A review by kayladarthur
My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Disclaimer: this is a ramble, not a review! 

I reallllly wanted to like this book. They had me in the first half, yknow? The scene was set, we’ve got this whole mystery thing set up n whatnot. I was sat. ‹spoiler› But then nothing happened. We open with Korede, who hates her sister and does nothing about her own mistreatment. She never stands up for herself, and continues to stew in resentment for most of the book until the VERY end, where she randomly decides that she loves her sister. But there’s no catalyst for that — no moment where the two sisters talk things out, or see eye to eye. There’s nothing that Ayoola does that makes Korede rethink things, she’s just presented with a choice. Speaking of Ayoola, I wish we’d gotten more of her point of view. She’s presented as this one-dimensional character, whose character traits are pretty and aloof. Who is she? And how else does she act like a sociopath besides being indifferent?  And WHAT MAKES HER KILL PEOPLE??? I thought we’d get some more insight into her childhood and how that influenced her mental health. I thought at the very least that she killed their dad, and that’s what started all this. Nope. And also, we never learn about the actual killings, and what happened. We never know exactly how things went down, or whether or not Ayoola was lying about the events that occurred. Additionally, I hate to see two women fighting over any man, let alone one whose only personality trait is that he’s nice. And how does Korede love a man she only speaks to (sometimes) at work? ‹/spoiler› There’s lots more that I can say, but in closing: I just wish the plot were more dynamic, and that the characters were multidimensional. I wanted more from this story 😫
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