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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Such a great book. I happened to stumble on it on Audible and am so happy I did.
My only gripe is I wish that final sentence would’ve had just a few more words to finish the story out. But that’s just me. 😁
My only gripe is I wish that final sentence would’ve had just a few more words to finish the story out. But that’s just me. 😁
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
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:
Yes
adventurous
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:
No
Rating: 3.75 stars
Great setting and familiar family dynamics! The dialogue in this book is the best part of the book. The way the older people spoke English, the sentence structure, reminded me of my aunt.
Appreciated the representation of an Asian lesbian protagonist. However, I felt this part of the character was underdeveloped and the sequences with her girlfriend felt forced; didn’t fit with the overall flow of the book.
Great setting and familiar family dynamics! The dialogue in this book is the best part of the book. The way the older people spoke English, the sentence structure, reminded me of my aunt.
Appreciated the representation of an Asian lesbian protagonist. However, I felt this part of the character was underdeveloped and the sequences with her girlfriend felt forced; didn’t fit with the overall flow of the book.
Loved every one of Zen Cho's books and this one was no different.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A young Malaysian woman returns from the US to Penang with her parents after her college graduation. Closeted and struggling to fit in and find a job, she is confronted with the ghost of her grandmother, who wants to use her body for a vendetta against a god and some gangsters. On top of that Jess has to deal with her demanding aunts, uncles and assorted other family members.
New Adult, light LGBTQIA+ in the background. Family, identity and self-discovery. Contemporary fantasy. Mediums, gods, ghosts and temples. Some fights, some light drama, sometimes amusing. I spaced out a few times. The story didn‘t really do much for me. 🇲🇾🇲🇾🇲🇾
The audio narration is well done, especially the accents of all the aunties.
New Adult, light LGBTQIA+ in the background. Family, identity and self-discovery. Contemporary fantasy. Mediums, gods, ghosts and temples. Some fights, some light drama, sometimes amusing. I spaced out a few times. The story didn‘t really do much for me. 🇲🇾🇲🇾🇲🇾
The audio narration is well done, especially the accents of all the aunties.
challenging
dark
hopeful
reflective
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:
Yes
I came across this book by chance when I was browsing available titles in my library app. So, I went into the book without really knowing anything about it, and I'm glad I did.
The protagonist and I probably stepped into the whole mess of the Chinese spirit world equally unprepared. And a mess it is: spirits everywhere, gods small and big, everyone dead or alive with an agenda. While the tone started out light, the story quickly progressed into much darker themes, all the while maintaining its sense of humor. I liked the protagonist; while she is unnecessarily obtuse about the whole being-haunted-by-your-dead-grandmother situation at first, once she accepted what she'd gotten herself into, she handled it admirably. The character development was actually amazing! Jess had really come into her own by the end of the story, in more ways than one.
I really liked the way language was handled here. I'm a sucker for the art of reflecting a foreign language's peculiarities in English. While I do not speak Hokkien, the way the native language characters' speech was written allowed me a tiny glimpse into its mechanisms.
The narration by Catherine Ho is spot-on. She's doing a great job with the different voices, and I particularly liked Ah Ma.
I am really glad I came across this book, and I'm looking forward to reading more from this author in the future.
The protagonist and I probably stepped into the whole mess of the Chinese spirit world equally unprepared. And a mess it is: spirits everywhere, gods small and big, everyone dead or alive with an agenda. While the tone started out light, the story quickly progressed into much darker themes, all the while maintaining its sense of humor. I liked the protagonist; while she is unnecessarily obtuse about the whole being-haunted-by-your-dead-grandmother situation at first, once she accepted what she'd gotten herself into, she handled it admirably. The character development was actually amazing! Jess had really come into her own by the end of the story, in more ways than one.
I really liked the way language was handled here. I'm a sucker for the art of reflecting a foreign language's peculiarities in English. While I do not speak Hokkien, the way the native language characters' speech was written allowed me a tiny glimpse into its mechanisms.
The narration by Catherine Ho is spot-on. She's doing a great job with the different voices, and I particularly liked Ah Ma.
I am really glad I came across this book, and I'm looking forward to reading more from this author in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Classism
How could the author make such an amazing premise and write it so boring? I wanted to read about lesbians fighting ghosts and gangsters. What I got was … that I guess but with all the flair taken out. It was such a slog.
I used to think I don’t like reading anymore but it’s not me. It’s the books. I just want some well written characters and well written plots and I’d even settle for one of the two. But that’s more and more unlikely with the books that come out.
BUT this book isn’t horrible. You might like it. Go read some other reviews about what worked and didn’t. Lots of books bore me and piss me off but others love em.
I used to think I don’t like reading anymore but it’s not me. It’s the books. I just want some well written characters and well written plots and I’d even settle for one of the two. But that’s more and more unlikely with the books that come out.
BUT this book isn’t horrible. You might like it. Go read some other reviews about what worked and didn’t. Lots of books bore me and piss me off but others love em.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
emotional
hopeful
sad
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
This was so good!! I loved the characters; how they interacted and their relationships with one another were so well developed. While I can't speak to the realisticness of how Malaysia was portrayed, I felt it was done very well. It doesn't hold your hand, but it let you truly experience the setting and the culture. It was interesting seeing how the various religions intermingled and how despite being a part of one, people would still respect the others.
The main character was a good blend of having good ideas while also making mistakes. She felt she had to handle it all on her own, but it never felt like she was being stubborn for no reason or being stupid. Also, her relationship was done well as there was realistic conflict but both had good points.
I liked the various antagonists motivations and how they were weaved within the story. Also the resolutions to the conflicts were done well. I felt they were well intertwined.
I read it in a mix of physical and audiobook and can recommend both.
The main character was a good blend of having good ideas while also making mistakes. She felt she had to handle it all on her own, but it never felt like she was being stubborn for no reason or being stupid. Also, her relationship was done well as there was realistic conflict but both had good points.
I liked the various antagonists motivations and how they were weaved within the story. Also the resolutions to the conflicts were done well. I felt they were well intertwined.
I read it in a mix of physical and audiobook and can recommend both.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Rape
Minor: Cancer, Police brutality, Car accident