Listened to the audiobook with Robyn Holdaway – well read and characterised.

The first line of this review has to be that this is not a bad book, so don’t immediately write it off. It was, however, not for me.

I absolutely love the book’s setting – the Arthurian post-Roman, pre-Anglo-Saxon period in 6th century Britain. But while Holland uses names and some historical context, Sistersong does not really feel like a historical fantasy. The setting does feel distinct from the ‘standard’ high medieval setting of many fantasy novels, which I applaud! Still, I think that Holland could have done a better job of tying her story into the many legends that survive to this day about that time in Britain (and to be honest, I have opinions on some of the historical elements of this book, but I don’t think they’ll add anything to this review).

Instead, however, Holland tells a story that is loosely based on an early-modern folk ballad. While, that, too, is an interesting idea, I think the two do not go together that well.

Without revealing too much about the ending of the novel, I found the final chapters to be a bit forced: the story had not really built up to the ending of the ballad, which then felt a little shoehorned in.

This might in part be because I can’t help but feel that Sistersong tries to do too many things at the same time. There is the story of the encroaching Saxon conquest, the story of the mysterious stranger arriving at Dunbriga who incites sibling rivalry, the story of the Christianisation of the Britons, the story of a transgender man in a 6th century society, etc.

This is not helped by the novel’s style and structure. Holland chooses to go through the plot in many scenes, some of which I feel might have better been cut. And the plot developments in Sistersong feel a little back-loaded; there is a lot of build up in the earlier sections of the book that set up all the different story lines and themes that will then feel rushed in their execution later.

That said, I think that each of the storylines individually is interesting – it would perhaps just have been better to loose a few of them to focus on the main lines.

If I were Holland’s editor, I think I would have known which plotlines to cut, though looking at interviews, I think Holland would have resisted those changes.

I recognise I am on thin ice here, but I think Sistersong has an element of representation for the sake of representation: for example, I get that trans rights and a diverse representation of genders are a hot issue right now, but I am just not convinced that a story about 6th century Britain is the best way to address these politics, especially if they are not even the focus of the story (though we know it is possible to do it right).

Sistersong is a book that I have a long list of thoughts on. I think some elements are great and I did not regret listening to it. In the end, though, I think it probably bit off more than it could chew and the result is that the many storylines felt a little underdeveloped. Still, I think many readers – especially those who care more for representation and less for historical authenticity than me – will enjoy this book. So if you feel that is you, pick it up and give it a go!