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booksthatburn's review
adventurous
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The short version is that I loved this book and found it to be one of the more satisfying sci-fi books I've read in a while. Fantasy is my preferred genre, and I like my sci-fi squishy, conversation- or thought-driven, and not worried overly much about making sure I know how the FTL functions. This ticked all those boxes in addition to being a thoughtful exploration of various structures of power and how they are used to justify and perpetuate exploitation in the name of some other good.
THE FIRST SISTER is relationship-driven in the sense that their decisions have implications for other people and they're very aware of this as they proceed. Lito, in particular, has been ordered to hunt down his former partner. While he does want to find Hiro, he hasn't totally made up his mind about what he will do when that confrontation comes. First Sister has been ordered to spy on Captain Ren, also finding herself drawn to her. She's both terrified and intrigued by the captain's condition that restores some parity between them, but also places First Sister in even more danger.
I love the way the world is built here. There's a history of colonization and and an ongoing conflict, with main characters from different sides of the war. This means there's several places where he get to know what each side's propaganda is about the basic events, which shows what they actually do, what they say about themselves, and what their enemies think of them. I understand why this book gets compared to THE HANDMAID'S TALE, and while I do think some of that comparison is appropriate, it also made me nervous before I started reading, and gave me a distorted anticipation of how traumatic this book might be. While it does deal with systematic sexual exploitation (mostly of women but implicitly some men as well), it focuses much more on the systems and structures that are controlling and perpetuating this exploitation and lack of agency -- as well as the way that the sister within this exploitative system are encouraged to work against each other in order to support the group as a whole and eke out some measure of comfort and privilege at the expense of those around them. There are many moments when First Sister is terrified of what might happen to her, but much of my trepidation was soothed when it became clear that I was not going to have to read a graphic assault scene just to have the book hammer home how frightening a loss of bodily autonomy can be. Instead, THE FIRST SISTER takes a multifaceted approach to exploring different kinds of exploitation and loss of autonomy, from classism and financial precarity making people vulnerable to medical experimentation, loss of individual freedom and mental autonomy in military settings, to commodification of emotional labor and sexual exploitation in the Sisterhood.
I like the soft sci-fi approach; things work because they work, they have particular ways that they function, but the story never grinds to a halt to make sure I understand exactly how a mercurial blade can do what it does. The things that it does take the time to specifically explain are much squishier things, like the various ways that people synced by an implant can or can't access each other's minds. Even those come up in the moment as they're needed, when a character is trying to do something and it either succeed or fails.
There's a pair of revelations towards the end which completely reframed my understanding of some dynamics which had been been in play for most of the book. The reveal is a very cool moment and I absolutely do not want to spoil it, but one of them sits in that sweet spot of being a twist in a deeply personal sense related to one of the main characters without quite changing what the rest of the story means. It's followed up with a different discovery in the same incident, in a delightful moment of revelation and confusion as three seemingly disparate plot threads cohere and the main characters actually meet.
I like the trio audiobook narrators, in particular I appreciate Emily Woo Zeller's performance, as always. She's narrated several other audiobooks that I've enjoyed and this was no exception.
As the first book in a trilogy, THE FIRST SISTER resolves several major plot points in a way that gets the three main characters to each have a new status quo and an idea of their plan for what's next. Because of the way the story is structured, it makes sense that all three of them would have new situations and goals as the result of what transpired, especially with the upheaval towards the end of the book. I'm excited for the rest of the trilogy, especially for how the structure of the Sisterhood is affected by what transpires next.
*A quick note that this follows a Western anglophone trend of naming the only significant Japanese character “Hiro”. No one instance is automatically a problem, but over time it starts to seem like the main Japanese name fiction authors reach for. Part of what bothers me particularly in this instance is that the name “Hiro” is a traditionally male name in Japanese, and while nonbinary people are not limited to ambiguously-gendered names, I get the sense that this name was chosen for the “Hiro”/“Hero” pun (which is made explicitly at one point.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Ableism, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Dysphoria, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape, Self harm, and Vomit
utopiastateofmind's review against another edition
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
I had no idea The First Sister was science fiction, but I gotta say the world building is one of my favorite elements. I adored the way Lewis unfolded this science fiction world of battling empires, The Handmaid's Tale vibes to the First Sister order, and the fighting duel partners. The First Sister is multiple POV and I couldn't pick my favorite. Seriously. They were all so vulnerable, so flawed, and struggling with loyalty. It's a story about favor and twisted responsibilities. Loyalty and ambition, futures and love.
Buddy read with Mel
The pacing of The First Sister kept my attention the entire way through. I think I finished this audio-book in like two days? The First Sister is about this seemingly never ending war, but how do we envision our futures? How do we fight for the right, the promise of a future? By the end of the book, I was so thoroughly impressed by the twists and turns. I can't think of an element I didn't love. The world building was thoughtful. All the characters have their flaws and dreams exposed on the page. It's queer AF and there is expert manipulation with some shocks I had to sit down for.
Buddy read with Mel
The pacing of The First Sister kept my attention the entire way through. I think I finished this audio-book in like two days? The First Sister is about this seemingly never ending war, but how do we envision our futures? How do we fight for the right, the promise of a future? By the end of the book, I was so thoroughly impressed by the twists and turns. I can't think of an element I didn't love. The world building was thoughtful. All the characters have their flaws and dreams exposed on the page. It's queer AF and there is expert manipulation with some shocks I had to sit down for.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm
Minor: Rape