Sister Assassin by Kiersten White

About the book

Sister Assassin (aka Mind Games) is the first book in a young adult series by Kiersten White. It was published by Harper Collins on 19^th February and the book is 302 pages long. Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a copy for review.

Plot Synopsis

After an accident that killed their parents, Fia and Annie are left in the care of their aunt. However, with Annie being blind and Fia having a very unique ability, they’re just too much to handle. That’s when the Kessler School for Exceptional Girls shows an interest in Annie and offers both girls a place to go where they can be themselves.

No one knew about Fia’s ability though and they only really wanted Annie. Fia never chose her deadly gift but now she’s forced to use it. Although Fia would do anything to keep Annie safe, her conscience begins to act up and the blood already on her hands makes her question what she is doing. If she doesn’t do what the school says though she knows her sister will be put in terrible danger, but will Fia be able to keep it up?

What I thought

I have had this book sitting on my review pile for months now and I don’t know why it took me so long to get around to reading it. Now that I finally have though, I wish I had picked it up a lot sooner. 

Sister Assassin has one hell of an opening. It starts seven years ago with the death of main character’s Fia and Annie’s parents but it quickly changes to the lives they live now. Fia is sent on a mission to kill a guy she doesn’t know but her conscience changes quickly and she finds she can’t go through with it. She knows her sister is in danger if she doesn’t kill this guy and she knows she’s risking everything. The opening was so exciting and mysterious and it immediately had me hooked.

Kiersten White tells the story in multiple flashbacks which was something I really enjoyed. Sometimes she goes back seven years, sometimes four, two or even eighteen months but she also uses the present time to bring everything back. For me, the flashbacks helped to give the characters a great backstory. They also made me understand the characters and what they have been through in their lives and how those events made them who they are in the present. There is a great history in this book and a very exciting one too.

My only real niggle with this book is the lack of distinction between the two main characters. Although Fia and Annie narrate their own chapters, if the headings hadn’t have been there, I wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference between the two. Okay, they are sisters so they can be kind of similar but I wanted them to have their own voices instead of sharing one for the most part. Even with the characters being a bit samey at times, they did have some differences. Annie isn’t quite what she seems to be and Fia is a badass who is such a fighter.

Characters aside, Sister Assassin has a fantastic plot. Annie has a very special gift and is initially ‘recruited’ by a school for children with other special gifts. What the school doesn’t know is that sister Fia has a special ability too and one that is seen to be better than Annie’s. The book is set in a world full of secrets and mystery and I was never quite sure who the good guys were and who the bad guys were. There are twists and turns all over the place that constantly kept me guessing. I thought that the ending was quite rushed though and it could have been drawn out a little more. However, there is more to come in this series and with there being plenty of unanswered questions, I’m looking forward to seeing what is in store next.

Sister Assassin is exciting, tense and so different! I thoroughly enjoyed this one.