Daughters of Jubiliation by Kara Lee Corthron

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers! I switched gears from romance back to fantasy to read this book which has intrigued me since I saw the cover months ago.  So I reached out to Simon Schuster for an advanced review copy.

Now some people might read the synopsis and see Jim Crow and be intimidated. White supremacy may be ever present but that doesn't mean there's an absence of Black joy. I love the refreshing approach to 60s South Carolina summer filled with summer love and family. Our main character Evalene speaks in a Southern dialect that flows naturally. 

Evvie is navigating first love and growing into her own as a woman all while trying to understand her ever growing magical abilities. Her mother sees their gift of jubilation as a curse on their bloodline but Evvie just wants to understand their powers. Evvie is at times impulsive and when it comes to protecting her family and friends she's ready to leap into action. But why does she have trouble using her powers of jube around her new boyfriend Clay? 

Her mother takes her to see her grandmother tell help her control her abilities. Now Grammie Atti is seen as the town crazy woman who is rumored to have killed her husband. Her sharp tongue holds nothing back and she's determined to whip her granddaughter into shape. She's strict but loving and supportive all the same.

I loved the uniqueness of the magic too. Who wouldn't try and use their magic to prevent pregnancy or speed up their period? Not that magic is 100% effective in either situation which is a lesson for Evvie to learn. As as her momma tells her jube can't keep the clap away.

I feel like when we talk about Black people in the 1960s images come to mind about us fighting for our rights during the Civil Rights Movement. But this wasn't just a time of marching. Black people were tearing up the music charts with Motown Records cranking out your favorite classics. And I love that those vibes could be included in this story as well. One of my favorite scenes was the Juneteenth cook out scene. 

Evvie has twin kid sisters who are bright lights and balance out the family dynamic. Typical little sisters they're annoying one minute and too cute the next. 

And she has dreams too. She loves reading and she loves watching the stars. Secretly she dreams of being an astronomer even though the thought she so far fetched. 

There is some darkness in this book which includes violence from white supremists, racist slurs, physical abuse, and sexual assault. Evvie is battling an old foe who has made a return and threatens to spoil her happiness. Though a survival story it never felt draining or completely hopeless. 

This was truly a beautiful book that felt like a book teens could read that wasn't actively trying just for the adult audience like many YA fantasies. And the dark realities in this story are written in a way that is easy to comprehend without being overly traumatizing. Evvie is relatable, unfortunately the struggles she and her family go through are familiar, and there's a persistent theme of hope.