hisghoulfriday's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Second Sister was a fantastic thriller! It had plenty of twists and turns that made this book hard to put down (or pause).
I loved how clever this book was. There was so much information on cyber security and tech, and it was written in a way that it didn't seem like it was constantly info-dumping. I also loved all of the IYKYK references to Monty Python and Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
The characters were incredibly well written, even the minor characters had an intricate backstory, and I absolutely adored how snarky the hacker, N was. The audiobook narrator, Nancy Wu, did a fabulous job of bringing the story to life.
I loved how clever this book was. There was so much information on cyber security and tech, and it was written in a way that it didn't seem like it was constantly info-dumping. I also loved all of the IYKYK references to Monty Python and Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
The characters were incredibly well written, even the minor characters had an intricate backstory, and I absolutely adored how snarky the hacker, N was. The audiobook narrator, Nancy Wu, did a fabulous job of bringing the story to life.
hercomfortbooks's review against another edition
5.0
"The problem isn’t the internet, it’s us."
Salah satu buku thriller terbaik aku baca di 2023 ini. Berasa baca buku non-fiction dimana penjelasan dunia IT also the society dari baik & buruk terjawab sudah 5w+1h dengan detail di dalam buku ini. Every dialogues on this book have a meaning and purpose.
Awalnya mikir kasusnya simple banget karena aku baca ada beberapa kisah seperti ini. TAPI! yang bikin aku lebih speechless tuh the whole plot terbungkus rapih secara matang, nggak ada hole sedikit pun! like wow woahhh!!
dan TENTU saja character develop det. N! Kayaknya semua reader buku ini pasti setuju penyelesaian det.N amazing habis. Kalau ada series buku det. N aku rela ngikutin
Salah satu buku thriller terbaik aku baca di 2023 ini. Berasa baca buku non-fiction dimana penjelasan dunia IT also the society dari baik & buruk terjawab sudah 5w+1h dengan detail di dalam buku ini. Every dialogues on this book have a meaning and purpose.
Awalnya mikir kasusnya simple banget karena aku baca ada beberapa kisah seperti ini. TAPI! yang bikin aku lebih speechless tuh the whole plot terbungkus rapih secara matang, nggak ada hole sedikit pun! like wow woahhh!!
dan TENTU saja character develop det. N! Kayaknya semua reader buku ini pasti setuju penyelesaian det.N amazing habis. Kalau ada series buku det. N aku rela ngikutin
cirquedulune's review against another edition
5.0
This book is more than "three acts”, I've lost count of the number of "WHAT???" I've uttered along the way. I have almost no expectations for this book, I picked it up because I'd heard it was good and I was looking for a detective slash crime mystery book, but I got so much more. Wow. Wow, just wow. WOW. I'm not sure how to review this book properly right now; I just finished it five minutes ago and all I can say is READ IT. NOW.
“Happy families are all alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in their own way.”
“You talk about people in the internet as a way of avoiding reality. People are never willing to admit the selfishness and desire hidden with our human nature. They always find something to use as a scapegoat.”
“Happy families are all alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in their own way.”
“You talk about people in the internet as a way of avoiding reality. People are never willing to admit the selfishness and desire hidden with our human nature. They always find something to use as a scapegoat.”
lor_nia's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Death, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Grief, and Homophobia
lachateau's review against another edition
challenging
dark
hopeful
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Decided to read this book after complementing myself to have one and other people convince me to at least have this once in a life time if you are into thriller, but finally I have the copy from my public library.
The whole plot is mesmerizing, along with the entire unique character from one to another. I recognize the bold side of N and Nga-Yee very well, also Siu-Man, and fall in love with their personalities as I read the page turning on. It really… hit close to home. All the details and explanations by N amazed me in so many ways, that mind-boggling me to know that kind big brain exists in our world! Huh! I love him even more!
Not to forget to mention about how the moral of the story itself lead me to, all the betrayals and consciousness of human's selfishness collided as one to make the Second Sister will be one of story that be so, so dear that laid in everyone’s heart. Please do read some trigger warnings to make you comfortable and the value can be right upon you safely.
4,75 of 5 ⭐️
The whole plot is mesmerizing, along with the entire unique character from one to another. I recognize the bold side of N and Nga-Yee very well, also Siu-Man, and fall in love with their personalities as I read the page turning on. It really… hit close to home. All the details and explanations by N amazed me in so many ways, that mind-boggling me to know that kind big brain exists in our world! Huh! I love him even more!
Not to forget to mention about how the moral of the story itself lead me to, all the betrayals and consciousness of human's selfishness collided as one to make the Second Sister will be one of story that be so, so dear that laid in everyone’s heart. Please do read some trigger warnings to make you comfortable and the value can be right upon you safely.
4,75 of 5 ⭐️
annhorchata's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
FIVE OUT OF FIVE!! TEN OUT OF FIVE!!!
This book is so so so good, got my out of a reading slump. It's quite a thick book but it's one of those which I can't put down but also I feel sad because I will never be able to experience it for the first time again. Reflective story about cyberbullying, cyber culture and what "justice" really means.
2/2 good books. Chan Ho-kei has officially joined the ranks of my favourite authors.
This book is so so so good, got my out of a reading slump. It's quite a thick book but it's one of those which I can't put down but also I feel sad because I will never be able to experience it for the first time again. Reflective story about cyberbullying, cyber culture and what "justice" really means.
2/2 good books. Chan Ho-kei has officially joined the ranks of my favourite authors.
paulataua's review against another edition
3.0
Teenage Siu-Man is groped on the subway and the incident leads to the perpetrator being convicted and imprisoned. Online bullying of Siu-Man follows that ends in her throwing herself out of the window to her death. The story really begins when her sister hires a hacker to track down the bullies. It is my second Chan Ho-Kei book after ‘The Borrowed’. It starts so well, so much so that I felt this might turn out to be one of my favorite reads of the year, but then it gets bogged down in the cyber description and the hacker’s constant revelations of his technique for generating clues. It is a pity that so much time is given to world of the internet and so little to the thriller it might have been. An OK read!
mateorg's review
3.0
A ver, libro sólido. No me voló la cabeza ni mucho menos, pero tiene un paquete de personajes excelentemente construidos. Reales. Para mí eso fue el fuerte de esta historia. Nga-Yee y N me resultaron completos.
Otra vez nos metemos en la cabeza del asesino pero no sabemos bien que tiene que ver dentro de la historia, hasta el final. Su punto de vista no me convenció para nada. Y aunque entendamos al final la razón por la que leemos tanto a este personaje, en mi opinión, fue una historia paralela innecesaria, aportó material de relleno y no mucho más. Podríamos haber entendido sus intereses y su personalidad en muchas menos páginas.
La trama en sí no me pareció la más compleja ni la mejor pensada de todas, pero es suficiente para entretener y querer seguir leyendo. Eso sí, me pareció que sobraban bastantes páginas y se podría haber acotado la historia mucho más. A lo último, la trama da unos giros interesantes. Me gustaron. No sé si fueron sorpresivos. En algún punto fueron inteligentes.
Y bueno, un libro que empecé en diciembre de 2021 pero que termino este año. Así que cuenta como lectura de 2022. Un tecno-thriller chino que cumplió su objetivo, con personajes sólidos. Nada de otro mundo.
3/5.
Otra vez nos metemos en la cabeza del asesino pero no sabemos bien que tiene que ver dentro de la historia, hasta el final. Su punto de vista no me convenció para nada. Y aunque entendamos al final la razón por la que leemos tanto a este personaje, en mi opinión, fue una historia paralela innecesaria, aportó material de relleno y no mucho más. Podríamos haber entendido sus intereses y su personalidad en muchas menos páginas.
La trama en sí no me pareció la más compleja ni la mejor pensada de todas, pero es suficiente para entretener y querer seguir leyendo. Eso sí, me pareció que sobraban bastantes páginas y se podría haber acotado la historia mucho más. A lo último, la trama da unos giros interesantes. Me gustaron. No sé si fueron sorpresivos. En algún punto fueron inteligentes.
Y bueno, un libro que empecé en diciembre de 2021 pero que termino este año. Así que cuenta como lectura de 2022. Un tecno-thriller chino que cumplió su objetivo, con personajes sólidos. Nada de otro mundo.
3/5.
shirasuki's review against another edition
4.0
Wow... Ada banyak sekali plot twist di cerita ini.. Tapi sejak awal aku memang sudah mencurigai violet, hanya soal kakaknya ternyata melenceng besar. Suka sekali pada karakter N di sini like he's super cool! T_T
Membaca cerita tentang tokoh bunuh diri selalu membuatku merasa emosional dan buku ini juga menjadi salah satunya, ada banyak missed point yg kakaknya sejak awal tak bisa lihat tapi aku suka bagaimana dia memutuskan untuk mengakhiri semuanya hinggal Violet tidak harus kehilangan nyawa. Masih berharap Siu Man akan mendapat keadilan, tapi semua memang sudah cukup untuk menyiksa pelaku seumur hidup. What a very great story, I love it!
Membaca cerita tentang tokoh bunuh diri selalu membuatku merasa emosional dan buku ini juga menjadi salah satunya, ada banyak missed point yg kakaknya sejak awal tak bisa lihat tapi aku suka bagaimana dia memutuskan untuk mengakhiri semuanya hinggal Violet tidak harus kehilangan nyawa. Masih berharap Siu Man akan mendapat keadilan, tapi semua memang sudah cukup untuk menyiksa pelaku seumur hidup. What a very great story, I love it!