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trins_reads's review against another edition
3.0
It was a bit of a struggle to get through; some parts are painfully long with a tad too much bouncing all over. The overall premise of the mystery and characters is not at all bad. Just found it to be a struggle to read.
mnboyer's review against another edition
3.0
Shayna Darby finds herself in France where she's meant to identify her twin sister's dead body. It seems simple, but then suddenly Shayna sees the body and starts questioning if it is her sister. Her sister also leaver her a sort-of-encoded message using a look-twins-have-secret-languages note and so now Shayna is thinking her sister is alive. It would seem a serial killer may not have killer her.
Okay -- so within the first few pages I was struggling a bit but decided to keep going. I was willing to overlook some questions that I had as I began reading but those questions never get fully idealized. You may have the same feeling while reading/listening.
In terms of being a mystery/thriller, well, it seems like that was given up pretty quickly. Within pages you realize the sister, Angela, is not dead. I suppose you may surmise that from the synopsis of the book... however... the 'thrill' does not continue throughout the novel. Sure, this had things I should have enjoyed: catacombs, serial killer(s), murder, sex brothels, a secret underground, shady French characters, French characters in general, creepy twins, a mystery... but by the end of the book my general feeling is just: It was okay.
The writing, at times, feels a little forced and during some moments the dialog didn't work for me. I don't think I really ever "liked" any of the characters and that kept me distant from the reading. Overall, it was just 'okay' and while I'd pick something else up from the author and would try again, I wouldn't rush to do so.
Okay -- so within the first few pages I was struggling a bit but decided to keep going. I was willing to overlook some questions that I had as I began reading but those questions never get fully idealized. You may have the same feeling while reading/listening.
In terms of being a mystery/thriller, well, it seems like that was given up pretty quickly. Within pages you realize the sister, Angela, is not dead. I suppose you may surmise that from the synopsis of the book... however... the 'thrill' does not continue throughout the novel. Sure, this had things I should have enjoyed: catacombs, serial killer(s), murder, sex brothels, a secret underground, shady French characters, French characters in general, creepy twins, a mystery... but by the end of the book my general feeling is just: It was okay.
The writing, at times, feels a little forced and during some moments the dialog didn't work for me. I don't think I really ever "liked" any of the characters and that kept me distant from the reading. Overall, it was just 'okay' and while I'd pick something else up from the author and would try again, I wouldn't rush to do so.
emikrueg's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book, it hooked me from the start and I didn't want to stop reading. As a mixed race person myself, I was thrilled to realize that this book was about a mixed woman, written by a mixed woman. I haven't read too many books like these and I hadn't realized this was one until it was mentioned a few chapters in. I thought the twists and turns were great, not very predictable, and I really liked how they made sense. I could go back and say, oh, that's why she chose to ___. The only thing I didn't love 100% of the time was the descriptions and dialogue (particularly the emails). I found them to be strange/unrealistic at times. And Shayna comes off as "I'm not like other girls" sometimes which I never enjoy. Overall a good read and a great debut novel.
lunettesetlivres's review against another edition
2.0
This book is just okay. The premise was good but it took me forever to read this because it was slow for 80% of the book. Literally, I was at 86% on my kindle when the action started. I only held on until the end because I spent the entire book waiting for something to happen and when it did, it was rushed and nonsensical.
hugbandit7's review against another edition
4.0
This book is great for those that appreciate a good suspense/thriller novel.
Shayna receives a call that her twin is missing and might be dead, so she ventures to Paris to discover that maybe not all is as it seems. Especially when she finds a note written to her in their childhood secret language. It says to "trust no one" and that shakes Shayna to her core.
There are various characters in this book that seem suspicious, can she trust any of them? Do these characters have ulterior motives that they believe Shayna can assist in finding answers?
This book is fast paced since it takes place over a week. Shayna delays her trip home to try and find the answers to the serial killer roaming the streets of Paris and to find her sister. Shayna has to be intelligent to get into med school, but some of her actions had me questioning that intelligence. While she knows not to trust anyone, she doesn't make wise decisions with her actions. I also wonder about her sister, Angela, especially as the book is coming to the conclusion and we learn things about where she has been over the last few weeks. I don't want to give any spoilers but it seems like Angela could have done more to save herself.
I enjoyed learning some of the history of Paris and the catacombs and brothels that played a part in Angela's studies and the search for her. The fact that you can do a tour and there are bones in the catacombs is eery to me. I may have been like Shayna and not really wanted to see that part of Paris.
At various places in the book, Shayna seems to be rambling. Maybe she is tired and hasn't had enough sleep, or perhaps it was filler for the story. I do think that this time gives both sisters a chance to work out issues from when their parents died and perhaps grow closer again.
I really enjoyed Madame Chang's character. She is an intriguing woman and has done so much in her life and merits her own book.
The book does seem to leave questions unanswered and I wonder if there will be a followup book that answers those questions. I don't think there will be because I can't imagine what the next story would include unless it picks up from Madame Chang's perspective and her story.
Overall we enjoyed this book and give it 4 paws up.
Shayna receives a call that her twin is missing and might be dead, so she ventures to Paris to discover that maybe not all is as it seems. Especially when she finds a note written to her in their childhood secret language. It says to "trust no one" and that shakes Shayna to her core.
There are various characters in this book that seem suspicious, can she trust any of them? Do these characters have ulterior motives that they believe Shayna can assist in finding answers?
This book is fast paced since it takes place over a week. Shayna delays her trip home to try and find the answers to the serial killer roaming the streets of Paris and to find her sister. Shayna has to be intelligent to get into med school, but some of her actions had me questioning that intelligence. While she knows not to trust anyone, she doesn't make wise decisions with her actions. I also wonder about her sister, Angela, especially as the book is coming to the conclusion and we learn things about where she has been over the last few weeks. I don't want to give any spoilers but it seems like Angela could have done more to save herself.
I enjoyed learning some of the history of Paris and the catacombs and brothels that played a part in Angela's studies and the search for her. The fact that you can do a tour and there are bones in the catacombs is eery to me. I may have been like Shayna and not really wanted to see that part of Paris.
At various places in the book, Shayna seems to be rambling. Maybe she is tired and hasn't had enough sleep, or perhaps it was filler for the story. I do think that this time gives both sisters a chance to work out issues from when their parents died and perhaps grow closer again.
I really enjoyed Madame Chang's character. She is an intriguing woman and has done so much in her life and merits her own book.
The book does seem to leave questions unanswered and I wonder if there will be a followup book that answers those questions. I don't think there will be because I can't imagine what the next story would include unless it picks up from Madame Chang's perspective and her story.
Overall we enjoyed this book and give it 4 paws up.
worldsokayeststepmom's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
itadakinasu's review
2.0
If this isn't self-insert fiction, then I'm not sure what is. Marr studied for a few years in Sorbonne, which is a focal area for this novel. She is mixed race, just like Shayna. She has a graduate school education, just like Shayna. I'm not sure if she is a twin, but I would guess not based on the way she wrote Shayna and Angela's relationship.
The Missing Sister wasn't bad for a debut novel. If I had to sum it up in one word: unremarkable.
What I liked:
The beauty and danger of Paris and the Parisian condescension were very well-written, which is to be expected from someone who has spent a considerable amount of time there. Marr did a decent job of explaining common expat struggles to people who have never lived abroad.
Shayna and Angela's relationship was explored little by little, shifting gears about halfway through the story instead of a big info dump at the beginning. I liked this approach, as it helped the reader feel Shayna's estrangement with her sister and subsequent attempts at reconnecting.
Almost every character's reminder to Shayna that France and America don't work the same way.
What I didn't like:
Being non-white in France isn't easy, a fact which Angela literally states in one of her e-mails. But for Shayna, not only do people forgive her idiotic, selfish actions, but almost every man in a 20ft radius is stumbling over himself to get in her pants.
It felt like Marr used race to try and deepen Shayna's character and add some spice to her backstory. With only a few lines dropped in about Cantonese sounding familiar and receiving red pocket money, it feels like a cheap attempt to make a white character more "exotic." I'm aware that not every Asian-American is in touch with their ancestral roots, but if you're going to make this a part of your character, you should develop it enough to make it believable. Angela's character had some depth in this department, but as a mixed race American living abroad in similar circumstances to Angela, I wasn't satisfied with the level of depth.
The pacing was weird. I found it hard to get into and frequently lost interest until the last 40%. There were several parts that dragged due to bloated descriptions and lack of action.
Shayna is introduced as an intelligent character but rarely shows this trait. Not only does she put herself into dangerous situations with disturbing frequency, but she also refuses to go to the police despite having no reason to distrust them and constantly jumps to (wrong) conclusions. She antagonizes the few people willing to help her and follows useless "leads" while ignoring blatantly obvious clues/information. I call this "IPS" or "Idiot Protagonist Syndrome."
Final thoughts:
The Missing Sister has lovely descriptions of France and does portray life as an expat in France realistically. It suffers from lack of depth in other areas, namely characterization and believability. The ending is foreseeable and the culprit's motivations laughably unrealistic. If Marr publishes something else (not a mystery), I'd give it a try.
The Missing Sister wasn't bad for a debut novel. If I had to sum it up in one word: unremarkable.
What I liked:
The beauty and danger of Paris and the Parisian condescension were very well-written, which is to be expected from someone who has spent a considerable amount of time there. Marr did a decent job of explaining common expat struggles to people who have never lived abroad.
Shayna and Angela's relationship was explored little by little, shifting gears about halfway through the story instead of a big info dump at the beginning. I liked this approach, as it helped the reader feel Shayna's estrangement with her sister and subsequent attempts at reconnecting.
Almost every character's reminder to Shayna that France and America don't work the same way.
What I didn't like:
Being non-white in France isn't easy, a fact which Angela literally states in one of her e-mails. But for Shayna, not only do people forgive her idiotic, selfish actions, but almost every man in a 20ft radius is stumbling over himself to get in her pants.
It felt like Marr used race to try and deepen Shayna's character and add some spice to her backstory. With only a few lines dropped in about Cantonese sounding familiar and receiving red pocket money, it feels like a cheap attempt to make a white character more "exotic." I'm aware that not every Asian-American is in touch with their ancestral roots, but if you're going to make this a part of your character, you should develop it enough to make it believable. Angela's character had some depth in this department, but as a mixed race American living abroad in similar circumstances to Angela, I wasn't satisfied with the level of depth.
The pacing was weird. I found it hard to get into and frequently lost interest until the last 40%. There were several parts that dragged due to bloated descriptions and lack of action.
Shayna is introduced as an intelligent character but rarely shows this trait. Not only does she put herself into dangerous situations with disturbing frequency, but she also refuses to go to the police despite having no reason to distrust them and constantly jumps to (wrong) conclusions. She antagonizes the few people willing to help her and follows useless "leads" while ignoring blatantly obvious clues/information. I call this "IPS" or "Idiot Protagonist Syndrome."
Final thoughts:
The Missing Sister has lovely descriptions of France and does portray life as an expat in France realistically. It suffers from lack of depth in other areas, namely characterization and believability. The ending is foreseeable and the culprit's motivations laughably unrealistic. If Marr publishes something else (not a mystery), I'd give it a try.
jedamath's review
2.0
Looking back on this book I couldn’t even remember what it was about. I wish the author would have been more restrained with her lengthy and flowery descriptions, and that the book had been more fast-paced.