Review Detail

Sisters of Blood and Spirit has a really interesting premise. Twin sisters, one girl and one ghost - both more powerful than they know. When they encounter a group of teens who have been marked by a frightening spirit, they agree to try and save them, even if that means venturing into the ruins of a mental institution that is filled with ghosts who would love to get their hands on the sisters.

The plot is very suspenseful and has some great, scary elements. I actually avoided reading it right before bed. There are some terrifying ghosts and, despite a few slow downs as we get introduced to the world building of this new series, the plot moves along pretty well.

I did feel a little lost in that so much seemed to have happened to the group prior to the start of this novel. The girls grew up along side one another, but with Wren being considered the invisible friend. Lark attempted suicide, was saved by a neighbor boy, institutionalized (where she had some harrowing experiences), abandoned by her parents and moved in with her grandmother. I actually went to check if I was mistaken and there was a book (or novella) prior to this in the series, but there isn't. Maybe Cross will be publishing a prequel at some point - either way, the time I spent trying to piece together the events of the past took away from my enjoyment of the plot of this novel.

The characters were fun. Lark is the snarky, defenses up against the world, sister while Wren is kind and just wants to be accepted. There was clearly some effort to distinguish between the narration style of the sisters, but it didn't always work and there were times where I forgot which POV I was currently reading. The sisters were also incredibly forgiving of each other. They never seemed to get mad at each other, no matter what the offense. The side characters each had some spark of personality, which is often difficult for large groups. They seem to have potential for fleshing out as the series continues. I was thankful that the love interest didn't quite turn out as expected (please Kady, no love triangle in future books...)

Bottom Line: Sisters of Blood and Spirit is a fun read with an interesting premise and some super spooky ghosts. I will definitely be checking in with the next book in this series.