Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

An enjoyable read with good narration.

I loved this book so much. The book is a reimagining of the folk tale the White Snake which I was not familiar with while reading this. I loved the sisters and their bond. The complexity of their characters and how they interacted with the world differently was so amazing to read.
Su and Emerald are so different, but they both are snakes and have a fundamental connection to each other. It also shows what being a human is and what is viewed as important depending on who a person or snake is.
It takes place in Singapore and in New York City and the differences were so intriguing to me. NYC is seen as a free and wild place, but Singapore is seen as a strict and controlled.
I haven’t read many books set in Singapore so I loved that new setting and I am excited to read more books set in Singapore.
I listened to it on audio and loved the narration. I felt so in the world of the book.

*Thank you netgalley and Harper Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Two powerful sisters are actually snakes. It talks about motherhood, trans rights, and feminism. I enjoyed listening to it and the narrator was very good.

"Sister Snake" is a solid 3 out of 5 stars read. The book offers an intriguing premise with its unique story of two snake sisters transforming into humans, and while it's not perfect, it's definitely entertaining. The writing is sharp, the characters are interesting, and the narrative takes some unexpected turns that keep you engaged. It's fresh and different enough to be worth your time, especially if you enjoy contemporary fiction that plays with mythology and identity. Not a masterpiece, but definitely a fun and thought-provoking novel that stands out from more conventional storytelling.

I get that this book will not be for everyone as we are following sisters who became immortal. One embracing the regular standards of being human and the other just enjoying living. I loved the mix of folklore, sisterly bonds, queer, and literary fiction. While this book did address the issues of being queer in a country not tolerant and reprimanding, many are currently having a resurgence of this issue everywhere. I loved that the author addressed this issue. I enjoyed this book as it has everything you want in a lit fic. Thank You NetGalley for the Audio narrated by Zoe Chao. This is definitely a book I could re-read.

4.25 stars - Sister Snake was a delightful, engaging read and I really enjoyed it. It was heavy handed at times, and I didn't stay as engaged during the climactic action scene as I had in the beginning, which prevented me from giving the book a higher score.

The basic premise is that the main characters are chosen family sisters who are both snakes who can turn into people and live most of their lives as beautiful women, One of them is free spirited, queer and based in NYC, the other is more uptight and lives in Singapore. When the NYC one gets in some trouble she goes to visit the Singapore one and chaos and social commentary ensue. Without giving too much away about the plot, I'll say that I found the book humorous in many places, especially when the snakes were looking back and comparing their lives over the last 700 years (did I mention that they basically seem to live forever?) with modern day.

I haven't read much about Singapore and really enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about the culture and government there from this novel. There are several plot threads that comment on Singapore's backward approach to LGBTQ issues, family planning etc., and I felt that the author's treatment of these was a bit heavy handed. I found the sisters' characters to be multi-dimensional and interesting, though I found that the secondary characters were not as complex.

Overall, this book was gripping, I found myself disappointed when I had to "put it down" (I listened to this via audiobook). I recommend it if the subject matter seems at all interesting to you!

Audiobook notes - I thought that the narration was effective and would recommend this book as an audiobook. It's read by one narrator who is effective but unremarkable in her delivery.

TW; Pregnancy, Abortion, Violence

Thank you HarperCollins Audio for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley.

“To be sisters with you in one lifetime is not enough.”

Am I crazy to think Su and Emerald ARE Galinda and Elphaba. Hear me out, a white snake that longs for nothing more to be human and is desperate to fit in with the humans. A green snake who cares more about staying true to herself. The biggest difference between Elphaba and Emerald is that Emerald wants nothing more than to live a thousand lifetimes with her sister. The moment where they are half-human, half-snake in the water, I literally thought they were going to start singing Defying Gravity.
"‘Why is it so easy for you?’
‘why is what so easy for me?’
‘being this, and that, it’s like there’s no difference to you?’
‘I like myself as a snake as much as I like myself as a woman.'
Su can’t understand why Emerald doesn’t delineate between snake and woman. Isn’t the point of transitioning to stay above the fold? To relinquish what’s underneath? Where they’ve come from? Su tries to place as much distance as she can between what she thinks of as her higher self, the beautiful woman everyone wants to be around, and these instincts, the white snake they would exterminate without hesitation.

I wanted to really do my research on this story, so I did a brief deep dive into the Legend of the White Snake. Reading about the legend gave me a much deeper appreciation for this story. The authors modern, feminist approach on this tale really breathed new life into it. The ancient legend itself doesn't make much sense, and by that I mean the characters motives. We don't really know why they make the choices they make. Some versions of the story are a cautionary, horror story, other versions are a love story. Amanda Lee Koe's version seems to be a mix of cautionary/horror and love... sisterly love.

The imagery in this book is gorgeous. At one point the author describes revisiting a memory, over and over again, like constantly touching a stone and smoothing out the rough edges. As the edges smooth, so too does the memory. This book is one of those books that leaves you feeling as if you just read something really profound. Listening to a professional read this book to me made the words sound even more poetic.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperAudio for a copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest review!

I really enjoyed this book! It had a lot of cool things going for it. The sisters have a complicated relationship. One is super successful but has been hiding her true self. The other appears to be a bit of a mess but is fully okay in both of her skins. The story occasionally takes us back in time to let us know partially how we got to today. It felt as there were just enough flashbacks to give a good sense of what was driving the characters and their actions. The locales also played an important role in the story. Koe did a good job of using place as another character in her writing. There were times when I laughed out loud and also times where I felt deeply for what the characters were experiencing. The writing was clear and concise. I give this a strong 4.5/5 stars! If you're looking for something different that is a good story, check out Sister Snake!

Thanks to #NetGalley and #HarperAudio for the #ARC of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Set against the backdrop of Southeast Asia, this bold and bizarre tale centers on a snake spirit-turned-human and her entanglement with mortals who are, frankly, just as unpredictable as she is. With themes of desire, transformation, and betrayal woven into its scaly plot, this book had it all.

The audiobook narrator deserves their own award—I was spellbound. Zoë’s ability to embody the humor, darkness, and outright weirdness of this story made every twist feel intimate.

This novel isn’t just bold—it’s unapologetically weird, like a fever dream I didn’t want to wake up from. It’s dark, it’s funny, and it knows exactly when to hiss and when to strike. If you enjoy your fiction on the weirder side, Sister Snake will have you shedding your expectations (sorry, I had to).

Thanks NetGalley and Harper Audio for the Arc!

This contemporary retelling of the ancient Chinese folktale, “The Legend of the White Snake,” is perfectly fantastical and thrilling! I was captivated from the first chapter and found the pacing to be on point! I highly recommend this story of two sisters and their ancient secret.

this was a masterful story that drew me in almost immediately. i thought the pacing worked well for the story and just when i thought i knew the characters, they really start to shed their skin (hehe). i have no notes. i loved the plot development, the head hopping, all the characters and the feminine rage.

the audiobook narrator for this was PHENOMENAL. get her to read my bedtime stories pls.