lutzstaacke's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Der fesselnde Titel und das vielversprechende Cover waren es, die mich zu “Meine Schwester, die Serienmörderin” von Oyinkan Braithwaite gezogen haben. Zudem war ich neugierig auf ein Buch einer schwarzen Autorin, das in der Welt des Thrillers angesiedelt ist.
Die Hauptfigur Korede hat mein Herz erobert. Ihre Opferbereitschaft, alles für ihre mordende Schwester Ayoola zu tun, berührte mich zutiefst. Obwohl Ayoola am Anfang schwer zugänglich war, gewann sie im Verlauf der Geschichte an Sympathie.
Das Buch fällt in das Genre des Thrillers, jedoch ohne die erwartete Düsternis. Die Morde stehen eher im Hintergrund, was mich überraschte. Ich hatte mehr Leichen erwartet, aber die Autorin konzentriert sich stattdessen auf die Beziehung der beiden Schwestern zueinander.
Der Erzählstil des Buches war für mich eine Herausforderung. Die Erzählung sprang oft zwischen verschiedenen Zeiten und Orten hin und her, was es schwer machte, den Überblick zu behalten. Die einfach gehaltenen Kapitel trugen ebenfalls dazu bei, dass ich mich manchmal verloren fühlte.
Eine Botschaft, die ich aus diesem Buch ziehe, ist die Tiefe der Bindung zwischen Geschwistern, selbst in den widrigsten Umständen. Es war schön zu sehen, wie Korede und Ayoola füreinander da sind, obwohl sie in moralischen Dilemmata verstrickt sind.
Leider konnte mich die Handlung nicht immer fesseln. Die Nebenfiguren wurden zwar erwähnt, aber nicht ausreichend entwickelt, was es schwer machte, sie zu verfolgen.
Die Atmosphäre des Buches blieb oberflächlich, und ich wünschte, die Autorin hätte sich mehr auf die Handlung konzentriert. Ein tieferer Einblick in die Morde und mehr Handlung hätten dem Buch gutgetan.
Das Ende war solide, obwohl ich mir eine stärkere Auflösung gewünscht hätte. Die Vertiefung der Beziehung zwischen den Schwestern war positiv, aber eine gewisse Form der Bestrafung hätte das Buch möglicherweise stärker abgerundet.
Alles in allem würde ich “Meine Schwester, die Serienmörderin” jungen Erwachsenen und Fans von leichteren Krimis und Thrillern empfehlen. Es ist eine Geschichte über familiäre Bindungen und Moral in ungewöhnlichen Umständen, die trotz einiger Schwächen in der Handlung und im Erzählstil fesselt.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Toxic relationship, Blood, Death, and Domestic abuse
livpaige93's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
medium-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Child abuse
Moderate: Death of parent and Violence
kaylaimanireads's review against another edition
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Murder, and Violence
everie's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A tense thriller centering a pair of sisters--one (Ayoola) who kills her boyfriends and one (Korede) who cleans up the other's messes, literally and figuratively.
The story does a great job letting the reader grow as frustrated as Korede is with Ayoola, showing her as flighty, thoughtless, the angel of everyone's world even as she's taking a knife to Korede's--and, uh, all those guys, too.
The story is short, but it balances insights on gender and class in Nigerian society with the stop-start panic of Korede's life, which is ruled first by her sister, then by societal expectations (or perhaps the reverse?). A great bitter narrator, a wonderfully realized cast of characters, even those that only show up for a few pages--but by the end,
Still fantastic writing. Author to look out for in the future.
Spoiler
for reasons that remain unexplained :)The story does a great job letting the reader grow as frustrated as Korede is with Ayoola, showing her as flighty, thoughtless, the angel of everyone's world even as she's taking a knife to Korede's--and, uh, all those guys, too.
The story is short, but it balances insights on gender and class in Nigerian society with the stop-start panic of Korede's life, which is ruled first by her sister, then by societal expectations (or perhaps the reverse?). A great bitter narrator, a wonderfully realized cast of characters, even those that only show up for a few pages--but by the end,
Spoiler
the devolution of the main character, who seemed to be at the cusp of freeing herself, was a little disappointing. Not because she regressed to the way she was at the start, but because it feels like this situation can only last so much longer before it boils over again. I mean, Ayoola will kill again. She's terrible at hiding her tracks. We still don't know why she does what she does. Maybe she doesn't need a reason, but it feels incompleteStill fantastic writing. Author to look out for in the future.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Child abuse
rworrall78's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Amazingly constructed..
Wonderful short chapters..
I wouldn't have described it as funny but it is very clever.
<Spoiler> it's the right ending but what a gut punch...,
Wonderful short chapters..
I wouldn't have described it as funny but it is very clever.
<Spoiler> it's the right ending but what a gut punch...,
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Murder
tinnuben's review against another edition
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Child abuse, Murder, and Death of parent
sophiaesi's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder and Domestic abuse
allisonz6's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Physical abuse, Blood, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Classism, Body shaming, and Medical content
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Infidelity
gmdho2023's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Murder
t0wana's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
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
3.5
I feel like the only one who didn’t enjoy this book as much as I wanted to. It was an easy, quick read, but it wasn’t as humorous as the book described itself. I expected a dark comedy, but it felt more like a drama. Also, the character development was kinda non-existent. I felt like I wasted my time. The book is just okay!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder