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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
Black Water Sister is so fun and entertaining urban fantasy read I'd hoped for. The premise is about “A stressed zillennial lesbian fights gods, ghosts, gangsters & grandmas in 21st century Penang.” — Zen Cho
This book start with Jessamyn who just graduated Harvard and being jobless, she and her family moved back to Malaysia and lived with her aunt family. After staying in Malaysia shes start heard some voice in her head and turn out its her dead grandmother who still have unfinished business and wants Jess to help to deall with it.
The thing i love this book is about how this book focused on cultural aspect, this book makes me learn alot about mythology and folklore. I really enjoyed read this, especially bcs the potrayal of Jess family so realistic and complex, its so refreshing to read.
The problem is i feel like the ending so rushed and lot of thing kinda forced to be fixed.
This book start with Jessamyn who just graduated Harvard and being jobless, she and her family moved back to Malaysia and lived with her aunt family. After staying in Malaysia shes start heard some voice in her head and turn out its her dead grandmother who still have unfinished business and wants Jess to help to deall with it.
The thing i love this book is about how this book focused on cultural aspect, this book makes me learn alot about mythology and folklore. I really enjoyed read this, especially bcs the potrayal of Jess family so realistic and complex, its so refreshing to read.
The problem is i feel like the ending so rushed and lot of thing kinda forced to be fixed.
slow-paced
This was incredible. I've never read Malayan (Malaysian-SG) gods, ghosts, speculative fantasy written so crisply, so movingly. A book I've waited all my life to read.
I'm so glad (and relieved) the plot, dialogue, and characters held together so well the whole length of the book, unlike so much of the cringey Singlit out there. This was an important, powerful (and fun!) book to read as a Chinese person from Singapore!
I'm so glad (and relieved) the plot, dialogue, and characters held together so well the whole length of the book, unlike so much of the cringey Singlit out there. This was an important, powerful (and fun!) book to read as a Chinese person from Singapore!
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:
Complicated
This book is perfectly enjoyable. I could relate to Jess as a main character with how complex family dynamics can be and how intertwined our lives seem to be with our families, especially in Chinese culture.
This book is quintessentially Malaysian Chinese. From the wonderfully detailed setting of Penang, (re: plenty of five foot ways, hipster cafes) to the constant omnipresence of religion and myths that Chinese parents are wont to believe, and I LOVE that Jess is a character that happens to be queer, instead of having the plot revolve around her sexuality (though it does get brought up, and is taken seriously in the book), though with the chaos that Jess gets swept up in, its understandable that sexuality isn't exactly high on her list of things to actively think about.
A truly enjoyable read, and one that I can't recommend enough. It helped me learn and appreciate my culture and traditions more than any textbook ever could.
This book is quintessentially Malaysian Chinese. From the wonderfully detailed setting of Penang, (re: plenty of five foot ways, hipster cafes) to the constant omnipresence of religion and myths that Chinese parents are wont to believe, and I LOVE that Jess is a character that happens to be queer, instead of having the plot revolve around her sexuality (though it does get brought up, and is taken seriously in the book), though with the chaos that Jess gets swept up in, its understandable that sexuality isn't exactly high on her list of things to actively think about.
A truly enjoyable read, and one that I can't recommend enough. It helped me learn and appreciate my culture and traditions more than any textbook ever could.
adventurous
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:
No
I liked everything about this book but the main character, Jess. Given her background, her character is plausible, but I couldn't understand why her girlfriend put up with her.
I'm going to do this one in points, because my thoughts are scattered:
1. Love the cover!
2. The narration was amazing, one of the best I listened to this year. It was especially interesting since there were a lot of Asian words/names and I could hear them pronounced correctly. At the same time, I now don't know how to write most characters names...
3. The book didn't really emotionally clicked with me, but I feel like this isn't the books fault. I don't know why it is, but I just didn't care so much for most part of the story and it just didn't stick to me very well...
4. The immersion in a different culture was amazing. People agree that Zen Cho's research into Malaysian god cults and mythologies is immaculate. I really know nothing about that, so I can't judge, but the world sure feels very holistic and immersing.
5. In the end, we get to realise that this is actually one big telenovela, so that was fun.
6. Note to myself: Don't read this again in winter, all the talk about air-conditioning was killing me...
7. There is also one scene that... if you are in need of TW I also wish the aftermath of that was handled a little better...
I would be able to do this all day, but I feel like it's a little pointless since I feel really bland about the book in general. I might try some more Zen Cho in the future...
BRed at WBtM:https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/22344656-black-water-sister-botm-2---december-2022
1. Love the cover!
2. The narration was amazing, one of the best I listened to this year. It was especially interesting since there were a lot of Asian words/names and I could hear them pronounced correctly. At the same time, I now don't know how to write most characters names...
3. The book didn't really emotionally clicked with me, but I feel like this isn't the books fault. I don't know why it is, but I just didn't care so much for most part of the story and it just didn't stick to me very well...
4. The immersion in a different culture was amazing. People agree that Zen Cho's research into Malaysian god cults and mythologies is immaculate. I really know nothing about that, so I can't judge, but the world sure feels very holistic and immersing.
5. In the end, we get to realise that this is actually one big telenovela, so that was fun.
6. Note to myself: Don't read this again in winter, all the talk about air-conditioning was killing me...
7. There is also one scene that... if you are in need of TW
Spoiler
there is an almost(?) rape scene... it's well written, so it made me a little sick...I would be able to do this all day, but I feel like it's a little pointless since I feel really bland about the book in general. I might try some more Zen Cho in the future...
BRed at WBtM:https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/22344656-black-water-sister-botm-2---december-2022
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-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
adventurous
hopeful
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
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
Black Water Sister is a really strong contemporary fantasy with a vibrant setting and a fascinating narrative. It's only let down by the romance angle which wasn't developed enough and felt distinctly lacking in comparison to the characterisations and depth on display in other areas of the novel. That doesn't stop it from being an engaging and creative novel that twisted in unexpected directions and kept me guessing.
Jess is distinctly stressed. Not only has she got no idea what to do after graduating from Harvard, she's hiding her long term girlfriend from her conservative family, she's had to move back to Malaysia with her parents due to money issues and now she's hearing voices. Or well, one distinct voice as it turns out. Her grandmother. Which would be less concerning if her grandmother weren't dead. But apparently even dead people still have scores to settle. And so Jess finds herself stuck in the middle of vindictive ghosts and very upset Gods who have a bone to pick with the local gang.
I really enjoyed this and found the narrative interesting and twisty and most of the characterisations superb. In particular Ah Ma and Jess's mum are superbly fleshed out, bringing a level of family drama and tension to the novel along with some humour. Jess is a quirky character, full of insecurities and doubts and not always approaching things the best way. I liked the way the motivations were drawn out as the novel progressed, with decades old family history playing a fair part in the drama of today. There's a lot going on in the novel, but it never felt overwhelming and most of the threads came together well.
The only point where I felt it was underdeveloped was the romance angle. It must be difficult writing a long term relationship and getting a sense of the characters well, but it shows here. There is a distinct lack of flair to the relationship and the love interest just doesn't get enough page time, to the point that it felt completely superfluous and mostly unnecessary. It either needed to be developed more or cut entirely to be worthwhile to the story as a whole.
That said, I still very much enjoyed this. It was different, vibrant and the characters were messy and wonderfully drawn.
Jess is distinctly stressed. Not only has she got no idea what to do after graduating from Harvard, she's hiding her long term girlfriend from her conservative family, she's had to move back to Malaysia with her parents due to money issues and now she's hearing voices. Or well, one distinct voice as it turns out. Her grandmother. Which would be less concerning if her grandmother weren't dead. But apparently even dead people still have scores to settle. And so Jess finds herself stuck in the middle of vindictive ghosts and very upset Gods who have a bone to pick with the local gang.
I really enjoyed this and found the narrative interesting and twisty and most of the characterisations superb. In particular Ah Ma and Jess's mum are superbly fleshed out, bringing a level of family drama and tension to the novel along with some humour. Jess is a quirky character, full of insecurities and doubts and not always approaching things the best way. I liked the way the motivations were drawn out as the novel progressed, with decades old family history playing a fair part in the drama of today. There's a lot going on in the novel, but it never felt overwhelming and most of the threads came together well.
The only point where I felt it was underdeveloped was the romance angle. It must be difficult writing a long term relationship and getting a sense of the characters well, but it shows here. There is a distinct lack of flair to the relationship and the love interest just doesn't get enough page time, to the point that it felt completely superfluous and mostly unnecessary. It either needed to be developed more or cut entirely to be worthwhile to the story as a whole.
That said, I still very much enjoyed this. It was different, vibrant and the characters were messy and wonderfully drawn.