Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Black Water Sister by Zen Cho

2 reviews

melaniereadsbooks's review against another edition

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challenging dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I enjoyed this book a lot! I loved Jess as a main character and seeing everything she goes through with ghosts, her family, moving, and what turns into a very complicated story.  I thought this was really good and I enjoyed the read!

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rorikae's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

 ‘Black Water Sister’ by Zen Cho is an engaging fantasy that dabbles in family history, identity, and the traumas that we hold with us. 
It follows Jess, who is returning to Malaysia with her family after graduating from college. Shortly after moving, she begins to hear a voice in her head and realizes that it is the ghost of her grandmother. Her grandmother died last year but has unfinished business that she wants Jess to take care of. As Jess gets swept up into her grandmother’s world, she’ll learn more about her past and the local gods than she expected. 
In ‘Black Water Sister,’ Cho does an excellent job of creating a close-knit fantasy that delves into gods and spirits while also staying firmly rooted in family. The cast of characters is relatively small, but the world feels vast as Jess learns more about Malaysia and her grandmother’s past. Alongside the more spiritual issues that Jess is dealing with, she is also dealing with a lot of personal issues as well, hiding her girlfriend from her family and trying to decide what to do with her life are both at the top of that list. Cho carefully unwraps Jess’ fears as she is also sucked into the true story of her grandmother’s past and the world that her mother has tried to keep her from. This story is full of so much familial trauma but also love and care. It isn’t an expansive fantasy, but I think that is also what makes it so impactful. I came to care deeply for each of the characters, even those that I didn’t necessarily like. I would love to follow more of Jess’ life and know what happens as she grows up further and figures out exactly who she wants to be. This is another great fantasy by Zen Cho. I am always looking forward to what she writes next. 

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