win – Story-eyed Reviews

When Lena’s younger sister Fressa is found dead, their whole Viking clan mourns—but it is Lena alone who never recovers. Fressa is the sister that should’ve lived, and Lena cannot rest until she knows exactly what killed Fressa and why—and how to bring her back. She strikes a dark deal with Hela, the Norse goddess of death, and begins a new double life to save her sister.

But as Lena gets closer to bringing Fressa back, she dredges up dangerous discoveries about her own family, and finds herself in the middle of a devastating plan to spur Ragnarök –a deadly chain of events leading to total world destruction.

Still, with her sister’s life in the balance, Lena is willing to risk it all. She’s willing to kill. How far will she go before the darkness consumes her?

Check out the Book Trailer here!

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The Weight of a Soul by Elizabeth Tammi was insightful, descriptive, fun, and showcases one of my favorite things: the love between two sisters. There were a lot of things to like about this book.

Probably my favorite aspect of this story was the emphasis of Nordic Mythology. Tammi does a great job of interweaving the mythos with the rest of the world and the story and I loved that she took a spin on the topic that most don’t. The Nordic angle still feels fresh and new and original and it was fascinating to me to be introduced to myths I wasn’t already so familiar with. The viking characters care deeply about these myths and gods and I loved that the author took the time to connect that to the characters’ culture. It really was well done.

Another thing I loved is that this book starts off fast right out of the gate. Before we even get to know anyone too well, things are turned on their head and we have to reorient ourselves all over again. Usually this would be jarring, but for some reason here it worked well. I liked having to relearn the new rules of the story. The pace does lag in the middle and I struggled to get through some bits, but it picks back up near the end and ties off nicely.

The sister relationship between Lena and Fressa was another high point for this story. Their closeness felt real and relatable instead of too sweet or too formal, and the lengths they would go for each other are vast. I have a sister and reading this made me think of all the things I would do for her. I was really touched.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit overall, even though I struggled in the middle. The mythology is rich and the world is immersive, the relationships are touching and intuitive and the story was pretty interesting. If you’re a lover of myths, this might just be the next book for you.

Elizabeth Tammi was born in California and grew up in Florida, but is currently double-majoring in Creative Writing and Journalism as an undergraduate at Mercer University in Georgia. When she’s not writing, you can probably find Elizabeth at work for her university’s newspaper and literary magazine. Her other interests include traveling, caffeinated beverages, and mythology.

You can find Elizabeth online on Tumblr at (annabethisterrified), Twitter at (@ElizabethTammi), Instagram at (elizabeth_tammi), and at elizabethtammi.com.

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Enter to win 1 of 5 copies of The Weight of a Soul by Elizabeth Tammi!

Giveaway is open to US residents and ends 12/17/2019.

Enter through this Rafflecopter form and may the odds be ever in your favor!

December 3rd

The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club – Welcome Post

December 4th

Bookish Looks – Guest Post
Adventures and Reading – Review
Foals, Fiction & Filigree – Review + Favourite Quotes
Gwendalyn’s Books – Review + Favourite Quotes
Books_AndPoetrii – Promotional Post

December 5th

L.M. Durand – Review
womanon – Review + Favourite Quotes
It Starts at Midnight – Review
Papertea & Bookflowers – Review
Sometimes Leelynn Reads – Review + Favourite Quotes

December 6th

Moonlight Rendezvous – Review + Favourite Quotes
A Dream Within A Dream – Review
The Reading Corner for All – Review + Playlist + Favourite Quotes
Donnie Darko Girl – Review
The Reading Life – Promotional Post

December 7th

Kait Plus Books – Interview
Place of Wild Strawberries – Review + Favourite Quotes
YA/NA Book Divas – Review
Sincerely Karen Jo – Review + Favourite Quotes
Confessions of a YA Reader – Promotional Post

December 8th

To All The Books I’ve Read Before – Guest Post
Shalini’s Books & Reviews – Review
PopTheButterfly Reads – Review
Evelynreads – Review
Story-eyed Reviews – Review

December 9th

Wishful Endings – Interview
EatingbetweenthelinesINC – Review
Port Jericho – Review
Clarissa Reads It All – Review + Favourite Quotes
Synopses by Sarge – Review

See you tomorrow, bookies! x

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From the acclaimed author of DEFY, Sara B. Larson, SISTERS OF SHADOW AND LIGHT is a timeless and fantastical tale of sisterly love and powerful magic.

“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.

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This book was wholeheartedly fun to read.

Sisters of Shadow and Light is not a simple story, but it’s a wildly intriguing one. It was readable, relatable, fantastical, and most of all it felt original. The story moved in ways that I didn’t expect at all, which is saying something considering that I’d pegged the story for an ending early on in the book. I couldn’t have been more wrong, and I enjoyed it a lot.

Following two sisters with vastly different talents and experiences in the world, this book is told from alternating perspectives for the most part and the effect this creates is masterful. Zuhra, the sister we hear from first and most often, has had her life formed around caring for her sister and keeping their family’s secrets. Inara, on the other hand, is struggling with powers that make her so sensitive that she can’t even communicate for part of the book’s story. Her moments of lucidity are cherished and then used as a device to further the story, it really is well done.

I enjoyed the characters as much as the book in this one. These girls aren’t perfect, but they are strong. Both whole and interesting characters in their own right, both sisters are ambitious and headstrong, committed and focused, and they do not give up. Their bond was my favorite part of this whole story. Yes, I know, I’m a bit biased in that I love a good sisterly bond in a book, but adding the fantasy and the dynamic between them, this felt new and fun.

I hesitate to say too much else about the magic system or plot lines because I truly enjoyed being confused and confounded throughout the course of this story. I truly enjoyed Sisters of Shadow and Light and (gah! with that ending??) I cannot wait for the sequel that hopefully comes.

Sara B. Larson is the best-selling and critically acclaimed author of the YA fantasy DEFY trilogy (DEFY, IGNITE, and ENDURE) and the DARK BREAKS THE DAWN duology. Her next YA fantasy, SISTERS OF SHADOW AND LIGHT, comes out November 5th from Tor Teen. She can’t remember a time when she didn’t write books—although she now uses a computer instead of a Little Mermaid notebook. Sara lives in Utah with her husband, their four children, and their Maltese, Loki. She writes in brief snippets throughout the day and the quiet hours when most people are sleeping. Her husband claims she should have a degree in “the art of multitasking.” When she’s not mothering or writing, you can often find her at the gym repenting for her sugar addiction.