Sisters of Shadow and Light

Since the birth of her younger sister, Inara, 18-year-old Zuhara has been trapped at the Citadel of the Paladin within an enormous sentient hedge with their mother and their caretaker. Inara’s magic, inherited from their vanished Paladin father, gives her power over plants, but it also fills her head with a debilitating roar that leaves her with only rare moments of lucidity. The sudden arrival of Halvor, a Paladin-obsessed scholar, prompts the sisters to defy their strict, secretive mother and look for a means of escape, leading them to the monster-infested world of the departed Paladin. After a promising opening and intriguing setting, the story settles into a disappointingly predictable plot. The characters and their relationships, particularly that of the sisters, are insufficiently developed given such a tight focus on a small cast. Larson (Defy) leaves room for a sequel, which will hopefully explore interpersonal dynamics and fully develop plot threads introduced in this volume. Ages 12–up. Agent: Josh Adams, Adams Literary. (Nov.)