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A review by peireads
Sisters of the Perilous Heart by Sandra L. Vasher
3.0
Sisters of the Perilous Heart
3/5
Enjoyment: 3/5
Execution: ⅗
Sisters of the Perilous Heart follows the journeys of two girls: The young new queen of Kepler, Vivian, who is infected with the Immortality virus minutes into her coronation, and Carina, a girl struggling to control her magic.
The first half of this book was quite tedious, with slow pacing and a disjointed narrative; the story is told from two perspectives, Carina and Vivian, and their stories do not meet until past the halfway point, which made it feel as if I was reading two completely separate books. Other than the initial few chapters, which I thought set the stage well, there were many little mundane scenes that just made everything drag on. There were also some plot points that seemed as if they would be important and then quickly skimmed over. Additionally, there was a very large host of characters introduced within a short span and it was hard to keep them separate. I am still not sure who any of the Sisters are. Several of these characters did not seem to add much to the plot (Ivan? Reed?) However as the story progressed, the plot became much more fleshed out and cohesive, and the last 30% of the book was where it truly shone. The action was well-written and exciting, and the character growth interesting; however, if I am about to pick up a lengthy book, the last thing I want to do is trudge through the first 70% to become fully invested. There were lots of breadcrumbs dropped and I almost wish that there had been less, making the final reveals more dramatic.
The world-building was interesting, and I liked how the story was broken up by excerpts from letters, textbooks, etc. However, because it was so hard for me to follow the story as well as grasp the numerous characters, it sometimes felt more confusing than enlightening, because it was yet another thing my mind had to puzzle out.
The characters are interesting and complex, however in some cases, specifically with Carina, it took time to get there. Carina starts the book off extremely shallow, naive, and oblivious. While a few of her antics were funny, I was more annoyed with her than anything. It was hard to connect with and empathize with her until the end. I was much more invested in Vivian's story and her connection with her brothers. Bastian and Nate are complete opposites other than their love for their sister, and their interactions with each other and with Vivian are fun and sweet. Nate was my favorite - he is kind-hearted and hard-working, and I enjoyed watching his character grow through the story.
There are some light elements of romance in this book, which were sweet but somewhat unnecessary. Again, I was not very invested in Carina and her relationship with Max, which felt sudden and forced given the lack of build-up.
Overall, an interesting start to the series. Lots of foundation is laid and the first book ends on a cliffhanger, which makes you want to read the second.
Thank you to BookSirens for an advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
3/5
Enjoyment: 3/5
Execution: ⅗
Sisters of the Perilous Heart follows the journeys of two girls: The young new queen of Kepler, Vivian, who is infected with the Immortality virus minutes into her coronation, and Carina, a girl struggling to control her magic.
The first half of this book was quite tedious, with slow pacing and a disjointed narrative; the story is told from two perspectives, Carina and Vivian, and their stories do not meet until past the halfway point, which made it feel as if I was reading two completely separate books. Other than the initial few chapters, which I thought set the stage well, there were many little mundane scenes that just made everything drag on. There were also some plot points that seemed as if they would be important and then quickly skimmed over. Additionally, there was a very large host of characters introduced within a short span and it was hard to keep them separate. I am still not sure who any of the Sisters are. Several of these characters did not seem to add much to the plot (Ivan? Reed?) However as the story progressed, the plot became much more fleshed out and cohesive, and the last 30% of the book was where it truly shone. The action was well-written and exciting, and the character growth interesting; however, if I am about to pick up a lengthy book, the last thing I want to do is trudge through the first 70% to become fully invested. There were lots of breadcrumbs dropped and I almost wish that there had been less, making the final reveals more dramatic.
The world-building was interesting, and I liked how the story was broken up by excerpts from letters, textbooks, etc. However, because it was so hard for me to follow the story as well as grasp the numerous characters, it sometimes felt more confusing than enlightening, because it was yet another thing my mind had to puzzle out.
The characters are interesting and complex, however in some cases, specifically with Carina, it took time to get there. Carina starts the book off extremely shallow, naive, and oblivious. While a few of her antics were funny, I was more annoyed with her than anything. It was hard to connect with and empathize with her until the end. I was much more invested in Vivian's story and her connection with her brothers. Bastian and Nate are complete opposites other than their love for their sister, and their interactions with each other and with Vivian are fun and sweet. Nate was my favorite - he is kind-hearted and hard-working, and I enjoyed watching his character grow through the story.
There are some light elements of romance in this book, which were sweet but somewhat unnecessary. Again, I was not very invested in Carina and her relationship with Max, which felt sudden and forced given the lack of build-up.
Overall, an interesting start to the series. Lots of foundation is laid and the first book ends on a cliffhanger, which makes you want to read the second.
Thank you to BookSirens for an advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.