Reviews tagging 'Blood'

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

393 reviews

zulmiro's review against another edition

dark sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Racism, Police brutality, and Stalking

blackeyedraptor's review against another edition

challenging dark funny fast-paced

4.0

A great, quick read for those interested in solving mysteries or delving into complicated family relationships.
I love that this was not in America or Europe, but in Africa, as the author really delves into her roots and culture.
The main character was incredibly rounded as she deals with the conflict of wanting to protect her sister, who is an extreme narcissist and serial killer, and also wanting her sister to face the music. 
It definitely did not end the way I thought it would, which was super refreshing! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, and Murder

Minor: Misogyny, Sexism, and Blood

pacifickat's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Enjoyable shorter read that pulled me in from start to finish. I like that it was told largely through little vingetes from the sister Korede's first-person point of view. I liked the sprinkling of reveals throughout that flip your assumptions at every turn. The ending moved it from a decent 4 to solid 4.5 stars for me. 

The audio narration by Adepero Oduye was brilliant and helped me better connect with the setting and culture of the characters.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Blood, Murder, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Drug use, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, and Trafficking

jenlengland's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Blood, and Murder

chris_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Blood

Moderate: Infidelity, Medical content, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Misogyny and Pedophilia

natashaball's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood and Murder

Minor: Child abuse

quinnpjd930's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

stellahadz's review against another edition

dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Despite its dark themes, this was a fast-paced, entertaining read. The prose is simple yet effective in capturing the essence of each character within a relatively short number of pages. I actually wish the book had been a bit longer so the ending could have tied up some loose ends, but I still really enjoyed it. It subverts expectations of its genre - it's less about the serial killer herself, and more about the narrator, her sister Korede, who feels a sense of duty and protection towards her. Ultimately, it's less a story about crime and more a story about sibling dynamics and the question of how far you would go to protect someone you love.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Medical content and Death of parent

Minor: Adult/minor relationship

lyall_reads's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Engagingly written and poking at some interesting ideas re: gendered violence and familial duty, but ends so anticlimactically that I felt more frustrated than anything else. If there’s 3 plot threads we’re following and all 3 end without major change from status quo, it makes the story feel a bit pointless if nevertheless a quick/enjoyable read. I liked how grounded in place the story felt re: Lagos and how well sketched out the family dynamics were despite the short length. It’s just that it doesn’t end up going anywhere- even internally for our MC. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Violence, and Blood

botanicpanic's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Murder

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Violence, and Blood

Minor: Bullying, Pedophilia, Medical content, and Death of parent