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foreverinastory's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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
4.5
Rep: Malaysian-American lesbian female MC, sapphic Indian female love interest, Malaysian supporting cast.
Content Warnings: Violence, spiritual possession, side character with cancer and depression, homophobia, murder, attempted rape, flashbacks of sexual assault, blood, kidnapping, death.
Content Warnings: Violence, spiritual possession, side character with cancer and depression, homophobia, murder, attempted rape, flashbacks of sexual assault, blood, kidnapping, death.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, and Murder
Moderate: Cancer and Sexual assault
bookforthought's review against another edition
dark
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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Minor: Cancer and Sexual assault
qace90's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Buddy read with Shan 💜
I love this book. I love Jess. I love the blending of spirits in everyday life. I love the way the magic exists as such a casual part of the contemporary world. I love Jess’s growth and her strength and the way she interacts with Ah Ma and Black Water Sister. The familial relationships and the complicated feelings about coming out and not wanting to shame her family. Ah, just wonderful on so many levels! Zen Cho continues to prove why her books are auto-buy for me!
I love this book. I love Jess. I love the blending of spirits in everyday life. I love the way the magic exists as such a casual part of the contemporary world. I love Jess’s growth and her strength and the way she interacts with Ah Ma and Black Water Sister. The familial relationships and the complicated feelings about coming out and not wanting to shame her family. Ah, just wonderful on so many levels! Zen Cho continues to prove why her books are auto-buy for me!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Physical abuse
Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
rorikae's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
‘Black Water Sister’ by Zen Cho is an engaging fantasy that dabbles in family history, identity, and the traumas that we hold with us.
It follows Jess, who is returning to Malaysia with her family after graduating from college. Shortly after moving, she begins to hear a voice in her head and realizes that it is the ghost of her grandmother. Her grandmother died last year but has unfinished business that she wants Jess to take care of. As Jess gets swept up into her grandmother’s world, she’ll learn more about her past and the local gods than she expected.
In ‘Black Water Sister,’ Cho does an excellent job of creating a close-knit fantasy that delves into gods and spirits while also staying firmly rooted in family. The cast of characters is relatively small, but the world feels vast as Jess learns more about Malaysia and her grandmother’s past. Alongside the more spiritual issues that Jess is dealing with, she is also dealing with a lot of personal issues as well, hiding her girlfriend from her family and trying to decide what to do with her life are both at the top of that list. Cho carefully unwraps Jess’ fears as she is also sucked into the true story of her grandmother’s past and the world that her mother has tried to keep her from. This story is full of so much familial trauma but also love and care. It isn’t an expansive fantasy, but I think that is also what makes it so impactful. I came to care deeply for each of the characters, even those that I didn’t necessarily like. I would love to follow more of Jess’ life and know what happens as she grows up further and figures out exactly who she wants to be. This is another great fantasy by Zen Cho. I am always looking forward to what she writes next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Cancer and Car accident
ofbooksandechos's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
The pacing was a bit weird at times, but I loved that ending. Overall it was an okay read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Cancer and Religious bigotry
fleece's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
5.0
incredible as always from zen cho, queer and family-guilt jobless chinese diaspora milennial relatability lmao. definitely darker/heavier than her other works tho still funny and w very loving and caring characters, like clearly everyone is human and understandable and you wish you could solve their problems
may add more spoilery content warnings later,iif storygraph has dms feel free to do so if you need more details
may add more spoilery content warnings later,iif storygraph has dms feel free to do so if you need more details
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Cursing, Death, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Medical content, Kidnapping, and Murder
Minor: Gore and Blood
montereads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
4.5
“What a thing a bad death was. It made a mythology that caught up in its wake old trees and young women alike, the violence of it reverberating through the years.”
Black Water Sister by Zen Cho is a chilling, family-centred ghost story about cycles of harm and reclaiming power. Jess, a young Malaysian woman raised in America, moves back to her hometown with her parents—only to find her grandmother, Ah Ma, haunting her. What proceeds is a romp through Penang’s spiritual circles, real-estate tussles, gang rivalries, and hipster cafes in search of a way to resolve Ah Ma’s gripes, stop being haunted, and go back to every recent grad’s beloved pastime: looking for a job. There was an almost superhero-esque note to the story that made it a lot of fun, even when the subject matter grew dark.
Jess and I are of different backgrounds, but we’re both immigrants, and a lot of her experiences sent a pang of sadness and familiarity through me. Cho writes the precariousness of half-belonging beautifully, showing us the ceaseless and overlapping comfort-discomfort of living across two cultures. Watching Jess grow more familiar with Penang, her family history, and her language reminded me that belonging isn’t static. Reconnection is always possible.
Cho leads us on a mostly straight path through this haunting mystery. There isn’t much lingering on backstory or filler information. The tight focus really let the setting and characters shine, and I found it helped avoid the believability issue I so often have with paranormal fantasy. Ah Ma and Black Water Sister felt viscerally real—Ah Ma hilariously so, spirited and witty. Black Water Sister, on the other hand, was terrifying.
The connection between the three women holds together the core of this book. Jess’s experiences with them brought up so many painful questions—what price will we pay for our own safety? What harm do our traumas lead us to inflict upon each other? How can we heal when the damage is ongoing? Cho handles these wounds and fears with grace, honesty, and tender care. Black Water Sister is a powerful story of belonging, diaspora, family, courage, faith, forging agency under patriarchy, and kicking some ass.
Thanks to Netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Black Water Sister by Zen Cho is a chilling, family-centred ghost story about cycles of harm and reclaiming power. Jess, a young Malaysian woman raised in America, moves back to her hometown with her parents—only to find her grandmother, Ah Ma, haunting her. What proceeds is a romp through Penang’s spiritual circles, real-estate tussles, gang rivalries, and hipster cafes in search of a way to resolve Ah Ma’s gripes, stop being haunted, and go back to every recent grad’s beloved pastime: looking for a job. There was an almost superhero-esque note to the story that made it a lot of fun, even when the subject matter grew dark.
Jess and I are of different backgrounds, but we’re both immigrants, and a lot of her experiences sent a pang of sadness and familiarity through me. Cho writes the precariousness of half-belonging beautifully, showing us the ceaseless and overlapping comfort-discomfort of living across two cultures. Watching Jess grow more familiar with Penang, her family history, and her language reminded me that belonging isn’t static. Reconnection is always possible.
Cho leads us on a mostly straight path through this haunting mystery. There isn’t much lingering on backstory or filler information. The tight focus really let the setting and characters shine, and I found it helped avoid the believability issue I so often have with paranormal fantasy. Ah Ma and Black Water Sister felt viscerally real—Ah Ma hilariously so, spirited and witty. Black Water Sister, on the other hand, was terrifying.
The connection between the three women holds together the core of this book. Jess’s experiences with them brought up so many painful questions—what price will we pay for our own safety? What harm do our traumas lead us to inflict upon each other? How can we heal when the damage is ongoing? Cho handles these wounds and fears with grace, honesty, and tender care. Black Water Sister is a powerful story of belonging, diaspora, family, courage, faith, forging agency under patriarchy, and kicking some ass.
Thanks to Netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Kidnapping, and Death of parent
papergalaxy's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
<i>Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this e-ARC. All thoughts are my own.</i>
A great ghostly tale that starts slow, but finishes strong. 4/5 stars.
Jess has just finished undergrad at Harvard, but is struggling to find a job when her family decides to move back to Malaysia for her father's work. She goes back with them, not knowing that her recently passed grandmother (Ah Ma) has stuck around and has chosen Jess to be her medium. Jess had never truly believed in the supernatural before, but her Ah Ma is making her believe and is also forcing Jess to handle her unfinished business.
I really enjoyed this book! The beginning was a little slow and it took some time for me to really become invested in the story, but once the ball got rolling I was hooked. I find Jess to be incredibly relatable. She was me back when I had just finished undergrad. Unclear where she wants to go with her life, but knowing that whatever decisions she makes will reflect not just on her, but on her mom and dad as well. Such is the life of a first generation Asian American. We see her consistently struggling with her identity in this book - both as someone who doesn't fit as American or Malaysian, and also as a closeted LGBTQ. This journey that she goes through helps her become more confident in herself and in those around her. Her transformation is believable because it doesn't happen all of a sudden. It's a slow process in which the Jess at the end is so incredibly different from the Jess at the beginning, but it's so seamless you don't even realize how drastic the change is until you look back at where it all began.
I found a lot of Jess' family members to be <i>too</i> relatable. There were so many moments I got annoyed with Jess' relatives. Although this is amazing on the author's part, I found myself getting pulled out of the story because I kept getting thrown into memories of my own. The Ah Ma in particular reminded me too much of one of my aunts and how frustrating it can be to communicate with someone so stubborn in their own beliefs. There's also a scene in the beginning where Jess is literally sitting with a bunch of her aunts, just listening to them talk about random bullshit (although it's not really bullshit because it's truly the catalyst for the story), and I couldn't help but think about all the times I had to sit in on my mom with her sisters going on and on about things I don't care about. It just hit a little too close to home (literally and figuratively) that I couldn't enjoy those particular sections as much as I might have otherwise.
The plot in itself is fantastic. The parallels between Jess and the Black Water Sister were so great to read through. Going back to Jess' character journey, there's a clear shift in the narrative when Jess finally decides to take action. For much of the first half, Jess is being brought along this journey due to her Ah Ma's influence. This makes sense due to Jess' own internal conflicts throughout the beginning. However, as Jess' confidence grows and as her family becomes embroiled in more and more conflict, both supernatural and physical, she realizes that things won't be fixed unless she does something about it. We love to see it.
I love the supernatural elements that are the literal backbone of the story. The generational gap between those who are older, who grew up steeped in temples and gods and idols vs those who are younger, who grew up thinking that it's all just myths and legends, is so well developed. Honestly everyone is really well developed in this. Every single character feels like a real person - dead or alive. Despite being set in one city, the history and the culture is fully realized.
Needless to say, the writing is fantastic. Without getting into too many spoilers, there are some incredibly written scenes where the POV shifts subtly and seamlessly from one character to another. One moment you're in one character's head, then you're somehow in two, and the next thing you know, you're getting an entirely different character's thoughts and feelings. These scenes truly showcase Zen Cho's writing prowess. Very interested in reading more from her.
I highly recommend this book. A great mix of plot- and character-driven action and tension. A supernaturally charged story that centers itself on the things we'd do for our family, no matter how insane they can be at times.
A great ghostly tale that starts slow, but finishes strong. 4/5 stars.
Jess has just finished undergrad at Harvard, but is struggling to find a job when her family decides to move back to Malaysia for her father's work. She goes back with them, not knowing that her recently passed grandmother (Ah Ma) has stuck around and has chosen Jess to be her medium. Jess had never truly believed in the supernatural before, but her Ah Ma is making her believe and is also forcing Jess to handle her unfinished business.
I really enjoyed this book! The beginning was a little slow and it took some time for me to really become invested in the story, but once the ball got rolling I was hooked. I find Jess to be incredibly relatable. She was me back when I had just finished undergrad. Unclear where she wants to go with her life, but knowing that whatever decisions she makes will reflect not just on her, but on her mom and dad as well. Such is the life of a first generation Asian American. We see her consistently struggling with her identity in this book - both as someone who doesn't fit as American or Malaysian, and also as a closeted LGBTQ. This journey that she goes through helps her become more confident in herself and in those around her. Her transformation is believable because it doesn't happen all of a sudden. It's a slow process in which the Jess at the end is so incredibly different from the Jess at the beginning, but it's so seamless you don't even realize how drastic the change is until you look back at where it all began.
I found a lot of Jess' family members to be <i>too</i> relatable. There were so many moments I got annoyed with Jess' relatives. Although this is amazing on the author's part, I found myself getting pulled out of the story because I kept getting thrown into memories of my own. The Ah Ma in particular reminded me too much of one of my aunts and how frustrating it can be to communicate with someone so stubborn in their own beliefs. There's also a scene in the beginning where Jess is literally sitting with a bunch of her aunts, just listening to them talk about random bullshit (although it's not really bullshit because it's truly the catalyst for the story), and I couldn't help but think about all the times I had to sit in on my mom with her sisters going on and on about things I don't care about. It just hit a little too close to home (literally and figuratively) that I couldn't enjoy those particular sections as much as I might have otherwise.
The plot in itself is fantastic. The parallels between Jess and the Black Water Sister were so great to read through. Going back to Jess' character journey, there's a clear shift in the narrative when Jess finally decides to take action. For much of the first half, Jess is being brought along this journey due to her Ah Ma's influence. This makes sense due to Jess' own internal conflicts throughout the beginning. However, as Jess' confidence grows and as her family becomes embroiled in more and more conflict, both supernatural and physical, she realizes that things won't be fixed unless she does something about it. We love to see it.
I love the supernatural elements that are the literal backbone of the story. The generational gap between those who are older, who grew up steeped in temples and gods and idols vs those who are younger, who grew up thinking that it's all just myths and legends, is so well developed. Honestly everyone is really well developed in this. Every single character feels like a real person - dead or alive. Despite being set in one city, the history and the culture is fully realized.
Needless to say, the writing is fantastic. Without getting into too many spoilers, there are some incredibly written scenes where the POV shifts subtly and seamlessly from one character to another. One moment you're in one character's head, then you're somehow in two, and the next thing you know, you're getting an entirely different character's thoughts and feelings. These scenes truly showcase Zen Cho's writing prowess. Very interested in reading more from her.
I highly recommend this book. A great mix of plot- and character-driven action and tension. A supernaturally charged story that centers itself on the things we'd do for our family, no matter how insane they can be at times.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
anovelbeauty's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Sexual assault, and Violence
Moderate: Death, Physical abuse, Rape, and Sexual violence
Minor: Sexism, Blood, and Car accident
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