feenix's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
mai_day's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
bookyliciousbooks's review
The characters and story were both frustrating and poorly executed. I found the references to sororities and the stereotypes annoying.
mollyctoone's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
kaye_mac's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
- 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
mandylovestoread's review against another edition
4.0
After reading Black Widows last years and really enjoying it, I was keen to read more from author, Cate Quinn. Blood Sisters is a slow burn and heavy on character development that I struggled to put down. The setting of a small country, mining town in rural WA was really well written and set the scene for this multi layered murder mystery.
American backpackers and sorority sisters, Beth and Lauren, are sent to Dead Tree Creek by their agency to work in the local pub. It is a mining town, and the arrival of 2, young new girls is a big deal for the men. A few weeks later, the girls have skipped town and a miner is found dead in the pub, brutally murdered. The fingers are immediately pointed at the girls, but rookie cop Tara Harrison thinks there is more to this crime than meets the eye.
The story is told from the points of view of alot of characters, and we see what the locals think of Beth and Lauren. As always, with small towns, everyone know everyone's business, and the outsiders are not to be trusted.
There is so much more to this story but that is all you need to know to get sucked into the drama. Thanks to Hachette Australia for my copy of this book to read. Blood Sisters is out now in Australia.
American backpackers and sorority sisters, Beth and Lauren, are sent to Dead Tree Creek by their agency to work in the local pub. It is a mining town, and the arrival of 2, young new girls is a big deal for the men. A few weeks later, the girls have skipped town and a miner is found dead in the pub, brutally murdered. The fingers are immediately pointed at the girls, but rookie cop Tara Harrison thinks there is more to this crime than meets the eye.
The story is told from the points of view of alot of characters, and we see what the locals think of Beth and Lauren. As always, with small towns, everyone know everyone's business, and the outsiders are not to be trusted.
There is so much more to this story but that is all you need to know to get sucked into the drama. Thanks to Hachette Australia for my copy of this book to read. Blood Sisters is out now in Australia.
oncemorewithreading's review
4.0
This was my first Cate Quinn book and I can assure you it will not be my last.
This book was so addictive. I loved the fact that this was told in multiple perspectives and in parallel timelines. You can tell a lot of research was done for this book and I learnt so much!
While this is a long book, it never once felt slow. The second half was incredibly fast paced and I found it impossible to put down! I did guess certain aspects of the ending but that didn't take away how much I enjoyed reading this!
This was my first Cate Quinn book and I can assure you it will not be my last.
This book was so addictive. I loved the fact that this was told in multiple perspectives and in parallel timelines. You can tell a lot of research was done for this book and I learnt so much!
While this is a long book, it never once felt slow. The second half was incredibly fast paced and I found it impossible to put down! I did guess certain aspects of the ending but that didn't take away how much I enjoyed reading this!
shelleyrae's review against another edition
4.0
When the bloodied and bound naked body of Paul Hunter is found in the bar of The Gold Rush Hotel in the outback mining town of Dead Tree Creek, the locals are quick to accuse barmaids Lauren and Beth, American backpackers who skipped town in the early hours of the morning. Tara Harrison, newly returned to her hometown as a Probationary Constable, isn’t convinced of the sorority sisters are cold blooded killers, despite mounting evidence. She’s all too aware that Dead Tree Creek is a town of secrets.
Despite centering around crime, Blood Sisters is a character driven novel. The story primarily unfolds from the first person perspectives of Lauren, Beth and Tara, shifting between the present and recent past, with points of view from other characters occasionally punctuating the narrative. The structure works well, and I like how it both broadens the readers understanding of the characters and contributes to the development of the mystery.
Lauren and Beth are interesting characters with a complicated relationship. Lauren, beautiful and extroverted, is a study in contradictions, while Beth is more of an enigma. The women are the bests of friends who share a dark secret, but even they keep secrets from one another. The books title alludes not only to the relationship between Lauren and Beth, but also the relationship between Tara and her late Moodjana foster-sister, Yindi, whose death in police custody was the impetus for her joining the police service. Tara is a likeable character, she’s smart, determined and has good intentions, but finds herself a little out of her depth as she searches for the truth.
Quinn explores a number of themes in Blood Sisters including misogyny, racism, friendship, loyalty and betrayal. Issues between the First Nations peoples and the police and mining company are an important element of the novel which I think the author handles well.
With a strong sense of place, complex characters and an intriguing mystery, The Blood Sisters is an absorbing novel.
Despite centering around crime, Blood Sisters is a character driven novel. The story primarily unfolds from the first person perspectives of Lauren, Beth and Tara, shifting between the present and recent past, with points of view from other characters occasionally punctuating the narrative. The structure works well, and I like how it both broadens the readers understanding of the characters and contributes to the development of the mystery.
Lauren and Beth are interesting characters with a complicated relationship. Lauren, beautiful and extroverted, is a study in contradictions, while Beth is more of an enigma. The women are the bests of friends who share a dark secret, but even they keep secrets from one another. The books title alludes not only to the relationship between Lauren and Beth, but also the relationship between Tara and her late Moodjana foster-sister, Yindi, whose death in police custody was the impetus for her joining the police service. Tara is a likeable character, she’s smart, determined and has good intentions, but finds herself a little out of her depth as she searches for the truth.
Quinn explores a number of themes in Blood Sisters including misogyny, racism, friendship, loyalty and betrayal. Issues between the First Nations peoples and the police and mining company are an important element of the novel which I think the author handles well.
With a strong sense of place, complex characters and an intriguing mystery, The Blood Sisters is an absorbing novel.
aplace_inthesun's review
emotional
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
4.75
When Paul Hunter is killed in an Australian Outback community bar, the police response is fairly limited given the local station has two cops. One goes searching for the two suspects, American tourists Lauren and Beth who had been working as barmaids at the pub. The other cop waits for their new probationary Constable to arrive. PC Tara Harrison knows the town all too well, having grown up in foster care, and spending much of her teen years in the local Aboriginal mission.
BLOOD SISTERS is a deep dive into this outback town, it’s secrets and many of it’s horrors. What is evident from the first few pages is a strong sense of setting (think The Dry or The Lost Man by Jane Harper or Treasure and Dirt by Chris Hammer). Arid, dry and desolate is the overwhelming feeling you get. What is also evident is the underlying impact of the locals’ experiences, the pervasiveness of intergenerational trauma, and the ongoing effects of white settlement on our First Nations people.
Through multiple points of view the book succeeds in the story of now, and the story before. It’s gripping and suspenseful. The are parallel stories converge in an unexpected ending.
Harsh. Gripping. Unputdownable.
Cate Quinn refers to LinkUp in her book which is a derive I have used during the course of my work. For further information go to www.Linkupnsw.org.au
It was founded in 1980 to assist all Aboriginal people who had been directly affected by past government policies; being separated from their families and culture through forced removal, being fostered, adopted or raised in institutions.
Link-Up (NSW) supports the healing journeys of those removed; delivering professional, culturally sensitive and confidential research, reunions and Social, Emotional and Wellbeing services to those over the age of eighteen.