Review: Sisters of Sword and Song

So, I've been taking a little bit of a fantasy break in the past months, and I've mostly been reading romance. I decided that it was finally time to get back into the fantasy game, so I picked up Sisters of Sword and Song. I read the synopsis and really thought that I would enjoy it, but unfortunately, it ended up being a no for me :(

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Background: Essentially, this book is about two sisters, Evadne and Halcyon, who would go to any lengths for each other. It was a very Hunger Games-esque premise, which is why I picked it up. When Halycon is charged with murder and faces 15 years of various types of imprisonment, Evadne, her younger sister, volunteers to take part of Halcyon's punishment for herself. However, there is a bigger mystery at play surrounding Halycon's crime and the kingdom in general. Sounds perfect for your average fantasy reader. But, to my dismay, it fell flat of my expectations.

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If I could describe this book in one word, it would be anticlimactic. There were so many things that were being built up to, but they were either revealed too early or without any suspense or drama. Spoiler here: For example, Halycon and her partner Xander's mission was revealed super early. We knew they were searching for a relic the entire time, so really, where's the mystery in that? I understand that this was only the first part of a longer sequence of intrigue, but even that felt underwhelming. Almost everything was solved by the time that Damon and Evadne actually took part in the action. End spoiler. The way the mysteries were revealed just wasn't jaw-dropping or mind-blowing, but they had so much potential.

Another thing was that I hated the main character, Evadne. She had absolutely no personality at all. Everything she did was because someone told her that she should; she didn't really have a mind of her own. Eva was also incredibly naive and trusted literally everyone instantly, which annoyed me to no end. She's literally the blandest and most generic character I've ever had to read. Her sister, Halcyon, was definitely more enjoyable to read about, as she was strong-willed and had emotions that you could actually feel. Her relationship with her father figure, Lord Straton, was so heartwarming and one of the only relationships I enjoyed in this book. Straton was one of my favorite characters, and his actions as well as the way he treated Halcyon were honestly so sweet and broke my heart for the both of them.

The "romance" in the novel was between Damon, Lord Straton's son, and Evadne. This was genuinely the most boring romance I've ever read. I understand that the book's focus was not romance, but if you're going to include it, at least make it good. There was no tension, no angst, and all of their interactions felt forced and awkward. I felt absolutely nothing except maybe mild amusement while reading their scenes together.

This book could've been so much better. It could've been exactly what I was looking for, but sadly, it wasn't. I don't think it was bad enough to warrant a 2-star rating, so I'll leave it with a 3/5. I hope y'all enjoyed my review, and of course, stay tuned for more!