Sun Sister: A Review

The Sun Sister, released after I had finally caught up on the rest of the series. I was certainly curious to see what they would do with Electra’s character, as she was the one who seemed to have the least screen presence… or book appearances, when compared to the others. She does show up several times throughout the first five books, but it did feel like she was more so referred to than actually having scenes.

Unfortunately, this would be my least favorite in the series. Due to seeing and agreeing with some of the criticisms in reviews, I do feel like it could have been better. There were a lot of good concepts there, and I was all for them, but I did see how the execution seems rushed. It’s not terrible by any means, however, out of all seven books so far, one had to be the least enjoyed. And for me, it was this one.

Series Disclaimer

While this series does involve each character finding their birth family, I do not believe that it was the author’s intent to diminish adopted families. Having read the series, I interpreted it as each daughter being given the choice to find their birth families if they so choose. With each daughter choosing to investigate their history.

Book Specific Disclaimer

Know that Sun Sister does address drug addiction and recovery throughout Electra’s story. How well the story handles it will depend on the reader, but know that it is addressed.

Synopsis

Electra’s story is one of fame, struggles, and living in the moment. Electra, despite being the youngest sister, has had a rather successful career in modeling. However, her personal life is far from perfect. After putting off the information Pa Salt had left her in regards to her family tree, and getting help for her addiction, she decides to look into it. When she is given a letter from a woman claiming to be her grandmother, she finds herself meeting this woman and discovering her family history while coping and working on bettering herself.

Meanwhile, starting in 1939 Cecily Huntley-Morgan finds herself moving from New York to Kenya on a journey of rediscovery and recovery. With war and disaster on the horizon, she finds herself marrying a man named Bill Forsythe and joining him as he works alongside the Maasai Tribe, who he has close connections with. As loneliness starts to set in, Cecily finds a baby that had been abandoned and raises them as her own.

Positives

I will say that I did appreciate the story it was telling. For Electra’s story, I appreciate how she does get help for her struggles. What she was going through is relatable and worth discussing. I also thought Electra had some good, albeit not perfect, development.

I also thought it was neat how this story did decide to address some of the Civil Rights era. It was a step forward time period wise, where as most of the previous books past story segments took place between the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Because while it does start off in the late 1930’s, having a slightly more modern and notable time period was a nice change of pace.

Critiques

Unfortunately, the execution is where it feels lacking. It probably doesn’t help that I did read a few reviews before hand, something I typically try to refrain from unless I am that curious about if a book is worth reading. And while I wouldn’t say that checking out reviews, or getting a second opinion/feedback before going into a book is bad, it did give me something to think about.

Because, while I do think that there were good intentions behind the book, I also think that it wasn’t as well executed as it could have been. Which was something some reviews noted on more or less. So while I can credit it for trying, I can also critique it for it’s execution.

One critique that stuck out to me was how quick the story seemed to skim over Electra’s recovery. And I can kind of see why. It does address it and has some moments dedicated to it, but it does feel like it could have or should have gone more in depth with it. Of course, it goes without saying that I am not an expert when it comes to addiction recovery and how long it should take, despite what knowledge I do have on it. That said, I can see why it might have felt rushed and/or not as developed as it should have been.

Another complaint I’ve seen was with Electra herself. Mostly with characterization. I will admit, Electra was the one sister I was curious about, but also the one I wasn’t sure hot to feel about. I would definitely say the character is a bit rough around the edges and there were areas that might have needed some improvement. However, I don’t think I was as critical to Electra as some people might have been, though I do agree there could have been different ways to handle the character in some instances.

Conclusion

Overall, I would give this book a six out of ten. I do believe that there were areas that could have been improved upon with the character and how certain story elements could have been done differently. That said, I do kind of appreciate what the book was trying to do with it’s handling of Electra’s mental health and addiction, even if the execution wasn’t stellar.