Scan barcode
mzy42's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Death of parent, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Transphobia
Minor: Vomit and Blood
nicnevin's review
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.0
Interesting story about ancient Britons holding off against the Saxons. I worked out the twist with a character pretty early on and the two sisters sides of tge story interested me far less than the one of Keyne(Constantine).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Body shaming, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Chronic illness, Deadnaming, Death, Grief, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Hate crime, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Misogyny, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Murder, Outing, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Transphobia, Violence, and War
hannaheiserman's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Blood, Gore, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Pregnancy, Death, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Transphobia, and War
Minor: Deadnaming and Ableism
carlybellesbooks's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Set in ancient Britain where Saxon invasion and sweeping Christian domination threaten to destroy the Old Ways of magic and the harmonious connection with the land. This is a retelling of an old folk ballad the Twa Sisters, we follow three siblings Riva, Keyne and Sinne, as they navigate the dangers outside their hold and within themselves. A coming of age story that leaves our three protagonists completely different versions of themselves by the end of the novel and left me yearning for that magical connection with the earth. Spanning one year of pagan sabbats, the novel begins at Imbolc. I would strongly suggest you don’t listen to the folk ballad before you read this to avoid spoilers because one of the plot points in this novel absolutely blew me away! Listen to it at the end and marvel at the variety of interpretations!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury and Religious bigotry
Minor: Blood
smallredboy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
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? No
4.5
Massive banger. I ended up feeling for all the characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Violence, War, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Transphobia
foxonabook's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I’m not a stranger to retellings, but this is the first retelling I’ve read that’s not about a Greek myth and is instead inspired by a folk ballad. It’s actually the first book I’ve read that’s set in the early days of Britain’s history, at a time when the Romans are no longer ruling over the country, the Saxons are conquering over the Celtic tribes and Christianity is spreading across Europe. Personally, I couldn’t have read this book at a better time because it coincided with my own revision of Britain’s early history. Anyway, moving on to the actual review…
Sistersong is the story of three sisters, Keyne, Sinne and Riva, daughters of the King of Dumnonia who once heralded so much magical power, but now it seems that the gods and magic have forsaken Dumnonia and its people just as the threat of a Saxon invasion looms ever nearer.
The story unfolds across each sister’s point of view, allowing us to better understand the sisters’ relationship with one another and with the world around them. The bond between the three feels very realistic in terms of the teasing, jealousy, heated arguments and, most importantly, unwavering love. Not all three are equally as likeable, in my opinion, with Riva quickly becoming my least favourite of the three.
An important underlying theme in the story is exploration of self-identity and the courage it takes to defy society’s gender stereotypes in order to be true to yourself. Although a certain character’s development was clear from very early on, it didn’t take away from the enjoyment of reading how the character came into their own.
I wish I could say that that was the only predictable aspect of the story; I felt the foreshadowing was laid on a little thick at some points, making it hard not to guess what would happen. With that said, I was never bored with the story because the writing and pacing were enthralling and spot-on.
I also liked that none of the main characters has fully mastered their relatively new craft by the end of the story. Despite this being a work of fiction, you got a sense that Lucy Holland was being realistic in terms of what the characters could have achieved over the course of the book. It’s actually a pet peeve of mine when characters suddenly, with both minimal effort and raining, have full mastery over their powers.
So, to wrap this up, Sistersong was a delightful read, set at a time in history I don’t think we often come across. It’s definitely a book I would recommend to fans of historical fiction and fantasy.
Sistersong is the story of three sisters, Keyne, Sinne and Riva, daughters of the King of Dumnonia who once heralded so much magical power, but now it seems that the gods and magic have forsaken Dumnonia and its people just as the threat of a Saxon invasion looms ever nearer.
The story unfolds across each sister’s point of view, allowing us to better understand the sisters’ relationship with one another and with the world around them. The bond between the three feels very realistic in terms of the teasing, jealousy, heated arguments and, most importantly, unwavering love. Not all three are equally as likeable, in my opinion, with Riva quickly becoming my least favourite of the three.
An important underlying theme in the story is exploration of self-identity and the courage it takes to defy society’s gender stereotypes in order to be true to yourself. Although a certain character’s development was clear from very early on, it didn’t take away from the enjoyment of reading how the character came into their own.
I wish I could say that that was the only predictable aspect of the story; I felt the foreshadowing was laid on a little thick at some points, making it hard not to guess what would happen. With that said, I was never bored with the story because the writing and pacing were enthralling and spot-on.
I also liked that none of the main characters has fully mastered their relatively new craft by the end of the story. Despite this being a work of fiction, you got a sense that Lucy Holland was being realistic in terms of what the characters could have achieved over the course of the book. It’s actually a pet peeve of mine when characters suddenly, with both minimal effort and raining, have full mastery over their powers.
So, to wrap this up, Sistersong was a delightful read, set at a time in history I don’t think we often come across. It’s definitely a book I would recommend to fans of historical fiction and fantasy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Transphobia
Moderate: Ableism and Deadnaming
Minor: Sexual content
alyciamck's review
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Blood, War, Death, and Body horror
mo345's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Chronic illness, Colonisation, Confinement, Deadnaming, Death, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Transphobia, Violence, Vomit, and War
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Alcohol, Animal death, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, and Cursing
freagh's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
Moderate: Blood, Deadnaming, and Fire/Fire injury
queenmackenzie's review
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I first picked up a book by Lucy Holland a number of years ago, when browsing my local Waterstones – which I now incidentally work at – and saw a beautiful looking book by the name Starborn. This was under the name Lucy Hounsom, and the reason I bought it, apart from the cover and blurb, was the fact that I discovered the author had attended the same university as me and worked as a bookseller as well as a writer, and ever since I have admired the author from a distance, and eagerly awaiting any new books. All this to say, that I am so glad I picked up The Worldmaker Trilogy (which is well worth reading) all those years ago, because it led me to join Lucy’s newsletter, and thus jump at the opportunity to read her new novel, Sistersong when the eARC was released. Ancient Britain? Retelling of a folk ballad? Incredible cover? I needed no more convincing, and it absolutely lived up to my expectations.
‘I wander so long, it feels as though I’ve crossed some hidden boundary. I’ve left our world for theirs – the nameless land where goddesses sing to the stars, where lost spirits linger in the twilight.’
Sistersong is based on a traditional murder ballad which first appeared in writing in 1656, and tells the tale of a younger sister drowned by the elder out of jealousy, and you can read it here (though there are many varying editions). In her novel, Holland has taken this short ballad and created an entire world around it, and has done it with incredible skill. Truly, the whole novel feels like a tale that would be told by Myrdhin in a great hall around a fire – which happens a few times in the story itself – and I believe that was the author’s intention, with the way the narrative is framed. ‘I will tell you a story,’ begins Keyne in the first chapter. This is the third sibling, which Holland added in her telling, and whom I absolutely fell in love with. What a dynamic character! Keyne has never felt at ease in his own skin or household, wanting to be seen as a son rather than a daughter, and I would say that though the two sisters Riva and Sinne, are the namesakes of The Twa Sisters ballad, it is Keyne that carries the plot. Also, for anyone who has read it, the bonfire scene at Beltane where he dances with fire will stay with me forever.
“Brigid, Brigid, come to my home tonight.
Open the door, let Brigid come in.
Her bed is ready, her supper prepared.”
There is a very interesting dynamic in this novel between the old gods, and the power of the land, and the new Christian God, whose worship is slowly sweeping through the British Isles. Gildas, a priest, is the main source of this tension, as his presence has slowly pulled King Cador away from his ties to the land, so that crops fail, healing no longer works, the weather is hostile, and the kingdom is vulnerable to Saxon attacks. Even the reappearance of Myrdhin and his magic is not enough, and it is up to the heirs of the land to try and restore its magic before it is too late, but they also have their own problems going on, and time is shorter than they realise. The sisters all have their own affinity to magic, and I love the way their powers are described and move the story along.
Despite the fantastical elements, Sistersong feels so real, and so rooted in history, that I would happily recommend it to anyone who generally steers away from fantasy (which is ridiculous, because fantasy is the mother of all storytelling), and be confident that they would enjoy it. The attention to detail, the character development, the language itself, all meld together to create this perfect story. I had to keep putting the book down, because I knew that there would be sadness waiting at the end of it, and I didn’t want the tale to end, but what I did find when I finished it was a bittersweet feeling and the knowledge that this story will continue to sing to me long after I have turned the last page. This is where I have to admit that writing this review has been difficult, because the book has left me with a lot of emotions, and it’s hard to articulate much beyond “good book, go read it,” but I hope I have done that. Thank you for putting up with the fangirling that I interspersed in this review, and happy reading!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Transphobia and Blood
More...