15 Asian-authored books featuring siblings

Hi, welcome back~ Taking a break from reviews, today’s post is a recommendation list! With it being Asian and Pacific Islander (API) Heritage Month, I’m here with Asian-authored books featuring sibling relationships. In this list, some siblings are close while others are like strangers. Some relationships between the siblings are key aspects of the books and influential to the plot but others aren’t.

Without further ado, enjoy~

Putting donation and information links for Anti-Asian Violence Resources, Asian Readathon 2021’s charity announcement, Israel-Palestine conflict, Colombia’s situation and fundraises for India’s COVID-19 here if anyone would like to find out more and help.

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yolk by mary m.k. choi

goodreads | book depository

trigger and content warnings:

• eating disorder, racism, cheating, cancer, female fertility, and parental abandonment.

• taken from courtney’s goodreads

Out of the three Mary H.K. Choi’s books, Yolk is my current favorite. The complicated relationship between Jayne and June Baek was heart-wrenching yet at the end of it, was healing and hopeful. Until the day June told her twin that she is diagnosed with cancer, the two never spent a day honestly with one another. Layers upon layers are unraveled as Jayne reflected her childhood and deciphered her relationship with June for the past years. Yolk captured the complexity of being sisters with sharp humor and sarcasm.

the ones we’re meant to find by joan he

goodreads | book depository

trigger and content warnings:

• terminal illness, suicide, violence (including choking), death, death of parent (off page), vomiting, large scale natural disasters and mass casualties, some gore

• taken from joan he’s goodreads

Well, this blew my mind away.🤯 Fell in love with Joan He’s writing and world creation in Descendant of the Crane so you can be sure I’m definitely going to read her future books. The Ones We’re Meant to Find was bizarre and one of a kind. Cee and Kasey are separated. The former is stranded on an island while the latter is trying to find traces of her missing sister. Both perspectives were interesting to read from. The book leaves you gasping for more.

spin the dawn (the blood of stars #1) by elizabeth lim

goodreads | book depository

In Spin the Dawn, the sibling relationship isn’t very prominent but plays a heavy role in Maia’s decision making. Before the war, Maia used to have three older brothers but now, she’s only left with her ailing father and the youngest brother who came back from the war with a shattered leg. Left with just two family members and not wanting them to suffer even more, Maia disguised herself as a male and answered the emperor’s summon to become the next imperial tailor instead.

the bone witch (the bone witch #1) by rin chupeco

goodreads | book depository

trigger and content warnings:

• loss of loved ones, blood magic (drawing one’s own blood), gore, sexism, death.

• taken from april (aprilius maximus)’s goodreads

Tea accidentally resurrected her dead brother, Fox. How’s that for a sibling relationship? Through this, Tea finds out that she’s a necromancer, a bone witch. Even before Fox’s second chance at life, the siblings had a pretty good relationship. They’re fiercely protective of one another and would do anything to keep the other safe. However, things between the siblings started to change when Tea learns about the way of being a dark asha.

jade city (the green bone saga #1) by fonda lee

goodreads | book depository

trigger and content warnings:

• gore, death violence, drug abuse/use, suicide, self-harm, sex scenes, mentions of sexual assault

The siblings that run the No Peak clan are phenomenal on their own and together. 💚💚 Within the clan, as the Pillar, Lan Kaul is more diplomatic and uses words instead of his fists. The younger brother, Hilo the Horn, is the leader of the soldiers who has no chill and can be ruthless. Shae wants nothing to do with the clan and desires to find her own path. Adopted by the Kaul family, Anden is softer, quieter, and full of insecurities. All of their perspectives are interesting to read since they’re so different from one another. This wuxia-inspired urban fantasy trilogy brought me back to my childhood when I lived for martial arts shows.

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three dark crowns (three dark crowns #1) by kendare blake

goodreads | book depository

To say that these three sisters are on bad terms is an understatement. Born as triplets, Mirabella, Arsinoe and Katharine will have to fight to their deaths to be crowned as queen of their generation. Separated since young, the sisters have barely any solid memory of one another. Not only that, their own factions and supporters are sowing discord to make the situation even more dangerous and political.

aru shah and the end of time (pandava #1) by roshani chokshi

goodreads | book depository

Aru Shah and her friends might not be biologically related but they are the reincarnation of the five legendary Pandava brothers from Hindu mythology. While they were first on rocky terms, Aru Shah and the other Pandava sisters started to find comfort with one another in times of danger. Gradually, the bond of association by reincarnation became trust and loyalty.

dragon pearl by yoon ha lee

goodreads | book depository

They say Jun deserted from the army and Min refused to believe that her older brother would ever do such a thing. At least, not without proper reason. Min’s determined to find out the truth. Throughout Dragon Pearl, as Min faces obstacles and uses her shapeshifting abilities, all she could think about where her missing brother is. The flashbacks showed how close the sister and brother are before Jun went to the army.

summer bird blue by akemi dawn bowman

goodreads | book depository

Rumi and Lea were going to create music their whole lives. This dream is cut short once Lea died in a car accident and Remi is sent to live with her aunt in Hawaii. As Rumi grieves for the pain and loss of her younger sister, she reminisces the good and bad days they had together. At the same time, she started to doubt whether she was a good sister to Lea or not. Summer Bird Blue left me emotional.

to all the boys i’ve loved before (to all the boys i’ve loved before #1) by jenny han

goodreads | book depository

Everything started with Lara Jean’s younger sister’s mischievous, meddling ways. With her snooping skills, Kitty secretly sent all of the hidden love letters Lara Jean wrote for all the boys she fell for. Honestly, if it were me, I would have died of embarrassment. 😭 Despite this, Lara Jean and Kitty have a sweet relationship. They stuck with each other when the oldest sister, Margot, goes overseas to study. The three Song sisters are close and with their mother gone, they do whatever they can to share the burdens of their single father.

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an ember in the ashes (an ember in the ashes #1) by sabaa tahir

goodreads | book depository

Read An Ember in the Ashes only recently and was immediately enthralled by the plot and the exquisite writing. When Laia’s brother was arrested for treason, she was torn away from the only living family member left in this world. The only way she can think of is to infiltrate the Blackcliff Military Academy to find information of the commandant in exchange for the Resistance’s help in getting wind of Darin’s whereabouts.

love from a to z by s.k. ali

goodreads | book depository

In Love from A to Z, the brother-sister relationship isn’t a key element of the plot but still brought a lot of sweetness and love to the characters. Shortly after Hanna was born, their mother passed away. As the older brother with more memories, Adam often reminisced stories about their mother so that Hanna could get to know her that way. These were really tender moments between the siblings.

angelfall (penryn and the end of days #1) by susan ee

goodreads | book depository

I didn’t know what to expect from Angelfall but absolutely fell in love with the trilogy. This post-apocalyptic novel has angels taking over the mortal realm. With just her sister and mother, Penryn is trying to survive this insane world they are living in. Out of nowhere, her younger sister was abducted by angels and Penryn needs to find a way to reunite with her. In fact, she makes a deal with an angel.

we hunt the flame (sands of arawiya #1) by hafsah faizal

goodreads | book depository

Lana and Zafira are vastly different people but are still incredibly protective of the people they love. While Zafira is out being the Hunter, Lana’s back home taking care of their mother. Although the connection between these two sisters isn’t super significant in the grand scheme of things, it still greatly added to the characters themselves, especially when Zafira reflects upon their roles in the family.

dial a for aunties by jesse q. sutanto

goodreads | book depository

While Meddeline is an only child, her mother has three other sisters. The rivalry and competitive nature of the sisters was relayed funnily and entertainingly. As they helped Meddeline cover up a crime, the bickering and offhand comments about each other is a reprieve from the fact that there’s a dead body at a wedding. If you never thought you can read a book about a murder and is hilarious at the same time, Dial A for Aunties will not disappoint you.

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let’s chat:
are there any sibling relationships that you adored? these are just some of mine but do recommend me any book that you don’t see in this list!