wanderaven's review
3.0
The Night Sister's opening chapter is a fantastic beginning. Much of what the reader has the pleasure of puzzling out throughout the novel is poised within that first chapter.
The narrative shifts between three different time periods. The first chapter is 2013, when (almost) an entire family is brutally murdered. Piper and her sister, Margot, don't believe that Amy, the mother of the family, could've done it, as it is believed. While Margot is laid up on late-pregnancy bedrest, Piper gets to know Amy's surviving daughter. We see Margot, Piper, and Amy when they were young teenage friends in the summer of 1989. Amy's mother, Rose, and her sister, Sylvie, inhabit the late 1950s.
Although there isn't a large cast of characters I did, for some time, have a bit of difficulty keeping the timelines and relationships straight. I'm not really sure why this was, as the familial structure was rather simple.
I've always been intrigued by McMahon's backlist and finally read The Winter People last year and wanted to try her again. This novel did not come across as scary to me as Winter did but I liked it at least as much for the characters, the timelines, and the supernatural elements. I am still interested in her previous works and I do believe that from now on I will read each new book as it comes out, to keep up.
*Advanced reader's copy provided by Doubleday.
The narrative shifts between three different time periods. The first chapter is 2013, when (almost) an entire family is brutally murdered. Piper and her sister, Margot, don't believe that Amy, the mother of the family, could've done it, as it is believed. While Margot is laid up on late-pregnancy bedrest, Piper gets to know Amy's surviving daughter. We see Margot, Piper, and Amy when they were young teenage friends in the summer of 1989. Amy's mother, Rose, and her sister, Sylvie, inhabit the late 1950s.
Although there isn't a large cast of characters I did, for some time, have a bit of difficulty keeping the timelines and relationships straight. I'm not really sure why this was, as the familial structure was rather simple.
I've always been intrigued by McMahon's backlist and finally read The Winter People last year and wanted to try her again. This novel did not come across as scary to me as Winter did but I liked it at least as much for the characters, the timelines, and the supernatural elements. I am still interested in her previous works and I do believe that from now on I will read each new book as it comes out, to keep up.
*Advanced reader's copy provided by Doubleday.
ggrillion's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
invincibleamy's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
mollyjordan's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
natattack_11's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
hholyoke's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
bunnieslikediamonds's review
2.0
I think this might be horror for people who don't like horror. Like if Jodi Picoult got shitfaced and lost a bet with, I dunno, Kelly Armstrong and had to write a paranormal thriller that still works for a book club. Which sounds mean, though if you like Jodi Picoult it sounds like a selling point I guess. Point being, this wasn't for me and I don't really know how to rate it fairly. There's a spooky tower in an old motel, a good old dark secret, some gruesome murders and a bunch of ladies trying to make sense of it (there's a gent as well but he plays no part whatsoever in the plot). If you've actually read some kind of paranormal fiction before, it's obvious early on what's going on and there are no, I mean NO surprises. It's a page turner though, and I cheerfully tore through it in one sitting.