This book was so good. It was impossible to put down. I read it over the course of two days. The subject matter was so powerful and I've already put the books the author recommends in their note on my TBR. This was a fast-paced thriller and a real page turner. Highly recommend.

I’m not sure if I was most intrigued by her work as an archeologist, the conflicting idea of a Cherokee woman work for Indian Affairs, the fictional mystery plot mirroring real life of the missing Native American women, or, hey, why not all of it rolled into one. Let’s just say when Blood Sisters was brought to my notice, I pounced on it.

Blood Sisters was never going to be a light and easy read with the sad history and present day circumstances of Syd’s Cherokee people which Vanessa Lillie handled deftly and carefully. As this was fiction, I appreciated that she not only wrote a compelling backdrop for setting and characters, but the mystery was one that sucked me in completely and had me vested since it involved Syd’s own past, her good friend’s death, and current day situation with her sister.

Syd got a reprieve of sorts from the life she left behind with a life involving wife and work and place that allowed her to block out the past, but it is soon obvious when Syd returns home that the past was unsettled and merely waiting for her to resolve it.

It was an interesting juxtaposition and point of extra conflict that Syd chose to work for Bureau of Indian Affairs since her people have never had a good relationship with this government organization. In a ‘change it from within’ campaign, Syd’s got an uphill battle that she was starting to make headway with out with the Narragansett tribe in Rhode Island, but this cuts no ice with her own folks back in Oklahoma when she goes home after years away when her sister goes missing and a skull is found on a past, familiar crime scene. Her home folks see Syd as a sellout.

There is no gentle reunion for her and the situation is volatile with all the corruption within the local government and the flagrant drug movers, but also the people who had no love for Syd. The tension was taunt and she had to work in a vicarious position. I do love the setup of a small community roiling with secrets.

I won’t say this was a fun and entertaining book because it wasn’t and it rubbed my emotions and mind raw in places when it gets real about the Native American struggles, but it was compelling and I was vested in Syd’s story and investigation. I have known some of the backdrop, but learned even more while appreciating a solid mystery with dark turns and a riveting resolution.

From the very beginning Blood Sisters hooked me. The story starts out with a bang and is full of so many twists and turns that I didn't see coming. If you think you know how this story will end think again.

Syd left her childhood home in Oklahoma and never looked back. She now lives across the country and works for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Rhode Island. When a skull with Syd's name in the mouth is found on her family land, Syd is sent back home to help figure out what it all could mean. When she arrives, she discovers her sister Emma Lou is missing, and she may be the only one who can find her.

I really enjoyed this book and it kept me entertained the whole way through. Syd is a complicated and flawed character. She isn't always the most likable and she doesn't make the best decisions, but that added to her authenticity for me. I was on her side from the start and rooted for her success.

Parts of this were tough to read because you learn that the story is based on real life occurrences. Too often Indigenous women go missing and there are no repercussions or even investigations into their disappearances. The author also touches on addiction, land theft, corruption, and so many other things that affect Cherokee life.
Though this was a work of fiction, I still think this is an important book and I really hope to see more people read it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for a review copy. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

I love every book Vanessa has ever written, though as her co-author I may be a little biased. ;) BLOOD SISTERS easily made my top 5 for the month of October; for the full list, head to https://www.instagram.com/p/Cy06HHSsFCU

3 5 stars

The writing and storytelling in Blood Sisters grabbed my attention from the beginning. Syd was a complicated and interesting character. I was trying to untwist the mystery of where Syd's sister was and the motivations of the townsfolk she encountered.

While I enjoyed the book overall, the story felt a bit too long and the middle act was a bit slow. When the third act resolution began, though, I couldn't put the book down. I would definitely try another book from Vanessa Lillie

What a debut. Have you heard about this one? Honestly it started a little slow for me. Probably because I did not connect with Syd right away. But then I was hooked.

If you’re looking for a read for Native American Heritage Month, I can’t suggest a better book.

In addition to Syd heading home to native land, there’s a few mysteries to solve. A skull found in town. Her sister is missing. And Syd is also fighting trauma and demons from her past.

I was caught up in the suspense of the mysteries while also enjoying getting to know Syd, her past and her family.

At times it’s heartbreaking looking into Syd’s past, but I got to a point I could not put this one down. Those twists.

An excellent thriller that deserves all the praise and buzz it's receiving. Many thanks for the opportunity to read this gem early.

🪶 BOOK / REVIEW 🪶

It has been a million years since I've read a book by the incredibly talented @vanessalillie, so when I saw the #audiobook available through @prhaudio (thank you for my #gifted copy!), I downloaded it immediately.

This book reminds me so much of @chevystevens novel #darkroads, which was brooding, atmospheric, and chilling. While this one was a bit of a slower burn than I prefer, I still found it action-packed and full of Native American history and traditions. I loved that this was so well researched - I felt like I learned so much. There is also a fun supernatural element - ghost Luna plays a significant part in this story and the reader is treated to a very unique perspective because of it.

And the twist? Ooooh, that TWIST. I absolutely loved it, and it totally came out of left field! I do not want to give any more away because I did NOT see it at all.

If you love #mystery novels that may haunt you well after the novel ends, I definitely suggest this book. I could totally see this turning into a mini-series or movie!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a fantastic mystery crime thriller full of haunting suspense that pulls you in from page one. There were so many twists and turns that I literally did not see coming and that ending was fabulous. This is a gripping story of 3 “sisters” that suffer a traumatic event at age 15, leaving one dead. Then 15 years later, one sister is literally dragged back home to uncover the mystery of a female skull left for on her dead friend’s property only to be pulled into her sister’s drama as she gone missing and she can’t help but wonder if old habits die hard and her sister dropped back into drugs. The story touches a lot on the history of indigenous people in the Oklahoma area, the Trail of Tears, and the injustice their people are still suffering. I absolutely loved every drop of words written on these pages and found it to be such a dark and unsettling but amazing read.

A thriller of a book on a subject I knew almost nothing about, the disappearance and violence about indigenous Native American women, a very important topic that has been neglected for many years but it is so important to bring to the surface to give a voice to the voiceless women who has lost theirs along with their history and stories.
Yes, this book is a thriller and not based on an actual event but it can easily be based on one, that's why, along with very good writing the book is engrossing but at the same time hard to read, it will break your heart and make you angry. But as a thriller, it will keep you glued to its pages and will shock you with a big twist at the end.

Blood Sisters is a deep dive into the psyche of an archaeologist who is haunted by a violent past. It begins fifteen years in the past. Her sister and best friend were watching TV when two masked men attacked the trailer. The girls try to protect themselves and Syd ends up shooting one of the men. This has a lasting effect on Syd as we are bound to find out in the next chapter. By the way, this makes for a terrifying beginning. I was hooked.

In the present time, life has changed. Syd is working for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) that have a long and tumulus history with indigenous peoples She has a stressful relationship with her family. Her sister has been abusing drugs for a long time and Syd feels like she is always getting her out of trouble. She was deeply hurt when she had to rescue her sister on the day when she should have been celebrating her wedding. Syd also carries guilt from years ago, for not having protected the girls better. Her personal life is suffering as she is weighed down by so much pain.

Three years after she decided to break away from her family, Syd has to return home as part of an investigation. Something is strange about this case though. It seems like someone is screaming to get her attention. She is not sure who. On learning that her sister has been missing for a few days, her hurts resurface. She falls into old habits, how she used to find her sister before. But a lot has changed since she has been gone.

On top of all that, there is another eye opening situation awaiting at her hometown. The story explores the suffering of an indigenous community with impending displacement as the government tries to buy out her family home.

Through her research for her sister and the case, Syd is plunged into the underbelly of the town. The illegal activities, the town grievances are all connected to Syd’s past.

She has to grow up. She has to learn to let go of her grudges and perceptions. She has to start seeing the truth. She has to start taking the help. The writing does the plot justice.

Blood Sisters is the story of how people who have suffered so much can move forward with the help of family and friends. Openness and empathy heal old wounds. The writing was vivid and evocative. The narrative plays on the bounds between human and the ways in which we torture ourselves when we are deeply disappointed at the way life has turned out. It’s a situation of high conflict, which I read about in Amanda Ripley’s book of the same name. To see what I read there portrayed accurately, makes this book even more real. The interludes between chapters kept the story interesting and offered a glimpse into the citation of another character, someone pivotal to Syd’s life.

Overall, an uncomfortable yet satisfying read. Many thanks to Berkley Books for a review copy of the book for an honest review.

This book is a bit different than the other Vanessa Lillie books I have read. In this novel, she examines the plight of Native Americans and how they have been pushed off their land and the drug and alcohol addictions they face. Additionally, she adds in murder!
Years earlier, Syd, Emma Lou, and Luna became blood sisters. But one night, the devil came and tried to kill them. Fighting back, only sisters Syd and Emma Lou made it out. Syd left OK and moved, becoming an archaeologist, examining graves of missing women. Now, she is called back to OK, where a skeleton has been discovered with her badge in the skeleton's mouth. When she returns, she finds that Emma Lou is missing. Syd believes the worst, that Emma Lou is using again. But people say it isn't true. Syd finds herself at odds with the Daweson family, the people she believes is keeping her sister captive.
The truth will turn the story on its head.
Heartbreaking and sad look at people struggling to get by.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Berkley, and Vanessa Lillie for the advanced reading copy.

I LOVED THIS BOOK. Sydney Walker was such a complex yet relatable and loveable character. I’m honestly having a hard time putting into words how much I enjoyed this book and why. Vanessa brings SO much into this book.. sisterhood, injustice, a mysterious skull and so much more. But what really stood out is her commentary on the injustices Native Americans all while teaching us within the pages of this book and I truly did learn a lot (despite it being a thriller)! The authors note is also worth a read. Vanessa’s passion and dedication to not only the characters, location, and plot was completely unwavering throughout and I’m honored to have gotten to meet her at Thrillerfest. Towards the end I just couldn't put it down because of how much it picked up, I just needed to keep going! The ending was also perfection.

This was a great thriller, right up until the very end! I really enjoyed following Syd as she tried to unravel the mystery of her sisters disappearance, as well as the mystery of who left her a calling card, pulling her back home.

A lot of things happen in this book, but Lillie manages to wrap it all up relelatively nicely in yhe end.

I do kind of wish that it would have been longer, Or even a series because I think some extra time on certain aspects would have made it even better.

Overall though, I had a really good time reading this book!

I am a huge fan of Vanessa Lillie and this is another book that will be in my ever growing top reads of 2023. This story was personal to her which made it even better for us as a reader, and I absolutely loved this one and could not get enough. It was on the slow and steady side, but I didn’t mind as I loved the ebb and flow of this one, its cultural elements, and the case itself, which was so intriguing that I could not stop reading until I knew how it ended. The audio was a great way to read this one and I highly recommend that way if you can do so.

That being said, do not miss this book and do not miss the author’s note at the end. It is a must read that needs to be on your list for so many reasons. Thank you to Berkley Books and PRH Audio for the digital copy to review.

This book is a mysterious crime novel that has many twists and turns that will keep you turning the page. The plea to take notice of all the missing Native American girls is heartbreaking.

WOW. Vanessa Lillie has written a compelling, fast-paced, brutally heartbreaking story rooted in the real-life horror of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2Spirit people -- and how their deaths and disappearances are ignored, under-investigated, and covered up by authorities. I absolutely loved this book and hope it helps enlighten people who were previously unaware of how pervasive the violence against Indigenous people has been since the first colonizers arrived, and how women, girls, and 2S continue to bear the brunt of this violence.

This book is a goddamn reckoning, and Lillie's voice is powerful - perfectly balancing action-packed thrills, fury, and deeply emotional moments of connection.

I also just realized Blood Sisters is the first in a planned series, and I CANNOT WAIT to see what Lillie does next. Five hundred stars and one of my favorite books of the year.

I wish I had the words to describe how amazing it was. Raw, visceral, I could not get enough, I felt all the feels. This book is heavy but also I sped through it because my heart was racing and the story was nonstop.

The audiobook was perfection and elevated the book to an even more heart grabbing pitch.

I was provided an ARC of this book via the Berkley Besties program and Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This is a fast paced mystery/thriller following Syd, an archeologist working for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. She uncovers tribal artifacts and remains and returns them to their tribal leaders to ensure they are handled with care and proper burial rights are performed. She is reassigned from her current regional work to one closer to her hometown in Oklahoma when remains are found with her internship ID attached to them. Syd has no desire to go home and revisit the trauma from her past, but upon her return she finds that her sister is missing and things just aren't adding up when she starts asking questions.

Syd lives with alot of survivor guilt and rage from a traumatic event that occurred when she was a child. She is driven by a sense of justice and vengeance in her adult life because she couldn't stop what happened that awful night. Her sense of justice helps her with her day job, bringing lost things back to their rightful owners and lost souls back to their families so they can gain closure and peace. When she goes home, however her rage and need for revenge take over and her ability to think rationally are kind of thrown to the wayside. I had a hard time connecting with her on that front, but I've never been in that kind of situation. I think it is hard to say what I would do if I lost a loved one like that or dealt with some of the things she had to deal with.

I thought this was a captivating and well written story. I did find it hard to follow at times as there are many characters to keep track of. I also thought there were too many plot points to keep track of., however the author did a good job brining things together in the end. I do appreciate that this novel is base in reality and it is horrible that drugs, crime, and corruption plague the indigenous tribes. This does have a more true crime feel to it, so if you enjoy thrillers based on true stories this is a great read.

I knew immediately when I first started reading this book I would be giving it five stars, the characters the story line and more held my attention and I wanted to learn so much more.
Syd an Oklahoma Cherokee woman who lives in Rhode Island with her wife, she works for the BIA (Bureau of Indian Affairs) as an archeologist. When Syd is informed of bones that we’re discovered at a crime scene that she has a personal connection to from fifteen years ago back in Oklahoma. She heads back to Oklahoma and hopes to help solve the case, when she arrives she sees that much hasn’t changed she faces drug dealers, government officials, and towns people and all of them are trying to silence her. When her sister goes missing, Syd is determined to find her and also face the past she ran away from, but she begins to go down a path that holds a shocking discovery.