places after 5 minutes of conversation and no one notices? Even ignoring the physical differences between the two (one has been living a life of luxury and one has been living on the streets), Rani gave Ria no instructions on how to blend in at the palace and vice versa. If I think about this for too long I'm going to lower my rating because it honestly bothered me the entire book.
As for the overall writing style, there were no stylistic differences between the Ria and Rani chapters, despite there being two authors working on this book. If it weren't for the chapter headers and the different fake swear words, I would not have known whose perspective it was.
There is a lot of negativity in this review, but I want to close by saying that there are clearly people out there who liked this book! If I had been able to stop overthinking and focus on the beautiful setting, snake magic, and sisterly reunion elements, then this probably would have been an enjoyable read. As it stands, I personally won't be picking up the sequel.
As for the overall writing style, there were no stylistic differences between the Ria and Rani chapters, despite there being two authors working on this book. If it weren't for the chapter headers and the different fake swear words, I would not have known whose perspective it was.
There is a lot of negativity in this review, but I want to close by saying that there are clearly people out there who liked this book! If I had been able to stop overthinking and focus on the beautiful setting, snake magic, and sisterly reunion elements, then this probably would have been an enjoyable read. As it stands, I personally won't be picking up the sequel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Slavery, and Murder
lovelymisanthrope's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I received this in an Owlcrate box years ago, and finally made the time to pick it up.
"Sisters of the Snake follows" two sisters: Rani and Ria. Ria grew up in an orphanage and learned how to steal to get by. Rani is a princess, but her life is far from glamourous. Rani is not allowed to leave her castle, and she is being forced into a position of power that she is not sure she really wants. Her closest confidant is a snake who she is forever linked to. By fate, Ria and Rani meet and discover they are twins separated at birth. In an effort to allow Ria to get to know the family she never knew and allow Rani time to get information she needs, they switch places. But, Ria and Rani quickly learn that there was a reason they have been separated for all of these years.
I am so upset with myself that I did not pick up this fantasy sooner! I was enthralled with both Ria and Rani, and I was entirely captivated by the world they live in. Ria is a real Robin Hood type character. My heart just went out to her because she had nothing, but that never broke her, she had the grit and termination to keep going. I really appreciated the dichotomy of Rani's character against Ria's. Rani starts off as a spoiled, sheltered princess, but being in her kingdom allows her to see the real problems there are, and she is inspired to make things better. A person is only as good as they can see.
I think this is the perfect YA fantasy with excellent representation. The magic system is not terribly complicated, but it is still interesting, and the charters are multifaceted. I also had a soft spot for Ria's and Rani's love interests. I think both boys suited both girls extremely well and provided some much-needed perspective and balance to their worlds.
I am really excited to see where this story goes and to pick up the sequel.
"Sisters of the Snake follows" two sisters: Rani and Ria. Ria grew up in an orphanage and learned how to steal to get by. Rani is a princess, but her life is far from glamourous. Rani is not allowed to leave her castle, and she is being forced into a position of power that she is not sure she really wants. Her closest confidant is a snake who she is forever linked to. By fate, Ria and Rani meet and discover they are twins separated at birth. In an effort to allow Ria to get to know the family she never knew and allow Rani time to get information she needs, they switch places. But, Ria and Rani quickly learn that there was a reason they have been separated for all of these years.
I am so upset with myself that I did not pick up this fantasy sooner! I was enthralled with both Ria and Rani, and I was entirely captivated by the world they live in. Ria is a real Robin Hood type character. My heart just went out to her because she had nothing, but that never broke her, she had the grit and termination to keep going. I really appreciated the dichotomy of Rani's character against Ria's. Rani starts off as a spoiled, sheltered princess, but being in her kingdom allows her to see the real problems there are, and she is inspired to make things better. A person is only as good as they can see.
I think this is the perfect YA fantasy with excellent representation. The magic system is not terribly complicated, but it is still interesting, and the charters are multifaceted. I also had a soft spot for Ria's and Rani's love interests. I think both boys suited both girls extremely well and provided some much-needed perspective and balance to their worlds.
I am really excited to see where this story goes and to pick up the sequel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Slavery, Death, Grief, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Death of parent, War, and Child death
booksthatburn's review against another edition
I don't like any of the characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Death
Moderate: Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Police brutality
Minor: Child abuse and Fatphobia
zombiezami's review against another edition
From the very beginning, this seemed like a paint-by-numbers fantasy plot. It's not really grabbing me, and it's quite long, so I stopped listening.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, and Classism
spinesinaline's review
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Thanks to the publisher for an ARC!
This was a fun take on the Prince and the Pauper story with added fantasy (snake magic!) and great immersion in Indian culture that feels expertly descriptive without removing us from the story.
There was some awkward and repetitive phrasing and dialogue so it wasn’t a perfect story but I felt the voices of these twins was so distinct (though I got them confused when they’re together in chapters). There were also parts of the mystery that weren’t as smooth, with the bad guy feeling very ‘villain in movie reveals entire plot’ and many points connected out of the blue by the characters as the readers didn’t have enough hints to figure it out yet.
I wasn’t thrilled to learn it’s a series as I’m a standalone reader usually but it wasn’t a significant cliffhanger and still felt like its own ending so I’m glad that this book feels wrapped up in itself while still leaving the door open for future adventures.
This was a fun take on the Prince and the Pauper story with added fantasy (snake magic!) and great immersion in Indian culture that feels expertly descriptive without removing us from the story.
There was some awkward and repetitive phrasing and dialogue so it wasn’t a perfect story but I felt the voices of these twins was so distinct (though I got them confused when they’re together in chapters). There were also parts of the mystery that weren’t as smooth, with the bad guy feeling very ‘villain in movie reveals entire plot’ and many points connected out of the blue by the characters as the readers didn’t have enough hints to figure it out yet.
I wasn’t thrilled to learn it’s a series as I’m a standalone reader usually but it wasn’t a significant cliffhanger and still felt like its own ending so I’m glad that this book feels wrapped up in itself while still leaving the door open for future adventures.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Abandonment, Blood, Child abuse, and Torture
Minor: War
priscillasbookshelf's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Sisters of the Snake took me some time to complete reading, but I enjoyed it so much whenever I had the chance to delve into this book!
Sisters of Snake was a beautiful Prince and the Pauper retelling! The plot twists and character growth kept me wanting more; The inclusion of Indian culture and cuisine was so beautifully done to craft the story's colorful and vibrant world! I enjoyed the character development and world-building the most! The plot and conflict/ resolution enticed me into reading the story!
However, I felt like some of the conflict/resolution and dialogue were formulaic and predictable at times. I was saddened that there was no map of this world for such a wonderful fantasy world-building story - A map is not really necessary, but I would have liked it paired with this beautiful fantasy world and the lovely dust jacket. I felt like some of the dialogue and conflict/resolution was predictable for my liking, but the last chapter definitely made up for it!
Therefore, it's a 4 Star rating for me! I'm looking forward to reading the second book of Ria and Rani!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Child abuse, Bullying, Confinement, Violence, and Torture
kayladaila's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Sisters of the Snake is an Indian retelling of The Princess and the Pauper with a cool magic system. I like the writing but found the story to be predictable at every turn.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Child abuse
nitya's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The Prince(ss) and the Pauper retelling I always wanted!!!
I am not a twin but grew up watching everything about twin sisters (Sister Sister, Mary Kate and Ashley's entire filmography, etc) and the authors did too. So when they pitched this book as an Indian (specifically Punjabi) influenced fantasy focusing on a princess and a thief who are also twins, I was 100% sold.
At nearly 500 pages, this may seem daunting but the writing is very engaging (dual POV), there's lots of court intrigue and twists, and the tropes are my jam (found family! female friendships! girls saving themselves!!). I did like the world building but also wanted more of it! Perhaps in the sequel...
I am not a twin but grew up watching everything about twin sisters (Sister Sister, Mary Kate and Ashley's entire filmography, etc) and the authors did too. So when they pitched this book as an Indian (specifically Punjabi) influenced fantasy focusing on a princess and a thief who are also twins, I was 100% sold.
At nearly 500 pages, this may seem daunting but the writing is very engaging (dual POV), there's lots of court intrigue and twists, and the tropes are my jam (found family! female friendships! girls saving themselves!!). I did like the world building but also wanted more of it! Perhaps in the sequel...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, and Torture
Moderate: Child abuse
charlottesomewhere's review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Royal twins separated at birth finding each other and switching places. Snake magic. Mystery and intrigue. Brilliant, twisty plot. Give me more please.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Death, and Murder
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