Reviews

I borrowed this from a recommendation and didn't actually read anything about it before I started, which was good because I truly had no idea what was going to happen next at any point.

sunflower_emily98's review

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dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

myriadreads's review against another edition

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4.0

The author pitched this one on her Twitter as: “A stressed zillennial lesbian fights gods, ghosts, gangsters & grandmas in 21st century Penang.” It was as good as it sounds!

Main character Jess is a first-generation American who moves to Malaysia with her parents after her father loses his job. She feels a bit lost—not really Malaysian or American. She has a degree from Harvard, but she’s having no luck finding a job. She has a girlfriend, but she’s afraid that she’ll hurt her parents if she tells them the truth about herself.
She’s a bit stressed, to say the least, so when she first hears a voice speaking in her head she thinks she’s going crazy. It turns out that she’s being contacted by her grandma, who died a year ago.

Jess learns that her Ah Ma was a spirit medium for a local god known as the Black Water Sister. A powerful local has offended the god, and grandma is unable to move on until the conflict is resolved. So, she’s tapped Jess to be her feet on the ground, pulling her into a secret family feud and revealing the spirits in the world all around them.

I loved the main character’s growth as she grappled with family loyalty, a longing for authenticity, and just figuring out what’s next in her life as she finds her strength and learns to trust her instincts. Pick this one up to escape to steamy, magical Malaysia for family mystery and supernatural adventure.

emg3's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective 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

4.5

This book was such a journey to read! Each of the characters were intricate and believable. The author manages to talk about issues of clashing cultures and generations in a way that was both fantastical/unbelievable and entirely realistic

Content Warnings

kaleighm's review against another edition

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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? It's complicated

4.0

vicrine's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

3.75

gabalodon's review against another edition

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5.0

Truly an incredible book. Such well-crafted characters, an MC who's sassy and painfully relatable, so well-plotted, such interesting dynamics and tensions on so many axes - culture, family, relationships, class hierarchies, secrets - and so much vicious rage that transcends death. Cannot overstate how great a story this was.

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