Monday, September 10, 2018

Review: The Other Sister

Title:  The Other Sister
Author:  Sarah Zettel
Genre:  Psychological Thriller
Publisher:  Grand Central Publishing
Format:  Print ARC
No. of pages:  384 Pages
Date Published:  August 28, 2018
My Rating:  4.5 Stars


Blurb:

Geraldine Monroe is the bad sister. Reckless and troubled, she ran away shortly after the mysterious death of their mother twenty years ago.

Marie, on the other hand, has always been the good sister. She is the obedient daughter and a loving mother to her son.

Now Geraldine has come home, for good it seems, and no one--not the aunts or uncles or cousins--really knows why. The most suspicious of all is Martin Monroe, the father who rules the extended family and their small town with a poisonous combination of money and coldheartedness. But even he doesn't realize what the truth is: that the sisters have become allies in a plot to kill him.

Bound by blood and a need to right the past, Geraldine and Marie set their plan in motion. When old secrets and new fears clash, everyone is pushed to the breaking point . . . and the sisters will learn that they can't trust anyone, not even each other.


My thoughts:

In this story we are presented with the fact that Geraldine is the bad sister. She has is arriving at her family home in preparation for her nephew's upcoming graduation party. Geraldine disappeared twenty years ago after the strange death of their mother. Oh, she has been back from time-to-time, but this visit will be different than any others.

Marie has always been deemed the good sister, the apple of their father's eye. She is the mother of Robbie, who is the one about to graduate. Although Marie knows her sister's visit will bring a lot of trouble, she also knows the visit is inevitable. Her sister cannot deny her nephew's desire for her to attend, even though her father and other relatives are very wary. Her father, Martin Monroe, is a case, a very hard man who rules the entire family due to his money and coldhearted nature. Although very wary of Geraldine's visit, he is confident that Marie will continue to stand by him and resist any machinations that Geraldine will inflict upon the family.

What Martin does not know is that Geraldine and Marie have made a strong plan to right the wrongs of the past. What is more is the plan that the sisters have concocted. But they must be very secret, and very careful. As time progresses, the situations continually change and then everyone, including Geraldine and Marie, are not sure if they can trust anyone, even each other. As children, they were torn apart by their parents. As adults, they are forced to come together. But, will it last?

The Other Sister is told in varying timelines and points of view. The story brings the past and the present together at a pace that flows rapidly. The twists and the turns are shocking, scary and kept me turning pages as fast as possible. There was so much darkness, so many revelations and secrets that I just had to know what was going to happen.

I have never read a book by Sarah Zettel before, and I must say, she is a fabulous writer. She manages to keep the story utterly riveting, terrifying and, at times, heartbreaking. The Other Sister refers often to dark fairy tales and consistently brings in several parallels. This adds to the intensity of the story. The plot is evil, the story is riveting, and the conclusion is shocking. If you pick up this book, I dare you to try and put it down. I couldn't.

Many thanks to Grand Central Publishing for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.


About the author:

Sarah Zettel has never met a genre she doesn’t like.  An bestselling, and award-winning author, she’s won critical acclaim for her mystery, young adult and historical books.  With The Other Sister, Sarah enters the realm of suspense, bringing with her a unique fairy tale flare.

A woman who wears many hats, and many names, Sarah also writes elegant, and bestselling, Regency-era mystery and romance under the name of Darcie Wilde.

She currently lives and writes in an unpronounceable town in Michigan, with where she keeps a husband, a son, and more old books and embroidery floss than any one person really ought to own.

She is an award-winning science fiction and fantasy author. She has written eighteen novels and multiple short stories over the past seventeen years in addition to practicing tai chi, learning to fiddle, marrying a rocket scientist and raising a rapidly growing son. She is very tired right now.



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