Thanks to Simon and Schuster UK Childrens and Netgalley for providing me with the ARC to this book in exchange for an honest review.

The pacing in this book was 60mph straight off the mark, it does not take long for our protagonist to get to the shadow knight's fort. I grew up on mythology and in the UK you cannot avoid King Arthur and the tales of his Round Table and knights. Adding women to the fighters of these myths warms the little girl in my heart that loved Tamora Pierce books and wanted to fight for myself not be saved by a man.

And that struggle of women in a mans world is a constant theme throughout the pages of this story, and the sacrifices women make to keep themselves and their loved ones safe. Cass, our protagonist, is something more throughout the story and the women who surround her are strong female rolemodels who show her a different way to live.
The pacing in this book felt very strange to keep up, with 0 to 60 in the first 30 pages then it slows down significantly before racing towards the ending again. This pacing also left you with unresolved character arcs and significant moments have lost their impact in places.

This is a good start to an Arthur retelling and I look forward to the next book.
3.5 stars :D

I've previously read Bates' non-fiction so was very excited to see how she managed the shift to fiction. It was a pleasant surprise that it was such a cohesive story, with a lot of feminist undertones that follows on from her non-fiction work. Cass is a rather endearing main character, and the secondary characters help bolster the story. I will say that it is more slow paced than I was expecting, but as a YA novel goes, it kept me interested and is worth a read for anyone who likes Bates' work or would like a relatively simple read.

✨ 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 ✨

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Sister of Sword & Shadow
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫(𝐬): Laura Bates
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 3.75/5

“𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳?”

🤍 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘀𝘆
🌸 𝗙𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗞𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲
🤍 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀
🌸 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗱 & 𝗳𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

This is Laura Bates debut into fantasy. She is typically an author that pens non-fiction feminist novels (I have a few on my TBR to read) and I think that her passion for feminism flows nicely into this historical fantasy.

Sisters of Sword and Shadow is a reimagining of the Knights of the Round Table. It was fast-paced with short chapters and a climactic ending. I definitely enjoyed reading it.

However, I wanted more. I think this book could benefit from the character arc of Cass being given more clarity—her power in particular—and it would have felt more grounded if there was more conflict between the women. There is such a deep exploration of sisterhood in this novel, but none of Cass herself. I adore a sisterhood but realistically, as people with all different experiences, personality, values, and morals, there should be some clashing.

I could see how Arthurian purists could struggle with this book but I have no such qualms. I flew through this novel and I cheered on the female characters with every clash of sword, every gentle manipulation, and every moment of retribution.

—Kayleigh🤍

This was an easy to read, uncomplicated YA fantasy novel set in Arthurian times - with women taking control of their own lives which adds a new and enjoyable twist. The characters are likeable enough with it being clear from the beginning that there is more to be revealed about Cass, the main character, but this is left until the very end to set up the next book.

I have read previous books by Laura Bates which is why I was keen to read this one. This novel is different to previous books I had read being completely embedded in the medieval period. I was a bit unsure at the start, but found I was drawn into the world of these brave and valiant women. I would recommend this title to anyone interested in books built around the King Arthur legend or feminist writing with a twist. I am interested in how the story continues now that the heoine is finally revealed and the prophecy unfolds.

I LOVED this book.

Gay knights, what more could you want?

This felt like the perfect YA in that it dealt with serious issues in a way that still felt easy to read. The lighthearted and the serious are well balanced.

Although it's YA, it still fun to read as an adult and I'm excited for the sequel which I'm assuming there must be.

Is advertised as an Arthurian retelling and is my favourite legend so I was super excited forbthis, with a feminism twist. However, it wasn't at all what I expected. The plot and characters were quite dull for me and I struggled to read it at times. I do enjoy Laura's non fiction books but this fiction one wasn't my cup of tea.

This was an interesting addition to the Arthurian legend. I’ve read a lot of Arthurian fiction, and the women are very often ciphers, so it was good to read about a group of women who don’t wait to be rescued.

The Sisterhood of the Silk Knights co-exists with the knights of the Round Table, most of whom are decidedly unpleasant. The female knights however are brave, and chivalrous, and bonny fighters. The central character Cass is a case in point. As well as being able to fight, she has a special gift, which is hinted at throughout the book. Readers will have to wait for the second part of the duology to find out more about the gift

This is a very feminist retelling. It will appeal to readers who are just getting to grips with historical fiction, and those who like “alternative” versions of the old stories.
Thanks to Simon and Schuster and Netgalley for the proof

DNF @ 50%

This book somehow made a secret sisterhood of knights boring. I thought the concept was interesting, but the writing was dull and unmemorable - I had to convince myself to keep reading as I wrongly assumed the plot would start to pick up, but reached the 50% mark and still nothing had happened other than one incident which made my blood boil and felt so against what the book was trying to stand for. I honestly had no idea where the story was going because there was no point to any of the events that happened. Not to mention, the main character, Cass, falls in love with the first man she sees, which was incredibly disappointing and that was the point where I decided I couldn't force myself to finish this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for providing this book for review. All opinions are my own.

'What if the Knights of the Round Table had a female counterpart?' Bro I wish I knew, because whatever this book is about, that sure ain't it.

I feel bad about not liking this book. I really wanted to; a feminist Arthurian reimagining is basically my catnip, and it's clear this book is the author's passion project. It's also equally clear, unfortunately, that being a bestselling author of feminist nonfiction does not mean you're going to have the chops to write a fantasy YA title that doesn't come across as a directionless, derivative mess. I knew we were in trouble when I reached the 35% mark and it hit me: what is this book <i>about</i>? We've had a sequence of events, but no plot. Hints of some sort of 'chosen one' destiny, but no hints of a character arc. And the closest we've come to a cogent theme is 'women deserve to be as badass as men', which was a relevant theme in YA....when Tamora Pierce wrote the Alanna books <i>forty years ago</i>.

It actually feels like the author really isn't familiar with what modern YA fantasy looks like, and has written a book that reflects what *she* feels the relevant themes and narrative structures are without looking any further. But it means that nothing fits what the genre landscape is now: the prose, while lovely, is very distant. There's no sense of a coherent plot, stakes, or rising tension. There's a lot of top-down 'summarising' narration, even at the emotional climax. The characters with the most agency are the adults, not the teens. And most egregiously, the heroine is the least interesting character out of the whole cast.

I actually think this is where a lot of the fundamental problems with the book lie: with Cass, the (supposed) protagonist. What does she even <i>want</i>? Well, not to have to get arranged-married, but that problem is solved on approximately page one when she's swept off to the Secret Women with Swords Society. Theoretically the tension comes from leaving her family--and beloved sister--behind without a word on her sister's wedding day, but it never feels like it's actually an issue. It's made obvious very VERY quickly that this new life is 'where she belongs'; she never feels much angst over it; and we never saw her actually in her normal life, with her sister (except in the years-ago prologue) so there's no sense of loss for the reader. And (spoilers from this point onwards:) when we DO see her sister onscreen at about the 75% mark, even the single bit of character tension that could have brought up is squandered. She's happy for Cass, agrees it's the best life for her, and agrees to keep her secrets. INSTANTLY.

This might be less of a problem if Cass had other drivers to her character arc, but she doesn't. She feels some minor angst over some of the things she has to be okay or not with, but there's no character arc or even a personality there to speak of. Despite having spent 400 pages with her I couldn't tell you the first thing about what she wants or needs, other than I guess to swing a sword around and have hashtag freedom?? But she GOT THOSE, immediately, and there's no plot for her to propel forwards, so really, I have to ask: why is she even the protagonist? Every one of the supporting cast was more interesting, and had far more interesting and complex motivations. Even at her 'big fall' moment, it wasn't a flaw of hers that caused the fuck-up, it was the *mysterious power* within her that literally forced her hand. Why is this *her* story? More importantly, what even is the story??? A sequence of training montages and tournaments and the neighbour turning up every so often being all Evil isn't a plot! I still, STILL couldn't tell you what the narrative throughline of the book is. Things just Happen, until the villain (you can tell he's going to be the villain because he cheats at jousting) does something so bad that the Women with Swords Society decide they need to go kill him and his household, which they do. And then the book ends with a last page reveal that manages to both come out of nowhere and be extremely predictable at the same time.

I also can't in good conscience go past commenting on the thematic material. I have no idea what Laura Bates' nonfiction work is like, but I have to believe it's more complex and nuanced than the extremely flat, heavyhanded kind of 'feminism' we got in this book. Wow, women are OPPRESSED by their ROLES in SOCIETY?? Wow, MEN are BAD?? Omg, Arthur's knights are actually BULLIES and RAPISTS???? It was honestly comical that I could immediately ID the love interest because he was the only on-screen man not to instantly act like a Saturday morning cartoon villain. Like come ON, we have moved SO FAR PAST this style of 'feminist' narrative in YA--teenagers aren't idiots; they can handle nuance and a deeper exploration of just how and why patriarchal structures fuck women up and the ways in which women can fight back. Also, the empowerment the women found in this book wasn't even: the marketing describes the society as 'a group of female knights training to fight, protect their community and right the wrongs of men' but actually the most heroic thing they do (until the final massacre, which we know is heroic because--and I wish I was making this up--the Evil Lord doesn't have a wife so most of is household is male and therefore also evil) is bullying some dudes into returning some peasants' pigs. The primary concern of Sword Society is always, <i>always</i> not being found out; they don't do adventuring or heroics, they huddle in their castle hoping nobody knocks on the door and asks why the man of the house is never home. For christ's sake, we even had the tired old trope of the protagonist being rescued from an attempted SA situation BY THE MALE LOVE INTEREST. Later there's a talking-to-camera moment about how that doesn't count as chivalrous and she'd have surely been able to save herself, but for a book that's supposedly all about female empowerment there's very very little of it actually on screen. Even when Cass is unmasked, it comes down once again to A MAN to preserve her secret!! (Who does, btw, because he's the love interest aka the Not All Men.) There are so so many current YA titles exploring themes of gender and power in ways that are so much richer and more complex and I am begging Laura Bates to read them before assuming she can write one too just because of a (distinguished!!) background in feminist activism.

And speaking of gender: I also cannot in the year of our lord twenty twenty three take seriously a 'girl in boy's clothing' narrative played straight, without any sort of exploration or even mention of genderqueerness or that particular cluster of gender politics. For such a man-hating book it was actually disappointingly heterosexual; we had one sapphic romance but the very obvious, very high-chemisty, very narratively rich potential for a romance between Cass and her best friend was squandered in favour of--sigh--mister Not All Men.

In summary, I came into this book expecting a great time and finished it extremely disappointed, bored, and wondering how the manuscript made it through developmental edits looking like it does. Thank you to Simon & Schuster, NetGalley and the author for the eARC in exchange for my honest review; I really wish my honest opinion could have been a better one.

I enjoyed this for what it is, but I was expecting more.

From the comp titles to the descriptive language used in the blurb, I believe I was going to be thrust in to a fast paced plot, with a ton of action. Instead Sisters of Sword and Shadow moved quite slowly through its motions, taking its time to get from point A to B to C and so on. YA is also not bad (it is one of my favourite and most read categories) but I did not expect the story to be aimed at a younger audience. Again, maybe it’s me getting the wrong end of the stick, but I genuinely thought this was an adult historical fantasy.

I also did not expect this to be as much of an early “origin” story as it was. We had lots of hints and teases to Cass’ true identity throughout the book, but the way in which it was revealed was a let down. I think the sequel is going to be what I expected this book to be.

Don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy this. I liked the quiet moments, and how this book followed Cass as she began to grow. I think there was a lot of timely social and political commentary going on, especially in regards to gender roles and female autonomy. I felt the feminine rage!

Bates had moments of excellent writing. There were some scenes where I genuinely felt myself tense up in a nervous anticipation for what was about to happen — and that’s storytelling!

Overall I liked this but I think I was misled and therefore let down by my own expectations.

3.75 rounded up.

An epic novel about what it would be like if the Knight of the Round Table from Arthurian legends had a female counterpart. An epic fantasy reimagining from a feminist writer that takes a well known legend, adds incredibly strong female characters and a story line that could rival the myths of legends. This one definitely reads as a more historical novel than a fantasy series but that didn’t deter me.

Destined for an arranged marriage, our protagonist Cass, dreams of freedom. So when a force and beautiful leather-clad woman rides up and offers to taker her away, Cass does not hesitate to join her. She is introduced to the Sisters of Sword and Shadow, a group of female knights, training to fight, protect their community, and right the wrongs of men.

Fining herself drawn into a world of ancient feuds, glorious battles, and deadly intrigue, Cats soon discovers she holds a power that could change not only her own fate but that of her entire sisterhood. This is the first novel in a breathtaking and sweeping epic fantasy duology that explores questions about power, courage and the stories we tell about the past.

This is an incredible retelling of the Arthurian legends and the Knights of the Round Table that creates a world where women fight for their place in the world, they question to societal norms of what it is excepted of them as a women, and taking their destiny into their own hands. Even if they have to fight for it themselves.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster for an advanced readers copy via NetGalley of Sisters of Sword and Shadow by Laura Bates

This was a fun story, though I do think it reads more like a historical novel than a fantasy saga. I found it not so much a feminist re-telling of the Knights of the Round Table but more the story of a group of women fighters who are the contemporaries of Arthur's Knights.

Cass is a young woman who feels stifled at the prospect of marriage and children, which is more or less the only option available to her. So when a mysterious leather-clad woman on horseback offers her an alternative, she feels compelled to take it.

As the result of her decision, Cass soon finds herself in a community of women dedicated to protecting the weak and righting the wrongs of men. This job description does not come without certain drawbacks, but it is a far better option than the future Cass was facing just a short time ago.

The book is a easy read, though its text sometimes suffers from the aftertaste of Laura Bates' impressive body of non-fiction writing. The pacing could also be improved, since things become decidedly hectic in the last segment of the book.

Given the way that things ended, it seems likely that there will be a sequel, which I look forward to, not least because it may allow for a stronger arc in terms of character development. But while I have no doubt that there will be a horde of Arthurian purists objecting to this version of Camelot (and let's face it, that is at least part of the point!), I suspect it'll appeal to many readers. An enjoyable and engrossing tale.

I really enjoyed this!

It is one that I think will polarise the Arthurian legend purists, as it is not a direct reimagining of the Arthurian court, as it is marketed - rather about a band of female knights who are contemporaries of Arthur and his round court, who are not all they are cracked up to be. This was a fun little romp and very readable, but did get preachy in parts about feminism. Not always a bad thing, but some of the dialogue took me out of the medieval setting and felt like I was reading one of Bates feminist non-fiction books.

Another thing to note is that this book almost reads like it could be a prequel for the real story, the main plot is introduced in the first chapter and then doesn't reappear until the last chapter, leaving the ending slightly unsatisfying. I wouldn't say this makes the book bad by any means, in fact I really enjoyed it and will recommend it to the young people in my life - but be prepared to make an investment into what is currently planned as a duology and may end up being a series.

An Arthurian reimagining with a feminist twist, Laura Bate skillfully turns her pen to fiction in this action packed and thought provoking tale. I am assuming we will have a Book 2, and I'm super intrigued as to what will happen next

This book is advertised as a retelling of Arthurian legend, which isn’t entirely true as the Knights of the Round Table do also exist within the story. However, the book follows a group of strong-willed female knights and their squires who live together and protect each other. One reason to read this is that it is very atmospheric and seemingly well-researched. Another reason is sword-fighting lesbians.

You can definitely tell that the author comes from a background of feminist non-fiction through the tone and specific phrasing/language used in some scenes.

My only real negatives are that the book is very long for what is essentially a set-up for a second book. I believe that this is going to be a duology, but if I am wrong then that ending was incredibly unsatisfying. The all-important prophecy is mentioned in the prologue, and then not again until 360 pages later. This is essentially a training arc book: they train for a tournament, then they go to the tournament, they train for a ball, then they go to the ball. And then everything goes to hell and the pacing goes from 0-100 for the final fifty pages. Generally, it could have done with being a slight bit shorter, though I understand that it is probably the length that it is due to the fact that it is trying to juggle a very vast cast of characters at all times.

I waited a while to get started on reading this, and had forgotten the blurb by the time I started it. That didn't matter, it was absorbing very quickly. Cass is a good main character, she wants more than just marriage and children whilst also loving and having good relationships with her family. The community she finds herself in is an alternative court, made up solely of women, which has a realistic view of what the issues around that would be. The middle section is a little slow, but overall it's a really enjoyable book and I'm looking forward to the follow up.

It’s official, every Arthurian story needs a secret keep full of skilled female knights! This was such an interesting spin on the usual Arthurian tale, with Bates’ version featuring far less noble knights who are greedy and destructive, lacking in the honour you expect them to show. However, their female counterparts are battling the injustices of the world anonymously, under the guise of being male knights, whilst trying to protect their way of life from the outside world.

I loved the feminist take and that there were also ethics and morality brought into the story, raising questions of what we would do to protect those ourselves and those we love. In a world where men have the power, how far is too far to take some of that power back? There are plenty of secrets, with Cass caught in the middle of many, but she’s determined to gain her promotion from squire to knight - but there’s something different about Cass that she doesn’t understand, which adds a layer of intrigue to the story and a touch of magic. This was a great book and I’m interested to see where the story takes us next.

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of Sisters of Sword and Shadow by Laura Bates!

The cover for this book is really beautiful and was what initially drew me to the book! A woman with a sword will always intrigue me. The summary also drew me in, a feminist Arthurian tale immediately grabbed my attention!

The female protagonists in this book were incredibly strong and I especially loved Cass' character development. She, as well as the other characters, were so empowered — and continue to be empowering — throughout the book.

Overall, I absolutely loved this book and would recommend it to anyone who loves feminist fantasy!

The stunning cover grabbed my attention instantly and the premise was so promising!
The beginning was really fast paced, you don't have to wait long for the protagonist to arrive at the sisterhood. The middle part felt a bit slow and you couldn't really grasp were the story headed. In my opinion the magical elements weren't that necessary, (spoiler!) I had liked a strong female protagonist whos strongness isn't based on magic and a prophecy. The sprinkle romance was, in my opinion, also not necessary. (spoiler end) But I enjoyed the feminism throughout the book really much, for it was discussed from different point of views through different characters! I only wished it would be a bit more intersectional. I really liked Cass' character development, how she's empowered throughout the book and becomes an active participant instead of the spectator that she was at the beginning of the story.
All in all I enjoyed the book and think it's a really good autumn read!

Thank you for providing an e-ARC of this book!