Sunday, October 11, 2009

The Lost Sister by Megan Kelley Hall

Awhile back I read and enjoyed Sisters of Misery by Megan Kelley Hall (clink on the title to read my review). When I heard that the sequel had come out...well, I had to pick it up so I instantly requested it from the library. Unfortunately, it didn't quite live up to my expectations but here are some of my thoughts.

Warning: This review MAY have spoilers. There is just no way to get around it because the reader needs to read Sisters of Misery before they should give this one a try. The Lost Sister picks up where the previous book left off and shows the reader what Maddie has been up to since going away to school and leaving her hometown (and bad memories) behind. Maddie is still searching for Cordelia and trying to figure out what happened to her after that horrible night on the island. The book is written in multiple viewpoints which allows the reader to begin to see things from Cordelia's experiences to where she is and what she is planning on doing. But mysterious forces are still at work which will draw both of the girls deep into danger once again.

I'm going to split this review into two parts: what worked for me and what didn't. One of my favorite things about this book were reading about the different meanings of the tarot cards beginning at each chapter. It was really interesting and made me want to learn more. I'm glad that we finally find out what happened to Cordelia as the 1st book left me curious and wanting more. It was also nice to see a stronger Maddie, one that stood up for herself and made better decisions. I was able to relate to her even more in this book which was a positive thing.

Not everything worked for me in this book and one of the main problems that I had was the jumping around in narration. It wasn't always clear who was talking at times and it interrupted the flow of the story more often than not. And this bothered me as I think that the flow of the story is an important aspect to me enjoying it as a reader. I also had a hard time getting into the storyline and it wasn't until the end that I found myself really wanting to find out what was going to happen. The ending itself was pulled off nicely as it did keep me reading but all in all, I had a very easy time putting this book down.

I'll still be looking for more books by this author even if this wasn't my favorite book. Has anyone else read this? What were your thoughts...did you like it better than I did? And lastly, leave a link to your review and I'll add it to this post to give readers some other opinions on this book :)

P.S. - In other book-related news, I received Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (won in a contest @ Stark Raving Bookaholic - thanks again!!!) in the mail as well as an unexpected read from Orbit Publishing called Bite Marks by Jennifer Rardin. Don't know why they sent me this but as it is SO up my alley, well...I'm already requesting the 1st book in this series from the library :) Another new author and series for me to start...and I'll say a big thanks as well!

9 comments:

  1. I appreciate your honest review. The bit about the tarot cards sounds intriguing!

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  2. I haven't heard of this series but I'm sorry that this second one wasn't as good as the first. Hopefully the next one will not disappoint you!

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  3. Thank you for your review. Never heard of this book before, but it does sound interesting. Maybe the next book is better :)

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  4. I have Sisters of Misery on my shelf but haven't had the time to read it yet. Sorry this one didn't cut it for you. It's a bit disappointing when that happens.

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  5. Sam,

    Thanks for posting an honest review of THE LOST SISTER. I know you were struggling with posting the review because it didn't live up to your expectations. As a writer, it's my job to take feedback from my readers and to use it going forward. I always appreciate the time bloggers and readers spend on my books. I never take that for granted. I put my heart and soul into my writing and I only hope that readers feel that they get something of equal value out of it. I'm still new to the world of publishing (THE LOST SISTER is only my second book published ever), so I take criticisms to heart. I really appreciate you giving what you felt were the positive and negative aspects of TLS. I'm hoping that you will continue to read and enjoy my books, as I really enjoy writing for you all.

    lots of love,
    Megan

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  6. Sorry this didn't live up to your expectations :(

    Congrats on your book wins though!

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  7. Sorry to hear the sequel wasnt so great. I havent read these. Great, honest review.


    http://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/

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  8. I read the Sister's of Misery a while back. I liked the book, but didn't really like Maddie very much. She was weak, and that bothered me. She had a chance to change things...and didn't. For some reason that just really bothered me.

    I still want to read this one. I appreciate your review!!

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  9. Suko- The tarot cards and their meanings was intriguing!

    Staci- I'm not sure if there is going to be a 3rd one or not but I would still read it if there was.

    Nina- Definitely start out with Sisters of Misery!

    Dar- It is disappointing...but I didn't hate it or anything which made it better.

    Megan- Thank you for taking the time to comment and read my review. I really, really enjoyed your first book so of course I plan on reading more of whatever you write. And I did like this one but I had some problems with it as well which is what I tried to convey.

    Thanks Ladytink!

    Naida- Thank you as well :)

    Stephanie- Maddie is stronger in this book which was a good thing!

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Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. I appreciate each and every one of them :)