A review by the_chaotic_witch
The Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner

1.0

1/5*

I understand that this is a debut and I don't like ranting, so, I will try to keep this short and neutral.

Quick summory: Sisters live in a wood and unfriendly but friendly town with their parents, parents leave and cluster the big bad secret on them separately, making each one protect the other not knowing of their own danger/gift/destiny whatever. Story unfolds.

The plot is constructed all around these secrets, which aren't really spoilers if you have seen the cover and read the synapsis but still spoiler! The parents are from two separate magical families who were against their match which is why they kept the daughters secret. And never told the daugthers that they inherited these magical properties. The parents then have to leave abruptly and Mom heaves the resposibility of protecting their sister on each of the girls (16! and 18!) without explaining the changes they will go through or anything.

Sister A is archetyp rule-obiding a little loosening up later and sister B is archetype flighty and chattery and I-do-what-I-want-you-can't-hold-me. We got about 2-3.5 relationships in this book. One of which is toxic, and the others as problematic. In the end they are all somewhat still good guys.

The main issue is that the plot is not consistant neither are the characters. Sister A is jumping from opinion to opinion and from plotline to plotline. Sister B was more continuous but around the end and the grand conclusion she got also somewhat crooked. They sometimes were so moody it just seemed as if it were supposed to show their youth and puberty and the behaviour at this age but they acted more like very and I mean VERY moody 13 year olds, if there was a sistuation where this was realistic.

The text sometimes sounds as if it wanted to be this great speech or this very nice quote that get all big in the community. Little wisdoms and conclusions to the story and summories of all it's lessons and the bits you remember from a story. (Like for example "Night Triumphant and Stars Eternal", "Always." or the like.)

I suppose that's all I want to say right now. Thank you and good night.

Merry meet and merry part and merry meet again.

PS: Also, (SPOILER) in the end everyone forgives everyone and everyone learns a important life-lesson from the sisters who did like nothing (almost).
Sorry.