This made me laugh out loud, which is a difficult thing to achieve when reading. Sister Snake takes such important community conversations and explores them in the most digestible and unique way. I can't wait to read this again

This was really well written and engaging—the differences in the personalities, rationalizations, existences of two very different legendary women/snakes/adopted sisters were really fascinating. Many of their divisions were there from the very beginning and only widened over time (it's amazing how little difference, ultimately, a thousand years can make). The novel is propulsive and suspenseful as you watch these two immortalish snake-women who are both drawn to and repelled by each other make potentially very, very bad decisions. Lots of plot about Singapore and Singaporean politics that I am by no means qualified to weigh in on (but if this is all I had to go on, it absolutely did not make me want to live in Singapore).

4.5, rounded up

Admittedly I don't think this novel will everyone's cup of tea, but I found it to be so creative and interesting. It's part fantasy, part social commentary, and part epic that keeps it moving. If The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, Shark Heart, and Night Bitch had a love child, this would be it. I thought it was fun, fantastic, and an easy read to boot.

This book is my favorite type of novel: magical realism and feminine rage. It is literally perfection. Everyone should read this.

Thank you to Netgalley and Ecco For a copy. This book is out today!

Happy Pub Day!

Sister Snake is the story of two very different women who are, in fact, very ancient snakes who spent hundreds of years meditating until they were able to evolve something very, very close to human bodies & human consciousnesses. They wanted to leave their snake lives behind after horrible betrayals & predations inflicted upon them by their own species, but as we humans know, people can also be predators. The women have something of a secret weapon though. They are still able to transform into snakes at will. That doesn't mean they necessarily WANT to, but there are times when it is useful. There are also times when it's a curse.

The women have been walking life's path together for so long that they consider each other sisters, but at the time of the book's primary narrative, they have been estranged for many decades. One woman lives a hardscrabble life in New York City, while the other is a wealthy politician's wife in Singapore. But when they need each other due to mutual crises, they reunite.

This is a fantastic book on female rage. It's also a reimagining of the Chinese folktale, The Legend of the White Snake. It is fiercely feminist, queer, & addresses themes of neo-liberal hypocrisy & orientalism. & of course, sisterhood, & connections that are even thicker than blood.

The quality of the writing was a little bit uneven, in my opinion. I definitely preferred one character over the other & felt the story dragged somewhat from time to time. There were a few strange moments in the book that could have been cleared up with better research or editing. For example, a character described a necklace as resting against her "wishbone". But humans don't have wishbones. The "wishbone" is the clavicle, which on a bird is connected to support the chest cavity during flight. Human clavicles are not connected. Another scene describes a person wearing "tighty-whities" a few years before that style of underwear was invented. Just a few little things like that, & bear in mind that I read an ARC. These inconsistencies could have been corrected for final publication, I don't know. Just mentioning in case you, like me, are an insufferable pedant who gets taken out of a story by things like this.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for the ARC!

As snakes, Emerald and Su were bound by sworn sisterhood, content to live peacefully together in their Tang Dynasty home. As humans, things are more… well, complicated. Despite their shared history, Emerald and Su couldn’t be more different–Su is prim and poised, repressing her nature to please her politically conservative husband in Singapore, while Emerald is fierce and uninhibited, struggling to make ends meet in New York City. Reunited by a moment of violence, Emerald agrees to return to Singapore with Su, but as her unapologetic authenticity threatens the life Su has built for herself, buried secrets and long-held resentments grow teeth in this dark and striking take on the Chinese folktale “The Legend of the White Snake.”

Protagonists Su and Emerald are vicious, antagonistic, and often downright murderous. Koe beautifully positions their rage as both feminine and animal, and the deliberate blend of each results in gratifying moments of well-earned violence. Sister Snake is at its best when leaning into literary horror, and though it takes time to settle there, once Koe sheds the new adult tonal “skin” (pun intended), the result is a bold exploration of race, queerness and neurodivergence, the trauma of masking yourself, and the cruelty of loving and being loved.

Koe’s writing crackles with energy. This is an author who clearly knows how to bend voice to her will, and the perspective shifts seamlessly between Emerald, Su, and key minor players, embracing the nuance of how we see and are seen. Despite some missteps (like the occasional shift into quippy modern slang which feels gimmicky in comparison to the depth of Koe’s narrative), Sister Snake is the kind of story I hope to see more of in the future–genre-defying, darkly funny, and unafraid to craft women who are monstrous, who do the wrong thing, who love each other, and who, yes, steal the life force from a man who deserves it every now and then.

China's Legend of the White Snake has gone through many different imaginings throughout history. It was interesting to read this novel of two snake sisters, the white snake Su and the green snake Emerald, who land up in contemporary Singapore and New York where they live lives as humans.

The unusual story caught my attention through most of the book, but then the novelty of the snake sisters and their activities in their human forms began to wear off, and I found myself flipping pages to get to the end. The ending was horrific to me and astounding. I was less enchanted by this tale by the end.

Nevertheless, I'm glad I read it. It introduced me to the old stories about snake women. This book is also about sisterhood and women and their relationships.

Koe's writing perfectly toes the line of literary and contemporary, and this story of choosing your own family and your own fate is exciting, funny, and emotional. I was not expecting to love this as much as I did, but it's deeply affecting in its exploration of identity and queerness.

It may have taken me a couple of months to finish this book, but I loved it!

It has everything you’d need to make a great mythical, present-day retelling of an ancient Chinese folktale: family dynamics, folklore, queer representation, women’s agency, and… snakes 🐍🐍

(Thank you so much, Ecco and NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.)

A hilarious, shape shifting romp across centuries and continents. What a treat to read about immortal beings who at the their core just want to be sisters with each other.

Emerald and Su are Yaojing: snakes that found a way to shape shift into immortal women. Su wants nothing more than to be human; Emerald could take it or leave it. Their relationship is… complicated to say the least, but deeply grounded in devotion and love. We start the novel with them estranged, and leading completely different lives. Su is the wealthy wife of a celebrated bureaucrat in Singapore, the very picture of feminine poise and modesty. Emerald is off in New York City with her green buzz cut hair, living her queer ass life with her artist best friend.

Su finds out she’s pregnant, wants to make amends with Emerald, and brings her back to her picture perfect life in Singapore. Chaos ensues.

A love letter to sisterhood, queerness, and nonconformity, Sister Snake is astute in its observations of how miraculous and simultaneously banal human life can be. It’s a book that has a lively pace, and makes you want to root for each sister, even when they make deeply flawed (sometimes violent) human decisions.

If you’re looking for a book with immortal shenanigans, gay longing, and how hard it is to love someone who knows you to your core, pick this book up. Amanda Lee Koe clearly enjoyed themself writing this book, and that joy is readily apparent even on the first page.

This was such a unique book that I found so captivating. This mixes Chinese folklore with domestic thriller in a way that had me devouring this story.

Following two sisters with a secret, Emerald and Su, we see they live vastly different lives. This shared and ancient secret is what connects them through all of the time, space, and their differences. They were once both snakes, but now they walk the earth straddling the line between both snake and human form.

Su, the cookie cutter wife of a Singapore politician, is afraid that the ways of her free spirited and open-minded sister Emerald will out them to those close to them. The dynamic between these two was incredibly powerful. They share such a deep rooted bond that spans more than just sisterhood. The depths that they will go for one another, while still not understanding the lives of the other is as moving as it is codependent.

I am so eager to look more into the Chinese folklore that this is loosely based on. This story is dark and intense because of the hold they both have on their secret and what it would mean to the world if it was revealed. I couldn’t recommend this book more, based on vibes alone.

Sister Snake by Amanda Lee Koe is a captivating, darkly humorous exploration of sisterhood, identity, and the struggle for freedom. The novel centers on Su, a wealthy, conservative politician's wife in Singapore, and Emerald, a rebellious sugar baby in New York, whose bond is rooted in a shared, ancient secret: they were once snakes in Tang dynasty China. Koe's writing is razor-sharp, blending sharp wit with raw emotional depth as the two women navigate their fractured relationship and their complex histories. The narrative weaves together themes of chosen family, queerness, and the oppressive expectations of societal conformity, set against the backdrop of two distinct, yet interconnected, worlds. Su’s attempts to rein in Emerald’s untamed lifestyle in the controlled environment of Singapore highlight the tension between tradition and the desire to live authentically. With its bold characters, reimagining of the Chinese folktale "The Legend of the White Snake," and its exploration of the tension between the past and the present, Sister Snake is a brilliant, thought-provoking read about self-discovery, the bonds that tie us, and the cost of living free.

I loved this! I was unfamiliar with the Legend of the White Snake before reading this, but I could feel the folktale elements throughout, and now I am tempted to read more Chinese myths and legends. I loved the contrast between Emerald and Suzhen and their outlook on their lives as snakes. Normally, alternating timelines drive me up the wall, but I liked how the book would flash back to the past in order to provide context to their current situations. All the characters were larger than life; they were each so distinct, but so well fleshed out that they felt like people from my own life. The only gripe I have with this book is the ending. I think it would’ve been snappier if it ended after the last chapter and we didn’t have the little “After” segment. That segment was so short and non interesting that it left the ending feeling anticlimactic. It is only this small section that bothered me, so it didn’t ruin the book for me, but I wish this wonderful book could’ve ended a bit stronger so I could gush over it from start to finish. Other than that, this book is nearly perfect. I will be adding it to my list of books I recommend to everyone I know.

Thank you to NetGalley & Ecco for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed this title! The perspectives of both sisters and their history were fascinating. I loved their dynamic and the way in which they interacted with the world in different ways. I would definitely recommend this title for anyone looking for something a little different.

This was a very unique story that bordered on fantasy. I enjoyed the culture and folklore behind it and how it was a retelling of an ancient story/myth. I also enjoy books about sisterhood so I really liked that aspect.

The story of two sisters bound by a past secret - they are actually thousand year old snakes who used magic to be able to transform into humans(!!!) After years of estrangement, they are reuniting to save each other from very different but equally troubling circumstances. I loved everything about this. It’s weird, funny, sentimental, queer, a tad gory and at its heart, a love letter to sisterhood of all forms.

Two snakes turn themselves into immortal humans and spend centuries loving and hating each other. Emerald can't stay in one place. Su just want to settle down and be the perfect human. A hilarious, enchanting, unputdownable novel.

A wonderful read from first to last page ,astory that stays with you,I wil be recommending Sister Snake.#netgalley #ecco

I love novels about sisterhood and even though I did like this novel at first, ultimately, the story started to lose steam halfway through. The main problem I had was the writing style. The prose was very choppy and uneven which made for a frustrating read. I think if the writing would've been stronger, I would've enjoyed this novel more. This is a fun and silly romp, but I was expecting much more from the overall story. The ending felt rushed and weak in comparison to the first half. Good solid book but not enough plotline to keep me invested. The cover art is absolutely gorgeous though.

Sister Snake
by Amanda Lee Koe
Pub Date: Dec. 3, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
A glittering, bold, darkly funny novel about two sisters—one in New York, one in Singapore—who are bound by an ancient secret.

Sisterhood is difficult for Su and Emerald. Su leads a sheltered, moneyed life as the picture-perfect wife of a conservative politician in Singapore. Emerald is a nihilistic sugar baby in New York, living from whim to whim as she freely uses her beauty and charms to make ends meet. But they share a secret; once they were snakes, basking under a full moon in Tang Dynasty China.
Many of you will like this book but it was not a good fit for me.
At times, the writing is a little heavy-handed, stating directly the point instead of leaving it to the reader to grasp the metaphors and the meaning. The tenses were a bit weird in places too, maybe that'll get fixed before it's published later this year. And I'm not sure I can get over what was done to the gay best friend.