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izzythebookhoarder's review
3.0
I really liked this book, the story was nice. But sometimes I felt liked it dragged and at times I felt like skimming or that I wasn't hooked. I loved the characters though. I understood what they were going through and I liked that the two sisters hated each other. The twist was shocking and I feel bad for the characters.
looseleafellie's review
5.0
In this speculative YA thriller, teenager Casey knows that her sister Sutton is a horrible person — but when Sutton goes missing, everyone is determined to paint her as an angel. And then, Sutton comes back, but she’s strangely different. As Casey unravels the truth of what happened to her sister, she realizes that Sutton isn’t the only girl who’s gone missing.
This is a super compelling read that I basically blew through in a single weekend! I was desperate to find out what happened to Sutton. The odd details of Sutton’s behavior created an eerie atmosphere that left me glancing over my shoulder just in case a monster was sneaking up on me.
The story is mostly told from Casey’s perspective, but there are some flashback chapters from Sutton too. The contrast between these chapters reveals that one or both of the sisters are unreliable narrators. Even after finishing the book, I’m still not totally sure who was telling the truth and when, and I LOVE that!
Ultimately, the book ended in a way that was unexpected but extremely satisfying. I really enjoy sister relationships and it was lovely seeing how this one evolved. I also thought the story cleverly pulled together themes of African-American ancestral ties, racism in how kidnapping victims are treated (or ignored), and ways of reclaiming heritage.
If you enjoy mystery/thrillers with an otherworldly twist, you should definitely pick this up!
CWs: Anti-Black racism, colorism, kidnapping, murder, bullying, religious bigotry, and discussions of slavery.
This is a super compelling read that I basically blew through in a single weekend! I was desperate to find out what happened to Sutton. The odd details of Sutton’s behavior created an eerie atmosphere that left me glancing over my shoulder just in case a monster was sneaking up on me.
The story is mostly told from Casey’s perspective, but there are some flashback chapters from Sutton too. The contrast between these chapters reveals that one or both of the sisters are unreliable narrators. Even after finishing the book, I’m still not totally sure who was telling the truth and when, and I LOVE that!
Ultimately, the book ended in a way that was unexpected but extremely satisfying. I really enjoy sister relationships and it was lovely seeing how this one evolved. I also thought the story cleverly pulled together themes of African-American ancestral ties, racism in how kidnapping victims are treated (or ignored), and ways of reclaiming heritage.
If you enjoy mystery/thrillers with an otherworldly twist, you should definitely pick this up!
CWs: Anti-Black racism, colorism, kidnapping, murder, bullying, religious bigotry, and discussions of slavery.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Kidnapping
Moderate: Murder, Bullying, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Slavery
heidikundin's review
3.0
3.5 stars, rounded down
I definitely have some mixed feelings about The Shadow Sister. On one hand, it was a quick read that kept my interest enough that I finished it in a single sitting. However, there was a LOT there that just fell flat and/or didn't add up.
Despite its compelling ideas, the book didn't quite live up to its full potential for me. For starters, the animosity between the sisters felt way too intense without sufficient explanation. Sibling rivalry is one thing, but this seemed to run much deeper, warranting some backstory that unfortunately never quite materialized. The details that we DO get just wouldn't ever have led us to the point where we find the girls at the beginning of the story.
The book promised an exciting blend of elements—hoodoo, ancestor power, and magical realism. However, the bits and pieces of the stories that we get are repetitive and only minimally fleshed out, and the integration of the supernatural elements felt tacked on towards the end, rather than being woven seamlessly into the narrative from the start. All of these things could have been SO good, but it really felt like these aspects needed another revision to truly shine and bring the story to life.
Another aspect I struggled with was the pacing of the plot. After slowly building tension for over 260 pages, everything was wrapped up rather too neatly in the last chapter, which didn't at all reflect the complexity of real-life missing-person cases. The recurring theme of multiple Black girls going missing needed MUCH more depth and resolution, and their identities and stories seemed completely glossed over and practically ignored in the grand reveal.
The resolution and character development, particularly the antagonist, could also have been more detailed. The villain was rather underdeveloped and all too easily identifiable early on due to the limited amount of secondary characters. Additionally, the motive behind Sutton's disappearance was completely lackluster and left me feeling like there were missing pieces to the puzzle.
Overall, The Shadow Sister had its fair share of captivating moments and held a lot of promise, but it stumbled a bit in the execution. There was a depth of potential that could have been better explored to create a much more cohesive and developed narrative.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC to review.
I definitely have some mixed feelings about The Shadow Sister. On one hand, it was a quick read that kept my interest enough that I finished it in a single sitting. However, there was a LOT there that just fell flat and/or didn't add up.
Despite its compelling ideas, the book didn't quite live up to its full potential for me. For starters, the animosity between the sisters felt way too intense without sufficient explanation. Sibling rivalry is one thing, but this seemed to run much deeper, warranting some backstory that unfortunately never quite materialized. The details that we DO get just wouldn't ever have led us to the point where we find the girls at the beginning of the story.
The book promised an exciting blend of elements—hoodoo, ancestor power, and magical realism. However, the bits and pieces of the stories that we get are repetitive and only minimally fleshed out, and the integration of the supernatural elements felt tacked on towards the end, rather than being woven seamlessly into the narrative from the start. All of these things could have been SO good, but it really felt like these aspects needed another revision to truly shine and bring the story to life.
Another aspect I struggled with was the pacing of the plot. After slowly building tension for over 260 pages, everything was wrapped up rather too neatly in the last chapter, which didn't at all reflect the complexity of real-life missing-person cases. The recurring theme of multiple Black girls going missing needed MUCH more depth and resolution, and their identities and stories seemed completely glossed over and practically ignored in the grand reveal.
The resolution and character development, particularly the antagonist, could also have been more detailed. The villain was rather underdeveloped and all too easily identifiable early on due to the limited amount of secondary characters. Additionally, the motive behind Sutton's disappearance was completely lackluster and left me feeling like there were missing pieces to the puzzle.
Overall, The Shadow Sister had its fair share of captivating moments and held a lot of promise, but it stumbled a bit in the execution. There was a depth of potential that could have been better explored to create a much more cohesive and developed narrative.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC to review.
graciemarie95's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
kyliee's review against another edition
5.0
As a sister myself I completely understood the dynamic between Casey and Sutton! My relationship was a little less tumultuous but I enjoyed that aspect nonetheless.
There is so much character growth in this story that by the end I almost feel like a new person.
The ending didn’t quite satisfy my curiosity the way I needed so maybe there’ll be a second book? (Or there already is? I have to look).
I really loved this cozy little mystery and I highly recommend you give it a try!
There is so much character growth in this story that by the end I almost feel like a new person.
The ending didn’t quite satisfy my curiosity the way I needed so maybe there’ll be a second book? (Or there already is? I have to look).
I really loved this cozy little mystery and I highly recommend you give it a try!
jull1980's review
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
cobaltbookshelf's review
3.0
So I went back and forth on the rating on this one a few times. This is a where I liked the character of Casey but I was less impressed with the plot execution. Overall, this YA story is super easy to get into, so I might check out this author's other work in the future.
ARC kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
ARC kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
clonegarden's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
raethereviewer's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This was so good! It was a little slow for the first half, which isn’t uncommon for mystery, but that last 30% took a major turn. I love the angle of “what if the missing person wasn’t a perfect angel.” The switch between perspectives was really good for adding context and showing that both narrators could be unreliable because of how their perspectives were clouded. I wish the story leaned into the hoodoo elements a bit more but other than that, great read and definitely one I’d recommend to high schoolers.
starry2013's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0