Reviews

Sistersong by Lucy Holland

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miggie_snyder's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

3.5

I liked this book but I found it a hard read. I felt the plot was confusing at times and in the end I felt like it was just an ok book. Not bad, but definitely will not be reaching for this one again.

shane_the_reading_rat's review

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i tried so hard not to dnf this, but i just cant.
i found with this book that even with me only getting to 30 percent, that there is a lot of stuff that could’ve been cut to make the story feel tighter and more compact. including, sadly, Sinne and Riva’s POVs. Keyne was easily the most grounded and fleshed-out main character (although, i can concede that since he and i are both transmasculine maybe i was just drawn to him more because of that). Sinne and Riva felt very similar and from what i can tell are going to get a love-triangle plotline with some prince, and that’s just not something im interested in.
along with this, the line “the only evil i see here is intolerance” feels,,, ridiculous. it feels like a parody.
i do want to try another book by this author, Song of The Huntress, but Sistersong sadly just is not doing it for me

sashendry's review against another edition

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3.5

Myth retellings with complicated family relationships!! Yes!

I love when a retelling feels current (adding something important like diverse characters and relatable themes), while still being solidly set in its time and place. I think Sistersong did this well for the most part. The lush writing expanded the setting beautifully. The hopes and dreams of the characters were easy to connect to.

I thought the critical handling of religion, culture, and identity was interesting too. Sometimes the Christian priest villain and his specific rhetoric felt a little too modern to me though. The kind of transphobia he spouted felt more applicable to modern understandings of gender than his historic period. He was also fairly one-dimensional. However, it didn't take anything huge away from the story!

I do also note that at the beginning, the romance/family bonds feel like a typical YA drama, but they quickly develop into something dark and complicated. I enjoyed the latter half more than the first.

libraryofanisha's review against another edition

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slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

megsbookishtwins's review against another edition

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3.0

Sistersong is a historical fantasy that takes place in Dummonia during the anglo-saxon invasion & christianisation of Briton & is inspired by the murder ballad 'The Twa Sisters'. Sistersong features a transmasc m/c, celtic folklore & arthurian vibes. A good solid fantasy read, that lost my attention a tad in the middle but ended on a strong note.