Cover Image: Black Water Sister

Black Water Sister

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Member Reviews

I struggled getting into this at first, I don’t really know why, it was probably a problem with me and not the book - it’s quite a slow paced story with some dramatic moments.

I really enjoyed the dive into another culture and the light fantasy element of the story. The world building and setting was excellent, I felt transported and it didn’t pander to me as a reader. I learnt more as I went along.

This is a story I feel I would have gained more appreciation from on a second reading.

This is an lgbt read but I would say that is a light part of the story i felt could have been explored more. The resolution to this part of the characters journey was very rushed and felt like that part of the character was an after thought.

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Having read some of Zen Cho's other work I went into this book eager to see what was next - and I have to say this book blew my expectations away. I found this fast-paced action-packed story *incredibly* exciting and I will definitely be rereading this in the future as I'm sure it would be even better on a second read.
I believe this is the first book I've read set in Malaysia and I found the way in which Zen Cho introduces you to the setting works very well, I liked the inclusion of a lot of language and slang, which is often a way that I feel more immersed in a setting. I also thought that the descriptions of architecture, food and drink all made for a truly vivid reading experience (this is not a book to read if hungry).
I very much liked Jess as a main character, and the way that her identity as a queer woman (Jess is in a relationship with another woman and I believe would probably use the label 'Lesbian' but I haven't confirmed this) and alongside that being an adult woman who has yet to come out to her family. In other books this would be the entirety of the plot, being used to stir up conflict - but in this story there is conflict enough in the rest of the story with the divine meeting the mortal that Jess' identity is more of an additional detail. It's something that I've seen handled poorly in other books but I very much felt like I was in a safe pair of hands within this story,
This is definitely one of those books where you read it and then head on back to the internet to look up some of the history and mythology that you've found out about - which is always one of my favourite reads. I'll be interested to hear from Malaysian readers what their experience of reading the book was like.
I would absolutely recommend this story to people looking for an action-packed story that they can power through. I loved the voice and the setting and I'll for sure be lining up a reread as soon as I have the time!
I received a free digital review copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

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Black Water Sister is an urban fantasy story following Jessamyn, who moves back from the US to Malaysia with her parents after graduating university, when she hasn’t been there since she was a toddler. Soon enough, she starts hearing a voice, which she learns belongs to her late grandmother, Ah Ma, who is on the path for revenge, and needs Jess’ help.

At its core, Black Water Sister is a fantasy novel focusing on identity and family, that was really interesting. It’s been a while since I last read urban fantasy, and I thought that the author did an amazing job at setting up this world. I really enjoyed reading about Jessamyn as a protagonist, as she was a pretty relatable character. I love books following characters after graduating university and trying to figure out what they want to do with their life, Zen Cho nailed that in my opinion.

However, I felt too detached from the story. I enjoyed it when I was reading it, but I wasn’t eager to get back into it, which was a shame. There was too much telling instead of showing in the narrative for me: Jessamyn kept describing events after they happened, which made me distance myself even further from the story. Besides, the secondary characters weren’t very fleshed out, so while I liked the protagonist, it wasn’t enough for me to completely get invested in the story.

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Synopsis: Jessamyn just graduated from Harvard but didn't manage to find a real job, yet. She moves with her parents back to Malaysia where they live in a relative's home. She starts to hear a voice in her head, claiming to be the ghost of her grandmother Ah Ma. 

Ah Ma was a spirit medium of the eponymous deity. She can't leave this world until she's got her revenge with a gang boss and decided that Jess will help her. 

Juggling ghosts, gods, and rich sons of gang bosses is dangerous business in which Jess gets tangled up. At least she wants to stay in control of her own body.

Review: The author is coming up a lot of times currently: Just recently, I've reviewed her excellent novelette "If at First you Don't Succeed, Try, Try Again", re-published in Tidhar's Best of World SF. Her Fantasy short story "Hikaya Sri Bujang, or The Tale of the Naga Sage" (review) was published within Strahan's anthology The Book of Dragons. Both feature Asian folklore in a Magical Realism setting, just like this novel. 

The story's plot is straightforward and easy to follow, but fun. There is a lot of fast-paced action in it, some of them quite dark. I loved the exotic setting which the author brought forth using a lot of local terminology around food and religious traditions. The narration just draws you into vivid Penang. 

One storyline that didn't work as well was the lesbian relationship of Jess with her patient girlfriend abroad. I understand that romances draw a lot of readers into a story, but this character stayed flat and distant all the time. It transported the homophobic culture of Malaysia, but that's about it. 

In contrast, the grandmother's ghost nearly stole Jess's show as main protagonist. Ah Ma dropped witty one-liners but is also dark and secretive, providing a couple of twists to the plot. Jess as a typical American millenial is partly nondescript, doesn't have much agency overall. You'll either love her from page one, or can't really connect like me. 

Recommended for fans of Urban Fantasy looking for an exotic setting.

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I fell in love with Zen Cho's stories since I read "The Sorcerer to the Crown" and have love all her works, included this one.
This is a contemporary fantasy with a Malaysian setting, gripping and highly entertaining.
I loved the mix of religions, usage and different cultures.
Jess is a well developed character, a young woman who faces the cultural clash of moving from USA to Malaysia and the fact that she's being haunted by her dead grandmother.
There's plenty of hilarious moments and I liked the humour.
The plot is a bit slow at the beginning but when it starts going is full of twists and turns.
Another excellent book by this favorite author.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

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Our May Buddyread was Black Water Sister by Zen Cho, a contemporary fantasy novel set in Penang. Our main character Jessamyn probably has enough problems to struggle with when moving back to Malaysia. She has to find a job, and the distance is really taking a toll on the relationship with her girlfriend. Especially, since her parents know nothing about said girlfriend. On top of that, the voice in her head is not there due to stress, but because her dead grandmother has unfinished business.

Instead of taking time to sort out her life, Jessamyn is pulled into a conflict between a local gang boss and the deity her grandmother used to be a medium for – the titular Black Water Sister. The Sister is definitely not a quiet and benevolent one and quite a good match for the Malaysian gang members.

The first part of the book starts out quite slow, but once the first deity shows up things really get moving. Seeing a wider range of deities one may not be familiar with was really interesting. Jess’ grandmother is a really fun character, as she’s a snarky, ruthless old lady. You wouldn’t want her in your head, or to be on her bad side, yet her appearances were always very entertaining.

The resolution was slightly predictable, but still fitted the story’s development and made sense that way. The Malaysian setting was really refreshing and plays a very important part in the story. Overall, this was an entertaining and fast read.

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Black Water Sister felt in some ways like a coming of age story with a twenty something closeted sapphic trying to figure out what to do with her life; on top of which our protagonist, Jessamyn Teoh, has to deal with moving to Malaysia to live with extended family, being haunted by her grandmother, malicious spirits and their mediums, gangsters, and corporate bad guys.

Jessamyn is a likeable protagonist and her character development throughout the novel is phenomenal- aided (or even hindered) in part by bad-tempered grandmother Ah Ma.

I adored Cho's writing and her descriptions of Chinese/Malaysian culture and family dynamics was captivating. I struggled sometimes with the pacing which dragged at a few points but overall Black Water Sister was a enjoyable and entertaining story which blended urban fantasy elements with a vibrant and rich Malaysian setting.

Overall rating: 3.5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

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I liked this book but it wasn't what i expected. The writing style is really good and i was taken by this story even though it wasn't what i had imagined.

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This book was a mixed bag. On one hand, the setting was incredible; bright and vibrant, an wonderful backdrop for an interesting premise. On the other hand, the story itself fell a little flat for me. I found the protagonist a little bland, and the plot and dialogue repetitive. Cho is clearly a competent writer but I personally was underwhelmed with this novel.

(Many thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.)

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In some ways, BLACK WATER SISTER was very much not what I was expecting. The "granny possessing her granddaughter to get even" promo made me expect a more comedic story than this is. There are funny moments, but it was largely a serious story.

It also really didn't go where I was expecting, with several moments and revelations swinging the story onto a new track, and upping the problems Jess was facing. It was a really dynamic story that kept me on my toes.

At the heart of the story is an immersion into various religions. There are gods who can possess people - known as mediums - and various spirits, like ghosts. There is also Jess' Christian relatives trying to help with her possession/haunting issue. The collision between the various parts of the religions, and Jess' inexperience creates a rather terrifying set of forces for Jess to deal with.

As someone who doesn't know about the traditional religions and mythologies of the region, I had no idea what their abilities were. It made them all the more frightening as they could conceivably do anything, and the whole possession idea was rather horrifying.

Family is central to the story too, the complicate tangle of relations that we love but also have to juggle. It was so nice to see a graduate with no clue about what's happening in her life still living with her parents and trying to juggle being an adult, and having had independence, but also being a child at home. After a year unexpectedly at home, that push and pull really resonated.

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Black Water Sister tells an entertaining story about family secrets, the difficulties brought about by generational differences, the diversity of beliefs and cultures, the impact of the family on the way people become an individual, violence against women and many more. If you want to escape reality and learn something about Malaysia in the meantime, you'll enjoy this!

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*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free book*

I wasn't a huge fan of Cho's "Sorcerer to the Crown" but this urban fantasy set in Malaysia was great fun and I really enjoyed it! Jessamyn Teo is a lesbian, she is broke, has just completed her studies and wanted to move in with her girlfriend, but now her parents have taken her back to Malaysia where she is consequently haunted by the ghost of her grandmother, attacked by spirits, nearly murdered and hunted down by gang bosses while her girlfriend is growing unhappier by the minute. This was wonderfully weird and interesting, I also learned so much. Books like these really show how much better fantasy can get if we leave Europe out of it. You go, Zen Cho!

4.5 Stars

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trigger warning
<spoiler> homophobia, misogyny, rape attempt, violence, gaslighting, trauma, pstd, being kidnapped, being possessed, being drugged, domestic violence </spoiler>

When Jess moves back to Malaysia with her family, she has plans. Of course she does. Being possessed by her late grandmother was not on that list, but it seems that she has to roll with it if she wants to have her own life back soon.

This is hands down one of the best novels I read this year. It was fun, it was creeepy in the right places, I even learned a bit about Malaysian culture, especially concerning family life and spiritual beliefs.

Yeah, ghosts are real, but this is Asia and while there are anglo-american influences, it is mostly found in the general lifestyle. For example, a Starbucks is visited in this novel, one character owns a hipster café.
We have a heckton of aunties, who need to be given face. There were expressions I flat-out didn't understand, but wasn't willing to look up because it would have ruined the flow.

I loved the mishmash of languages. The novel itself is written in English, of course, and Malayan plays a role, as does Hokkien - which I never heard about before - and Mandarin. Yeah I only know one of those, but speaking in a mix represents my daily life, which means that in a weird way, I felt seen despite not being Asian or having business with ghosts or problems with such a huge family.

Our protagonist is a lesbian, but nobody really knows in her new life. Her girlfriend is in Shanghai, and expects Jess to join her there in the nearer future, but Jess is so engrossed in her current problems, that new ones plop up in every other area of her life.
This woman happens to love other women. It's not a focal plotpoint, but it's not fully ignored, either.

Listen, I loved every single aspect of this book. I was really annoyed as it was over, and got a book hangover. I want <i>more</i>. Full recommendations.
The arc was provided by the publisher.

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Con esta novela, Zen Cho deja de lado la fantasía histórica de sus dos obras anteriores The True Queen y Sorcerer to the Crown para ofrecer una obra mucho más acorde a los tiempos modernos. Hay que reconocer que el cambio le sienta bien, ya que en vez de utilizar un escenario más que trillado como es la Inglaterra de la regencia nos vamos a Malasia en la actualidad, algo más novedoso y atractivo.


Black Water Sister es una novela que representa perfectamente la Diáspora Asiática, aunque en este caso sus protagonistas vuelven a Malasia tras encontrarse con problemas económicos graves en Estados Unidos. La vuelta a los orígenes lleva muchas cosas asociadas, pero lo que no se esperaba Jessamyn Teoh es que su difunta abuela empezara a hablarle, al haberla escogido como médium para terminar las tareas pendientes que dejó en vida.

Con esta novela nos sumergimos en la cultura malasia, que combina tiburones de las finanzas con templos donde los dioses se manifiestan a través de los humanos, violentas bandas con familiares cotillas en una mezcla que resulta realmente más que entretenida. Me hace especial gracia el control de la vida de los vástagos de los ancianos de la familia, que aunque aquí se describe como una característica esencialmente asiática veo paralelismos claros con nuestro propio país. El hecho de que la protagonistas sea lesbiana no hace si no añadir un grado más de dificultad en mantener el secreto de su vida, ya de por sí bastante expuesta.

Por supuesto, la trama de misterio es el hilo principal de la narración, ya que solo vamos descubriendo poco a poco por qué la abuela tiene tanto interés en proteger el templo de las manos avariciosas del quinto hombre más rico del país, que quiere transformarlo en pisos para su venta con jugosos beneficios. Pero resultan bastante más atractivas las relaciones interpersonales y familiares de Jess.

A veces la narración es un poco atropellada porque están pasando bastantes cosas a la vez pero no resulta excesivamente complicado seguir el hilo.

Se tratan temas de gran relevancia, como el racismo y la homofobia, tal vez no en demasiada profundidad pero se agradece que se hable de ellos. En definitiva nos encontramos ante un libro muy agradable de leer y muy entretenido, que presenta temas de gran actualidad aunque no profundice excesivamente en ellos y que nos deja con ganas de más obras de Zen Cho.

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Thanks to #NetGalley and #PanMacmillan for providing me with an eARC in return for a fair review.

This is my first time reading a novel by Zen Cho, although I do have some of Cho’s other works in my TBR pile. What an introduction! I was overwhelmed by how much I loved this.

Following her father’s job loss & recovery from cancer Jess and her parents are leaving the USA & returning home to Malaysia, a home she left as a toddler. They are reliant on the support of their extended family in Malaysia for a home and employment.

Having graduated from Harvard but unable to secure a job, and in a long distance relationship with a girlfriend but feeling unable to come out to her parents Jess is feeling adrift and directionless.

Jess struggles with feeling like an immigrant in her own country, worries about her father’s health and shoulders the emotional support of her anxious mother. It’s no wonder that she puts it down to stress when she starts hearing voices - except it’s just one voice. Ah Ma, her estranged Grandmother who died a year ago has unfinished business, and she’s decided that Jess is going to help her resolve it.

Ah Ma is a snarky & impatient, and impossible to ignore! Jess finds out that Ah Ma worshipped a local deity, the Black Water Sister, and a powerful businessman is threatening her temple. Jess must work with Ah Ma to try and protect the temple, while meeting her obligations to her living family.

As Jess learns more about the gods, spirits and gangsters that are part of daily life in Penang she is drawn into an increasingly dangerous situation. Can she fulfil her promise to her grandmother and keep the temple safe? Will that be enough to placate the vengeful Black Water Sister?

I found this novel to be extremely relatable, and the family relationships are so well detailed. By turns amusing and thrilling this adventure is a captivating story.

Themes of family, duty, secrets, home, vengeance and with scenes of violence and sexual assault.

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An enjoyable quick read though it does tackle some topics such as domestic violence that may be difficult for some readers. The characters were interesting and well developed. The author appears to have put a lot of effort into researching the spiritual culture and it felt authentic to someone who admittedly doesn't know much about it! Some plot twists seemed a little predictable and I am not sure that I am likely to read it again in the future (which is usually my criterion for four stars). The author's use of dialect was impressive as it was nuanced and consistent without being intrusive, something that is not easy to do.

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Black Water Sister is the perfect read for those who want stories of twenty-something-year-olds who haven't figured things out yet. Then you mix in being haunted by a late grandmother, spirits, gangs, girlfriend problems, and the difficulties of uprooting your life? This book is a wild and amazing ride.

Jessamyn has spent most of her life in America, but she and her family are returning 'home' to Malaysia after her recent graduation. Stuck not knowing what she wants to do with her life, how and if she'll ever tell her parents about her girlfriend, and her eccentric family, the last thing Jess needed was to be haunted by the ghost of her late grandmother. Her grandmother worshipped a deity named Black Water Sister and wants revenge on a powerful man who has wronged her. And she'll use Jess to get what she wants...

I loved that this book essentially focused on a character that's having a little quarter-life crisis. I haven't read many books that discuss that weird time after graduation before you've figured out what you want to do in life. Perhaps that's because I don't read many contemporary books, but either way, it felt refreshing to have those elements alongside the more speculative ones.

The big focus of this book was Jess, and I found her a very relatable character. She's out of her depth, trying to figure out who she is and how she wants to live her life. Her relationship with her family is relatively complicated, especially when mixed with her being queer, and she's trying to better understand herself as a Malaysian brought up in America.

I loved the family relationships. Jess and her parents are staying with her aunt as they settle back down in Malaysia, and there's a constant bustle of people. I loved watching them all gossip and intervene in Jess's life. Family is incredibly important to Jess and the story, from secret histories to the traumatic present. They have such strong bonds between them even in the face of hardship. Her family is messy at times, but they were truly joyful to read about.

Speaking of family, Jess's Ah Ma was a particularly fun character. She was strong-willed and grumpy, with such an entertaining voice and viewpoint on the world. I loved reading their scenes together where Jess was desperately trying to wrangle her Ah Ma into behaving (or letting her go wild).

The sapphic relationship in this book isn't at the forefront. They have a long-distance relationship, and Jess is closeted. I wanted a little more development between the two, but I also understand that this book was focused heavily on Jess's growth as an individual.

Overall, this was a brilliant read that will resonate with people who aren't sure where they're going in life. I'd recommend it to people who want to read a book that tackles contemporary problems but with the fun, messiness of being haunted by your grandmother.

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Black Water Sister is one of those magical novels that just captivate you and suck you into their world and teach you about our world in the process. Deeply rooted in Malaysian Chinese society, but told through the lens of Jess, raised in America and returning to Malaysia as an adult, this is a story of family, grief, and, yes, religion. Shortly after she arrives in Malaysia, the spirit of her grandmother starts possessing Jess and she gets pulled into a world of spirits, gangsters and gods.

Jess’s life is dominated by her family and trying to fit into the narrow confines of the expectations she believes her parents have for her. She is not straight, but she will also not ever admit to being gay – which means that she is keeping her girlfriend a massive secret from everyone in her life. This causes huge issues between them and Jess needs to figure out not only who she is and what she wants but also how far she is willing to risk her family’s approval to get it. And while I can’t speak to how well this was portrayed in terms of the culture it is set in – which is the one Zen Cho is from – I thought that Jess’s struggles were well done and relatable. She was a great leading character, a woman in her twenties, trying to juggle figuring out where she wants her life to go with her family’s expectations.

I generally felt that Black Water Sister managed to balance all its parts well. The characters were fleshed out, not just Jess, but also Ah Ma, her grandmother’s ghost, and many of the other minor and major players. The world was plastic, and the plot was consistently paced with high tension throughout. I can’t wait to re-read it and dive back into its world. This is a wonderful book, and I highly recommend it.

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It’s seldom that I get to plunge into an alien culture that is both contemporary and right here on earth, but Black Water Sister by Zen Cho lets me do just that. Set in provincial town in Malaysia, it depicts a culture I knew absolutely nothing about and was thoroughly fascinated with.

Jess is a daughter of Malaysian immigrants to the US, a Harvard graduate who should’ve had a great future ahead of her, only things haven’t gone the way she’s planned. When her parents face financial ruin, they decide that returning to the country they’ve left almost twenty years ago is the only solution. As their only child, Jess returns with them, her filial duty clear and simple to her. She leaves behind a girlfriend she hasn’t told her parents anything about, and an uneasy identity as not quite American.

But it turns out she’s not quite Malaysian either. Living with family members she hasn’t seen in years brings home how alienated she is from her cultural heritage. Add to that the stress of settling to a new country, finding a job, and hiding that she’s gay from her family, she’s not at all surprised when she starts hearing a voice of a woman who claims to be her grandmother who’s passed away a year earlier.

Jess needs to adjust her entire worldview to accept that she’s really haunted by her Ah Ma. Then she sets out to find out why Ah Ma hasn’t moved on. A development company is about to build houses on a temple where a vengeful goddess, Black Water Sister, is worshipped. Ah Ma tasks Jess to save the shrine.

Things aren’t as simple as that. The development company is run by a crime lord that Ah Ma seems to have a personal hatred for and getting involved with the affairs of mafia and gods puts Jess’s life at risk. It doesn’t help that Ah Ma is keeping secrets from her that might explain the whole sorry affair.

This was a wonderful book. It starts small and grows in scope and depth as the story continues. Malaysian culture comes to life in language and customs. Nothing is overly explained, yet I became totally engrossed in the alien world. The speech-patterns were especially delightful. As Jess sinks deeper into the affairs of the gods, the story becomes more familiar; gods are selfish, petty, and vengeful whether the story is set in a real world or a fantasy one.

The mystery is intriguing, but in the end it’s a story of three women in three different eras. Two of them have had their choices taken from them. Jess still has her life ahead of her, but she’s in a prison of her own making, as her girlfriend points out. It takes a goddess and a ghost for her to find freedom to make her own choices.

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I loved so many bits of this book! Jess is a fantastic character and I loved her journey of self-discovery as she leaves university and moves to Malaysia with her parents. I always love reading characters who deal with displacement at pivotal moments. When you add in the paranormal, folklore, and cultural aspects of this book, you have some damn good reading.

However, parts of the book felt a little choppy, especially toward the end. I know that this is a proof copy and changes will be made, so I'm curious to see how those aspects of the story will be smoothed over. Also, there are some things that come out of left field, such as a very graphic, on page attempted rape -- it felt totally random and like a different book crept in!

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