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Lucy Hounsom

Sistersong Kindle Edition

by Lucy Holland (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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In a magical ancient Britain, bards sing a story of treachery, love and death. This is that story. For fans of Madeline Miller's Circe, Lucy Holland's Sistersong retells the folk ballad ‘The Twa Sisters'.

'A beautiful reimagining of an old British folklore ballad, Sistersong weaves a captivating spell of myth and magic' – Jennifer Saint, author of Ariadne

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.

Sistersong is a powerfully moving story, perfect for readers who loved Naomi Novik’s Uprooted and Katherine Arden’s The Bear and the Nightingale.

Print length

417 pages
Language

English
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publisher

Macmillan
Publication date

1 April 2021
Reading age

18 years and up
File size

2988 KB
Page Flip

Enabled
Word Wise

Enabled
Enhanced typesetting

Enabled
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From the Publisher

Product description

Review

"An enthralling fantasy. . . Fans of reimagined folklore and mythology like Christina Henry's The Horseman and Genevieve Gornichec's The Witch's Heart will be enchanted."--Booklist

"Sistersong is a fresh and gripping retelling of an ancient tale. Set in a realistic, gritty world, the nuanced, compelling characters are the heart of this story about family, love, loyalty and identity. I loved it."--John Gwynne, author of The Shadow of the Gods

"Sistersong is a marvelous tale, gracefully told in language as beautiful as the song that inspired it. It's a celebration of the power of sisterhood, the strength of earth magic, and the triumph, in the end, of fidelity to both. I fell in love with all three siblings, and I think you will, too!"--Louisa Morgan, author of A Secret History of Witches

"Sistersong truly reads like a ballad--beautiful and mournful, a melody that sticks in your head. An absolutely stunning book."--Hannah Whitten, author of For the Wolf

"A beautiful reimagining of an old British folklore ballad, Sistersong weaves a captivating spell of myth and magic around the reader. Lucy Holland's lyrical prose and powerful storytelling will lure you into an eerie, intriguing world in which enemies lurk unseen, the threat of betrayal hangs heavy and sisterly loyalties are tested to their limit."--Jennifer Saint, author of Ariadne

"A gory, gripping and magically mythic tale of love and hatred, loyalty and betrayal."--Daily Mail

"From its opening pages, Sistersong transports you to a time period often overlooked, and spins a tale of family, loyalty, and the triumph of becoming the person you were always meant to be. I was utterly captivated from the beginning to the tragic, bittersweet end."--Genevieve Gornichec, author of The Witch's Heart

"Holland delivers an enchanting queer retelling of the English murder ballad "The Twa Sisters"... [her] fast-paced plot and fresh, inventive take on a little-known classic make for a stirring experience. Fans of folkloric fantasy will be spellbound."--Publishers Weekly

"Holland's lush reimagining of the ballad is a fantastic amalgamation of historical fantasy and English folklore. Brimming with magic....[Her] storytelling is mesmerising, and Sistersong kept me feverishly turning the pages until the very end."--Nerd Daily

"Magical, beautiful and heartbreaking, Sistersong keeps you turning the pages until the thrilling conclusion, both tragic and triumphant. Lucy Holland is a talent to watch."--Greer Macallister, author of Scorpica and The Magician's Lie --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From the Back Cover

In a magical ancient Britain, three siblings become entangled in a tale of treachery, love and murder. Lucy Holland's lyrical story retells 'The Two Sisters' for a modern audience. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08LDNZLC8
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Macmillan (1 April 2021)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 2988 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 417 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1529039037

Best Sellers Rank: 52,741 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- 108 in Folklore (Kindle Store)
- 204 in Arthurian
- 215 in Arthurian Fantasy

Customer reviews:
982 ratings

About the author

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Lucy Hounsom

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Lucy Holland is the author of The Times bestselling, SISTERSONG, a reimagining of the folk ballad, ‘The Twa Sisters’ published in the UK by Pan Macmillan and in the US by Orbit / Redhook. The book was a finalist for the Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award and the British Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 2022.

As Lucy Hounsom, she wrote the Worldmaker Trilogy. Her first book, STARBORN, was shortlisted in the 2016 Gemmell Awards for Best Fantasy Debut. She worked twelve years in corporate account sales for Waterstones before becoming a full-time author in 2022.

Lucy co-hosts the intersectional feminist podcast ‘Breaking the Glass Slipper’, which won Best Audio in the 2019 British Fantasy Awards. She lives in Devon.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5

982 global ratings

5 star		58%
4 star		29%
3 star		9%
2 star		3%
1 star		1%

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R.

Lacked Depth

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 1 August 2022

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I hadn’t heard of the Twa Sisters folk song(s) so perhaps went into this naively, but as a fan of global folklore and novels focused around retellings I was intrigued by Sistersong. Whilst I did initially enjoy the first 1/3 of the book, I began to find the jumping between the sisters perspectives just halted and prolonged the narrative without much benefit. The characters introduced around them were barely more than caricatures, just foils for the three sisters who themselves had a lot of backstory and opinions about each other, but even their interactions increasingly began to feel hollow and only for the purposes of moving the story forward in the middle section of the book. I did think the character of Keyne was written interestingly, but as other reviews have said it also felt like the author could have gone deeper into the time this was set to contextualise how roles of gender and identity could have been formed and warped, as the way this played out felt rather shallow and ‘modern’. Also with the use of magic, we never really got into what this was like or how it could be used or grown, or why some had it outside of the royal family…it just made it feel half thought out and a bit surface level so wasn’t something as a reader I attached to. What ruined this book for me was the last third - nothing wrong with fantasy battle scenes but it just felt so out of place with the rest of the narrative and the characterisation of so many of the peripheral figures was so different to how they had been put forward earlier on. I also found parts of the end a bit disturbing, which I now understand to be from the folk tale, but it felt very weirdly brought in and justified within the larger narrative. If there had been more than a shallow definition and description of magic this may have landed better. All in all, underwhelming and lacking - part of the beauty of retellings is they add the colour and the meaning that the original tales have lost in todays world, but I felt this version didn’t really provide much more.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 18 August 2022

Verified Purchase

A little disappointed with the end. My imagination had this going off in all sorts of directions.

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JG

Compelling evocative tale

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 19 January 2022

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Probably really closer to 4.5 than 4 stars. I thoroughly enjoyed most of this book. It loses a little as the ending just didn't quite work for me. It felt a bit rushed and not as fully fleshed out as the rest of the story. That perhaps says more about the quality of the vast majority of the book. The characters were for the most part well developed and interesting, with one or two notable exceptions that just seemed a little too stereotyped to really fit with the rest. The concept of representation and views of self explored through one or two particular characters I really enjoyed and felt were well handled.

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JW

A Hauntingly Magical Masterpiece

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 28 October 2021

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I loved this book. I thought it was beautifully written, extremely accessible and gripping from the first page to the last. I really enjoyed the different viewpoints and thought the narrative wove seamlessly between the three siblings - in fact I couldn't pick just one who I was rooting for more than the others as I cared equally about all three. It was fascinating to see the three protagonists change and develop as the story progressed (can't say too much more without giving away spoilers!)
The pacing was great, plenty of tension/action interspersed with moments of contemplation. I also love that this wasn't straight-up historical fiction, there's also a big chunk of fantasy and a bit of romance thrown in as well. That's not to downplay the historical aspect, the depiction of early Dumnonia feels as authentic as they come (I really want to use some of the words!) but this is novel which appeals to more than just historical readers. Beautifully done, I can't wait to read another!
Now where are my shoon?

One person found this helpful

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BlackDogBlue

Wonderful book, a slow burn at the start leads to a thrilling conclusion, recommended

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 14 May 2021

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When I first started reading this I wasn't sure how to feel. I'm used to reading crime thriller type books so maybe for that reason the book felt a little slow to me. However I was wrong. It's not slow. It's setting the scene. It's introducing you to everyone. It's making you care so that when the action really starts it hits you hard! And hit hard it does. I finished this book last night and all day I haven't stopped thinking about it. The author makes you care about the characters who feel real. No-one is perfect and no-one is evil, they are flawed people like we all are and we care. If you find the start a little slow like I did please keep reading. Please finish the book. It's absolutely fantastic and it moved me emotionally. The inclusion of a non gender conforming character was done well and with empathy, it wasn't sensationalised, he just wanted to be who he was. I just loved this. If you plan to read this avoid spoilers if you can, it's so much better when you have no idea where the book is going. Read this! I 100% recommend it!

3 people found this helpful

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Kayleigh Jones

be prepared to cry

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 10 August 2022

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This book is so so so good. SINNE’s song was beautiful and horrifying and the entire book is perfect. Tugged at my heart in a way that hasn’t been done in a long time.

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Helen Danks

Magnificent storytelling.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 10 July 2022

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I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the tales within it, the story of the loyalty and envy of three sisters and the discovery of their birthright, the magic of their land and the power within it.
Thank you.

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Pers

A compelling historical tale with fantastical elements.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 1 April 2021

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Sistersong is a gripping, thoroughly engaging, well-paced tale of three young adult siblings who are all struggling both to find their place in the world and also to hang onto their own culture and religion against the ever-increasing onslaught of Christianity. The one struggling the most is Constantine, who was assigned female at birth but knows full well he is not a young woman in a time when transgender wasn't even a word.

A clever mixture of Anglo-Saxon history and fantasy, Sistersong was inspired by the folk ballad The Twa Sisters, and Holland has spun and woven a tale of richly observed historical details and fantastical elements that I found almost impossible to put down.

I loved this story (which I was lucky enough to read an ARC of last year) and have been recommending it to all and sundry with the unrelenting fervour of a devout convert.

Sistersong is my book of 2020 and with any luck it'll be your book of 2021.

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