Tigers, not daughters is told by different perspectives. It deals with loss, grief, alcohol and physical abuse. When one of the Torres sisters dies the family each try to deal with it in their own way. You have a father who did not only lose his wife in child birth but also lost his oldest daughter. You have Jessica who misses her sister so much that she tries to be like her. You have Iridian who is scared to sleep in her own home. Then you have Ana the youngest who is dealing with her emotions by finding the Hyena that has escaped.

I love the poetic way this book was written. It does have a slight touch of Magic Realism. The way the characters are written you can feel all their pain and emotions. I would recommend this book to all who would love a quick touching read.

I wasn't always sure what was happening in this book but I loved the use of language. The characters always felt real though it toed the line of magical realism. The shifting voices helped create a vivid landscape for the story. I wanted to know more about the father - was he a deadbeat or just grieving?

Trigger warnings: human and animal death, abuse in a romantic relationship

Synopsis: We follow the perspectives of sisters Jessica, Rosa and Iridian as they live life whilst being haunted by their recently deceased sister, Ana. Oh, and we get the perspective from a nosy neighbour and his friends too. As the girls try to decipher why Ana is haunting them they each navigate their own life obstacles and grief in the 9 days that the majority of this story takes place in.

Wow, I started this book last night without knowing quite what I was getting into. After reading the first page, I was irrevocably hooked. Normally I find it hard to sink in to a novel which has multiple perspectives as I find it hard to care that much about certain characters and only love one. However, I loved each perspective in this story equally - from Jessica's tough time with boyfriend John, Iridian and her sense of belonging within a page, Rosa and her sweet yet strong character, and even the boys next door and their well articulated shame at not doing more to help.

I think my favourite part about this book was how real each of the characters felt. They didn't play the hero just because that would have been the easier path to take, instead they acted how any normal person would probably act in that situation. Then, when they tables were turned and a character did act, that also felt real.

I'm lucky enough that I haven't experienced the death of someone close to me, all my close family and friends are still beautifully alive. So I don't feel like I can say that I related to the feelings of grief that the sisters and their dad experience, but I can say that I do believe that people react to grief in different ways and the way that Mabry writes this in her characters is poetic. Coming away from reading about grief written in this way has given me a new perspective on what it would be like to lose someone precious. Oh, and while I mentioned Dad... he is a grief stricken character who comes across as a "baddie" in the girls eyes, however, I think the reader is encouraged to sympathise with him a little bit. Not excuse him and his actions, but to develop our sympathy and make ourselves (the audience) recognise that although we are entitled to our opinions, it doesn't mean that others aren't.

There are other elements in the book that I really enjoyed as well; the general sisterhood feel, hints of romance, the spiritual side of Rosa, the acknowledgement of how guilt can really plague a person, and that someone actually stood up against an asshole character in a way that wasn't all macho.

I hope that this novel gets traction when it is published in March 2020 as I think it could help many people understand more about grief and emotions, as well as just being an all round hooking read. Now excuse me as I go find Mabry's other books!

Tigers, Not Daughters is the story of the Torres sisters, three young women -- Iridian, Jessica, and Rosa -- grieving the loss of their eldest sister, Ana. Ana, however, is not quite gone, and her sisters find themselves and their home haunted by Ana's spirit. As all three girls navigate isolation, an abusive boyfriend, and an escaped hyena, the ghost of their sister lingers and forces them to come to terms with their grief once and for all. Samantha Mabry writes with a unique voice, lyrical prose that flows gently even as it punches the reader in the gut. Each sister is distinctive and their grief is palpable. Mabry demonstrates how the grieving process is for different people, even those who have lost the same loved one. This book is a masterful portrayal of the bonds between sisters, the grief that binds them together, and the pain that ultimately heals them.

This was a really great read. It was about 3 sisters dealing with the loss of the fourth. They each cope in their own ways and each chapter is from a different point of view. Their father is mostly absent with his own grief and each of the girls are basically on their own. It follows them a year after the loss and shows exactly how they've been affected. Each one eventually overcomes and grows stronger. It was a good read for me. I would certainly read more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book "Tigers Not Daughters" in exchange for an honest review. I knew nothing about this book before digging into it and once I started I literally could not stop reading. The tone is very different from anything I've read before. The book is about four girls who live with their father, who is a pretty terrible father and person. He tries to hold them close while also just being an irresponsible, selfish jerk. Their mother died when the youngest girl was born. Across the street lives a boy named Hector whose house is a hangout for his three best guy friends. Parts of this book are told from their perspective. Ana is the oldest daughter who just graduated high school. Her sisters are Jessica, Iridian, and Rosa who is around twelve years old and who all have very different personalities and quirks. The girls dream of running away. But one day Ana dies and the girls are left scrambling. Their plan was always led by Ana. A lot of interesting things start happening around a year after Ana's death. Pretty soon it is apparent that Ana is back and trying to send them a message. The girls deal with Ana's spirit differently and they try to unravel the message that she is sending them. Oh this book! It felt so real and the characters felt realistic and vulnerable. It made the 'ghostly' parts of the story more realistic as well. The only thing negative I can say is that boo is written in a way that never quite allows you to get in the character's heads. A good book can make you feel like you are completely immersed in the character. This felt more like watching a tv show. A really good tv show, maybe even your favorite, but still a tv show. But I wouldn't change the tone or writing either because it was so beautifully done. I really enjoyed this book. I love stories where women take their futures by the hand and overcome obstacles. I don't really see the Little Women comparisons though. The only thing I found to be similar was that both books are about four sisters. I highly recommend this one.

"If it weren’t for us, things would’ve turned out differently. If it weren’t for us, Ana wouldn't have died two months later and her sisters wouldn’t have been forced to suffer at the hands of her angry ghost.”

This was a moving story about the power of grief and the strength of sisterhood.

Set in San Antonio "Tigers, Not Daughters"  shows the gritty and raw side of raising daughters in modern times. The Torres sisters live across the street from teenage boy Hector, whose teenage male friends are generally hanging around.  They are being raised by their father, their mother died after the youngest daughter was born. But what happens to the already unpleasant Torres household when the oldest sister dies? What secrets is everyone hiding? 

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed the dysfunctional family aspect and the cast of characters as a whole, but felt a hard time connecting to any character on a more personal level which lowered the overall enjoyment of the book for me. Otherwise, a pretty solid read.

If you like
* dysfunctional families.
* Ghost stories.
* sisterly love.
* mysteries.
Then I think you’re probably going to like this book because it has all of that and more. Personally I enjoyed the writing and the plot of this novel but since I didn’t connect with any of the characters I couldn’t get fully invested in it so it ended up just being an ok read for me. I definitely think others should give it a try if they like any of the things I mentioned though because it really was quite a good book.

This book was gorgeous and haunting (no pun intended, but also maybe a little) and powerful. Seriously could not put it down, and I have a feeling it will stay with me a while (at least doubt I'll stop thinking about it for the rest of the day.) Highly recommended.