Lyrical and magical. A compulsively readable tale of grief, growing up, and moving forward. Samantha Mabry’s stunning storytelling brought the Torres sisters to life on the pages of this book. This is the story of four sisters and how they cope after one of them dies. Jessica is strong, angry, and has the weight of the world on her shoulders. Iridian it’s quiet and timid, she’d rather be at home with her books then out in the real world. Rosa is sweet and caring with an unusual bond with the animals. All three sisters miss their oldest sister Anna terribly. Anna fell to her death crawling out her bedroom windows as the girls tried to escape their oppressive home life. When the sisters start to hear voices, see writing on the wall, and sense a presence in the room, they wonder what their sister Anna is trying to tell them. How do you keep living when your world falls apart?

Such a gorgeous story with so much heart and the perfect touch of magic. These girls do not live an easy life. Their mother has died and their father is useless. The story is real and raw and perhaps a little bleak, but there is always that little trace of hope. The audiobook is narrated by Luis Moreno and she brought the perfect unique voice to each of the sisters. The story is told from the perspectives of each of the sisters, and I really liked getting to know each of them. Rosa was definitely my favorite sister from the very beginning, but I have to say Jessica definitely grew on me through out the course of the book. This truly was the perfect blend of coming of age and magical realism.

This book in emojis 👭 👭 🐶 ✍🏻 💄 🎼

***Big thank you to Algonquin and libro.fm FM for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

Tigers, Not Daughters was one of my anticipated books for the year. It had a very intriguing synopsis and even a more beautiful title. This book was intense and emotional. At its core, this book talks about family and grief and the different ways people deal with loss and how every way is justified and natural.

The Story
The story of this book was about the four Torres sisters. The eldest Torres sister dies (not a spoiler, its mentioned in the synopsis!) leaving the other three and their father to pick up the pieces and grieve. The story follows how each sister grieves and deals with this loss while also going ahead in their lives. This book had a lot of heavy elements but it was also so well-written that at no point did the story get boring or make me not want to read it. The story felt raw and it dealt with all the ugly sides of grief whether it’s anger, tears, need for isolation, acceptance and denial. It was all shown in its truest form and more importantly no one way was shown as the “right way”. All ways of grieving was justified and portrayed well.

After Ana’s death, mysterious things and haunted stuff starts happening which makes the sisters believe that Ana is back and trying to send them a message. This is how the story moves forward.

The Characters
The characters of this book were varied and fleshed out. This book was majorly character driven so it was important to have interesting characters and they definitely were interesting. These sisters were all so different from each other but while reading you could always feel a bond which tied them together.

Ana the eldest sister who died was the rebel and the hero for all her sisters. She loved her sisters and always dreamed of running away from the city and from their father.

The second Torres sister was Jessica who after her sister’s death became the one to take care of everyone. Jessica works at a pharmacy and hopes to escape town someday. She portrays her role really well. She misses her sister but at the same time she also wants to take care of her family and in doing all this she sometimes what she wants. Her pain and grief was trying to become like her sister and staying true to herself too.

The third Torres sister was Iridian. Iridian was a school dropout and her character and reasoning for her actions was quite mysterious until the end. She isolated herself and lashed out while trying to cope and her actions don’t always make sense. But at the end it all comes together. Iridian loves reading and writing and tries to read Ana’s favourite books to understand her.

The youngest Torres sister was Rosa. Rosa was the unique and weird sister who loved talking to animals and who believed that her sister Ana was back. Though she was the youngest, she held everyone together and always tried to be there for everyone and solve problems. She was the purest of them all.

I loved Rosa the most because her pure heart always came through. The other side characters were also very well written and important to the story in some way. The characters depicted all parts: the good, the ugly and the bizarre. They were human and realistic.

The Writing
The writing of the book was beautiful and borderline poetic. The grief and the sadness was fleshed out and written in a realistic and raw way which made you feel the emotions of the characters and stay invested in the story.

Themes of Magical Realism
There were a few hints of magical realism which was a very nice touch to the book and story. There were talks of ghosts and haunting and magic and it gave a very unique touch to this book.

Overall, Tigers, Not Daughters was an intense, dark and emotional book about family, grief and sisterhood. It had hints of magical realism and ghosts which gave it a spooky vibe. It had multiple POVs and was very well-written. So if you’re a fan of contemporary with touch of magic and realistic characters, you must check out this book! Do check out the trigger warnings once!

Samantha Mabry has quickly become one of my favorite authors as I loved this haunting atmospheric tale about sisterly love, and their struggles to protect each other as they discover themselves, that is weaved into this paranormal magical story.

The Torres sisters Ana, Jessica, Iridian, and Rosa try to escape unsuccessfully from their miserable life in San Antonio, and from their despotic father. One evening, Ana the oldest sister, falls to her death from her bedroom window. The year following Ana’s death, we see how the sisters mourn her death - each with their own way of handling the loss. All the while, mysterious ghostly and haunting events begin to consume their lives.

Mabry wrote in vivid and poetic prose, giving these sisters their own voice through their unique personalities. The characterization was well thought out and their stories so captivating.

The writing was gracefully executed through this dark and messy turbulence in the lives of these sisters after a violent death. I was so drawn to this distinctive style of writing by Mabry and read this book slowly not wanting it to end.

Four daughters live at home with their unreliable, irresponsible father. Then, the eldest daughter Ana falls off this mortal coil. The remaining daughters, Jessica, Iridian, and Rosa, grieve the death of their sister and wish to be anywhere else. Soon enough, the routine of grief and life is interrupted by strange events that begin occurring at home. Odd laughter, unsettling noises, and more begin to unravel the sisters' reality.⁣⁣
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The sisters believe that Ana is trying to speak to them from beyond the grave, but is that really what's going on? Is this communication, or are the sisters actually in danger? These sisters are flawed and vulnerable, and they act authentically in their grief. Can they overcome their grief before it's too late? Will they be able to escape the circling doom? These questions and more will race through your mind as Tigers, Not Daughters keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very last page.⁣⁣
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I loved the story Samantha Mabry has written, and how the sisters' grief echoes through each page. Each of the characters is fully realized and I found myself being pulled into their lives. As someone who's lost a sibling, I found the grief both authentic and, for each sister, remarkably different, almost as if each sister represented a stage of grief embodied as a full character of expression. I felt the walls closing in on the sisters as the story delved further into their lives, and despite their agony I wished I could have spent more time with them. If you're looking for an escape from the usual and the regular, join the Torres sisters as they descend into a unique, palpable experience you won't soon forget.⁣⁣

4 ½ stars

First I have a really bad sinus infection right now so i’m really hoping this review sounds okay.

I really loved this book. I loved how griping and dark and real this book was.

They had always been four, Ana and Jessica, Iridian, and Rosa until Ana dies. Leaving Jessica, Iridian and rosa broken by grief.

This story takes place a year after Ana’s death and is told by all three sisters POV along with the neighborhood boy’s POVs (which are my favorite parts). The ghost story that is weaved into it is haunting. It’s not a jump scare nothing super bad happens but it was Still fascinating, writing on the wall and hands in the bathroom , a scream little things that add up that might send goosebumps up your arm.

This story also deals with abuse both from a parent and from a lover and I really appreciate the way Samantha Mabry wrote both it sent chills up my spine and even if I wanted to look away I couldn’t (also coming from a abusive household it reminded me a lot about some of things that I had to deal with as a kid, If your coming from a similar back ground please be safe reading this).

I loved all three sisters. Each sister deals with their grief in different ways

Jessica- Who tries her best to become Ana, going as far as dating john Ana’s boyfriend and moving into her sisters old room. She’s a little obsessive and odd, wearing Ana’s old cloth and refusing to throw anything away from her sister.

Iridian- Who refuses to leave the house and spends her time re-reading the witching hour by anne rice and writing in her notebooks about love and the supernatural and curses. She’s the character I could most relate to and I loved her.

Rosa- who is the only sister who still goes to church. Who sits in the back yard trying to communicate to animals and wanders the neighborhood in search of a hyena that escaped the zoo.

Then there’s the girls good for nothing father, he drinks too much, he’s unreliable, he tries his best to control the girls. He really doesn’t know what they are doing behind his back. He not only lost his oldest daughter he also lost his wife to childbirth.

The book is written in such a way that the characters and their grief felt real.

Tigers, not daughters is character driven, haunting and I couldn’t put it down. I would highly recommend it.

This is more of a niche novel. I loved the dynamic between the sisters. This is beautifully written and has a strong place in paranormal collections.

This was a really interesting thriller! I wasn’t sure what to expect when I was approached with an opportunity to read an early copy, but I’m so glad I did. The story follows three sisters dealing with the aftermath of their sister’s death. A year later and the Torres' sisters begin to receive signs that their dearly departed sister might be leaving them messages. The book definitely kept my attention and there was a creepy, spooky, haunting vibe to the story that really captivated me. I was under the impression that this was a standalone but Goodreads has it marked as part of a series? If so, I would definitely be interested in reading the follow up!

This was my first read by Samantha Mabry and I enjoyed it! I wasn't sure what to expect going in but it was a beautiful story about sisterhood. Jessica had such a fiery spirit. I loved her feistiness and passion, she was one of my favorites. Rosa was a bit quirky but protected her sisters with a fearlessness that couldn't be matched. I found it hard to relate to Iridian, but I did feel for her character. I would have liked a little more backstory on the sisters' relationship before Ana's death and even some insight into their mother's relationship as well. Overall, I thought it was a great story, an entertaining read!

i don't know how to start this review, so i'll get straight to the point - I LOVED TIGERS, NOT DAUGHTERS.

the book reminded me so much of little women (i am referring to the 2019 film version, because unfortunately i still haven't gotten around to reading the original novel 😞) - the relationship dynamics between the sisters are captured so well, and each of them have well-developed personalities and a different interest of their own.

i loved the author's poetic writing. there is something eerily beautiful about the sentences with a deeper meaning in every word, and it makes you want to read them slowly, over and over again. i highlighted so many paragraphs, my kindle started acting sluggish. i especially loved reading the parts about rosa - she's such a mysterious, curious character, and the author's writing made her seem extra magical.

human hearts are very complicated. they can pull a person this way, then that. they can convince someone easy things are hard, or cloudy things are clear.

the supernatural elements in the story made me realize how much i missed reading magical realism. it's one of my favorite genres, but i haven't read any so far this year until i picked up tigers, not daughters. ana, who comes back as a ghost to haunt her sisters, keeps meddling with things around their home. her intentions aren't revealed until later in the story, and it had me on the edge of my seat. i literally could not put the book down and ended up finishing it in one sitting.

overall, tigers, not daughters is a beautifully-written, emotional tale about sisters with a special bond. samantha mabry's writing really blew me away, and i hope to read her other book, all the wind in the world soon.

trigger warnings: abusive family relationship, abusive romantic relationship, death
rep: latinx, hearing impairment (loss of pitch)

A Latina ghost story, exploring trauma, feminism, and the strange mystique of the teenage girl.

It's a beautiful, unsettling read, full of ghosts and fucked up women.

So much goes unstated in this book. The reader doesn't witness the full story, or truly understand the experiences or reasons that drive characters to respond as they do. You only know that Ana, Jessica, Iriadian, and Rosa are desperate to escape a suffocating reality, but this reality remains obscured – creating a tone that is quiet, still, and haunting.

For me, this book conjured echos of The Virgin Suicides, with its framing through the eyes of neighborhood boys, and four sisters whose tragedy seems to be written from the first page. But whereas The Virgin Suicides felt hollow, Tigers Not Daughters burns with life.

CWs for trauma, verbal and physical abuse and neglect. I'd include trigger warnings for any ghosts you carry, as it's easy to project your own experiences, fears, and traumas into this featherlight text.

A subtly magical and lyrical story that is full of vivid imagery, family, sisterhood, love, loss, grief and healing. Thank you for the chance to read an advanced copy. It took my breath away and I absolutely loved it.

Thank you so much to Algonquin and Algonquin Young Readers for sending me an advanced copy of this book to review!

This book came out last week and I gave it 4 Stars.

This book is about the Torres sisters. They feel trapped in their house with their widowed and despondent father and all four of them dream of escape. That's exactly what oldest sister, Ana, was trying to do when she fell out of her window one night to her death. She left behind her 3 younger sisters, grieving in their own ways, longing to run away themselves. But a year after her death, strange things start happening around their home. Shadows in corners, words written on the walls, laughter in the air. Is Ana trying to come back to tell them something? And if so, what?

This book wasn't quite what I was expecting, but I still really really enjoyed it. I was kind of wanting more of a ghost story, and while that element was there, it took longer to show up in the book than I was anticipating. At the heart of this book, its about the strength of sisterhood and about the inner strength of young girls fed up with the men in their lives treating them like crap.

Books with a similar vibe:
Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
When The Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore

TW: grief, loss of a loved one, abusive relationship, verbal abuse from a parent.

I don’t know how I can do this book justice by reviewing it, a book so full of grief and all the emotions that come with it.

The Torres sisters; three sisters struck by grief after their eldest sister Ana died in an unfortunate accident. Plagued by her ghost and the men around them who rather than help these girls.. do more harm than good. Not knowing why their sister came back to do them harm, these girls spiral within their grief. At times, especially with Iridian and Jessica, this grief comes across as deeply selfish and mean. While Rosa comes off as a girl gone off the deep end due to her grief when in reality her senses of intuition lean towards the magical.

Towards the climax of this story, I couldn’t help but think of Carrie Underwood’s song Blown Away which depicts a young woman wishing her home would get blown away in a tornado taking her father with it. In this story, the Torres girls’ father is a sorry excuse of a father who abuses each and every one of his daughter’s to the point of them wanting to run away.

This was definitely a book that I didn’t imagine myself liking but I can’t help but feel so much better after having read it.

Tigers, Not Daughters is a slow-burn book. With flashbacks, point-of-view changes, and a very introspective story, this book beautifully details how three sisters are living in the aftermath of their oldest sister’s death. The hint of magical realism brings a whimsical, haunting note to this sad, hopeful, heartbreaking story. I could not stop reading it.

Lush, poetic and haunting, Tigers, Not Daughters is essentially a story about family and grief; how your family not only is your saving grace but also your downfall and once you've hit rock bottom, the vicious and toxic ways that we can experience grief. Tigers, Not Daughters tells the story of four sisters, three alive and one dead. Likened to Little Women and The Virigin Suicides, I have read neither and went into Tigers, Not Daughters with fresh eyes.

A year after Ana Torres' tragic death, her three sisters, Jessicia, Iridian and Rosa are struggling to cope with the aftershocks and grief that comes with losing someone so important to the family bond.  Jessica clings to memories of Ana by trying to literally step into her shoes, from shacking up with Ana's ex-boyfriend, wearing her lipstick and living in her room - and losing her own identity. Iridian withdraws into herself, reading romances voraciously and writing about them notebook after notebook and pen after pen, her writings more vivid than the life she lives. And Rosa wants to see Ana in the creatures around her, seeing her sister in the neighbourhood animals and in the breeze, hoping for an answer to her sister's death. They not only have to cope with their own grief but with their possessive father's outrages and abuse. At the same time, strange things have been happening around the home; the sisters liken it to Ana's ghost.

In their small San Antonio town, Mabry paints a vivid world. From the moldy smell of Jessica's car to the rain splattering through open windows and on sidewalk to the whirlwind-tossed rooms that the girls live in. It makes me feel like I am right there with the girls, living and breathing through their eyes. It is an atmospheric experience that grips me with every page and it also lends itself to a voyeuristic view of the sisters' experiences through grief, just like how their neighbours watch into the Torres sisters' lives. It is rather poetic in this sense.

Tigers, Not Daughters is told through four perspectives in vignettes that give glimpses into the sisters lives. It cycles between Iridian, Jessica and Rosa's individual views as well as a fourth perspective from the boys across the street who have watched the Torres sisters their entire life, starting with a rather unnerving obsession with Ana. While many have found that the multiple perspectives told in a rather non-linear manner felt hard to read and connect with the characters, I loved it. I felt utterly connected to the sisters emotions and experiences; I wanted to know every bit of their story. I loved getting glimpses into the sisters' lives and how they coped with their grief and their individual stories, how torn apart yet united they are in their love for each other.

For that is the nature of sisters.

I think my only issue with Tigers, Not Daughters is how little magical realism seems to present itself. We get hints that Rosa has an uncanny ability to speak to animals and Ana's ghost seems more YA Horror than magical realism. But, that is pretty much the extent of it but magical realism is a genre I seldom find myself reaching for; the same goes for YA Contemporary.

The genre sits in between the cheesy and the heavy; it is a spectrum of opposites. On one end, a diabetic-worthy spiel of adorable, clutzy characters finding love for the first time and the other, a stark commentary of society and it's many dark facets. I like neither. But Tigers, Not Daughters surprised me.

Having a sister and a brother of my own, there is nothing I wouldn't do for them and it warms my heart that the Torres sisters are the same. Like the titular tigers, they are solitary creatures, briefly sharing bits and pieces of their lives with each other but essentially keeping to their own lives. Except when mating (obviously not in this case!) and sharing their kills — in this instance, the abusive and manipulative men that surround the girls.

Being raised Asian, oppressive male presence like the one in the Torres sisters' lives is common place. Men take precedence over their women, feminist beliefs are quashed and the women are to live their lives fawning and taking care of the men (something my parents believe in to an alarming degree!). So, it's not hard to feel a rush of empathy for the sisters. From a possessive father to an abusive boyfriend, it was only a matter of time before the sisters bit the hand that feeds them, freeing themselves from their metaphoric cages and taking their own freedom, becoming Tigers, Not Daughters.

In conclusion, Tigers, Not Daughters paints a vividly beautiful and tragic story of survival in the face of grief. The ending is bittersweet, it demonstrates the struggle that the sisters go through in order to come up with their heads above water and stronger from it all. But it is a story that hits close to home in more ways than one because the sisters are underdogs of their own stories and underdogs always emerge on top. It was mesmerising to watch the Torres sisters take back their lives and chart their own course in life. I absolutely enjoyed Tigers, Not Daughters.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.


TW

animal death, suicide, death, abuse (physical and psychological), depression

THE PLOT

The Torres sisters, Ana, Jessica, Iridian and Rosa, dream to escape from their San Antonio neighborhood, full of families that know everything about them and their family situation, away from their needy and oppressive father. The book starts during an attempted (and failed) escape. A year later, the older sister Ana is dead and the family is weighed down by grief, guilt, regrets and secrets.

Each sister is trying to deal in her own way with Ana’s loss and their broken dreams, when unusual things start to happen in the house. Walls with messages in Ana’s handwriting, mysterious hands, laughters and sounds. Is Ana? What is she trying to say? Why is she haunting them?

THE TITLE

Tigers, not daughters is a phrase from Shakespeare’s King Lear and, according to the author, “in the play, it’s used as an insult, hurled by Albany at Lear’s selfish and disobedient daughters.” So she decided to use this phrase in a positive way, like a praise to the strenght of the Torres sisters. The reader is able to get to know each sister and how each deals with her grief, wishes, dreams and regrets.

THE CHARACTERS

JESSICA works at the local pharmacy and, like Ana, dreams to get away, once her sisters and needy father are taken care of. Jessica, who wants to be like Ana, almost losing her own identity in the process, wanting her sister’s room, clothes, makeup, even her abusive boyfriend. She deals with her loss by trying to becoming Ana and she’s full of rage and grief.

IRIDIAN is the one who lose herself in her own world, made of writing romance, reading, who doesn’t go anywhere without her favourite book, notebook and pen and who is so struck down by her grief she can’t get out of the house, battling everyday with her fear and depression.

ROSA is the youngest, wisest and strangest sister, animal-lover, wandering during the night person, whose heart is purer that others’ (according to many). Rosa, who is special, different, fierce and loyal and who is convinced that the escaped hyena has something to do with her sister Ana, maybe it’s her reincarnation.

The protagonists are Latinx and, through the author’s writing, the reader can almost taste the air, see the oppressive neighborhood, they being stuck in it and feel the claustrophobic feeling they experience. They are trapped in their broken home, in an oppressive and repetitive enviroment, with their irresponsible, full of debts, hurtful and unable to take care of them father.

Motherless, fatherless, the Torres sisters lean on one other, protecting, supporting and loving each other with a fierceness that reminds the reader of, precisely, tigers.

THE STORY

The story is told by multiple POVs, from Jessica’s, Iridian’s, Rosa’s in third person and from a collective voice from the boys in the house across the Torres’. It’s through the boys’ perspective the reader and the Torres’ sisters can get more knowledge of Ana and what happened to her.

Told in a nonlinear way, with flashbacks and memories, by the multiple POVs, the story unfurls (expect for the flashbacks and the first chapter) from June 9th to June 17th, ending with a jump in July 7th.

Starting with the failed escape, the story begins one exact year after Ana’s death and the reader is able to see how the Torres’ routine is shocked and turned upside down by a series of paranormal events in the house and, for Rosa, by the escaped hyena.

THE WRITING STYLE

The way the characters are portraited is acutely real, beautiful and they are really relatable. Mabry wrote characters brimming with life, love and loss able to pierce the pages. Her writing style is so evocative, lush, strong and intense it’s almost like the reader is there with Rosa, looking for her escaped hyena and holding Walter’s hand, or with Iridian, being scared and under the couch’s covers watching soap opera or with Jessica, talking with Peter and being angry and broken all the time.

In Tigers, not daughters, Jessica, Iridian and Rosa stick out as women, as sisters and as bonded by love, grief and loss. Through flashbacks and her sisters’ memories, Ana lives too, as a strong and stubborn girl, who gazed out of the window, dreaming of escape and better places, who took care of her family, almost embodying a mathernal figure. Role that Jessica tries to incarnate after her death.

Ana lives through her sisters, she’s the older one who was determined to protect and she helps them, pushing them together, encouraging them in discovering again their sisterly bond, even when she’s dead.

I found the element of magic realism, the supernatural moments really beautiful and skillfully written. Even though the sisters stand out in Tiger, not daughter, each character, the side ones too, are skillfully written.

Reading about the boys in the house across the street the reader can see their regrets and impotence, how they could have helped and talked and they didn’t.

How Rafe is broken by grief (his wife, dead right after Rosa’s birth and then Ana’s, who wanted to get away from him and the neighborhood) and how he’s needy and hurtful and broken, ready to try to break and oppress his daughters and almost managing it with Iridian (saved by the love of her sisters).

How John is the oppressive, controlling and abusing boyfriend and how, even in this case, Jessica is saved by her sisters.

Jessica, Iridian and Rosa fight and rebel against the male figures in their lives, above all Rafe and John and even against those who watched without doing anything, like Hector and his friends, they fight against people’s indifference. They find strenght in one other, in their bond made of blood, love trust and loyalty.

One of the thing I loved the most in this characters driven plot is that each character is written as realistic as possible, with their bad moments and bad behaviour, hurtful phrases, regrets, bad thoughts and even who could be the best and wisest character, Rosa, can be driven by rage and think hurtful things.

Each character, above all the sisters, is human, real, complicated, messed up. They are free to act badly, say hurtful and mean things, hit people, rage, laugh hysterically and be absolutely and wonderfully humans.

I think that’s one of the beauty in this book, being able to recognize oneself in the characters, seeing that how they deal with their regrets, desires, wishes and losses is acutely real. It’s interesting and very realistic reading how, even though they all experience the same death, each character deals with grief in a very different way. It’s realistic because people don’t react in the same way and grief is dealt and processed differently.

Reading Tigers, not daughter it’s impossible not to think about The virgin suicides and Little women. Kind and stubborn Rosa recalls Beth, book-worm Iridian Jo, Jessica as the breadwinner and who takes care of her family as Meg. As the March sisters, the Torres have one other’s back everytime, ready to protect and defend each other, to support and love.

TO CONCLUDE

Tigers, not daughter is an intense story of love, loss, grief, with magic realism, ghosts and sisterly bond. Its characters are alive and strong and deals with important themes, like loss, death, depression, abusive relationships. I loved the message, that through love and hope it’s possible to reach out and be able to heal. It’s a story about grief and loss and dealing with them, dreams, regrets, wishes, desires, sisterhood, loyalty and love.

Tigers, not daughters is the kind of book that stays with you for a long time, able to grab the reader’s attention and feelings and it’s impossible not love these broken and strong characters, so real and humans.

I found myself really drawn to the first 50 or so pages, and then my attention level dropped off significantly. Though I did enjoy the relationships between the sisters, and the one sister with her boss, that was pretty much all I found interesting. Note: The cover of this book is beyond beautiful, and for that, I kept reading. But there really wasn't much else that pulled me in. It wasn't the worst, but I had a hard time staying focused.



2.5/5 Stars

The four sisters in this book are all about family being a necessary, sturdy foundation for whatever else life throws at you. Despite their struggles, the sisters’ reliance on each other and them all being there felt like a comfort, even when they didn’t appreciate each other.

This book gave a feeling of hope (eventually) to what didn’t sound like a very charmed life of the Torres sisters. Ana (the oldest sister) seems larger than life, both to her younger sisters and to the neighborhood boys who make a hobby of observing the sisters. But her death strikes them all with the same power. Before-Ana-died and after-Ana-died are the segments of life for them all.

A year later, the younger girls still have no idea what life is supposed to be without Ana. Unfortunately, each of them is floundering in her own way. Creepy signs that maybe Ana isn’t so far away after all finally start to bring the sisters to the same team again. The girls united are a force to be reckoned with. The ghost of Ana doesn’t seem to be exceptionally good or bad, but she helps the girls remember who they are together.

I loved the prose style of this book. The girls were objectively not happy, but they didn’t need to be fixed. The ghost of Ana wasn’t scary, just making her presence known, and the girls responded in their own individual ways. It was all presented in a matter-of-fact way, and the resulting emotions were up to the reader.

Overall, I’d give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars. I would be curious to read the author’s first book and see what else it said about the characters.

3.5 stars. first of all - gorgeous cover (like half the reason i requested this lol)

content warnings for death of a family member and physical abuse.

i don't really read a lot of magical realism, and i'll admit its not my favorite genre to read, but i did enjoy this one. i really liked the writing style, which was very atmospheric and set the tone correctly for the novel. i didn't necessarily connect with any of the characters a ton, but i really enjoyed jessica's POV and seeing how she handled dealing with the grief of losing her sister.

i think the only real criticism i have for this book is the multiple POVs for chapters. it was interesting seeing things from the perspective of each torres sister, but then there was the POV from the group of boys who hang out across the street which i found to be odd.

I received a complimentary copy of Tigers, Not Daughters by Samantha Mabry from Algonquin Young Readers through Netgalley. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Tigers, Not Daughters was released on March 24th!
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The Torres sisters just wanted to escape. They tried to run away from San Antonio and their alcoholic father, but they were caught. The oldest daughter Ana sneaks out of her window regularly, but one night a tree branch breaks and she falls to her death. The majority of this story takes place a year after Ana's death. Their father is a disaster. The three youngest Torres sisters are doing their best to get by, but that becomes more difficult when Ana's ghost makes her presence known.
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This is truly a story about grief. If you're looking for a happy, upbeat book, this isn't it. If you're looking for a nuanced and well-written story about how grief affects us, the ways we're dragged down by it, and how we can begin to rise out of it, this may be your book. There's some definite magical realism in this story, which I loved. I'd highly recommend this to anyone looking for a story that addresses grief in a tasteful way with POC main characters and a little magical realism!