Received an early copy thanks to NetGalley & Berkley Publishing Group.

Black Water Sister follows Jess as she navigates a new life in Malaysia, far away from her life and girlfriend. Everything's pretty normal...until she starts hearing her deceased grandmother's voice in her head.

This story was captivating from start to finish! I love the gods and mediums utilized in the story, it was different and refreshing to see. If you like "The Poppy War" as much as I do, you'll probably like this book. The gods are not super friendly and helpful and have their own motivations.

The banter between Jess & her grandmother was hilarious. It was also really insightful to see the generational differences, but it was never painted as a bad thing, they just grew up differently and have different perspectives as a result.

I will say at around the 60% mark it slowed down a bit and I wanted the plot to move a bit quicker. It was still interesting though, it just kinda slowed the pace down. The book does not adhere to typical fantasy storylines, so if you're looking for a LOTR or typical urban fantasy story, this doesn't fit within those boundaries. "The Poppy War," I think is the closest it comes, there's a lot of dark stuff and reflection of human nature in these books.

Great story!

Jessamyn Teoh is a closeted, broke, recent college grad who has just moved back to Malaysia from the US with her parents. Surrounded by extended family she barely knows, all of whom, in the grand tradition of families everywhere, want to know why she doesn't have a job yet and why she doesn't have a boyfriend, she wants nothing more than to find a good job and escape her family's orbit to go be with her long-distance girlfriend. These plans are disrupted when she becomes haunted by her grandmother's ghost, who is determined to get Jess's help in stopping a rich gang boss's condo development project that threatens the temple of the god that the grandmother served in life.

The dysfunctional family dynamics in Jess's family delighted me because they often felt SO MUCH like the dysfunctional dynamics in my own family. Mom is anxious, judgy, and can't keep secrets, but is distraught that no one tells her anything? Check. Grandma holds epic grudges and feuds with everyone? Check. The characters, with all their flaws, felt so much like people I know. Some didn't have as much depth as I would have hoped, but they were colorful and I found them to be relatable.

I loved how vibrantly the author evoked not just Malaysian life and culture, but also Chinese culture in Malaysia and how the two interact. There are layers to this cultural representation and how the characters move within those spaces, and I appreciated all of the nuances of culture and identity and belonging thoughtfully woven throughout the story.

I liked the way the plot unfolded, as decades-old secrets are uncovered and Jess dives deep into the family history she never knew. I will say that Jess doesn't have a lot of agency, as lots of characters try to manipulate her and both her grandmother and a god want to possess her body for their own ends. Still, I think the book grapples with this well. She's a character who doesn't have a lot of direction in life and doesn't know how to stick up for herself. Part of her journey is figuring out how to find herself in a family that doesn't respect her and won't protect her from others in her own family who would do her harm.

Content warning: There is one graphic rape scene where the protagonist is kidnapped and a group of men attempt to rape her. She fights them off, but the scene could be pretty strongly triggering for some folks.

This is my favorite of Zen Cho's novels to date. I really connected with the difficult family dynamics and the way the author explored them. This is a novel about the ways women react to being exploited and hurt. They're not all healthy or good reactions--in particular, the grandmother is utterly fascinating in her ruthlessness and selfish single-mindedness--but they do make for a compelling story. I had a lot of fun reading this, and I look forward to reading Cho's next book.

Black Water Sister was one of my most anticipated books of this year and unfortunately, it was a DNF for me. It wasn't bad, however, there was something about the writing that was just not vibing with me. I made it to about 50% when I realized I just was not connecting with the story or characters.

"A reluctant medium discovers the ties that bind can unleash a dangerous power in this compelling Malaysian-set contemporary fantasy.

When Jessamyn Teoh starts hearing a voice in her head, she chalks it up to stress. Closeted, broke and jobless, she’s moving back to Malaysia with her parents - a country she last saw when she was a toddler.

She soon learns the new voice isn’t even hers, it’s the ghost of her estranged grandmother. In life, Ah Ma was a spirit medium, avatar of a mysterious deity called the Black Water Sister. Now she’s determined to settle a score against a business magnate who has offended the god - and she's decided Jess is going to help her do it, whether Jess wants to or not.

Drawn into a world of gods, ghosts, and family secrets, Jess finds that making deals with capricious spirits is a dangerous business, but dealing with her grandmother is just as complicated. Especially when Ah Ma tries to spy on her personal life, threatens to spill her secrets to her family and uses her body to commit felonies. As Jess fights for retribution for Ah Ma, she’ll also need to regain control of her body and destiny - or the Black Water Sister may finish her off for good."

Even if this wasn't written by the amazing Zen Cho I'd be getting it because I'm all about mediums, reluctant or otherwise!

3.75 ⭐️

Recent Harvard grad Jessamyn Teoh is broke, jobless, and forced to leave her girlfriend and move from the U.S. back to Malaysia, a place she hasn’t lived since she was small. Jess and her parents move in with an aunt, as they can’t afford their own place. When Jess keeps hearing voices and wakes up each morning exhausted from her odd dreams, she comes to the startling realization that she’s being haunted by the ghost of her Ah Ma- her mother’s estranged mother. Ah Ma has come back for justice in honor of the god she served in life- The Black Water Sister. Ah Ma won’t leave Jess alone until justice is served. And she means to use Jess to settle the score.

What a complex story. There is so much packed into these pages. Ghosts, gods, crooked businessmen, gangsters, cultural barriers, relationship problems, and abuse. It started off slow, and took me a little bit to settle into the story and grasp the language. Once I did however, I flew through the pages.

I’m still unsure how I feel about Jess as a character. She was so strong in some instances. She wanted to help Ah Ma & the Black Water Sister, she wanted take down the crooked businessmen, she fought gangsters, even took on gods. Yet, she lets her family pretty much take over her life, is afraid of being honest with them about her relationship with her girlfriend, and would actually rather give up her life than be honest. Yikes, girl!

Jess’ mom and Ah Ma have some really funny moments. Ah Ma would have been my favorite if it wasn’t for a couple of iffy moments I’m still not over and totally changed my opinion of her.

The setting of Malaysia is written so vividly, I truly felt like I was running through the streets with Jess. What a captivating story.

*Thanks to Berkley Publishing Group/Ace Books & NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a honest and voluntary review.

Jess has lived her entire life with her parents in the United States, but after her father becomes ill and loses his job, the only job he can get is in the Malaysia they left decades ago. Jess, a recent Harvard graduate, soon finds herself adrift, separated from her girlfriend, struggling to hide her homosexuality from her parents, and to adjust to their new life, in which she feels no more at home than she did in the United States. Things become more complicated when the ghost of her estranged grandmother, Ah Ma, starts talking to her, then borrowing her body for nighttime walks around the house. Under Ah Ma’s influence, Jess is interacting with ghosts and gods, as well as confronting members of organized crime.

I don’t know where to start talking about this book. It’s a fantasy novel - ghosts and gods are very real and influence our world - but it is primarily about family, and about the reverberating trauma of violence against women. It is the relationships between the women, Jess’ grandmother, her paternal aunt, her mother, and the god known as the Black Water Sister that drives the action and eventually brings about the resolution. This elevates it beyond just another urban fantasy tale because it has a beating heart at its centre.

The setting is Penang, an island off the coast of mainland Malaysia. It is very well-drawn, showing the mix of ethnicities, languages, religions, as well as the humid heat and the food. I knew next to nothing about any of this going in, to was fascinating to learn about a place in this way. Jess is a good choice of guide because she knows little about the details of life in Penang, or even about her maternal family and their relationship with the gods, so she constantly needs things explained to her, which in turn helps the reader. The dialogues are particularly well written, with the syntax reflecting the speech patterns of the locals, and a spattering of Hokkien and Malay words. The setting is not used for local colour, but is an integral part of the narrative, almost a character in its own right. Jess, as a young woman raised in the United States by immigrant parents never felt that she belonged there, yet she finds that she doesn’t belong in Penang either, so this is a coming of age story as well, about this young woman trying to find her place in the world, somewhere between tradition and modernity.

I can’t recommend this book enough. I had very high expectations when I picked it up and it fully lived up to them.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing a digital ARC of Zen Cho’s Black Water Sister in exchange for a review.

Jessamyn Teoh is floundering. After graduating from Harvard, she hasn’t been able to find a job, so instead she joins her parents in moving back to Malaysia, where she feels even more out of place. She doesn’t know how to tell her parents about her long-distance girlfriend, doesn’t understand why she has been sleep walking and apparently having whole conversations she can’t later recall, and definitely doesn’t want to tell anyone about the voice she had been hearing in her head. Soon Jess learns that the dead grandmother she never met has chosen her as a medium to take care of her unfinished business – by stopping a gangster from destroying the temple of the god her grandmother served in life. And until she does, Ah Ma will be hanging around, interfering in Jess’s life, threating to expose her carefully protected secrets, and taking over Jess’s body at will. As Jess falls farther into a world of spirits, shady businessmen, and family legacies, she’ll have to strike a balance between placating the people and spirits who are targeting her and losing her life entirely to them. Black Water Sister is a story about ghosts, gods, difficult family relationships, anger that can give you power or keep you trapped, and finding your way in life. Cho’s writing style drew me in and kept me turning pages – it’s evocative and lush, describing scenes in a way that makes you feel like you’re there. I also love Jess as a protagonist. The story can move from everyday normalcy to eerie and unusual and even to downright creepy and back again in ways that make you dizzy. My introduction to Zen Cho’s work was Sorcerer to the Crown, so this was a big change in tone and genre, but I loved the way she wove a world of spirits, ghosts, and gods into a contemporary setting while also telling a compelling and believable story about family ties and the ways they can shape our lives.

This was somewhat unexpected - a Malaysian-set contemporary fantasy, totally unlike the author's earlier book but still one that I found enjoyable. I don't love the cover but I think the writing and pacing was outstanding. Can't wait to see what she writes next.

I love when books allow me to learn about mythology and folklore outside of the traditional western lore I grew up knowing, so I was excited to read this book solely based off of the synopsis. THEN, I saw the author describe it as, ‘a stressed zillennial is plagued by gods, ghosts, gangsters, and grandmas’ and, I mean, what’s not to love about that?!

The writing in this book was brilliant and the picture it painted was so vibrant that I felt like I was there. ‘Black Water Sister’ is extremely rich in culture and character, and is utterly charming and fun to read while still being full of suspenseful twists and turns. It’s chock-full of lovable and well-rounded supporting characters who each have a unique relationship with the main character and narrator, Jess. I adored Jess and I especially loved the back-and-forth banter between her and her ghostly grandma, Ah Ma. Both characters are so delightfully dry-humored and salty, and their relationship lent levity to a story that would be quite heavy otherwise.

I loved BLACK WATER SISTER! Jessamyn is such an interesting character. She starts to hear voices in her head. Then, she moves back to Malaysia. Then, one of the voices in her head is her deceased grandmother! WHAT?! The emotional roller coaster Zen Cho will put you on in these pages is proud and real. Get ready for the BLACK WATER SISTER.

I really enjoyed this book. I found the entire thing to be a good balance of lore, culture, and queer zillenial chaos. On top of her family being worried about her, her girlfriend being stressed, and her grandma screaming in her head- Jessa is going through it. The lore in this book was built up incredibly well, with cultural aspects explained in a tangible way. I did get a little lost with the writing at times. I struggled to know who was talking, and who was in possession of Jessa’s body. This could have been a formatting issue with the ARC copy, and so I can’t fully comment on it in the released book. As a queer person, the emotional turmoil of coming out or not that Jess went through felt realistic. It was extra, underlying stress to the regular stress of life. I can’t imagine trying to balance that, on top of a god seeking vengeance and a grandmother wanting to take down an influential businessman. This story was a fascinating one all around. The concept felt new, and the way it was executed was fantastic.

This book was received as an ARC from Berkley Publishing Group - Ace in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

At first this book sounded too much on the scary side but as I read on I could not help but think House of Night, and Vampire Academy meet The Covenant but with women in familial matters. There were some confusing parts as first but as I read on, more and more it got my full attention and when I finished the book, I had that feeling when I was a kid that I wanted to tell my mom and hurry to the bookstore and pick up my own copy. Now, I can't wait for the book to be released, add it to our collection and make it a candidate for a future book club. I know they will be even more excited than I am and will have intense and insightful discussions about it.

We will consider adding this title to our Sci-Fi collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In Black Water Sister, we follow Jess, a stressed recent college graduate who's in the closet (with a long-distance GF) and having a hard time finding a job while also juggling her family's move back to Malaysia, where her parents were born. On top of that, she is being haunted by sassy Grandma ghosts, has to fight scary gangsters, and deal with angry gods.

I enjoyed this book. It was face paced which made me want to pick it up whenever I had the chance. The writing wasn't perfect; things felt a bit choppy sometimes, there was a ton of dialog, and it told a lot (especially about Jess's relationship with her parents) instead of showing. I wish there had been some flashbacks that might have been able to show their complicated familial relationship instead of just telling us in between the dialog happening in the present.

The story itself was really enjoyable to read; very unique, and I really liked Jess's character. I thought this book blended Malaysian cultural elements, complex family dynamics, and fantastical paranormal elements very well. I also found Jess's zillenial struggles to be very relatable. I know I'll want to read more by Zen Cho in the future.

Thank you Ace Books for the ARC!

This was one of the books so high on my anticipated book list that I practically begged the publisher for a copy. No shame in my game. When I snagged it, I dove right in. Man oh man was I not regretting a word of my long-winded email.

A queer college grad moves back to Malaysia from the US after her father loses his job and falls ill. Now she's living with family in a country she hardly knows doing her best to maintain a long-distance relationship with the girlfriend she's hiding from her family. S&*t really hits the fan when she begins hearing voices, and soon finds out she's being haunted by her dead grandmother.

Talk about having it rough.

Jess is then forced into a game of cat and mouse with her dead grandmother, a vengeful ghost, and a plan to destroy an old temple. Oh, add in the fact that said dead grandmother can possess her body and do anything she pleases, including commit crimes. She's a feisty one, this ghost. And she knows all of Jess's secrets.

BLACK WATER SISTER is an entertaining read that pits a lesbian heroine against evil spirits and an annoying dead grandmother. Oh and gangsters. Let's not forget them. This is without a doubt one of the best books I've read this year, and it deserves to do well during publication. I hope it has the same impact on readers as it did for me.

I found this book easy to get into and more engaging than I thought! It had a lot of strong points such as,
1. I thought the author did a really good job describing and developing the relationship Jess had with her parents. I actually(surprisingly to me since reading about relationships with parents ISNT always super engaging) really enjoyed reading a lot of the scenes with them. Since their family had also immigrated to America and then returns to Malaysia during the book it’s interesting to read Jess observations about her own parents transitioning back.
2. I think the author excelled at describing the setting of the book. I’ve own been to Malaysia briefly but the setting reminder me of being there (:
Generally reading how the book unfurls and seeing the gods plus the gangsters mixed in was well done.
I did have difficulty following the book a couple of times. For example with which character was speaking and with who was present in certain scenes. Another problem I had was I was not entirely sold on Jess interpretation of what was happening around her. A couple of times I found myself disagreeing with her. Another thing is a couple times the book was just a bit too violent for me to really enjoy so a bit of a content warning there.
Overall though, it was interesting and is worth reading!
Reviewed at https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3826019714

Disclaimer: I got this book in exchange for an honest review from @NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This is a Malaysian inspired fantasy!! It has everything from ghosts, gids, gangsters, and grandmothers. I love the fact that despite it being a fantasy, there's a huge emphasis on family!!

What a delicious, intriguing combination tempts the quirky mind of mine : zillennial queer heroine discovers her powers to connect with spirits and she also realizes the ties that bind can unleash the lethal power in this surprising, complex, Malaysian-set urban fantasy!

Let’s meet with our heroine Jessamyn Teoh ( we’d better calm her Jess) just graduated from Harvard, has no idea what she’ll do with her degree, feeling confused without job prospects. In the meantime she finds out, they’re in debt because of her recently deceased father’s cancer treatment fees which forces them to move from the US to Malaysia where they immigrated from to unite with extended family.

You can guess Jess is not happy with this sudden changes in her life. She has a girlfriend she keeps secret from her family and now she needs to learn building long distance relationship.

This is the least she needs to worry about: she has bigger problems like hearing voices in her head. When she’s in the closet, she keeps hearing Ah Ma’s voice clearly. Actually she’s not only hearing her estranged grandmother, she can also connect with her avatar of mysterious deity ( a kind of goddess) Black Water Sister.

Poor Jess becomes slave of her godmother whose plan is setting to score against the business magnate who did something offensive against the god and needs her granddaughter’s help. She can be persuasive by using her body without asking her permission and committing felonies. She can also play dirty by blackmailing Jess to spill her secrets including her love life to her extended family!

So Jess would better negotiate with capricious spirits and help her delirious grandma for her grand scheme unless she find a way to control her body and set free herself from the claws of her!

This was entertaining, smart, original urban fantasy deals with sensitive issues realistically including homophobia, racism, abuse, rape.

Malaysian set - a reluctant young medium deals with spirits, vindictive ghosts, helping to restrain a dangerous power can destruct their world was brilliant. Well developed world building , enjoyable characterization earned my four sci-fi, twisty, addictive, mind blowing, far eastern stars!

Special thanks to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group/ Ace for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.