A review by gellyreads
Black Water Sister by Zen Cho

challenging dark sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.25

This book feels so tough to review. I feel like I should have loved it and I just didn't. It felt so slow and it felt like a struggle to get through. I was telling my friend what was going on in the book about halfway and how it felt like nothing was happening, and she said it sounded like a lot was happening, and I was like yeah, okay, I guess it is. I just couldn't bring myself to care.
(In case you are wondering where I was, I was telling her how her grandmother had possesed her and she had just been drugged by her uncle. Which, upon reflection, having someone drug you is a pretty big plot point, so I did concede. Stuff is happening in this book.)
I wasn't invested in these characters at all. I will say that I didn't see everything coming, but I appreciated the thematic resolution, although I hated how the book ended - literally the last page of it.
Like, I can't believe I didn't realize that the Uncle was Ng Chee's son, even though I probably should have? I did like that Black Water Sister was subdued by like justice and peace/love. That felt nice. BUT LITERALLY IT TOOK THE ENTIRE BOOK FOR HER TO COME OUT?! ONLY FOR US TO NOT SEE HOW HER PARENTS REACT?! That felt like a GIANT "fuck you" to the reader!
I think I will try Cho's other books, but after a decent break from them.
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