Reviews

The Shadow Sister by Lily Meade

clonegarden's review against another edition

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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

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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

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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

knod78's review

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3.0

Reading the about the author and this book, I didn’t get what she said she conveyed through the characters except for the father.

And if ever a book needed an epilogue, this was it.i still don’t really understand the ending and why the killer killed. I assumed it was about land, but nope.

danileah07's review

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dark emotional 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? Yes

2.0

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stina_gates's review

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dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

3.5

dymonlikestoread's review

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mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0


☘️Book Review☘️
The Shadow Sister 
Author: Lily Meade
Rating: 2/5 ⭐️⭐️
"My sister is a bitch, but that doesn't mean I want her dead"
Synopsis: Casey’s older sister Sutton is missing and it’s turned her life upside down. pretending for the news cameras that she’s concerned about her “perfect “older sister, who is so purpose was to make Casey’s life miserable. Then one day something is found randomly wandering the streets naked, except she remembers Casey. Casey thinks it’s part of Sutton‘s elaborate scheme to get rid of her until she finds out two other black girls are missing from their town. 

 The book started very strong, with the opening. 
It felt like the plot was going to be a mystery vibe with a twist. 
Instead, the plot fell short after once Sutton was found.
From the beginning, it felt like the focus would be on Casey and Sutton‘s relationship. I thought we'd learn about why Sutton hated Casey and how they got to the point of both disliking each other.  Two instances were described that caused their relationship to fall apart. Neither instance seemed significant enough to hate each other or wish each other dead.    
While Sutton's hatred stemmed from her parents having another child Casey's seems to come from her treatment by Sutton and their mother. Casey is considered the shadow sister because she’s not favored by her mom. Their mom who is caucasian, favors Sutton because she’s more fair-skinned like her, and they have more in common so Casey is often ridiculed or excluded which feeds into Casey’s hatred for Sutton.

 The Mystery of Sutton being “missing” for me was solved within the first few chapters. There's no plot to the disappearance or connection to the disappearance affecting their relationship. The insertion of a paranormal aspect to sum up the “mysterious disappearance of Sutton” at the end was off-putting.  The characters themselves were well developed and the author did a great job of making the characters feel real. I did enjoy the history of the ancestors but it fell short of making the connection at the end. 
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not_a_salem_witch's review

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dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

nahyee's review against another edition

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4.0

See my full review of this title on my blog: Books Under the Blanket (with a flashlight): https://booksundertheblanket.com/no-danger-of-wandering-alone-in-the-woods/
Live on Jun 11, 2023

goldguardie's review

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dark mysterious sad tense 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