Audiobook Review – The Shadow Ryana (Shadow Sisters, Book 1) by C.R. Daems, Narrated by Gabrielle de Cuir (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 9 hours and 56 minutes
Publisher:‎ Skyboat Media
Release Date: September 25, 2018
ASIN: B07H5S7JZ5
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in The Shadow Sisters series
Source: Borrowed Audiobook from Audible
Rating: 4/5 stars

“Ryana, a worthless girl-child, is sold to a mysterious woman who takes her to the home of the Shadow Sisters who are prized for their abilities as spies and assassins. She survives years of training in spite of being unconventional: adopting poisonous bats as familiars – something no one else would dare to do; choosing the blow dart as her weapon of choice – a weapon the Sisters don’t teach; and relying on intuition rather than logic.

As she completes her training, the Shadow Sisters are under attack. The senior Sister selects Ryana to find out who is killing Sisters and why – because her intuitive approach has proved effective, even though her youth and inexperience makes it unlikely she will survive.

As she travels through the kingdom as a member of a gypsy clan, she finds the only way she can protect the Sisters and hope to discover the underlying plot is through ever more violence and killing. As she proceeds through the provinces, her secret enemies come to call her the Sister of Death and become desperate to find and kill her. But in her desperate fight to protect the Sisterhood and the kingdom, Ryana fears that she has destroyed herself and the only life she ever wanted.”

Series Info/Source: This is the first book in The Shadow Sisters series. I borrowed this as an audiobook from Audible.

Thoughts: I borrowed this through Audible on a whim and wasn’t sure what to expect. I was surprised to really enjoy this. This isn’t just a story about a worthless girl trying to find her way as an assassin but it is bigger than that. This is about a girl trying to balance her life between the family she yearns for and the job she is amazingly good at.

Ryana is despised by her family for being a girl and quickly sold off to an old woman who is part of the Shadow Sisters (a group of spies and assassin). Ryana trains hard because she is desperate to please the Shadow Sisters. When she is sent on an impossible mission to find out where missing Shadow Sisters are going, she uncovers and even larger plot. Even more surprising, she discovers family, friendship, and a whole world outside of the Shadow Sisters confines.

Ryana as a character is definitely the star of the show. She is incredibly capable as an assassin and spy, but doesn’t really want to be good at killing people. She is, at heart, a sweet, smart, and earnest girl who is forced into making living by lying and killing and she ends up being really good at it. The tight-knit relationships she forms with the gypsies that she travels with is heartwarming and entertaining. The lengths she goes to to protect her new found “family” is heartbreaking at times. Ryana has no sense of self protection and constantly throws herself into dire situations with no thought for her life or health.

There is a complex plot around the missing Shadow Sisters here and that is woven around Ryana trying to travel with (and protect to some extent) the gypsies. Watching her gain some sense of both herself and of the broader world was fun. There is plenty of action as well. I did think the world-building and plot were a bit weak, but Ryana mostly made up for that.

There are some more serious elements in this story too. The persecution of the gypsies is discussed quite a bit, and casual violence towards women is commonplace. It’s sorrowful how assumed all of the violence against women is, even though many of the characters in the story scorn those who overpower various women throughout. I would hate to be a woman living in this world; they must live in constant fear. I did think some of the scenes where Ryana gained access to high ranking people were a bit unbelievable but I guess this is a fantasy story. I really enjoyed where this story ended.

I listened to this on audiobook and the audiobook was well done. The narration was pleasant to listen to and easy to follow. I would definitely recommend listening to this on audiobook if you enjoy audiobooks.

My Summary (4/5): Overall I am happy I read this. This is a strangely heart-warming, and sometimes vicious, story about a unwanted young girl who becomes a very good assassin and spy but wants more from life. There are some wonderful characters, a good plot, and lots of action. Right now I don’t plan on reading the second book because it is no longer available on audiobook through Audible, and I really loved how this book ended…I don’t really see the need to read another book in this series. While I loved Ryana as a character the world-building and plot were a bit weak.