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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Hmmmm. My feelings towards this book are, idk – pretty neutral?
It was a perfectly OK book and an enjoyable enough read (and I love the cover!), but somehow the story still failed to engage me all that deeply. The plot felt a bit patchy, although it all came neatly together in the end, and the thematic aspects and issues were aplenty but I felt like many were only roughly scratched on the surface. The fantasy stuff was cool, too, but.. I've kind of come to realize I'm not that into contemporary fantasy as such, I guess, though it depends. What I did enjoy in this particular story very much was reading about the family relationships and cultural details! So, it definitely had its moments, but almost at no point stirred any great emotions in me.
3,5-ish stars.
It was a perfectly OK book and an enjoyable enough read (and I love the cover!), but somehow the story still failed to engage me all that deeply. The plot felt a bit patchy, although it all came neatly together in the end, and the thematic aspects and issues were aplenty but I felt like many were only roughly scratched on the surface. The fantasy stuff was cool, too, but.. I've kind of come to realize I'm not that into contemporary fantasy as such, I guess, though it depends. What I did enjoy in this particular story very much was reading about the family relationships and cultural details! So, it definitely had its moments, but almost at no point stirred any great emotions in me.
3,5-ish stars.
I love how Zen Cho does not sacrifice culturally accurate prose to cater to the reader. Does it make it hard to follow at times? Yes. Is that the point? I believe so. It adds to the world the protagonist navigates through and showcases the diverse diaspora that impacts all facets of her life. It makes for a world that is as realistic as it is magical.
My grievances are that the pacing was off at times and the tone shifts so suddenly that it is a bit jarring at times.
I love a sapphic protagonist and Jess is a badass from a line of badass women that do the best with the hand they were dealt, while being hilarious along the way.
My grievances are that the pacing was off at times and the tone shifts so suddenly that it is a bit jarring at times.
I love a sapphic protagonist and Jess is a badass from a line of badass women that do the best with the hand they were dealt, while being hilarious along the way.
adventurous
emotional
funny
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
I had such a good time with this! So funny and fun, but also heartbreaking and tender. This is one that will stick with me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Murder, Lesbophobia
emotional
mysterious
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:
Yes
La verdad, lo escojí por canviar un poco mi tematica de lectura. No sabría decirte si me gustó o no, simplemente, lo leí... Las paginas iban pasando, no me enganché, pero tampoco era tan malo como para dejarlo a medias.
Personajes bien construidos y un mundo interesante. Será que la mitologia asiatica no es lo mío...
Personajes bien construidos y un mundo interesante. Será que la mitologia asiatica no es lo mío...
It took me a bit to get into this book, but once I did, I finished it quickly. Also should add that review may be lower based on my current state of mind.
Empecé el libro... y no pude soltarlo más.
La historia es atrapante. Jess, es enfermante al principio... hasta que por fin, agarra coraje. Qué sé yo, es difícil para mi empatizar con alguien tan quedada y tan reservada, con tanta represión.
Me gustó la Ahn Ma y los personajes secundarios, están bien logrados. Y la diosa... bueno, qué decir: es genial. Los colores locales, las descripciones... las amé: me hicieron sentir en el lugar.
No voy a contar más porque es lo que está en la sinopsis: Jess escucha voces que resulta que son de su abuela, que quiere que intervenga y salve el santuario de la diosa de ser destruido en un emprendimiento inmobiliario. Y de esa simpleza, se despliega un argumento trepidante, que trata varios temas serios y que a mi, al menos, no me dio respiro.
Ah, sí, la protagonista no es hetero, pero en lo personal no me pareció relevante para la historia. Sí es interesante desde el punto de vista de que no tiene interés en ningún tipo de los que la rodean, sea bueno o malo, y eso fue refrescante. Nada de insta-love o de amor prohibido, o alguno de esos clichés más habituales. Me gustó ese detalle. Por eso mismo, las consideraciones estéticas de la protagonista tampoco son relevantes en la manera habitual. Fue un descanso, me encantó.
Hay varias reflexiones en el libro que no tienen desperdicio. La que más me pegó, es esta, que copio textual:
"Le recordaron cómo había muerto la Hermana de las Aguas Negras, lo que había soportado. Hombres como el maestro Yap habían alcanzado la divinidad tras vidas veneradas, muertes serenas y ascensiones a manos del Emperador de Jade. Las mujeres como la Hermana de las Aguas Negras se convertían en diosas porque habían tenido unas vidas tan miserables y unas muertes tan terribles que la gente les rezaba para aplacar sus venganzas. Porque habían muerto con una furia que apenas podían saciar".
Mi recomendación final: LÉANLO.
La historia es atrapante. Jess, es enfermante al principio... hasta que por fin, agarra coraje. Qué sé yo, es difícil para mi empatizar con alguien tan quedada y tan reservada, con tanta represión.
Me gustó la Ahn Ma y los personajes secundarios, están bien logrados. Y la diosa... bueno, qué decir: es genial. Los colores locales, las descripciones... las amé: me hicieron sentir en el lugar.
No voy a contar más porque es lo que está en la sinopsis: Jess escucha voces que resulta que son de su abuela, que quiere que intervenga y salve el santuario de la diosa de ser destruido en un emprendimiento inmobiliario. Y de esa simpleza, se despliega un argumento trepidante, que trata varios temas serios y que a mi, al menos, no me dio respiro.
Ah, sí, la protagonista no es hetero, pero en lo personal no me pareció relevante para la historia. Sí es interesante desde el punto de vista de que no tiene interés en ningún tipo de los que la rodean, sea bueno o malo, y eso fue refrescante. Nada de insta-love o de amor prohibido, o alguno de esos clichés más habituales. Me gustó ese detalle. Por eso mismo, las consideraciones estéticas de la protagonista tampoco son relevantes en la manera habitual. Fue un descanso, me encantó.
Hay varias reflexiones en el libro que no tienen desperdicio. La que más me pegó, es esta, que copio textual:
"Le recordaron cómo había muerto la Hermana de las Aguas Negras, lo que había soportado. Hombres como el maestro Yap habían alcanzado la divinidad tras vidas veneradas, muertes serenas y ascensiones a manos del Emperador de Jade. Las mujeres como la Hermana de las Aguas Negras se convertían en diosas porque habían tenido unas vidas tan miserables y unas muertes tan terribles que la gente les rezaba para aplacar sus venganzas. Porque habían muerto con una furia que apenas podían saciar".
Mi recomendación final: LÉANLO.
A Malaysian urban fantasy with sassy grandmas, overbearing family, and all the torqued millennial self doubt a girl could dream about.
CONTENT WARNING:
Things to love:
-The mythology. I think Malaysian lore is so interesting, with all of the different cultures that either naturally or by force of imperialism have mixed in with local traditions.
-The topics. This covers a lot--being an immigrant to the US, being seen as American elsewhere, unhealthy family relationships, the legacy of trauma, being closeted gay...just a lot of stuff crammed into a story of supernatural mystery.
-The dialogue. This was the best part. The author has natural dialogue and different regional speech patterns down.
Things I didn't quite love:
-The MC. I didn't find her an authentic person. Her decisions and crisis points didn't make sense to me. The author tried to address this, but it was a lot of performance simply to get to the next plot point. On top of that, I felt she was sort of...flat, and the only dimensionality she did have made me dislike her. She lies, she gives up, she whines, makes bad choices... She felt like the sort of person who would take and take and take and then when you needed a small word of compassion, she'd take some more.
-The resolution. It felt a bit like a throwaway to me.
-The end. Ambiguous ending with the MC going to do something I think is another bad idea is just a bit of a letdown.
Once again I'm left with what I think is the combo I see a lot lately--a good writer with a great perspective who doesn't quite have a vehicle for the talent they possess. Weaker than the short story collection, but still worth a read. 3.5 rounded down because I rated Spirits Abroad 4 and this was not as good, in my opinion.
CONTENT WARNING:
Spoiler
torture, homophobia, graphic attempted rape, lots of domestic violence, organized crime, xenophobia, religion.Things to love:
-The mythology. I think Malaysian lore is so interesting, with all of the different cultures that either naturally or by force of imperialism have mixed in with local traditions.
-The topics. This covers a lot--being an immigrant to the US, being seen as American elsewhere, unhealthy family relationships, the legacy of trauma, being closeted gay...just a lot of stuff crammed into a story of supernatural mystery.
-The dialogue. This was the best part. The author has natural dialogue and different regional speech patterns down.
Things I didn't quite love:
-The MC. I didn't find her an authentic person. Her decisions and crisis points didn't make sense to me. The author tried to address this, but it was a lot of performance simply to get to the next plot point. On top of that, I felt she was sort of...flat, and the only dimensionality she did have made me dislike her. She lies, she gives up, she whines, makes bad choices... She felt like the sort of person who would take and take and take and then when you needed a small word of compassion, she'd take some more.
-The resolution. It felt a bit like a throwaway to me.
-The end. Ambiguous ending with the MC going to do something I think is another bad idea is just a bit of a letdown.
Once again I'm left with what I think is the combo I see a lot lately--a good writer with a great perspective who doesn't quite have a vehicle for the talent they possess. Weaker than the short story collection, but still worth a read. 3.5 rounded down because I rated Spirits Abroad 4 and this was not as good, in my opinion.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-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
A bewitching dive into Malaysian chinese culture and religion with ghosts clashing or embracing modern culture and seeking revenge... Engrossing.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape