Alana's Reviews > Tigers, Not Daughters

"She was determined to be the hero for once. She was fed up with men trying to leave their bruises all over her and her sisters."

Tigers, Like Daughters is a hard hitting story of three sisters who are torn apart after the death of their oldest sister, Ana. The story is told from the three sisters POV as well as a group of neighborhood boys who lived next door to the Torres sisters and often watched them from afar. It does tackle heavier topics such as physical and emotional abuse from a lover and a parent but when it's all said and done it's a beautiful story about living and coping with grief and how a broken group of girls finds their way back to one another with a dash of magical realism. It's basically everything I love in a contemporary novel.

The writing in this was so incredibly good. I can't remember the last time I read a book in one sitting but I legitimately could not put this down. Between being invested in all of the characters, the strange occurrences at the Torres house, and the bigger revelations coming to life it was all so entertaining. The author does a fantastic job of bringing each of the sisters Jessica, Iridian, and Rosa, to life and making them all likable characters despite not always making the best choices. Jessica, is essentially the breadwinner of the family but dreams of leaving her hometown one day. Iridian, is an aspiring author who spends most of her days lost in her favorite book. And Rosa, the youngest, is a bit of a free spirit who seems to have a touch of magic within her. Together, the three of them are stuck in their house with their father who spends more time drinking, gambling, being manipulative towards the girls, and never repaying his debts.

As the story progresses the girls realize that strange occurrences are beginning to happen in the house and it can only be from one person, Ana, their dead sister who is back with one goal in mind - bring her sisters back together. To me, there is nothing in this world quite like the bond of sisters and even though this book did have it's tougher moments, there is nothing more empowering than sisters who band together and will go down swinging for one another even when the odds feels like they're stacked against you. Like, I cannot emphasis how much I love that. So, when the sisters finally put their differences aside and fought back against the people who hurt them I was cheering so damn loud. Queue the happy tears.

All in all, if enjoy contemporary stories with a bit of magical realism and even a little bit of creepiness Tigers, Like Daughters should definitely be on your radar. This is definitely one of the books that I'm going to be telling so many of my friends to pick up and I can't wait for the sequel to come out next year!

Thank you Algonquin Young Readers for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for a honest review!

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