The Sisterhood

December 1, 2018
Sixteen-year-old Lil has been sad and anxious since her sister, Mella, inexplicably went missing over four months earlier.Although sometimes resentful of her sister's colorful character and unpredictable behavior, Lil misses her terribly. Events take a strange turn when Lil rescues a young teen, apparently the victim of a mysterious accident, who is eventually able to provide clues as to Mella's whereabouts. Set against the backdrop of the wet and wild Welsh countryside, the story is punctuated with chapters about gatherings of the Sisterhood of the Light led by the charismatic but evil Moon whose mission it is to bring down-and-out girls in from the Dark and induct them into the sinister Light-worshipping Sisterhood. With the help of her loyal boyfriend, Kiran, and her policewoman aunt, Sabrina, Lil continues to search for Mella, haunted by imaginary conversations with her, survivor's guilt, and flashbacks to the good and bad times they had together. Lil's reflections on Mella and her anxiety and insecurity are relevant to modern teen issues, and Lil experiences the flood and fire of a traumatic separation. The relationship between the sisters is well-drawn. Most major characters are assumed white, and Kiran is biracial, with a white Welsh mother and British-Indian father.Teens will find it easy to relate to this drama that touches on the supernatural but is grounded in sisterly love and common sense. (Thriller. 14-17)

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February 1, 2019

Gr 9 Up-Seventeen-year-old Lili's life is thrown into a tailspin when her older sister Mella disappears without a trace. A few months later, when she finds a young girl passed out in the road during a giant rainstorm, it feels like it must be connected to Mella's disappearance. The girl (named Seven) claims that she's from The Sisterhood of Light, a mysterious all-women community in the woods, but won't tell Lili or Lili's almost-boyfriend Kiran any details about her life or what she was running from. Lili is certain that this is a lead to help her find Mella-but how? Massive floods, power outages, and evacuations add to the urgency of the story, as do chapters alternating from the perspective of members of The Sisterhood of Light. Lila's connections with Seven and Kiran seem tenuous but hopeful-while readers might wish for more context, she's still a generally likable protagonist. Often, this Welsh thriller will leave teens wanting-more details, suspense, and complexity. However, many will find the characters and premise engaging. The author wavers between condemnation and support of the cult, while also never fleshing out the major tenets-at times, including the conclusion, the Sisterhood seems revered, while other passages clearly mark it as an organization that harms its members. VERDICT A challenging and slow-building story of sisterhood and faith. Recommended for collections where Gayle Forman and Ally Condie are popular.-Kelsey Socha, Ventress Memorial Library, Marshfield, MA

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