Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Black Water Sister by Zen Cho

20 reviews

careinthelibrary's review

dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I love how spooky and dark this was! I recommend it for spooky season this year for sure!
Jess is a compelling protagonist. Imperfect, determined, brave.
This Malaysian dark fantasy novel has deep roots in history, folklore, spirituality, and queer experiences.
Ah Ma and Jess' unconventional, claustrophobic, dynamic relationship was my favourite aspect of this. She is haunted and possessed by her funny, wise, cutthroat grandmother and they use this time to bond, learn, grow. Unwind the cycle of grief, pain, and trauma. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Outing, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Death, Domestic abuse, Lesbophobia, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Rape, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence

Moderate: Self harm and Cancer

Minor: Alcohol

orla_h's review

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Murder, Lesbophobia, Homophobia, and Grief

Minor: Sexual assault

charnyreads's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Grief, Blood, Cancer, Death, Rape, Racism, Pregnancy, Murder, Outing, Medical content, Lesbophobia, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail

laurareads87's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious 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

4.0

"You can bargain with anybody, spirit or human.  All you need to know is what do they want and what are they scared of.  That's all."
Black Water Sister follows Jess, a young Malaysian-American woman who has just moved back to Malaysia with her parents.  Just when she's got enough mundane issues to worry about -- not being out to her parents, a long-distance relationship, the challenges of finding a good job post-graduation, the pressures exerted by her extended family -- the voice of her recently deceased grandmother turns up in her head and before long, Jess is (in the author's words) "[fighting] gods, ghosts, gangsters, and grandmas in 21st century Penang."  I appreciate so much about this book -- the rich descriptions of the setting, the comedic elements interspersed with more serious themes, and the development of Jess' character.  There is a strong feminist element to Black Water Sister -- it centers multiple generations of women, and addresses trauma, violence, loss, and family tensions and divisions with nuance.  This is the second of Zen Cho's books I've read, and my favourite thusfar.
<i>Content warnings:</i> sexual assault, sexual violence, sexism, misogyny, homophobia, racism, xenophobia, violence, murder, domestic violence, gore, grief, medical content

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Misogyny, Homophobia, Racism, Xenophobia, Violence, Murder, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Gore, Grief, and Medical content

lucystolethesky's review

challenging emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Murder, Kidnapping, Death, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia

Moderate: Xenophobia, Racism, Outing, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Rape, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Grief, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Terminal illness, Chronic illness, and Cancer

jesseybean's review

emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

 The story was captivating but lost its footing in the second half. I enjoyed all the spirits and gods. Zen Cho did a wonderful job creating another world within our world for us to see through Jess's eyes. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Sexual assault, Racism, Police brutality, and Outing

starccato's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Grief, Sexual assault, Violence, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Cancer, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Religious bigotry, Racism, and Vomit

melaniereadsbooks's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Mental illness, Cancer, Sexual assault, and Kidnapping

rorikae's review

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Grief, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Murder, Violence, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Cancer and Car accident

joceraptor's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Violence

Minor: Homophobia and Grief