Sisters of Shadow and Light by Sara B. Larson

The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.Īutumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart their mothers are still best friends. Naming conventions pull from different world cultural traditions, but physical descriptions point to whiteness as the standard.

The female characters suffer abuse and isolation, making their longing for romantic connection understandable but leaving them dependent on their male counterparts. Larson’s ( Bright Burns the Night, 2018, etc.) narrative of might, magic, and a deep sisterly bond is uneven, with beautiful prose that is repetitive and dual voices that sound very similar. When Halvor, a scholar of the Paladin and the first boy they have ever met, breaches the hedge, Zuhra is intrigued by his revelations of the world and motivated to escape, but the mysteries of the citadel prove more dangerous than any of them know, threatening both realms. Inara is often lost in her own mind, with only brief moments of lucidity, leaving Zuhra feeling alone, longing for connection. Zuhra and Inara share Paladin blood, but Inara’s blue eyes glow with power, repelling their mother, who forbade all things Paladin when the girls’ father disappeared after Inara’s birth. Once, the gryphon-riding warriors chased and defeated the rakasa monsters from their dimension and protected the humans of Vamala, but now they have all but disappeared. Isolated from the world by a magical barrier, two sisters navigate dangerous changes when a stranger crosses over.Įighteen-year-old Zuhra lives with her mother and younger sister, Inara, trapped by a sentient hedge in the long-abandoned Citadel of the Paladins.

Sisters of Shadow and Light by Sara B. Larson