Reviews tagging 'Car accident'

Black Water Sister by Zen Cho

9 reviews

lilifane's review against another edition

challenging dark funny mysterious tense 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

I was in the mood to read a light-hearted YA Fantasy between two very intense books and thought this would actually be perfect. LOL! Nope. 
First of all, this is definitely not YA. I don't even know why I thought it was? And then after a lighthearted and funny beginning, the story gets pretty dark and intense and violent. But also in a good way. I really liked the characters, the protagonist was very relatable, the dynamics between her and the ghost hilarious. The writing style, especially the dialogues, might need some time to get used when you're not the child of immigrants. But since I am, it felt familiar (even if the languages are totally different in my case). 
Loved the atmosphere and how ghosts, spirits and gods played such a big part in the plot and every day life of the characters. Also, loved the themes that were explored in a raw and brutal way. Like having an identity crisis, being torn between your family and your own life, coming out to a traditional Chinese family, violence against women, sexism, generational trauma, unresolved hate and revenge. But there are some hard scenes towards the end, so I recommend checking trigger warnings. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Homophobia, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Racism, Police brutality, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Violence

Moderate: Kidnapping, Cancer, Medical content, and Outing

Minor: Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, Murder, Outing, Car accident, Drug abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Terminal illness

kurumipanda's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious 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

4.0

Jess is already dealing with the stress of meeting her family’s expectations, hiding her secret girlfriend, and job hunting, when she realizes she’s also being haunted by her dead grandmother. Solid story with grounded characters and relationships, a tense supernatural plot, and a good balance of humorous and heartfelt moments. Some dialog felt slow, some themes felt thinly incorporated, and a couple plot points seemed to trail off, but these seem to fit with the realism of the setting and resolution. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Sexual assault, and Violence

Moderate: Homophobia, Murder, Kidnapping, Cancer, Domestic abuse, and Drug abuse

Minor: Car accident, Classism, and Racism

anna220310's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Blood, and Violence

Moderate: Racism, Cancer, Homophobia, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Abortion, Death of parent, and Car accident

pocketspoon's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny sad 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Classism, and Murder

Moderate: Homophobia, Rape, Violence, and Cancer

Minor: Car accident

thetainaship's review

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, and Outing

Moderate: Cancer, Racism, and Abandonment

Minor: Car accident

mooandshoe's review

dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

One of the best books I’ve read - incredibly written, a beautiful and intriguing story with a plot that keeps you guessing. 
I do want to explain one content warning (not a spoiler, not really) - I tagged it as graphic for sexual assault because there is an attempted rape scene. Nothing actually happens, but the scene is graphic enough particularly in descriptions of thoughts and emotions that it may be upsetting if this is a topic that is triggering to you. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Body horror, Violence, and Stalking

Moderate: Lesbophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Gaslighting

Minor: Car accident and Cancer

gracelynsreads's review

dark emotional sad fast-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Violence, Rape, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Car accident and Lesbophobia

Minor: Cancer

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. 

---

Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Cancer and Car accident

anovelbeauty's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Sexual assault, and Violence

Moderate: Death, Physical abuse, Rape, and Sexual violence

Minor: Blood, Car accident, and Sexism