Reviews with content warning for Fire/Fire injury - My Sister, the Serial Killer

What a fun read. I really liked the way it was laid out - it kept the pacing moving very quickly. Sisterhood is a complicated and sacred and terrifying and beautiful and unimaginable thing, and I think this book gets to the heart of that.

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nixieba25f's review against another edition

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dark reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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aformeracceleratedreader's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

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sm_moon's review against another edition

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dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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rebeccajost's review against another edition

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dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

What would you do to protect your sister? What would you do to protect people from your sister?
My Sister, the Serial Killer is about an older sister (Korede) who lives in the shadow of her sister's (Ayoola) beauty. The book starts when Ayoola calls Korede to clean up after she has just killed a third man.

Ayoola most likely has a combination of antisocial personality disorder, and narcissism. She sees people around her for how they can make her life better, and relies on the guidance of Korede to avoid suspicion, and how to act like an empathetic person. Because of her beauty Ayoola gets away with a lot, and easily excuses her actions because of her charisma and looks. Korede, however, is the scapegoat, as she is not blessed with looks.

In this book Korede is grappling with resentment and love towards her sister, and the gravity of what she and her sister has done. The murdered man haunts Korede, and when a man in Korede's life falls for Ayoola she has to decide whether to protect this man from Ayoola, or to keep suspicion away from Ayoola.

In comp comparison to Ayoola it could be said that Korede is like any other person, just weak and always tidying up after her sister. A doormat. I disagree with this entirely. Throughout the story we are also told about their childhood and the role Korede played in it, and it was far from a passive one. Korede is calculating in her own right, always analyzing the people around her, and she is strict in how one is meant to behave both professionally and in one-on-one interactions. She struggles feeling empathy for people and seem to resent and look down on most of the people around her, except her sister. She is a huge reason why her sister is able to do what she does, and possibly the catalyst!

While the story tells us about the obviously bad deeds and disordered mind of Ayoola, Korede is just as messed up with the ease of how she cleans up after her sister, justifies her, and covers for actions even she can see are morally and ethically wrong. They are co-dependent in the worst of ways, and Korede manages in the world because she cares about appearances and understand human behavior, and Ayoola has survived because of her beauty.

A story that will keep you hooked from the first page to the last, it's almost impossible to put down.

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