A review by thenovelmaura
Sisters of the Snake by Sasha Nanua, Sarena Nanua

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.
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