Book Review: The Deadly Sister by Eliot Schrefer

 
The Deadly Sister by Eliot Schrefer

Publisher:Scholastic

Publish Date: May 1, 2010

Hardcover, 352 pages

My Review:
Why I read this:  Suspenseful and dark, it sounded like a book that was right up my alley and different from the paranormal YA I have been reading.  I also loved the cover, creepy and effective.  So when I could, I signed up for it with 1-ARC Tours.

How is the novel driven: Character driven, the murder has happened and though there is a lot of action, most of the book is dedicated to what happened and why it happened, the reader never really knowing until the end.  The character development is mainly between the two sisters, Abby and Maya.  One good sister and one who has gone astray.

My thoughts:  
A very interesting book, different from a lot of the YA I have read recently.  This one is contemporary and suspense.  The book starts off with Abby finding a body of a boy who her sister, Maya was known to associate with and had a rather explosive relationship with.  Abby immediately thinks her sister killed the boy and is off on a mission to find her sister and protect her as she has protected her for years.

As the book progresses the reader learns more and more about Abby and Maya and why Maya might have commited the crime.  The reader is also introduced to some rather colorful characters from the shady side of Maya's life and friends of Abby and their beloved one time step-grandmother.

Mr. Schrefer does an amazing job of weaving the story lines together and guiding you where he wants you to go.  Scenes jump back and forth from past to present from what is going on with Abby and then adding Maya in.  It was a very effective form of writing as it drew me as a reader in and kept me enthralled until the very end.

This is not for the faint of heart, there is obviously a crime of murder committed, there is drug and alcohol use, and profanity in the book, but like others I have read lately because it is from the shadier side of life, it seems in place and not out of place.  The book is a real look at what can happen to a member of a family when they begin to slide away into the dark places that can be found anywhere.



My Rating:  4.25/5.0

About the Book:
Abby Goodwin is sure her sister Maya isn't a murderer. But her parents don't agree. Her friends don't agree. And the cops definitely don't agree. Maya is a drop-out, a stoner, a girl who's obsessed with her tutor, Jefferson Andrews...until he ends up dead. Maya runs away, and leaves Abby following the trail of clues. Each piece of evidence points to Maya, but it also appears that Jefferson had secrets of his own. And enemies. Like his brother, who Abby becomes involved with...until he falls under suspicion.

Is Abby getting closer to finding the true murderer? Or is someone leading her down a twisted false path?
About the Author:
Eliot Schrefer is the author of The School for Dangerous Girls, Glamorous Disaster, and The New Kid. He lives in New York City. He does not have a sister.

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FTC Information: I received this book through 1-ARC Tours for review.  I have Amazon links on my review pages but I do not make any money from these because of NC laws.  I put them solely for people to check out the books on a retail site.