Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
I really enjoyed getting a peak into Malaysian culture through this unique and fun plot. Some of the scenes with the FMC’s grandma had me audibly chuckling, but I constantly found myself wishing there were more of those moments. This is my first Zen Cho read, but several other reviews mentioned that this wasn’t as funny as her previous books. So, I’m thinking I might really enjoy some of her earlier work.
My main criticism, and what kept me from rating this book higher, is that I felt like there were just too many things going on. There were just too many ideas jammed into one book, making the story drag at times and also making it hard to remember how everything was interconnected.
I don’t think I ever would’ve read this book if Malaysia wasn’t one of the countries featured in StoryGraph’s Read the Workd challenge. Going into this book, I honestly didn’t realize how intertwined Malaysian and Chinese cultures are. Despite the differences in time period, I felt like having read Lady Tan’s Circle of Women helped me to better follow along with this one. So while I wouldn’t necessarily give this book a glowing review, I would definitely recommend checking out Zen Cho.
I don’t think I ever would’ve read this book if Malaysia wasn’t one of the countries featured in StoryGraph’s Read the Workd challenge. Going into this book, I honestly didn’t realize how intertwined Malaysian and Chinese cultures are. Despite the differences in time period, I felt like having read Lady Tan’s Circle of Women helped me to better follow along with this one. So while I wouldn’t necessarily give this book a glowing review, I would definitely recommend checking out Zen Cho.
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
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
Had a really fun time with this. Young woman is haunted by the ghost of her grandmother, family secrets are revealed. Ghosts and gods! Good times.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-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:
No
funny
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
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-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
Tender, humorous, dark, and outrageous—it had all the drama of a really juicy supernatural lakorn with family secrets and ghosts and gods. There was SO much that happened to Jess, *I* was exhausted. Cho really digs into the grief of diaspora, cyclical violence against women-- and the sad Asian dad figure/anxious moms and hard gangster ghost grandma really help to pull at wounds that are often unsayable. I really admire the stickiness of filial relations in the text. This really was a wild ride with many poignant moments.
medium-paced