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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I was in a massive reading slump and this book got me out of it!!
I was looking for an easy mystery/thriller that wouldn't take too much brain power, and this suited my needs. the first half was kinda mediocre but was entertaining enough to keep me engaged. the second half was more detailed and felt more thoughtful/emotional and I really enjoyed the ending! I also would have never guessed the culprit, but also I seem to be bad at that in mystery books haha
lastly,I could have done without Sylvie and Ben f*ckin
I was looking for an easy mystery/thriller that wouldn't take too much brain power, and this suited my needs. the first half was kinda mediocre but was entertaining enough to keep me engaged. the second half was more detailed and felt more thoughtful/emotional and I really enjoyed the ending! I also would have never guessed the culprit, but also I seem to be bad at that in mystery books haha
lastly,
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Received via Netgalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
If the reviews rolling into Goodreads are any indication, this is going to be that Talked About Thriller for the next few months. Good to know, good to know.
In the meantime, I'll be over here considering what genre I need to move onto now that Thrillers have stopped being actual Thrillers, and are not just family dramas with a bit of murder thrown in.
Sigh.
Sylvie was 14 when her sister Persephone was murdered. The Missing signs hadn't even had time to warp from the cold when her body was found, strangled to death. Sylvie's mother sank into a 15 year depression coma, and Sylvie moved far away from her, from the town, and from Persephone's boyfriend who she was certain had murdered her sister.
Cut to 15 years later, and Sylvie's mother is dying of cancer. It's time to come home and face the secrets they've all been hiding.
And face them they do. All of them. Every single last one, over every single page. Somewhere in the middle, the mystery is solved, but who really cares about that? Especially considering it was obvious from around the second chapter.
There were definitely some twists I didn't see coming, which is always nice. Those twists had barely anything to do with the mystery part, but a good twist is a good twist.
I have a lot more Thrillers to go, and I'm getting concerned. I can't tell if I'm getting more jaded or if more books are getting genre mislabeled.
If the reviews rolling into Goodreads are any indication, this is going to be that Talked About Thriller for the next few months. Good to know, good to know.
In the meantime, I'll be over here considering what genre I need to move onto now that Thrillers have stopped being actual Thrillers, and are not just family dramas with a bit of murder thrown in.
Sigh.
Sylvie was 14 when her sister Persephone was murdered. The Missing signs hadn't even had time to warp from the cold when her body was found, strangled to death. Sylvie's mother sank into a 15 year depression coma, and Sylvie moved far away from her, from the town, and from Persephone's boyfriend who she was certain had murdered her sister.
Cut to 15 years later, and Sylvie's mother is dying of cancer. It's time to come home and face the secrets they've all been hiding.
And face them they do. All of them. Every single last one, over every single page. Somewhere in the middle, the mystery is solved, but who really cares about that? Especially considering it was obvious from around the second chapter.
There were definitely some twists I didn't see coming, which is always nice. Those twists had barely anything to do with the mystery part, but a good twist is a good twist.
I have a lot more Thrillers to go, and I'm getting concerned. I can't tell if I'm getting more jaded or if more books are getting genre mislabeled.
It took me a while to actually get into the book, and then I anticipated the “twist” which I usually don’t do. It was overall a disappointing read.
Note: I received a copy of this book from Atria Books (via NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review. Thank you!
{My Thoughts}
What Worked For Me
The Writing – Without a doubt the star of The Winter Sister is debut author Megan Collins’ thoughtful writing. I liked her story very much, but even if I didn’t her writing would have kept me engaged.
“Part of me wanted to tell her I didn’t blame her for what happened, to watch the relief slip over her face like a veil, to see her smile come shining back, but another part wanted to stay in that moment, where someone was taking responsibility for the ragged loose ends of my life.”
Not many seasoned authors can so easily slip into characters heads and share what they’re feeling so well. I’m already excited to see what Collins will do with her next book.
A Mother-Daughter Story – The Winter Sister at its core is a novel of suspense, but it’s also much more. It’s a story of secrets and regrets and it’s a story of a mother and daughter, once close but long estranged. After the death of Sylvie’s sister, Persephone, her mother, Annie, took to her bed with bottle after bottle of vodka and never again could be any sort of parent to 14-year old Sylvie. For the next four years Sylvie lived with Annie’s sister, Jill, rarely seeing her mother. In college and her young adult years that pattern continued, until Annie was diagnosed with cancer and Jill needed a break from caring for her. (Not a spoiler, this happens very early in the book.) Sylvie returns home and a rich mother/daughter story begins. We see the loving relationship they had prior to Persephone’s murder, but even more so the complex relationship they have in the present. Sylvie has so much pain around her mother’s neglect, but watching her suffer breaks her in ways she’d not expected.
“I imagined her attached to an IV bag, her eyes widening with an unspoken fear, and each time, the tenderness I felt for her scared me. It was risky – thinking of her in a way that made her easier to love.”
“I never once considered that the bones of her wrists would stick so closely to her skin, or the shape of her head would seem so alien. I hadn’t thought to equate her illness with something that would vacuum her up inside.”
What Didn’t
A Usual Premise – The premise of The Winter Sister is a well-worn one: someone is murdered, others hold secrets, some feel guilt, years later new information comes to light. I think with thrillers there are only so many ways to go, so we often see similar plotlines. The real question is how well did the author deliver their take on the idea and I think Megan Collins did it very well.
Lies – Much of the story had to do with lies, or half-truths that Sylvie had told to her family, the police and later her best friend. It was a bit of a stretch for me to believe her reasoning for not being more honest.
{The Final Assessment}
Surprisingly (even to myself) I really liked this book. Yes, it has sort of a typical plot for a suspense novel, but I don’t read a lot of that genre, so for me it was unique enough. I didn’t find anything a shocking twist, but also didn’t have to overlook a lot of wild plot turns. And best of all, the writing was so strong it made the story even more pleasurable. A solid read! Grade: B
For more reviews and bookish news: https://novelvisits.com/
{My Thoughts}
What Worked For Me
The Writing – Without a doubt the star of The Winter Sister is debut author Megan Collins’ thoughtful writing. I liked her story very much, but even if I didn’t her writing would have kept me engaged.
“Part of me wanted to tell her I didn’t blame her for what happened, to watch the relief slip over her face like a veil, to see her smile come shining back, but another part wanted to stay in that moment, where someone was taking responsibility for the ragged loose ends of my life.”
Not many seasoned authors can so easily slip into characters heads and share what they’re feeling so well. I’m already excited to see what Collins will do with her next book.
A Mother-Daughter Story – The Winter Sister at its core is a novel of suspense, but it’s also much more. It’s a story of secrets and regrets and it’s a story of a mother and daughter, once close but long estranged. After the death of Sylvie’s sister, Persephone, her mother, Annie, took to her bed with bottle after bottle of vodka and never again could be any sort of parent to 14-year old Sylvie. For the next four years Sylvie lived with Annie’s sister, Jill, rarely seeing her mother. In college and her young adult years that pattern continued, until Annie was diagnosed with cancer and Jill needed a break from caring for her. (Not a spoiler, this happens very early in the book.) Sylvie returns home and a rich mother/daughter story begins. We see the loving relationship they had prior to Persephone’s murder, but even more so the complex relationship they have in the present. Sylvie has so much pain around her mother’s neglect, but watching her suffer breaks her in ways she’d not expected.
“I imagined her attached to an IV bag, her eyes widening with an unspoken fear, and each time, the tenderness I felt for her scared me. It was risky – thinking of her in a way that made her easier to love.”
“I never once considered that the bones of her wrists would stick so closely to her skin, or the shape of her head would seem so alien. I hadn’t thought to equate her illness with something that would vacuum her up inside.”
What Didn’t
A Usual Premise – The premise of The Winter Sister is a well-worn one: someone is murdered, others hold secrets, some feel guilt, years later new information comes to light. I think with thrillers there are only so many ways to go, so we often see similar plotlines. The real question is how well did the author deliver their take on the idea and I think Megan Collins did it very well.
Lies – Much of the story had to do with lies, or half-truths that Sylvie had told to her family, the police and later her best friend. It was a bit of a stretch for me to believe her reasoning for not being more honest.
{The Final Assessment}
Surprisingly (even to myself) I really liked this book. Yes, it has sort of a typical plot for a suspense novel, but I don’t read a lot of that genre, so for me it was unique enough. I didn’t find anything a shocking twist, but also didn’t have to overlook a lot of wild plot turns. And best of all, the writing was so strong it made the story even more pleasurable. A solid read! Grade: B
For more reviews and bookish news: https://novelvisits.com/
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
utter bullshit