The Night Sister by Jennifer McMahon

The Night Sister

by Jennifer McMahon

A derelict motel, haunting childhood memories, hidden rooms, two sisters and family secrets--a supernatural tale that will thrill and chill in equal measure


     Once a thriving attraction on the well-traveled roads of rural Vermont, the Tower Motel now stands in disrepair, an eerie, abandoned place. Amy, her best friend, Piper, and Piper's younger sister, Margot, played there as kids, exploring everywhere, even the forbidden tower itself--where they uncovered a secret one summer that ended their friendship.
     Twenty years later, Piper has left all of that behind, until she gets a call from Margot telling her that Amy's been accused of a horrific crime. Piper and Margot will have to confront what truly happened that long-ago summer and all that led up to it--a hidden room, a family drowning in secrets, another pair of sisters each believing the other to be something truly monstrous--in order to understand, and survive, what is happening now.

Reviewed by leahrosereads on

4 of 5 stars

Share
Some more body chills from an author that's fast becoming a must read/must buy for me. I wish I had taken a break between this and THE WINTER PEOPLE because that book is just so fantastic, and I felt like THE NIGHT SISTER fell a tad short.

It had several similar elements, and I'm guessing that's just how this author writes. The reader gets a past that's spooky and mysterious and a present tense that ties them both together. The supernatural and mystery elements feel so unique that I have not been able to see what's going to happen, until it finally does. Which is what makes a great mystery.

The characters in this book are more unlikable and flawed than in THE WINTER PEOPLE, and that makes sense. Family vs. teenager-ish, and teenagers vs. adults. The backstories provided for more flawed characters in THE NIGHT SISTER and should have made for a more interesting story.

I just felt every element of this book was lacking just a smidge compared to THE WINTER PEOPLE. The supernatural element was really interesting conceptually, but I don't feel like there was enough information to really cement it to the story fully. The characters weren't as sympathetic, and I didn't empathize as well as I should have.


I think I'm going to need to re-read this one in the future and not on the coattails of THE WINTER PEOPLE. I just don't think I'm giving this story the unbiased opinion that it deserves. I'm still going to recommend it and Jennifer McMahon in the future to everyone. If I can smash this book into the face of my friends and force the words into their eyeballs, I will.

...

If I don't also have THE WINTER PEOPLE on hand to do exactly that to everyone else with instead.

Last modified on

Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 1 April, 2018: Finished reading
  • 1 April, 2018: Reviewed