#lockdownbingo 7 of 8 Prompt 7: New Arrival Bʟᴀᴄᴋ Wᴀᴛᴇʀ Sɪsᴛᴇʀ ʙʏ Zᴇɴ Cʜᴏ 🏮🏮🏮 . "𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒊𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒃𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒃𝒐𝒓𝒏." . I have enjoyed author's previous novels which were more of a historical fantasy while this one is set firmly in present time Malaysia complete with Skype, Whatsapp, and absolutely infused with local superstitions. I loved this setting especially with all the food that was mentioned. I'm lucky that I actually have a tin of Milo in the pantry so I could help myself to some but when lockdown's over, I'm going out for a Malaysian feast! . Jessamyn Teoh is a character I can easily empathise with. Her feeling of never being 'at home' anywhere, the pressure she feels from her parents' (and extended families!) expectations, and generally of just feeling lost at this particular junction in her life after having done well at studying but not having been able to secure a good job. Then, on top of all this pressure, she's suddenly hearing a voice in her head and found herself in a world of gods & spirits. She now has to fend for herself from not-so-good-intentions not only from the spirit realm but also the physical. . While I liked the protagonist, loved the familial setting and intrigued by the 'magical' side of things, I found the novel to be quite slow going until approximately the last third where a particular incident then pushed the protagonist for a showdown. And yes, my rather vicious side enjoyed that particular showdown and my more humane side do love the end conclusion. . 🔒 I choose to be thankful that libraries are closed because this forces me to read from my own TBR... even if I bought this book only recently 😅 what's one small thing you can can thankful for this week? 💌 #blackwatersister #zencho #paranormal #fiction #ghosts #malaysia #litcelebrasian #ausbookstagram #ausbookishfeatures https://www.instagram.com/p/CToi4qTPjNP/?utm_medium=tumblr
