Book Review & Blog Tour: Warriors of Wing and Flame by Sara B. Larson

Happy Friday Everyone! I am excited to be one of today’s tour stops for Warriors of Wing and Flame by Sara B. Larson, which is hosted by the amazing Turn the Page Tours! Be sure to follow along the tour here!

Before I get into my review, if you have NOT read Sisters of Shadow and Light, do not proceed because there will be spoilers for that book in both the synopsis and this review.

Warriors of Wing and Flame

Author: Sara B. Larson

Publication Date: 27 October 2020

Genre: YA Fantasy

Publisher: Tor Teen

Acclaimed author Sara B. Larson continues her enchanting YA fantasy duology with a timeless fairytale feel in an original voice.

The doorway between the magical Visempirum and the human world has been reopened. Paladin are once more living in the citadel where Zuhra and Inara grew up completely isolated by the magical hedge that trapped them there. Amidst the brewing conflict between the Paladin and humans looms the threat of Barloc, who has stolen Inara’s immense power and continues to elude the Paladin who are desperately searching for him.

In this sequel to Sisters of Shadow and Light, Inara and Zuhra must navigate the treacherous paths of self-discovery, their love for each other, and for the boys who have captured their hearts. Together, they search for the strength within themselves to bridge the divide between the two worlds they inhabit, even as war threatens to destroy everything—and everyone—they love.

Warriors of Wing and Flame picks up right where Sisters of Shadow and Light left off. Inara no longer has her intense Paladin powers after Barloc steals them following his gruesome attack. After years of thinking that she was completely powerless, Zuhra finds out that she is in fact an enhancer, which is a rare gift among the Paladin. And if both of those things weren’t wild enough, now that the doorway between Visempirum and the human world has been reopened, Zuhra and Inara have been reunited with their father Adelric who they believed was either dead or abandoned them.

Where Sisters of Shadow and Light focused more on laying the foundation for the world building and magic and built up to an INTENSE ending, Warriors of Wing and Flame starts off with a high octane level thanks to the utter chaos that ensued, and that intensity is maintained throughout the story. The desperation and urgency to save both the human and Paladin realms from Barloc and his increasing army is palpable. The author does a phenomenal job highlighting the importance that both realms must work together if anyone is to survive.

I’ll be honest, for the majority of book one, I found both Zuhra and Inara to be a bit frustrating because that was due to their isolation and naivete thanks to their mother. I also viewed the two of them more as two sides of the same coin, but that is definitely not the case in Warriors of Wing and Flame. After Inara loses her powers, that reliance that Inara had on Zuhra is no longer there, and we see Inara really start to learn about herself and become independent. She evolves from being this frightened and broken person, into this griphon riding badass that I loved. As far as Zuhra goes, I love that she finds strength and solace outside of Inara as well as renewed faith in herself since she is no longer “helpless”.

The romance subplot was a larger focus in this book, but I welcomed it. I think that the romance interests for both Zuhra and Inara complemented their personalities and pushed them to embrace their inner strengths more so than they did in the past. I don’t want to give away names because of spoilers, but the blossoming romances were done well.

Okay, the griphons! The griphons are back in full force, and I absolutely love them. There is griphon riding and adventures. They are just incredible creatures, and I wish I had a griphon companion.

Overall, if you’re looking for a series that has fantastic world building, magic, self-discovery, exploration of sibling relationships, and romance then this series is for you!

Thank you to Turn the Pages Tours for the tour invite. Thank you to Tor Teen for providing a review copy. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.

Grab your copy of Warriors of Wing and Flame here!

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.

She’s online at www.SaraBLarson.com.

Author Links

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Giveaway

Up for grabs during this book blog and bookstagram tour will be five (5) finished copies of Warriors of Wing and Flame by Sara B. Larson! To enter to win, follow along on the blog tour. This giveaway will begin on November 18th and end on November 25th at 12:00 a.m. CST. It will be open to USA readers only. There will be 5 winners.

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