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A review by sashendry
Sistersong by Lucy Holland
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.
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.