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ofbooksandechos's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
In their sparkling eyes I see a plan. I see resolve. I see rebellion like a coming storm.
Actual rating: somewhere between 2.5★ and 2.75★
The First Sister is the first installment in the homonymous queer sci-fi dystopian series by debut author Linden A. Lewis. And while the blurb and the author themselves describe this series as a mixture between "the social commentary of The Handmaid's Tale and the white-knuckled thrills of Red Rising" but make it queer, I found myself being disappointed by the execution of said ambitious premise. Mind you, I haven't read neither Red Rising nor The Handmaid's Tale, however knowing the outline of said books I expected something dark, hopeful, action packed and brutal in its commentary. What I got was a lukewarm and superficial glimpse of the book I expected to listen to, despite finding myself enjoy what I was reading and caring about one, and only one, character in particular.
To dive a little further into why I gave First Sister a low rating, despite my enjoyment of some of its aspects, I'll explain my issues with the world building and why I found it disappointing and lacking when it comes to certain themes. Firstly, to give a bit of context, book is set some centuries in the future, where some of humanity left Earth (because climate change is a thing and they made Earth inhabitable, well kind of) to settle on the first ring of planets in the Solar System resulting in two factions that have been at war since forever: the Geans, who live between Earth and Mars, and the Icarii who, thanks to advanced technology, settled on Venus and Mercury. Between the two opposing factions of humanity are the Asters, human beings of any human race who decided to be genetically modified in order to better adapt to a life in space, and who are hated and discriminated by both Icarii and Geans. With their racism towards Asters being the only similarities between Icarii and Geans, their society couldn't be more different: Icarii live in a utopian society governed by science and freedom, whereas Geans live under military and religious leaders.
Secondly this novel is told through the points of views of its three main characters, one Gean and two Icarii: First Sister, a priestess of the Sisterhood who has no name and no voice, and who both has to act as a religious figure and a comfort woman for Gean soldiers on space ships; Lito sol Lucius, an Icarii soldier who is sent on a dangerous mission; and Hiro val Akira a nonbinary deserter and Lito's former partner. Their point of view is mostly told through flashbacks, but that doesn't make it any less important seeing as they're the only character who deserves rights.
My first issue when it comes to the world is that throughout the novel, the author never emphasises the abuse Sisters have to go through, both at the hands of their Aunts (older members of the Sisterhood), and at the hands of the men. And while I appreciated the choice of never depicting assault or rape on the page, I wish we could have seen more of the aftermath, the coping mechanisms, and how Sisters find comfort in that harsh reality. The Sisters are stripped of their voice, of their name and their agency, they join the Sisterhood either by force or because they have no other choice, but instead of seeing the Sisterhood in a collective manner, as a societal failure, the author only focuses on First Sister and her point of view, treating the other girls as an afterthought. Furthermore as a trans reader reading a "queer version of The Handmaid's Tale" I expected to see trans women, women of colour, and transfemme nonbinary people in the Sisterhood. Instead most of the Sisters introduced are white and cis, though most of them are queer. The author also mentions male Cousins as lower members of the Sisterhood, both functioning as servants of the sort and comfort men, but even then they're just an afterthought. The whole Sisterhood narrative is left in the dark with the author's failure to convey that social commentary they wanted to give. To top it all off, I found First Sister's point of view the weakest of the three, which is a shame since her voice was supposed to be one of the loudest ones. I often found myself speeding up through her chapters, only because I knew at the end I would hear Hiro's voice.
Speaking of Hiro, they're my absolute favourite character in the novel. Their voice is loud and clear, they are unapologetically themselves, they rebel against their powerful father and the social constructs of Icarii society. They hold their Japanese heritage dear, and they are fierce and fragile and all kinds of wonderful. Their journey is told through a series of recording Hiro leaves for Lito, their partner, which sound almost like a suicide note. Despite being the point of view I enjoyed the most, what happens to Hiro is something that triggered me deeply as a trans person. I'll explain further down below, for the trans readers who find this review, however Hiro's loss of agency at the hands of the Icarii is touching, terrifying, dreadful, and so very relatable that I advise for caution when reaching the end of the novel, especially if you're trans.
In contrast to Hiro's compelling voice, Lito felt like a passive character, who just goes with the flow. Despite being someone who raised from the lowest and poorest class to a "proper member of Icarii society", Lito's character arc, and his "awakening", was too short to feel satisfying.
In conclusion despite my heavy criticism, I did find myself having a good time with The First Sister. I just wish I could have cared for the other characters half of what I felt towards Hiro. I will be continuing with the series, when I'm not feeling as raw and dysphoric as I feel these days. However I have to point out that I hope the author will add the point of view of an Aster character. It seems unfair to experience this novel only through the eyes of the awakened oppressors, instead of those who are the lowest of the low in The First Sister's broken society.
PS: THERE IS A SPOILER BELOW THE LIST OF CONTENT WARNINGS that I added for, and only for, the sake of trans readers.
content warnings for implied rape, murder, violence, implied sexual assault, gender dysphoria, misgendering, racism, anxiety, ptsd, neurodegenerative disorders, loss of body autonomy, non-consensual surgery, medical procedures, experimentation on humans, mentions of past child abuse, abuse.
mini spoiler for the sake of trans readers:
trans readers please be please careful going into this one: the book features a trans character, Hiro being stripped of their identity, and their agency over their body. Hiro is a nonbinary person who, after having finally found love for themselves, is forced into a body that isn't theirs without their consent. And while that may be considered a spoiler, I care more about the wellbeing of trans readers than the comfort of cis people. The book puts this abuse in negative light, it caused me, a trans person, pain and so much discomfort I wanted the book to end so that I could stop suffering with Hiro. Their feeling forcing in their body is something I know very well, so if you're trans and you're feeling vulnerable or dysphoric please proceed with caution when you pick this up or reach the last 20% of the novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Medical content, Medical trauma, Racism, Transphobia, and Violence
syfylauren's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Such a fun read that took many twists and turns I was not expecting! We have two out of three main characters belonging to the alphabet mafia (LGBTQ+) and their explorations of love in its different forms felt fresh, comforting, and happily not trite. it was nice to see how the internal battle between love and duty worked to help push the main characters outside of their comfort zones. And all while in space.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Trafficking, Torture, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault
lighterthaneyre's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism and Violence
Minor: Sexual violence and Sexual content
ruthh's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture, Violence, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, and Sexual assault
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