Take a photo of a barcode or cover
secre 's review for:
Black Water Sister
by Zen Cho
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.