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A review by stitchsaddiction
Sister Spirit by Efua Traoré
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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
4.0
Sister Spirit is a story of self-discovery and finding one's true identity with Tara our protagonist wanting to know more about where she came from.
We travel alongside Tara to Nigeria as she wishes to study abroad which admittedly did have me as a parent wondering just how her parents can just accept it without question. There's not a chance my child would have been allowed to be left on the other side of the world - fiction or not. (Yes, I'm aware it's a silly thing to be stuck on when this is a book with a heavy focus on magic and the supernatural but there we go. It just niggled the Mum brain too much of the big no in my head.)
I do love how Efua Traoré writes about Olumo Rock, which is located in Abeokuta, Ogun State. For anyone such as myself who hadn't ever heard of this mythical place in Nigerian history? Traoré not only makes it feel as though the reader is facing this vast natural edifice but under the all-knowing gaze of those who protect it from damage. Thanks to Sister Spirit I found myself reading and learning not only about the stone itself but Iya Orissa the Priestess of the rock.
But I digress.
Sister Spirit is a consuming narrative that had me unable to put the book down once the story got going. (It did feel a little slow at first but then wow!) I thought that Tara was a realistic main character in as much as she's very determined and assured in what she needs to do, she also is all top aware once she's in Nigeria that she's suddenly out of her comfort zone and in dire need of support from those around her. With some stereotyping of boarding schools and crushes on the boys in the school across the way as a contrast to the supernatural and darker elements to the story; Sister Spirit will have you on the edge of your seat both literal or metaphorical as the realities of Tara's decisions unfold.
Recommended for 12 and up, I would suggest it's perhaps a little more suited for 14 onwards due to the darker and more elemental parts of the story as it may make a younger reader feel a little unsettled.
I hope that there's more about Tara and her companions both in Nigeria and London as there's so much more I would love to know.
We travel alongside Tara to Nigeria as she wishes to study abroad which admittedly did have me as a parent wondering just how her parents can just accept it without question. There's not a chance my child would have been allowed to be left on the other side of the world - fiction or not. (Yes, I'm aware it's a silly thing to be stuck on when this is a book with a heavy focus on magic and the supernatural but there we go. It just niggled the Mum brain too much of the big no in my head.)
I do love how Efua Traoré writes about Olumo Rock, which is located in Abeokuta, Ogun State. For anyone such as myself who hadn't ever heard of this mythical place in Nigerian history? Traoré not only makes it feel as though the reader is facing this vast natural edifice but under the all-knowing gaze of those who protect it from damage. Thanks to Sister Spirit I found myself reading and learning not only about the stone itself but Iya Orissa the Priestess of the rock.
But I digress.
Sister Spirit is a consuming narrative that had me unable to put the book down once the story got going. (It did feel a little slow at first but then wow!) I thought that Tara was a realistic main character in as much as she's very determined and assured in what she needs to do, she also is all top aware once she's in Nigeria that she's suddenly out of her comfort zone and in dire need of support from those around her. With some stereotyping of boarding schools and crushes on the boys in the school across the way as a contrast to the supernatural and darker elements to the story; Sister Spirit will have you on the edge of your seat both literal or metaphorical as the realities of Tara's decisions unfold.
Recommended for 12 and up, I would suggest it's perhaps a little more suited for 14 onwards due to the darker and more elemental parts of the story as it may make a younger reader feel a little unsettled.
I hope that there's more about Tara and her companions both in Nigeria and London as there's so much more I would love to know.