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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
dark
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
It took me quite a while to get into this book, but there was a lot of interesting lore involved in this story that was very different from the stories I've read. I'm definitely interested in reading more about Malaysia after listening to this book!!
The book starts off with our main character being called a slur about her sexuality by a ghost. Due to cultural concerns for her family and her own safety and security, she hides her sexuality from her family, including her parents. This becomes a major stressor between her and her long distance girlfriend, who feels mostly forgotten for much of the story. When we do remember the girlfriend it's in the context of hiding what is happening to her from her girlfriend. This young woman has no one to confide in about who she really is and that lack of ability to seek advice and support from others really drives the action of this story.
I've hardly ever read about ghosts and possession before, so this was a really new and interesting kind of magical realism for me.
The book starts off with our main character being called a slur about her sexuality by a ghost. Due to cultural concerns for her family and her own safety and security, she hides her sexuality from her family, including her parents. This becomes a major stressor between her and her long distance girlfriend, who feels mostly forgotten for much of the story. When we do remember the girlfriend it's in the context of hiding what is happening to her from her girlfriend. This young woman has no one to confide in about who she really is and that lack of ability to seek advice and support from others really drives the action of this story.
I've hardly ever read about ghosts and possession before, so this was a really new and interesting kind of magical realism for me.
adventurous
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:
No
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The ending was honestly underwhelming. I was really interested for the first half or so, and then I sort of lost interest. Despite things happening, it also felt like nothing happened. The almost rape scene was unnecessary. I wanted to see her parent's reaction to her coming out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia, Injury/Injury detail
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5 stars - this was a fascinating book for a number of reasons, but high on the list were the setting and the cultural influences. I haven’t read any books set in Malaysia before now and it’s nice to have a break from the overwhelming number of western forest fantasy book settings.
Fun characters and a unique story with a bittersweet but powerful ending. Not quite a 4 star read, but I enjoyed it very much and would recommend.
Fun characters and a unique story with a bittersweet but powerful ending. Not quite a 4 star read, but I enjoyed it very much and would recommend.
adventurous
inspiring
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
This was really good! Also bangladesh mentioned 🇧🇩🇧🇩
adventurous
mysterious
medium-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
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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
Cho's depictions of family, queerness, and tradition are well thought-out yet easy to understand. Jess is an incredibly likeable character whose spiritual strength and secretive nature serves well as the conduit for spirits like her grandma and Black Water Sister. The humour in this story is well-balanced with the critiques of homophobia, misogyny, and shame that underscores many cultures. It's interesting to see how change and violence plays out in three women's lifetimes and afterlives, and how courage takes fruition for these women when given the right support and care. Definitely a book worth reading!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual violence
Minor: Homophobia
It takes a few chapters to get used to the Manglish (I understand Franglais and Japlish, but the Malaysian-English dialect was new to me) but once the story gets started, it's a good blend of family drama and paranormal elements, with a touch of mystery.
Jessamyn, a closeted lesbian daughter of Malaysian immigrants, starts hearing a voice in her head shortly before she and her parents move back to Malaysia (where she hasn't been since she was a toddler) from the United States after her dad's health troubles and work disappointments. The voice turns out to be the ghost of her estranged grandmother, who wants Jess to take care of some unfinished business involving the shrine of a mysterious local deity known as the Black Water Sister...who is not exactly a benevolent figure. This gets Jess tangled in family secrets and shady corners of corrupt local goings-on, all while she's already struggling to both maintain and hide her long-distance relationship with her girlfriend, and find herself work as someone who doesn't quite belong.
The setting and its hidden paranormal world of gods and spirits was interesting to explore, and there were some unexpected revelations. Third-culture kids will identify with Jess's awkward position in the family as someone who is technically 'one of us' but still doesn't completely belong, neither in Malaysia nor in the States, is not in on all the family lore, feels like she can't quite perform adulthood/daughterness/etc to anyone's expectations, and so on.
Not my favourite urban fantasy, but it does grow into a good story, and readers more familiar with the setting (who don't need that mental adjustment-time to start out) might enjoy this more from the get-go.
Content concerns: occasional swearing, no makeout/sex scenes (though see warnings below), occasional alcohol but no habitual drunkenness; fear of coming out as gay, manipulative/controlling family member, corruption/organized crime, flashbacks of murder (though not overly gory), attempted murder, allusion to domestic violence/spousal SA, one instance of attempted SA, someone is drugged
Jessamyn, a closeted lesbian daughter of Malaysian immigrants, starts hearing a voice in her head shortly before she and her parents move back to Malaysia (where she hasn't been since she was a toddler) from the United States after her dad's health troubles and work disappointments. The voice turns out to be the ghost of her estranged grandmother, who wants Jess to take care of some unfinished business involving the shrine of a mysterious local deity known as the Black Water Sister...who is not exactly a benevolent figure. This gets Jess tangled in family secrets and shady corners of corrupt local goings-on, all while she's already struggling to both maintain and hide her long-distance relationship with her girlfriend, and find herself work as someone who doesn't quite belong.
The setting and its hidden paranormal world of gods and spirits was interesting to explore, and there were some unexpected revelations. Third-culture kids will identify with Jess's awkward position in the family as someone who is technically 'one of us' but still doesn't completely belong, neither in Malaysia nor in the States, is not in on all the family lore, feels like she can't quite perform adulthood/daughterness/etc to anyone's expectations, and so on.
Not my favourite urban fantasy, but it does grow into a good story, and readers more familiar with the setting (who don't need that mental adjustment-time to start out) might enjoy this more from the get-go.
Content concerns: occasional swearing, no makeout/sex scenes (though see warnings below), occasional alcohol but no habitual drunkenness; fear of coming out as gay, manipulative/controlling family member, corruption/organized crime, flashbacks of murder (though not overly gory), attempted murder, allusion to domestic violence/spousal SA, one instance of attempted SA, someone is drugged
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
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:
Complicated