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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
I completely forgot to write a review for this one, or even finish marking it as "read." My bad. Let's see what I can say about this one...
Most coming-of-age stories seem to be set during puberty, but this one chooses a different transition. Jess has just graduated from Harvard and moved back to Singapore with her parents' family. Stressed-out and closeted, she's navigating job hunts, awkward family reunions, culture clashes, and being semi-possessed by her grandmother's ghost. Between the relatable awkward extended family interactions and the slowly-unraveling mystery and peril around the Black Water Sister, I found it an enjoyable read.
Most coming-of-age stories seem to be set during puberty, but this one chooses a different transition. Jess has just graduated from Harvard and moved back to Singapore with her parents' family. Stressed-out and closeted, she's navigating job hunts, awkward family reunions, culture clashes, and being semi-possessed by her grandmother's ghost. Between the relatable awkward extended family interactions and the slowly-unraveling mystery and peril around the Black Water Sister, I found it an enjoyable read.
Black Water sister starts out strong, but for me, it just doesn't quite deliver on what is an incredibly intriguing premise. This might be a rare example of a story that would've been better suited to literary fiction rather than fantasy.
I loved the illustration of Malaysia and its neighbors around the South China Sea: the social culture and customs are very neatly shown without being told, and the descriptions of architecture and food were invigorating, but there were times that the implementation of the local mythology felt awkward and squished, and our protagonist seemed to be really good at making really bad choices. All of this while the stakes were constantly flip-flopping in a way that made it hard to get too deeply invested created a world and story that were broadly rich but lacking in any real distinct depth for me.
I loved the illustration of Malaysia and its neighbors around the South China Sea: the social culture and customs are very neatly shown without being told, and the descriptions of architecture and food were invigorating, but there were times that the implementation of the local mythology felt awkward and squished, and our protagonist seemed to be really good at making really bad choices. All of this while the stakes were constantly flip-flopping in a way that made it hard to get too deeply invested created a world and story that were broadly rich but lacking in any real distinct depth for me.
adventurous
dark
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Homophobia, Violence
Minor: Sexual violence
The depictions of homophobia are mostly the main character's fear that she will face it and what that would look like.
The attempt at sexual violence does not feel cheap.
challenging
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Drug use, Homophobia, Rape
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Chronic illness
fast-paced
really enjoyed this! very engaging writing, i like jess as a main character and the side characters are well-rendered, kept me interested the whole time
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual violence
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Really loved the premise, the insight into Malaysian culture, and the first half of the book. The second half the plot got confusing and I struggled with the protagonists choices. Leans a bit YA for me.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed it a lot, it was definitely something different , which made it more unpredictable for me, so I had fun reading it!
The only thing is that I felt that the main characters personality changed a bit at times in ways I didn't quite understand
The only thing is that I felt that the main characters personality changed a bit at times in ways I didn't quite understand
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual assault
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
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
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes