Book Review: Sistersong by Lucy Holland

Sistersong by Lucy Holland
Length: 416 Pages
Genres: Fantasy
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Trigger Warnings in this book for Some Gore and Violence and Misgendering of a Trans Character. There is also a scene of where Keyne, the trans character, is forcibly stripped and made to wear a dress.

A special thanks to Netgalley and Redhook Books for an ARC of this book!

*Note: While Keyne is called she/her by the other characters for the majority of the book, I will be using he/him pronouns to describe him, as those are his preference!

"The tale of my sisters live on, but my part in it is lost. They tell different tales about me now: wild peerless flags of tales, with trappings fit for a king. I am a man. I am a woman. I am neither and wear a sorcerer's skin. I am the uncle of a Saxon legend. I murder children. I married Brittany's daughter. I am a creature of vice, as Gildas was fond of saying. And I am also a saint, who abandoned my people for a life of faith and was martyred for it."

I've been eagerly awaiting Lucy Holland's debut, Sistersong, and was so thrilled when I was approved for an ARC! I can tell you know, with that same excitement, that is book is one of my favorites of the year so far! When it comes to fantasy I can be incredibly picky, as it is one of my favorites genres and one I like to write in. But this blew all of my expectations way out of the water!

My bestfriend is my own sister, so I am instantly drawn to stories surrounding the loving and complicated relationships between them. Sistersong follows Riva, the eldest, who was burned by a fire when young and left with a limp and a hand that she can't use, Keyne, who wants nothing more than for his family to accept him as the heir of Dumnonia, and Sinne who is young, beautiful and a little spoiled.

The siblings lives are thrown into tumult when Riva follows Keyne outside of Dumnonia to his secret meetings with the magician Myrdhin, who teaches him about his magical connection the land, and becomes lost, only to be saved by the secretive Tristan. Sinne and Riva's relationship is further fractured by their jealously over Tristan, and it is this that eventually tears them apart -- forever. With the threat of the priest Gildas, who is determined to root out not only their religion, but their powers, pushing in on them from all sides, can the sisters learn to overcome their differences for the better of their Kingdom?

Sistersong reminded me of everything I love about this genre, and oftentimes reminded me of Arthurian myth and the stories I've read based off of it, although this book is based solely off an old ballad called The Twa Sisters. I was unfamiliar with it, and I highly recommend you don't look if up if you are curious, as it reveals a grim twist towards the end of the book that truly shocked me! I also adored the magic system, which relied on one being able to manipulate the "patterns" of the universe -- from fire to air to earth and more.

With murder, magic, battles and ballads, Sistersong is undoubtedly one of the best fantasies of 2021. Be sure to snatch it up on October 5th, or better yet, preorder it now!