books_and_crumbs's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
addy1991's review
2.0
This is a story of broken people and what happens when one of them is murdered. Each person contains their own piece of the puzzle and it takes years (and certain circumstances) before these pieces begin shifting to eventually reveal the puzzle picture. I figured out the killer but not the motive before it was provided. Sylvie set things in motion by asking questions and poking her nose in others' business but her methods and motivation left much to be desired. She wasn't a likeable person, in my opinion, nor was her mom. I kept waiting for the action/story to accelerate since the descriptions led me to believe this was "spellbinding" and "suspenseful" ... it didn't. It was more like a confused meandering river than anything else and even revealing the source didn't do much to untangle things. Not sure I will read another by this author.
yvo_about_books's review
4.0
Finished reading: January 17th 2019
"Love is love. You can't just kick it to the curb, even if sometimes you wished like hell you could."
*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Touchstone in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***
Spoiler
There has been a lot of buzz around The Winter Sister, and with a just cause. I simply couldn’t resist this title when I was sent a personal invitation to read it and I saw one of my favorite thriller writers Megan Miranda recommended it... My intuition didn't fail me, because this story was without doubt a very solid read. Part family drama, part cold case murder, part psychological thriller, The Winter Sister has a little bit of everything and combined in such a way that makes for a perfect mystery cocktail everyone will love. The writing style is engaging and solid and will manage to draw you in from the very first page. I really liked the structure of this story, switching between 16 years ago and the present and done in such a way that keeps building up the suspense and intrigue without things becoming confusing. This story is about what happened to Persephone, but also the effects it had and still has on those close to her. The character development is very well done and feels realistic. It is interesting to see the different characters interact and change over time while you learn more about the past and how everyone fits on the board. While I did see part of the final twists coming, there were also things I hadn't guessed and that's always a great feeling. The family drama is well balanced out with the cold case investigation and other secrets and plot twists, making The Winter Sister an intriguing and satisfying read. Fans of the genre will have a great time with this one!
It has been sixteen years since Sylvie's sister Persephone never came home. She had been missing for three days before her body was found, and the crime has remained unsolved. Sylvie has tried to move on, but is faced with painful memories as she has to return come to care for her estranged mother. Being back home brings back all the questions and her theories on who was behind the death of her sister. She is determined to finally discover the truth no matter what it takes...
My instincts told me I was in for a treat with this one and it turns out they were right. The Winter Sister offers us a well balanced mix of a family drama, cold case murder and psychological thriller with a focus on the complicated relationships between mother and daughters alike. The writing is solid and the plot well crafted and interestingly developed. The switches between past and present added to the intrigue and suspense around Persephone's death and the truth what really happened to her... There are a lot of secrets and twists to discover, and while I did see some of them coming, others managed to surprise me. All in all The Winter Sister was a very satisfying read fans of the genre will love.
P.S. Find more of my reviews here.
anne311's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Grief, Incest, Murder, Sexual content, Stalking, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Medical content, Addiction, Child abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Alcohol, Classism, Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Blood, Cancer, Car accident, Chronic illness, Toxic relationship, and Child death
inger70's review
2.0
Giving this one a solid meh. I didn't care about any of the characters. The main character switched from "you're the killer," to "no YOU'RE the killer" about ever 25 minutes and it was really annoying. Don't know why I read this. I thought it was for the Read Harder challenge, but I can't figure out what prompt it fits so apparently it was a total waste.
sstarke's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this book, although the mother made me so furious. I also think the romance was a little icky and predictable. Despite that, the story and characters were nuanced and the book had a very good twist. Just based on the strong feelings it stirs up in me, I would round 3.5 stars up to 4 stars.
elysareadsitall's review against another edition
3.0
This story was very dark, and the relationship of the sisters and the mother were twisted but interesting. I figured out the twists easily, but it was still a gripping journey. I liked the author's writing style.
olivia_hansen's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
megelizabeth's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.0
"I didn’t know that stars don’t last forever. I had no idea that the light we see is just an echo of an old burn, or that, most of the time, it’s the absence of a glow, instead of the glow itself, that goes on and on and on."
This ended up being just an OK read for me. I really liked Sylvie's character, and I liked the explorations of the various sibling and family relationships that were present. I appreciated that this is as much an exploration of Sylvie's grief and guilt and life after losing her sister as it is a mystery. I found the mystery aspect intriguing, but it ended up being fairly predictable. A lot of what is revealed is very similar to another book I've read; I won't give spoilers, but I will say that I think the other book deals with these very similar themes and events in a better way.
I mostly got on well with the writing style, but it really irritated me that the text messages that are included are written as if they're dialogue. Each time it happened it threw me out of the story and just made me wonder why on earth the author chose to write them that way.
There's a strange quasi-romantic subplot that I didn't mind in itself, but it frustrated me that the implications of the relationship are barely explored. I have to complain too about the inclusion of a joke about OCD (in a story where no characters have OCD, and this joke being the only time the illness is mentioned). For a book published in 2019, there's just no excuse.
I did, then, find this to be a moving and compelling read, and I liked the focuses on relationships between sisters and families and on the destructive nature of secrets. Ultimately, though, it's essentially a fairly mediocre read, and not one I'd go out of my way to recommend.
This ended up being just an OK read for me. I really liked Sylvie's character, and I liked the explorations of the various sibling and family relationships that were present. I appreciated that this is as much an exploration of Sylvie's grief and guilt and life after losing her sister as it is a mystery. I found the mystery aspect intriguing, but it ended up being fairly predictable. A lot of what is revealed is very similar to another book I've read; I won't give spoilers, but I will say that I think the other book deals with these very similar themes and events in a better way.
I mostly got on well with the writing style, but it really irritated me that the text messages that are included are written as if they're dialogue. Each time it happened it threw me out of the story and just made me wonder why on earth the author chose to write them that way.
There's a strange quasi-romantic subplot that I didn't mind in itself, but it frustrated me that the implications of the relationship are barely explored. I have to complain too about the inclusion of a joke about OCD (in a story where no characters have OCD, and this joke being the only time the illness is mentioned). For a book published in 2019, there's just no excuse.
I did, then, find this to be a moving and compelling read, and I liked the focuses on relationships between sisters and families and on the destructive nature of secrets. Ultimately, though, it's essentially a fairly mediocre read, and not one I'd go out of my way to recommend.