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A review by sopphho
The Sun Sister by Lucinda Riley
3.0
Overall a good story, but definitely had some problematic aspects. If this had been written in the early aughts like I assumed throughout listening, I could have maybe shrugged it off as characteristic of the times. But learning that it was 2019…oof should’ve done better.
Here were my two main issues:
1. All of the books in this series follow one of the adopted sisters + an ancestor of hers, or at least an ancestor-adjacent figure that plays an important role in her history. Out of 6 sisters, Electra is one of (basically) two POC. Neither of their two ancestor stories was a POC; this book had a white adoptive great-grandmother. And while I enjoyed this ancestor’s plot, Riley could have instead crafted a backstory for Electra’s past that heroed a black woman. It just felt icky that even the black sister’s “most important ancestor” was a white woman. Not to mention the handful of microaggressions throughout.
2. There’s a character who for all intents and purposes was Electra’s stalker. Sure he was a relatively “respectful”stalker, but it’s a really weird message to send that any woman should give a stalker the benefit of the doubt and let them into their lives.
Here were my two main issues:
1. All of the books in this series follow one of the adopted sisters + an ancestor of hers, or at least an ancestor-adjacent figure that plays an important role in her history. Out of 6 sisters, Electra is one of (basically) two POC. Neither of their two ancestor stories was a POC; this book had a white adoptive great-grandmother. And while I enjoyed this ancestor’s plot, Riley could have instead crafted a backstory for Electra’s past that heroed a black woman. It just felt icky that even the black sister’s “most important ancestor” was a white woman. Not to mention the handful of microaggressions throughout.
2. There’s a character who for all intents and purposes was Electra’s stalker. Sure he was a relatively “respectful”stalker, but it’s a really weird message to send that any woman should give a stalker the benefit of the doubt and let them into their lives.