Book Review: Black Water Sister by Zen Cho

Black Water Sister by Zen Cho is perfect for fans of Avatar: The Last Airbender!

The story focuses on Jessamyn Teoh. She’s a woman who’s going to be living in Malaysia. She hasn’t been to Malaysia since she was a little kid and doesn’t remember much about the country.

Suddenly, she begins to hear weird voices. She believes it’s stress, but there’s one voice that insists and it belongs to her estranged grandmother, Ah Ma. When Ah Ma was alive, she was an avatar of an enigmatic divinity known as the Black Water Sister.

Highlights

• Jessamyn just graduated from Harvard and is feeling lost. This is something I could relate to, especially since I graduated during COVID. Because her family is in debt, she ends up moving back to Malaysia. Feeling lost after graduation is extremely relatable and I loved the fact that readers get to see what Jessamyn is feeling.
• Jess’ character development was phenomenal! I loved reading about how she faced her internal battles and became stronger because of it.
• Ah Ma is my personal favorite! Ah Ma’s character and personality is so different from Jessamyn. I couldn’t help but smile every time Ah Ma made an appearance.
• The setting! This was my first time reading a fantasy book with a Malaysian setting and I hope there will be more books like this one.
• Strong ending!

Lowlights

• The pacing. It drags on a little bit in the middle. I would’ve liked to know more about Jessamyn’s relationship instead.

Final thoughts: Overall, I loved this book and would recommend it for anyone who’s a fan of urban fantasy books or Avatar: The Last Airbender fans. This book tackles a lot of important topics such as racism, attempted rape, cancer, misogyny, and gang violence. This is perfect for readers who love books with ghosts, gods, and family dynamics!

Author Zen Cho is a Malaysian fantasy author currently residing in England. She is one of the winners of the IAFA William L. Crawford Fantasy Award in 2015 for a short story collection known as Spirits Abroad. She was a finalist for the Astounding Award for Best New Writer and made an appearance on Al-Jazeera’s online show, “The Stream.” You can purchase a copy of her book here.

Content warning: Sexual assault, violence, blood, violence against women, homophobia, and racist stereotypes.