#sistersong by lucy holland review
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Book Review: “Sistersong” by Lucy Holland
Rating: 4.5/5
Title: Sistersong
Author: Lucy Holland
Pages: 416
Review:
This is a retelling of the Twa Sisters ballad. If you don’t know it I suggest to look it up after reading the book, but if you do know it there are a few changes to the story, which makes it less predictable.
The story is told from the perspective of three siblings and it’s set in the ancient kingdom of Dumnonia. King Cador used to have magical abilities that came from the land, but these start to fade when Christianity slowly takes over. Each of his children possess some kind of power: Riva, the eldest, can cure others but not her own scars made by wildfire in the past, Keyne has hidden abilities and so does Sinne, the youngest. The siblings are very different from each other and have their own personal journeys and struggles.
The people from Dumnonia are getting ready for the possibility of invasion by the Saxons, there is a conflict between the old magic and the new religion, a suspicious stranger that brings conflict between the siblings and a character struggling with their gender identity.
The book is magical and atmospheric and makes me wish the writing style wasn’t as simple. I did get used to it after a few chapters and enjoyed the tale for what it was. I really liked the characters and the different relationships. There was complexity and understandable motivations that drove the plot.
The pacing is slow and for the most part feels very slice of life, which is exactly what I like. There is still enough mystery and some battles for those that prefer plot over characters.
I was expecting the ending to be more tragic, but I still enjoyed it.
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Mythology reinterpretations! Trans characters! I love books
#books#booksbooksbooks#lucy holland#sistersong#book review#netgalley#folkore#the twa sisters#queer books#queer lit#trans books#trans lit
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76/100
Sistersong
Wonderful retelling, I wasn't familiar with the legend so I was really surprised with what happened. The writing is beautiful and it keeps you hooked as we followe the three siblings, each on their own unique story that is made into one at the end. Magic, princesses, mystery and betrayal, what else could you need in a book?
🌟🌟🌟🌟
4/5 stars
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19?
19. most popular disliked books?
this one was sort of tricky because my taste in books and what is considered broadly popular do not normally overlap however the first book that came to mind was the chosen and the beautiful by nghi vo which i dnf'd because i thought the magic system was ill-defined (don't get me started on the demon stuff!! it was so silly i was actually embarrassed) and it's not even a reinterpretation so much as a scene-by-scene gatsby revamp with a few new things in between. in my review i said it "reflects the careless hedonistic society it seeks to examine: hollow under its shiny packaging"
other popular-ish books i didn't like or dnf'd
little weirds by jenny slate dnf
sistersong by lucy holland 2.75⭐ - if it weren't for the trans stuff i would be asleep
plain bad heroines by emily m. danforth - 2.75⭐ - builds and builds and for what? nothing
anything by grady hendrix i've read two of his books and the way some of you guys talk about him you'd think he was jesus
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Book Review: "Sistersong" by Lucy Holland (@silvanhistorian @panmacmillan @ExeterCityofLit @EasternRegional)
Book Review: “Sistersong” by Lucy Holland (@silvanhistorian @panmacmillan @ExeterCityofLit @EasternRegional)
Sistersong (Pan Macmillan UK, April 2021) by Lucy Holland
Sistersong, by Devon-based author Lucy Holland, is recommended to our readers by Ms Anna Cohn Orchard, Executive Director of Exeter UNESCO City of Literature. Published in 2021, the book was a finalist to both the British Fantasy Award for Best Novel and the Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award in 2022.
Holland describes herself as living…
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Book Review: SISTERSONG by Lucy Holland
Book Review: SISTERSONG by Lucy Holland
SPOILER ALERT
I do not typically enjoy high fantasy novels, but SISTERSONG was different.
A tale about the bond of three siblings during a time of war, SISTERSONG has everything.
The reader is given epic scenes, romantic conflict, and a character who struggles for acceptance. I found it immersive. What was more, there wasn’t a character I did not like.
This is a novel that portrays its…
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#books#review#book review#sistersong#sistersong review#lucy holland#lucy holland review#sistersong by lucy holland#sistersong by lucy holland review#book blog#book blogger#original writing#loopstagirl
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Review - Sistersong, Lucy Holland
I loved this one! So much that i spent all of Easter morning reading it, and then immediately came to write a review of it!
(THIS REVIEW HAS SPOILERS)
Retellings of myth and legend is one of my weaknesses in books, and this one really hits the spot. It was a take on The Twa Sisters, an old song about a girl who murders her younger sister.
One thing that i really loved about this book is the relationships between the three siblings. You get to see how these relationships develop over the course of the book, and how they way that their treatment by others has shaped how they relate to one another. You also get to see how Constantine’s understanding of himself develops, from who he is at the start (angry, defensive, not one of them) to the end, where he understands his place beside his sisters much better, and has stepped into his own power. Its also really good to see the moments when his transness ‘clicks’ for his sisters, and how their internal monologue, especially Sinne’s, adjusts to reflect that.
The magic system within this book is one that i really love, partly because it reminds me of one of my favourite books from my childhood, but mostly because i think that it is a wonderful way to see the world, as one connected being, of which every tree and rock and animal and person is part, and as something that we risk losing connection to all too easily.
The relationships within the book explore how easily it is for an outsider looking for information can play on vulnerabilities within people, and their insecurities around their place in their families, but also how that is approached differently by different people within the group, particularly through Riva’s relationship with Tristan, and how it is viewed by Consantine, Sinne, her mother, and also Tristan himself.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, i loved the relationships between the siblings, and how the queer characters are a part of the world, and the discussion of how the church damages people natural relationships with the world.
Go read this book!
#sistersong lucy holland#sistersong#lucy holland#book review#spoiler review#the twa sisters#british myth#creature-song#review#creature-reviews#tragedy#keyne/constantine#sinne#riva#queer books
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My Top Books of 2021
Hey guys! I thought I would make a list of my top books of 2021 on here (and please let me know if you’ve read any!). If you’d like to read my reviews of these books we can be friends on Goodreads ;)
✿ڿڰۣ—✿ڿڰۣ—✿ڿڰۣ—✿ڿڰۣ—✿ڿڰۣ—✿ڿڰۣ—✿ڿڰۣ—✿ڿڰۣ—✿ڿڰۣ—✿ڿڰۣ✿
1. A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson
2. The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton
3. The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling
4. Sistersong by Lucy Holland
5. Fierce Dreamer by Linda Lafferty
6. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
7. The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova
8. The Wolf of Oren-Yaro by K.S. Villoso
9. Hall of Smoke by H.M. Long
10. Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips
11. The Savage Instinct by M.M. DeLuca
12. The Principles of Kit Webb by Cat Sebastian
13. The Lights of Prague by Nicole Jarvis
14. Strange Practice by Vivian Shaw
15. In the Company of Witches by Auralee Wallace
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A New World Begins: The History of the French Revolution
Author: Jeremy D. Popkin
First published: 2019
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Review
Sistersong
Author: Lucy Holland
First published: 2021
Rating: ★★★★☆
Review
A Psalm for the Wild-Built
Author: Becky Chambers
First published: 2021
Rating: ★★★★★
Review
The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper
Author: Hallie Rubenhold
First published: 2019
Rating: ★★★★★
Review
Mary Shelley
Author: Miranda Seymour
First published: 2000
Rating: ★★★★★
Review
Where the Crawdads Sing
Author: Delia Owens
First published: 2018
Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Review
The Lost Ones
Author: Anita Frank
First published: 2019
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆
Review
Medusa
Author: Jessie Burton
First published: 2021
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Review
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Author: James Joyce
First published: 1916
Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Review
Neverwhere
Author: Neil Gaiman
First published: 1996
Rating: ★★★★☆
Review
Leningrad: Siege and Symphony
Author: Brian Moynahan
First published: 2013
Rating: ★★★★★
Review
Napoleon: The Man behind the Myth
Author: Adam Zamoyski
First published: 2018
Rating: ★★★★★
Review
English Animals
Author: Laura Kaye
First published: 2017
Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Review
Where the Drowned Girls Go
Editor: Seanan McGuire
First published: 2022
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Review
God: An Anatomy
Author: Francesca Stavrakopoulou
First published: 2021
Rating: ★★★★☆
Review
The Mother of the Brontës: When Maria Met Patrick
Author: Sharon Wright
First published: 2019
Rating: ★★★★★
Review
The Ten Thousand Doors of January
Author: Alix E. Harrow
First published: 2019
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Review
A Little Life
Author: Hanya Yanagihara
First published: 2015
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆
Review
A Curious History of Sex
Author: Kate Lister
First published: 2020
Rating: ★★★★☆
Review
Last Witnesses: Unchildlike Stories
Author: Svetlana Alexievich
First published: 1985
Rating: ★★★★★
Review
The Hidden Palace
Author: Helene Wecker
First published: 2021
Rating: ★★★★★
Review
Passing
Author: Nella Larsen
First published: 1929
Rating: ★★★★☆
Review
Neverworld Wake
Author: Marisha Pessl
First published: 2018
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Review
Pachinko
Author: Min Jin Lee
First published: 2017
Rating: ★★★★☆
Review
When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain
Editor: Nghi Vo
First published: 2020
Rating: ★★★★☆
Review
Aristocrats: Sarah, Emily, Louisa, and Sarah Lennox, 1740-1832
Author: Stella Tillyard
First published: 1994
Rating: ★★★★★
Review
The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer
Author: Siddhartha Mukherjee
First published: 2010
Rating: ★★★★☆
Review
Deeplight
Author: Frances Hardinge
First published: 2019
Rating: ★★★★☆
Review
Kindred
Author: Octavia E. Butler
First published: 1979
Rating: ★★★★★
Review
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Release day for Sistersong by Lucy Holland! 📚 I’m so excited to get into this one. Thanks to Pan MacMillan who sent a review copy! Do you like any books with siblings in them? 😅 π π π ◎ BLURB ◎ King Cador’s children inherit a land abandoned by the Romans, torn by warring tribes. Riva can cure others, but can’t heal her own scars. Keyne battles to be seen as the king’s son, although born a daughter. And Sinne dreams of love, longing for adventure. ✨ All three fear a life of confinement within the walls of the hold, their people’s last bastion of strength against the invading Saxons. However, change comes on the day ash falls from the sky – bringing Myrdhin, meddler and magician. The siblings discover the power that lies within them and the land. But fate also brings Tristan, a warrior whose secrets will tear them apart. 👀 Riva, Keyne and Sinne become entangled in a web of treachery and heartbreak, and must fight to forge their own paths. It’s a story that will shape the destiny of Britain. ✊ π π π Book Challenges: • Keep me close to you by @twinklesandstars #starsinthedark • Pretty Paperbacks by @my.divine.books #bookishbellesapr21 • Manipulative characters by @inkand.imagination #springtimeinfennbirn21 • Comfort reads by @littlemissstar55 #lmsapril2021 π π π π #bookstagram #bookish #bookrelease #newrelease #releaseday #sistersong #lucyholland #lucyhollandsistersong #fiction #historical #historicalfiction #panmacmillan #paperback #flatlay #blogger #fantasy #adultfiction #mythsandlegends #bluebooks #prettycovers #tuesdayreleases #reader (at Perth, Western Australia) https://www.instagram.com/p/COLLF85r4-k/?igshid=1skl2a12rnoja
#starsinthedark#bookishbellesapr21#springtimeinfennbirn21#lmsapril2021#bookstagram#bookish#bookrelease#newrelease#releaseday#sistersong#lucyholland#lucyhollandsistersong#fiction#historical#historicalfiction#panmacmillan#paperback#flatlay#blogger#fantasy#adultfiction#mythsandlegends#bluebooks#prettycovers#tuesdayreleases#reader
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Looking for blogs that do book reviews or book related posts and have similar tastes to mine in order to find more excellent reads so please let me know if you are a fan of 3 or more of these:
Realm of the Elderlings series by Robin Hobb
Nightrunner series by Lynn Flewelling
Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
Discworld series by Terry Pratchett
The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
First Law series by Joe Abercrombie
Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tokien
The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander
The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
Winter Rose/The Changeling Sea/The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia A.McKillip
Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
Gentleman Bastards series by Scott Lynch
Shades of Magic by V.E. Schwab
Greenhollow Duology by Emily Tesh
Black Water Sister by Zen Cho
Sistersong by Lucy Holland
Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
Dawn/Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
I read mostly fantasy, but some classic literature too and I have been trying to get into historical fiction. I prefer long series if the characters are complex or entertaining enough. Books being queer is a plus.
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Sistersong by Lucy Holland
Sistersong by Lucy Holland
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sistersong-Lucy-Holland/dp/1529039037/
https://www.waterstones.com/book/9781529039030#write-review
I have to admit I was first drawn to Lucy Holland’s Sistersong by it’s absolutely stunning cover. I openly admit to judging a book by its cover and it often does me well, I have found some great books this way and this is no exception.When I was offered the chance of an…
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Blog Tour: Sistersong - Lucy Holland.
Blog Tour: Sistersong - Lucy Holland.
@Blackcrow_PR
@panmacmillan
ISBN: 9781529039030. April 1st 2020. Pan Macmillan. With thanks to the team at Black Crow PR for allowing me to take part in the blog/bookstagram tour, and for arranging for a hardback copy to be sent my way for me to read and review.
535 AD. In the ancient kingdom of Dumnonia, King Cador’s children inherit a fragmented land abandoned by the Romans.Riva, scarred in a terrible fire, fears she…
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#blogtour#book#bookreview#fantasy#historicalfiction#lucyholland#panmacmillan#pufflekittehreads#sistersong#thepufflehufflekittehreads
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For the book ask, 1, 5, 8, 24, 25, 28, and 34, please and thank you! 😌
1 - for a mind-blowing idea
Don't hate me, but...
Gardens or the Moon by Steven Erikson
The reason for this is not because the book will blow your mind necessarily, but because the book is fully moved by ideas. The author keeps throwing creative ideas at you that either leaves you curious enough to keep reading or makes you give up because there is initially nothing else.
Still, I think it might be a good book to come up with something fresh and give it more focus since one of the book's problems is that focus doesn't really exist and it's more about every character everywhere.
You already read it, but the Liveship Traders trilogy by Robin Hobb blew my mind with the reveals in it. Now I don’t think it would be as surprising given that another trilogy used a similar idea and that is even in the synopsis, but... it was surprising at the time I read it. The Broken Earth trilogy by N.K. Jemisin is another one full of creative ideas that you already experienced at least in the first book.
5 - for an heartbreaking love story
Ah yes, asking this of me, the hardcore romance reader. I think the most heartbreaking love story I ever read is between Fitz and the Fool from the Realm of the Elderlings series by Robin Hobb but you have already read that. There is also “The Song of Achilles” by Madeline Miller, but that is really popular and I didn’t even cry, so...I am going for a different route and pick a story about self love.
Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura
This is about a group of kids that for one reason or another aren’t going to school. They are obviously going through a lot and they meet each other by walking into their mirrors at a certain time of day when they shine. On the other side they find a castle where they hang out for a year. There is a little mystery to be solved and they have to find a key that grants one single wish, but the book isn’t really about that and most of the characters aren’t that invested in that quest when they get to hang out with people that understand them and heal. Now, these are very young characters and the language is quite simple and yet it pulled at my heartstrings and I found the story to be really really sweet. I love the friendship between the kids and how they got to grow and learn to like themselves.
8 - for a book that aged to be funnier than it was supposed to be
I believe any Discworld book gets funnier with age because the more you know the more clever mentions and jokes you catch in those books. However, those were certainly intended to be that funny from the start. All I can think about is...
Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
I haven’t read this as a child, but the book had no business being funny even to an adult me. It is a very silly story about a princess that wants to be kidnapped by a dragon and manages to get that, but now people are trying to save her and she finds it very annoying.
24 - for a reworking of another story
I interpreted this one as asking for a retelling and, in that case:
The Seventh Bride by T. Kingfisher
This is a retelling of Bluebeard that is both funny and a little dark. There is no romance and it’s great fun. Plus, it’s short.
Another interesting one is Sistersong by Lucy Holland, which is inspired by the ballad of the Twa Sisters and it has some Arthurian aspects in it too.
25 - for a book that evokes more wisdom than it probably has
The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury
Now, I read this one many years ago and I remember finding it genius at the time. Lately, everything I read by this author has been so disappointing that I think that I might have been mistaken about this one too. I do have to reread it sometime in order to see how I feel about it now. This is a collection of scifi short stories that are loosely connected by the figure of the “illustrated man”.
My short review at the time was as follows:
This book consists of 16 short stories plus the bit about the illustrated man that connects them all. Every science fiction story presents a reflection about technology and humanity in a brilliant way.
I liked every single story in this book. They were all interesting and thought-provoking even though they were so short. The only complain I have about this book is that we don't get much information at the end about the illustrated man. I wanted to know more about him and his fate, but I suppose that was intended to remain a mystery.
It is an amazing book and one of my favourites.
28- for a book that both disgusts and fascinates
Earthlings by Sayaka Murata
I suggest searching trigger warnings for this one but damn it if it isn't a book you will remember. A lot of interesting themes wrapped in shocking scenes narrated by a female character that feels out of place in society. There is paedophilia, incest, cannibalism... but it doesn't feel like it's there solely for the shock value. The book has a message that it's quite worth thinking about and it is presented in such a way that you can't help but look and keep reading.
34 - for a book that deals with queer themes in a genuine, personal way
The secret lives of church ladies by Deesha Philyaw
A collection of short stories about women and their relationship with the church. Not all of these stories are queer, but at least three of them are and they are all fantastic. It’s about the conflicting feelings about religion when you are queer, it’s about the relation with another women in the family, etc. One of my favourite books of the year so far and I highly recommend it.
Thank you for the ask :)
#book recs#book asks#earthlings#the secret lives of church ladies#the seventh bride#the illustrated man#gardens of the moon#if someone asks the same question again I will need to think of different answers XD#dealing with dragons#lonely castle in the mirror#I am sorry if the recs aren't exactly right
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i read a total of 15 books in march (49% of my yearly goal) and 5212 pages!
my favourite was devil house by john darnielle, and my least favourite was murder between the lines by radha vatsal .
full breakdown of star ratings & reviews under the cut 📚🖋🧡
her royal happiness by lola keeley
3.75 ⭐ [romance, queer] [review]
the wedding by dorothy west
3.75⭐ [classics] [review]
devil house by john darnielle
5⭐ [crime, literary] [review]
sistersong by lucy holland
2.75⭐ [fantasy, historical] [review]
tripping arcadia by kit mayquist
3.25 [thriller, horror] [review]
a front page affair (kitty weeks mystery #1) by radha vatsal
2.75⭐ [history, mystery] [review]
murder between the lines (kitty weeks mystery #2) by radha vatsal
1.25⭐ [history, mystery] [review]
the partly cloudy patriot by sarah vowell
1.75⭐ [essays] [review]
the companion by ee ottoman
2⭐ [romance, historical, queer] [review]
anna karenina by leo tolstoy (tr. rosamund bartlett)
2.75⭐ [classics] [review]
the death of jane lawrence by caitlin starling
3.25⭐ [horror, gothic] [review]
madhouse at the end of the earth: the belgica's journey into the dark antarctic night by julian sancton
5⭐ [history] [review]
the wolf and the woodsman by ava reid
4.5⭐ [fantasy] [review]
watership down by richard adams
4⭐ [classics, children's] [review]
winter in the blood by james welch
2.75⭐ [literary, classics] [review]
#reading#booklr#bookish#lit#come for the levin slander stay for the canadian history lesson#yes i'm aware we are 9 days into april however my brain has not been able to work properly for about two weeks#also if you're interested in the classics book club pls be patient i am trying my best everything is just So Much all the time#reading wrap up
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