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A review by sombies
The First Sister by Linden A. Lewis
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
the other two characters are Fine but don't bother if you're actually interested in the title character. Her side of the story is the weakest and least developed out of the three POV characters.
Honestly she seems stapled in so the author could compare this book to A Handmaid's Tale in the pitch.
I was excited to read a book that was willing to confront the realities of sexual abuse but there's weirdly hardly any mention of it at all. It's almost as if the book itself is too afraid to talk about it and grapple with it.
It makes the Saito Ren twist at the end feel even more out of place tonally. Like I get that they're trying to say something about militarism and bodily autonomy but it's kind of jarring to have the book shy around ANY kind of physical intimacy before having a character pretty graphically detransition against their will. Honestly I think the twist could've been Better if First Sister was better developed to be a parallel to Hiro/Ren
I expected a lot from this book and it barely delivered any at all. There are some interesting themes and ideas but they aren't properly developed
Honestly she seems stapled in so the author could compare this book to A Handmaid's Tale in the pitch.
I was excited to read a book that was willing to confront the realities of sexual abuse but there's weirdly hardly any mention of it at all. It's almost as if the book itself is too afraid to talk about it and grapple with it.
I expected a lot from this book and it barely delivered any at all. There are some interesting themes and ideas but they aren't properly developed
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, War, Medical trauma, and Transphobia
Moderate: Sexual violence and Rape