This beautiful book by Sara B. Larson is the sequel to Sisters of Shadow and Light, which was one of my FAVORITE reads last year!
Here’s a synopsis for book 1 (sharing for book 2 would be a spoiler if you haven’t read 1 yet):
The night my sister was born, the stars died and were reborn in her eyes….
Zuhra and Inara have grown up in the Citadel of the Paladins, an abandoned fortress where legendary, magical warriors once lived before disappearing from the world–including their Paladin father the night Inara was born.
On that same night, a massive, magical hedge grew and imprisoned them within the citadel. Inara inherited their father’s Paladin power; her eyes glow blue and she is able to make plants grow at unbelievable rates, but she has been trapped in her own mind because of a “roar” that drowns everything else out–leaving Zuhra virtually alone with their emotionally broken human mother.
For fifteen years they have lived, trapped in the citadel, with little contact from the outside world…until the day a stranger passes through the hedge, and everything changes.
The relationship between the sisters, and the unexpected twists and turns of this book stuck with my long after I read it, and I couldn’t wait to read book 2!!! I’m so thrilled that NetGalley and Tor Teen gave me the opportunity to read a free advanced e-copy of Warriors of Wing and Flame.
This book was AMAZING! It started out slow, as pretty much all sequels do, because the author has to try to work in reminders for the reader of all the important things they may have forgotten from the previous book. (Side note, I wish sequels would just start putting a “previously on” section at the front, quickly reminding you of everything you need to know, so you can jump right into the story after you read it…or you could skip it, if you’re binging a series and don’t need to be reminded.)
When we first see the sisters in this book, both of them are grieving and traumatized and I love the way Sara lets us see that, and be with them as they deal with it, rather than quickly brushing it away. Once the action really began, I couldn’t put the book down. I loved where the story took us, from developments in relationships, to personal character arcs for the sisters. Inara’s story in book 2 was especially poignant to me. This book had its share of both joy and heartbreak…but there was a thread of hope, no matter how dark the sisters’ situations became.
Sara concluded the series beautifully, and I felt very satisfied. It definitely earns a spot on my favorites shelf. 5 stars.
I would recommend this duology to fans of Strange the Dreamer, The Girl of Fire and Thorns, and Sisters of Sword and Song. And I’ll definitely be going back and picking up Sara’s previous books, now!
Feel free to message me if you’ve read it. I’d love to chat. Have a great day, lovelies!
