Warriors of Wing and Flame

Rating: 4 Stars
Publication: October 27th, 2020
Sisters of Shadow and Light #2
Genre: Fantasy
Format: Egalley/Audiobook
Goodreads

Summary

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.

Thoughts

I really enjoyed getting more of Inaras point of view and seeing the world through her eyes as she experiencing new things after years of being stuck in her own mind. Shes more timid than her sister Zuhra but she has this quiet strength that was very inspiring. I didnt understand why Inara felt the need to keep secrets from Zuhra but I still loved their sisterly bond. The sibling relationship was definitely a major highlight of the story for me. Zuhras protectiveness of Inara was really sweet. Shes more outspoken and a risk taker which was a nice contrast to her sister. I liked how they each came into their own.

I dont know if I would have been able to forgive their mother but it was nice seeing them become a loving family again. Both girls have their own romance going on. I was a little disappointed that the calm and warm love Inara had for Halvor was seen as not good enough compared to the passionate and all consumming love Zuhra and Raidyn shared. It was a missed opportunity to showcase how both kinds of love can be fulfilling and worth holding onto. Despite that I did really enjoy Inaras romance. Her love interest was the type to hide a world of hurt behind an indifferent facade and those characters always steal my heart.

After the events of the first book where the antagonist reveals themselves by attacking one of them to steal their powers the plot picks up and keeps its momentum in this sequel. The main characters are determined to stop this new threat before they amass enough power to make them unstoppable and put that power to use by conquering the human kingdom. With it being a duology the danger and intensity ramps up until the epic showdown at the end. It wasnt that repetitive battle after battle type of plot but had a variety of different conflicts mixed in with some great character interactions and romantic tension.

Once again we get to spend some time in both the human world and the Paladin world giving us a wonderful portal fantasy vibe. I loved the Paladins gryphon companions and seeing one of them choose Inara as their rider. The way the antagonist is able to steal other Paladins powers by drinking their blood was disturbing and fascinating all at the same time. However I have a difficult time believing they havent ran into this problem more often since it’s pretty common for people want more and more power. The Paladins magic ranged from healing, fire, and mind control. If you liked the elements of Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor than you might enjoy this duology as well.

Diversity: Not Sure
Trigger/Content Warnings: Death, Violence, Blood, Grief, Animal Death,

*This book was received for an honest review

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