by Zen Cho
First published 2021
Jessamyn Teoh moves back to Malaysia broke and closeted, returning to a country she left as a toddler. The stress of relocation seems manageable until she starts hearing a voice in her head. The voice belongs to Ah Ma, her estranged grandmother's ghost. Ah Ma was a spirit medium who served as avatar for the Black Water Sister deity. Now dead, she wants revenge against a gang boss who offended her god. She expects Jess to help her settle the score. Jess gets pulled into a hidden world where gods and ghosts make demands on the living. She discovers family secrets while navigating deals with unpredictable spirits. The Black Water Sister's power flows through her, but Jess must fight to keep control of her own body and choices. Ah Ma's quest for retribution threatens to consume them both. Jess faces a battle for her autonomy and survival against forces that see her as merely a vessel for their will.
Genres: fantasy, contemporary, magical-realism, asian-american
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Malaysia
371 pages · Paperback · Ace