Daughters of Fire and Sea (Daughters of Fire & Sea #1) by Holly Karlsson
We received an advanced reader copy of this book.
Published: September 2020
Review:
Myth: 3.5/5
I really like the premise of twin sisters headed off on their quest. In the first book, I would say that the classic problem with them is that they are very much in the dark about everything going on in the world. I think Runa said “How could she and her sister make intelligent decisions about the war, about their lives, when they barely understood their place in the world.” Though this setup is fairly common in YA fantasy books, it seemed a little more pronounced here. This is also the first book in a trilogy so I anticipate Lyric and Runa will come much more into their own decision making over the course of the story.
There was good world building, while on the surface it seems like an ongoing war for power, there are a lot of threads left dangling at the end of the first book that point toward larger motives or bigger problems. And of course, dragons. Who doesn’t love it when dragons show up?
Magic: 3.5/5
While each sister ends up with a questionable magical guide, there is no one reliably teaching them about magic. Lyric and Runa come from powerful bloodlines, but really don’t know anything about how to harness that magic, so there is a bit of trial and error in this book as they get the feel for magic.
Overall: 3.5/5
An intriguing start to an epic fantasy story filled with sisters’ love, powerful dragons, and a dash of romance.
