Sisters of Sword and Song by Rebecca Ross | Book Review

A Beautifully Written Story that Captured My Heart

The Highlights:

• Two fantastic points-of-view
• The writing is absolutely gorgeous
• A cupcake love interest
• A full and satisfying story all in one book

Rebecca Ross is an author whose writing style I greatly admire. I’ve been screaming about her books for a couple years now, and have loved each of them. I didn’t know if she could top The Queen’s Rising books, but was sure I was going to love Sisters of Sword and Song. I think I loved it even more. It will definitely go down as one of my favorite books. Not just of 2020. Just one of my favorite books, period.

The book switches point-of-view between sisters Evadne and Halcyon. I loved both. I think Evadne was probably my favorite, but both girls were so compelling and unique. Their stories were different, but entwined in a way that kept the story moving forward and never made me look forward to one over the other. And they weren’t the only great characters! The love interest is a wonderful cupcake of a character, my favorite kind. The Evadne and Halcyon’s family members are really well done, they’re present in the story and even though it wasn’t really about them, they felt fleshed out, like they had their own lives and stories and weren’t just there to prop up the two sisters. Halcyon’s commander, Lord Stratton, was SO well written. I don’t want to go into too much detail, but not far at all into the book I was completely engrossed in his part of the story. Characters are always my favorite aspect of any book, and never more so than in this book.

Ross’ writing itself is just astounding. It aligns with my tastes perfectly. I mean, this line alone has been stuck in my head for weeks: “And she began to see the gift she held, the ability to write in beautiful strokes, to write as much as she wanted. There was power within it, a small seed. But how it could grow, should she allow it to.” CHILLS. Rebecca Ross writes the kind of words I only dream about writing some day. Her prose is lyrical but simple. A soft kind of beautiful, but the power behind what she’s written slowly builds throughout the story. Every beat falls where it feels like it should, all the while staying consistent and lovely. This book was absolutely delightful to read, and I’ll always recommend Ross’ writing to fellow aspiring authors.

The story contained within Sisters of Sword and Song is just as gorgeous as the rest of the book. It starts off quickly. I was immediately pulled in, full of questions, eager to read more. And it just built from there. I wouldn’t exactly call it fast-paced. More of a constant slow build, in the vein of Finnikin of the Rock or Graceling. Slow burn stories are my favorites, because I feel like the payoff at the end is so much greater, and that was definitely the case here. The story built and built, taking turns I didn’t see coming while offering up things I’d hoped for, all leading to a fantastic climax than left me reeling. The ending was so utterly satisfying, and while it was definitely unpredictable, everything that happened felt right, like it ended exactly how it should have.

So, yeah, I really loved Sisters of Sword and Song. I’ve already mentioned Finnikin and Graceling, so if you enjoyed those then I think you’ll love Sisters. But the book it reminded me the most of was The Two Princesses of Bamarre, which has been my favorite since I was a little girl. This felt like the adult-me’s version of that book. It felt like seeing an old friend again. The strong bond between sisters, the sweet and slow romance, the epic conclusion, all of the genuine emotion. It all came together to create a wonderful story. Sisters of Sword and Song is a book that I’ll read again and again and again, I’ll never bore of the adventure and comfort it provides.