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abbie_ 's review for:

Tigers, Not Daughters by Samantha Mabry
2.5
adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

(Gifted listen from Libro FM) I think if I had read this one in print I might have liked it a bit more. Unfortunately, the audiobook sort of ruined it for me.
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I’m unsure as to why an adult male would be hired to narrate an audiobook that focuses on four teenage girls. No matter how good a narrator you are, a man narrating a teenage girl’s thoughts is always going to come off creepy or even condescending. A grown man shouting ‘what the fuck, bitch’ is just something that cannot be taken seriously.
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I liked the sisters well enough, each one with her own flaws, and I think Rosa was my favourite. But in the book, Iridian loves to create characters in her notebook, pin down their every nuance, bring them to live so vividly... that’s what Mabry has done, which is an excellent achievement, but then I felt like once she’d created them, she didn’t really do much with them.
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The best parts were definitely when Ana’s ghost made itself known. Mabry can write tense, creepy scenes very well, and I felt on edge listening to this while walking through densely wooded areas early in the morning with my dog.
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But overall I just think the book as a whole never really came together for me. A shame!