Mango, Mambo, and Murder by Raquel Reyes

 Welcome Back, Booklovers! I was barely reading cozy mysteries for awhile and then Nicole from Who Picked This Book reignited my love for them. Sometime you just need a book that's warm and inviting and takes you away from the world's problems. But I also still like mystery so getting a mystery without all the gore and trauma is nice.

This cozy was very different from most of the ones I've read. We have a main character Miriam Quiñones-Smith, who isn't a single woman in her 20s. She's a married woman in her 30s with a young child. Miriam and her husband have recently moved to Florida from New York but not to where she grew up in Miami but her husband's small hometown. She's adjusting to the new area and larger living space while reconnecting with an old friend and trying to meet people in the community. While attending a luncheon one of her tablemates passes out and is later confirmed dead and Miriam's friend Alma is being questioned as a suspect. 

She's also Cuban and her culture is present throughout the book in a very believable way. She speaks English and Spanish and will often switch between languages mid conversation which felt very realistic. There were enough context clues that you understand what she's saying. She's also trying to teach her son to speak Spanish despite his dad being a non Spanish speaker. And she has to deal with her racist mother-in-law who feels the need to show up to her house uninvited and call her by middle name.  On top of that her husband is getting cozy with his ex girlfriend and it feels like they're drifting apart.

As a food anthropologist her focus is on Caribbean cooking and she's very knowledgeable about staples from Spanish and English speaking islands. Since South Florida has a very significant Haitian popular it was nice to see that included here as well as she mentions going to Haitian bakeries and markets. She's also given an opportunity to do a cooking segment on a well know Spanish language tv station.

Honestly I wasn't that invested in the mystery but I didn't even mind it because I was just enjoying all the other aspects of the story. I think a lot of mothers may be able to relate to her because her husband is the main supporter of the household and she's at home with her son balancing keeping house but also this unique tv opportunity she's been given.

Dead Dead Girls by Nekesa Afia

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers! This week I jumped into a historical mystery debut that's the start of a new series. I would like to preface this review by stating this is not a cozy mystery like I've seen people incorrectly assume just based off seeing the pretty cover. It's an amateur detective novel where the violence and sexuality are on page. So set your expectations accordingly. I received an advanced copy from Berkley in exchange for an honest review.

Dead Dead Girls is set in 1926 Harlem during the Harlem Renaissance era following Louise Lloyd. The story opens up with her being kidnapped as a teenager and fending off her capturers saving both herself and other girls who have also been taken.  She is dubbed Harlem's Hero her name becomes well known in the area.

Ten years later, Louise is coasting through life working in a café during the day while dancing and guzzling illegal alcohol by night. She's buried the trauma of her kidnapping for so long behind getting drunk until it's brought to the forefront again. Women are being murdered by a serial killer and she becomes involved when one of the bodies appears in front of her place of employment which also operates as a not so secretive speakeasy at night. After an altercation with the cops it's earlier help them out or face prison and worse. So Louise partners with them to get into spaces white cops wouldn't be able to while tracking down the, "Girl Killer". 

At first the formatting of the chapters is a little bit to get used to as the author employs this technique of using shorter chapters. They also often end in foreshadowing cliffhangers in a style reminiscent of radio dramas. This is mostly in the first half of the book as opposed to the second half of the book and I don't feel like it was needed. 

I can tell Nekesa Afia had fun with the 1920s slang, dances, and fashion. This is actually a story where I would've preferred some name dropping even if it's fictional names because while jazz music is spoken about and played in the clubs we don't hear Louise and friends mention any artists by name. Diving deeper into those details really makes a difference and I hope we get more into Black Urban identity and culture in Harlem. Because sometimes it gave a feeling it could be set anywhere and sometimes the story read a little contemporary.

The strongest elements of the story were definitely Louise's camaraderie with friends Rafael and Rosa Maria and the complicated relationships with both her family. I liked when it dove into her unresolved trauma and how she has had to cope. It really acknowledges how stumbling across these dead bodies starts to put a strain on her. 

While it is easy to romanticize the 1920s there were also people who were rebuilding their lives after The Great Migration. There were people scraping to get by and crime was rampant in some neighborhoods. There were Black innovators and entrepreneur establishing themselves. Dead Dead Girls did touch on some of this showing that life wasn't just a cakewalk. 

Louise holds her own and plays well opposite every character she comes across making for an entertaining read. This book was a solid start to a series that has a lot of potential and I only saw the writing improve the further into it we got.

Revival Season by Monica West

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers! I interviewed Monica West earlier this month in anticipation for her debut release and I she kindly sent me a copy for review. And listening to her describe this story I knew this  wouldn't be one of those nice Christian stories of faith and hope but rather one that causes you to pause and examine your beliefs. 

The Horton family heads out on the road as they usually do for rival season with a number of church stops lined up. After an incident everyone is trying to forget last summer they're hoping this will be a summer of miracles. After all Reverend Horton specializes in miracles as he proclaims to heal people of their ailments. But things don't go as planned at one of their early stops and the family is forced to come back home after the Reverend is exposed for doing something very unbecoming of a preacher. After that church membership starts it's decent and tension continues to rise in the Horton household.

Miriam starts to recall incidents she pushed down here and there in regards to her father's temper and questions the strict rules he has for the house. While she's always bought into an idealized version of her parent's marriage she starts to talk to her mother more about her feelings and realizes it's not the pretty façade that's been presented. Her mother was a young woman trying to escape her less than stable or structured household and she found her father and God at the same time. She never knew one without the other and through herself into both. While her father may have once been a young and hopeful preacher with a gift he is now completely unrecognizable.

As Miriam's father's pride gets in his way and his downfall continues he inflicts his anger more on his family, specifically her and her mother. Monica West really writes these scenes as if you're standing in their house behind the closed doors bearing witness to their interactions. I felt the rage and the pain and squirmed in my seat while reading a few times. 

Miriam realizes her relationship with her younger brother has changed and they haven't been as close as they used to be since her father started grooming him to be a preacher. When she voices her concerns about her father's abusive ways her brother is hesitant to believe her at first. 

After reading this book I sat and reflected on my own complicated family relationships and it was a very emotional experience. Because sometimes you don't realize there's things you pushed down and forgotten about without fully addressing. Your family members don't fit the perfect picture of them that you have in your head. 

I've frequented a lot of churches but these strict Southern evangelical churches are something else. And behind closed doors is one thing but if my pastor openly displayed as wild behavior as Reverend Horton I would've been like those other people and fleeing too. Instead people are complacent in his behavior by standing by even though they suspect he's harming his family. And there's the idea that I've witnessed where women in the church play a large role keeping things together but aren't considered able to perform in certain positions. In this story Miriam is constantly told women can't be healers even though she sees signs she may just have the gift herself.  If you enjoyed books like The Secret Lives of Church Ladies I think you'll enjoy this slice of life story about a religious Southern Black family. 

Son of the Storm by Suyi Davies Okunbowa

Welcome Back, Booklovers! I'm back with another epic fantasy review. Orbit is bringing us some great Black epic fantasy lately. And I must say they were so nice when I reached out to them interested in reviewing Son of the Storm. I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. I've already pre-ordered my copy. I suggest you do the same! 

Son of the Storm is a journey of different that followed povs from characters from multiple castes and ethnicities in world where one nation tries to over power all. The content is separated into different areas with different terrains. In the land of Bassa everyone has their place dependent upon their ethnic background and how their physical features present. Being from the mainland vs desert land in addition to caste and skin tone determine your worth. Anything non Bassai is considered inferior with the Idu caste, identified usually by their dark skin being the most favored.

Danso should be among the most favored and in many ways he is but he's also treated as an outsider due to his mixed heritage and lighter skin tone. He is referred to as Shashi which has a negative connotation in Bassa. Despite being a scholar with more knowledge than his peers he is pushed out of university due to his background. His intended Eshame is similarly faces issues being looked down upon as her mother comes from a lesser caste and having an unknown father, though she appears to be better off than Danso. Although while Danso wants to act as he pleases in spite of the system Esheme wants to spite the system and take over power.

Esheme and Danso both find their lives upheaved when a woman from the lowest caste, the yellowskins of the Nameless Islands, appears in their city. She is looking for a family heirloom which Esheme's mother Nem has taken. A fight for said heirloom results in murder which leads to the yellowskin Lilong fleeing with Danso and his second Zaq by her side.

The caste system and treatment of immigrants play a heavy role in this story. From the beginning of the story Bassa goes on lockdown restricting immigrants from entering. Some of the characters we come across in this story are seconds or indentured servants to Danso and Esheme. Bassa's caste system is reverse of most caste systems in that darker skin is highly favored. So despite immigrants being unfavored their is a hierarchy among them that takes skillset and skin color into account. Zaq is desperate to be a "good" immigrant and is determined to move to the higher caste of Potokin so he refuses to speak in his native tongue outside of meetings with his lover. 

Danso is constantly questioning himself because he doesn't know where he fits in.  It's ingrained into him that people like him are bad.  As a scholar in the jali guild he is taught the ideals which Lilong causes him to question as she reveals her people's side of the stories he grew up listening to. He's having an internal struggle letting the lies go. 

Esheme's journey is fascinating as she pushes back against the rules that say she must marry Danso in order to move up in society. A smart and independent woman she quickly learns to make deals and compromises on her own to benefit her and her house. She refuses to let the actions of her mother and Danso bring her down and her goal is to accumulate power to advance her position. Her growth is one I found myself very invested in once she hits her stride.

The book was for the most part written in easy to read language though it was very dense and some passages required rereading. Part 1 was definitely more hefty than the rest of the story. The writing style is unique in that at some points it felt more like a story being told around a fire. But sometimes along the journey it felt like we were being given a lot of information. While I thought some of the side POVs offered great insights they can at times slow down the pace.

The book does best when it mostly focuses on the POVs of Eshame, Danso, and Lilong. Each are people who don't fit into this world but choose different paths. From part 2 onward the pace picks up and I was much more invested. The magic in the world is channeled through stones called ibor and using magic takes a lot out of it's users. It wears the body down, causes temporary memory loss, can causes sickness, and requires a lot of recovery time.  I like a magic system where there's give and take and magic doesn't just come easily. I'm not exactly sure where this trilogy is going next but now that the foundation has been set I'm invested.

The Girl With Stars in Her Eyes by Xio Axelrod

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers!  I'm back with another book review. And this one was an audiobook I was given a chance to listen to in advance courtesy of Dreamscape Media. I'd seen the cover around but I really didn't know what this book was about. And then upon doing a Google search I found out that there's a Spotify playlist to accompany the book. 

Indie rock artist Antonia "Toni B" Bennett gets a chance to fill in as the guitarist in a hot new girl band signed to a major label when there's problems with their main guitarist. This might finally be her ticket out of PA to chase her dreams. Sebastian Quick aka Seb is managing The Lilly's and tired of playing babysitter to the train wreck that is Candy. Things are further complicated when the girl that got away is back in his life. 

At first I wasn't really sure what to make of this book. It's labelled a romance and there is a romance in it that's like a second chance friends to lovers type. But for a chunk of the book it didn't feel like a priority. So it took me longer to get behind them and root for them to be together. Plus much of their relationship relied on flashbacks to their childhood. 

It felt like not much happened in this story. Toni has a complicated relationship dynamic with her parents that was interesting but not enough to sustain this story. It was an easy listen but overall it wasn't a particularly memorable one. 

Libertie by Kaitlyn Greenidge

 

Welcome Back, booklovers! This book was one of the releases I had my eye on all year so I was very happy to get a copy of the audiobook courtesy of Libro FM. If you're interested you can get it here. 

Libertie is written in a very lyrically style that immediately sucks you into the story. I loved her voice and thought the narrator did a great job capturing it. Despite it's Reconstruction era setting it's not very graphic in violence against Black people so if that usually deters you from picking up books set within that time period it's not a problem here.

This story starts with Libertie as a young girl living with her mother who is one of the few Black women physicians.  Her mother has big dreams of her following in her footsteps and teaches her from a young age to care for people. It was quite fascinating listening to the tales of her mother adding formally enslaved people within their community. One thing this book touched on was the ramifications slavery had on the mental state of those people. How they could be free but their mind is still enslaved. 

The discussions of colorism were also well done. Libertie's mother is a light skinned close to white woman and that afforded her the opportunity to move through spaces most Black people could not. It also caused the white women to be more trusting to her. When Libertie's mother opens a clinic originally for the freed people it slowly becomes a space for white women to seek care. Libertie and her mother end up at odds over this as the patients often recoil in her presence and her mother lets them treat her terribly instead of standing up for her. This complicated mother-daughter relationship takes place throughout the book with Libertie often vying for her mother's attentions in ways that don't just pertain to following in her footsteps.

Once she comes of age, Libertie is poised to attend medical school but while away realizes the dream isn't exactly for her.  Falling in love with a man named Emmanuel who is interning for her mother she decides to quickly marry. He sells her promises of a dream life in Haiti where they can create their own nation. This section touched upon the same anti-Haitianism that we still see present to this day. During this time Libertie must come to understand what it turly means to be a free woman.

This book was so addicting that at times I didn't want to stop listening. And it was surprisingly very easy to follow along while doing household tasks which is something I sometimes struggle with when it comes to audiobooks. I was cooking in the kitchen but fully engaged to this at the same time. This one is a very character driven story that is sure to keep you enthralled.

Sun of a Beach by Mia Sosa

 

Welcome Back Booklovers! I was lucky enough to get an early listen courtesy of Audible for this new original available to Audible listeners on 4/8. 

I don't want to give too much away since it's a fairly short novella that I listened to in under an hour. I really enjoyed the narration. This story revolves around two rival coworkers who have to work together on a photoshoot shoot for the inaugural digital issue of the magazine they work for. What better backdrop for working out their secret attraction than than the Caribbean? But the Bahamas isn't just all play. Donovan and Naomi have some challenges ahead of them to pull off this shoot.

I liked Naomi's chapters more than Donovan's though I got used to the narration for his chapters by the end. Valetina Ortiz really brought her to life. She even gave an extra kick to the steamy sex scene.  They work for the same magazine company and get assigned to manage a photoshoot in the Bahamas for the magazine's digital edition. This was great for a quick and steamy listen. I need a longer version now in print!

Second Chance on Cypress Lane by Reese Ryan

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers! If you follow me you know I've kept my eyes open this year for good Black contemporary romance. And this one that I received courtesy of Forever Publishing in exchange for an honest review helped satisfy my craving. There's just something so likable about a small town romance and we tend not to see many of these with Black leads. 

I wish they would've released this in June vs December because it's a solid summer romance. It starts around the beginning of July when Dakota Jones run's back to her quiet beachside home town of Holly Grove Island after a bad breakup and scandal leaves her jobless. She ends up reconnecting with her old friends and her ex boyfriend Dexter Roberts who has made a career for himself in the hospitality business and helps her secure a job marketing a new resort in town.

So if you like small town romance this book has all those cute things you'll enjoy. It's a small beach side town, there's a big Forth of July festival everyone attentions, cozy local eateries, homestyle food, small town gossip, cute dates, and neighbor's who know each other so well. 

Dexter and Dakota work together trying to help their town accept the new resort and figuring out ways to build up the town as a more touristy place but without compromising everything that makes it unique.

Dakota has to rediscover her passions and realize that maybe her dreams of being a big journalist weren't her dreams at all but her deceased mother's. And I think having her tackle her issues with her mother and cope with moving on after her death only added more depth to this story.

I wanted a little more from Dexter and his family because like Dakota has also has had to deal with a parent projecting their hopes and dreams onto their children. We did meet his mother and sister but I wanted a little more of them.

This book can be a little lengthy at times particularly in the middle but it does a great job developing the characters and sets up story for follow up books too. It was slow burn for most of it but then it goes into steamy territory and those scenes didn't disappoint. And the end result is a satisfying romance to help you chase away those winter blues. 

When Life Gives You Mangos by Kereen Getten

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers! I'm back with a read for the younger crowd. This Middle Grade book is great for all kids but the ones from Caribbean backgrounds will especially appreciate it. I interviewed the author Kereen Getten earlier this year. I was lucky enough to receive an arc from Random House Children in exchange for review.

Clara lives on an island  in a tight knit village with people who feel so familiar. It's small and seaside so no one ever visits and no one really leaves. There's the grouchy old woman whom seems to dislike everyone but everyone does what she needs without question. There's the pastor that's overly judgmental. Clara's cousin Gaynah who she gets along with one minute and is at odd's with the next. And there's her ostracized uncle who everyone calls a witch doctor. 

So much of this book feels like a love story to growing up in small Caribbean villages surrounded by neighbors who all know each other.  

It's a slow starter but an easy to read book about friendship with a bit of mystery mixed in. Clara is suffering from memory loss and has trouble recalling the events of last summer which have left her shaken. She once loved the water but now has a fear of it. Clara's whole neighborhood seems to be judging her until one day a new girl comes to visit from NY.  The new girl Rudy doesn't judge her for her behavior or make her feel inferior. 

This was a beautiful story with an unexpected twists that starts out quiet but leaves a lasting impression. 

The Meaning of Mariah Carey by Mariah Carey

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers. Now I don't normally read memoirs but as a Mariah fan I just had to pick this up. She's been talking about releasing her memoirs for so long and I wanted that deeper glimpse into her life. Now it should've been titled Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel but I digress. I've never listened to an over 11 hr audiobook so fast.

Hearing her narrate the audiobook herself really made this one rise above. She doesn't do bleak narrations. Instead she talks to you as if you're a friend she's telling stories to. Anyone who is a fan is familiar with her mannerisms that are ever present here. Even if you are the biggest stan and thought you knew Mariah well this was full of information you've never heard. 

Now if you're jumping into this for plenty of tabloid fodder you're not going to receive much here. Outside of the details of her affair with Derek Jeter where she describes him making her feel alive again as they snuck around NY and Puerto Rico you won't find that salacious gossip. While ultimately not the love of her life she thought he would be he did give her the courage to feel free to act and dress the way she wanted to. So she holds that relationship dear for what it represents. That being said I didn't expect her to put so much of their business out there on front street. He hasn't even shared much of his relationship with his wife and they have two kids together!

We've heard her say she had a rough childhood but she always refrained from truly going into depth about it beyond stating she grew up poor and moving from house to house. Rough childhood was an understatement. With a family like her family who needs enemies? Her family seemed to never be able to pull it together and get along. Her mother was neglectful and jealous of her, her sister tried to sell her into prostitution, her brother had rage issues and was unpredictable, and her father became estranged from her.  She spends the first section of this book on her early life with her family. Her early life is dark and full of suffering with few bright spots outside of some family friends here and there and some weekends spent with her father's family.  And she walks us through the start of her music career doing paid gigs when she was young and commuting back and forth while working on her demo tape. One thing Mariah always had was determination and hope. She knew she was destined to be more and was willing to fight in the face of adversity. 

In the second section we see her start her career and a tumultuous relationship with Sony Music's Tommy Mottola. This was a precautionary tale about getting involved with someone so much older with more power than you. Not only was he pulling the strings in her professional life but behind closed doors he was isolating her to keep her under his thumb. She really goes into detail about her life looking like a fairytale to the public while she was suffering behind closed doors. She lights up when talking about building her first house but little did she know Storybrooke Manor would become a prison surrounded by security cameras, intercoms, and armed guards. 

For years people have acted like Mariah kept quiet about her Black side even though she's mentioned it from the beginning. In this book she lights up when talking about spending time with her father's family. She praises her aunts and grandmother for what they accomplished despite the odds against her. It's very easy to write her off as a "tragic mulatto" as many people have over the years but when you listen to her talk about what she experienced growing up feeling out of place surrounded by white people and their micro and macroaggressions as well as what her father experienced it sheds new light. Yes, we've all had it hard. But not all of us have been jailed, had our faces literally spit in, our homes shot at, been locked in a room and verbally assaulted. And Mariah herself states it took her meeting Derek's family to realize her family's many other issues had nothing to do with racial identity and everything to do with them being dysfunctional.

The post Tommy (but not really because he was still behind the scenes in the industry) era starts off very difficult for her. There's sabotage behind the scenes with a certain singer being used as a tool against her which she talked about back then but people chose to ignore. The media wants to see her fail and revels in the hurdles she must overcome. Since she's only recently coming to terms with being bipolar she does mention the hospital visits and treatments and lows and highs back in 2001 when she was originally diagnosed but you can sense the denial. And much of that seems to stem from not wanting to be seen like her mother.

And after the lost of her father who she was able to mend the fences with at the end of his life and understand why he was the way he was she takes us through her triumphant return. I have fond memories of sitting around with my friends belting out the lyrics to "We Belong Together". I remember doing laps during practice listening to "Don't Forget About Us". She's been the soundtrack to so many people's lives and it was nice to relive some moments in time. 

This book has so many quotable moments like the diva herself. It is filled with her humor and wit even during more difficult scarring times. We get to hear her sing acapella as she describes the making of some of her best songs. I will say if you had a rough childhood this could be very triggering for you but maybe at the same time healing. Her story proves you don't have to succumb to your surroundings and when you believe in yourself you can accomplish great things. And I left the book feelings like I understood more about why she acts the way she does including her eternally 12 mantra. It's very fitting that the audiobook closes out with Mariah's theme. 

Never Look Back by Lilliam Rivera

Welcome Back, Booklovers! My latest read releases just in time for Hispanic Heritage Month and features dual POV from two Afro-Latinx teens. I actually didn't read the synopsis before I dove into this story. I just knew it was an Orpheus and Eurydice retelling featuring Black Latinx teens. I've been trying to read all the YA novels I see with Black couples that release this year. 

This book is a well done magical realism story about Pheus a gifted young musician at heart spending his summer in the Bronx with his father, and Eury a girl born and raised in Puerto Rico who is spending the summer with her aunt and cousin while she works past some trauma.

Eury is dealing with a spirit who has been present in her life since she was younger and her parents split up. This spirit followed her from Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria displaced her family to Tampa and now New York. Pheus is a believer in what is tangible but Eury has him wanting to help her find her demons.

I liked Pheus's group of friends and how authentic and real they felt. I live on the East Coast in a Latinx neighborhood and these felt like teens from my neighborhood. Liliam Rivera did a great job capturing their voice in a way that will be effortless to teen readers. The Spanish language is regularly included and I liked that not everything they said was translated. 

At first this story feels like your typical summer love contemporary but then things switch in the second half as it dives further into spiritual beliefs. So you might believe at first that Ato is all in Eury's mind. The incorporation of life after Hurricane Maria was very well done as our author didn't shy away from painting a vivid picture of the reality of the story. How Eury and her mother thought it would be a hurricane that would just pass like many others and instead this one literally ripped the roof off their heads.

Another thing this story did that stood out was give very present and involved parents. Oftentimes in YA the parents are not as involved as they should be. With Eury's mother we explore how in some cultures people would rather cling to their faith then admit that a family member is struggling with their mental health. Pheus' dad is always around to give his son helpful relationship advice and remind him of who his people are. 

I received an arc from Bloomsbury YA in exchange for an honest review.

Hide and Seeker by Daka Hermon

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers!

Changing course I recently finished a Middle Grade Horror story and wanted to share that with you. Especially for my followers looking for books for their young sons, nephews, and cousins. This story has a male protagonist Justin and features a new twist on a beloved childhood game. Releasing just in time for Halloween this is a must pick up. I was lucky enough to receive an arc from Scholastic Press in exchange for an honest review.

The book starts a little over a year after Justin's mother has died and his friend Zee has recently reappeared. The story gets right into the creepiness expected from the title and cover as Justin and some other friends from the neighborhood gather at Zee's house for his birthday and start a game of hide and seek. Now slowly friends are disappear and strange marks are appearing on them. Justin and his friends soon learn you can't break the rules of Hide and Seek unless you want to be hunted down by The Seeker.

When the Seeker hunts them down the children find themselves trapped in a land called Nowhere that looks similar to their own world except their greatest fears come to life there.

Daka Hermon does a great job keeping this book fast paced and enjoyable with just enough scary elements to earn it's horror spot. She also mixes the perfect amount of humor to add a bit of levity. She rounds it out by with a good portrayal of grief and loss that will be relatable for some kids. Justin is reeling from his mother's death throughout and must confront his fears about relieving those moments. He's also dealing with panic attacks and anxiety and on top of that there's the worry that he and his sister will lose their house to bill collectors.

It's a mostly Black group of children and the story is set in small town Tennessee. Children who are about 9/10 years old and like creepy things will enjoy this one. Overall a very solid debut story.

Master of Poisons by Andrea Hairston

 

Welcome Back Booklovers, 

I've been reading more adult fantasy this year. And while I usually don't lean towards to 500+ page stories the cover intrigued me. Plus I hadn't heard anyone talking about it so that only peaked my interest more. This story is by accomplished author and playwright Andrea Hairston who is a new to me author. I wasn't really sure what I was getting myself into but it was a hell of a journey.  I received an arc from Tor Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

I do want to preface this by saying that if you don't like slow-burn fantasy then this book is not for you because book 1 reads very lengthy and even at times repetitive as it sets up the story that leads to the present day journey. Andrea Hairston is a very descriptive writer which means we got beautiful descriptions of the foods they feasted on and the lands they wandered. You could practically smell the brine, hear the gulls by the sea, and taste the nut butter and sweet mango slices. She uses very lyrical language to set up the atmosphere in which this story takes place. She does a great job setting up the atmosphere of the world they live in.

Djola is the male protagonist and he is the Master of Poisons who has been trying to use his wisdom to help the Arkhysian empire as the earth is dying. As right hand to Emperor Azizi he has been warning him since the poison deserts started to appear and urging him to practice conservation. However for years his pleas have fallen on deaf ears until farmland dries our and rivers disappear. Now at  this time the people claim it's too late to change their ways.

We follow Djola as he ends up being exiled and apart of a pirate crew as a healer while coping with being separated from his family. To save them and restore his position as the emperor's right hand he must find a cute. During his exile he is working to master Xhalan Xhala, a form of ancient Lahesh conjure which will help him purify the land.

It's actually an interesting way to touch upon climate change which affects us all however people were very quick to deny and ignore until it became more apparent. And the idea of personal responsibility when many have the what's done is done mindset. 

The other protagonist Awa is a young sprite from a poor family who is sold by her father to griots called The Green Elders. We follow her journey over the course of a few years as she creates a new family and comes into her own with her powers. As a character I thought she really became interesting when she was ripped from her new family and forced to survive. I found myself leaning more towards her narrative.

The Smokeland was an interesting take on the astral plain/realm often found in fantasy stories. I enjoyed the scenes when Djola and Awa connected with the Smokeland and the lines of reality sometimes got blurred. These scenes were even stronger when their paths finally crossed.

Another interesting thing is the usage of non binary characters in a way that feels very natural and not  thrown in for additional diversity. The queer relationships were something I thought she took great care with developing. 

If you are an experienced fantasy reader looking for an epic tale I think you will enjoy this. This is a vast world that you are dropped in and navigate your way through. The story truly started coming together for me after the 40% mark. I would love to listen to this one on audiobook as it's a fascinating world with very metaphor heavy writing and vivid descriptions. 

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers! Now ya'll know I have a love hate relationship with short story collections. And then I see a diverse short story collection and I must try reading it. And Greenleaf just wrapped so you know I needed my fix of Church related messiness. Plus 192 pages ain't bad at all so I figured let me try something different for a change. Thank you West Virginia University Press and Netgalley for the opportunity in exchange for an honest review.

"And if you're going to quote Scripture, quote the whole thing."

Now literary fiction isn't my favorite genre but I like to switch things up and step out of my comfort zone sometimes. And this anthology was one of the better written ones I've come across. These stories explore womanhood, faith, race, and sexuality.  Each one features a woman or girl breaking free of the unhealthy doctrines put upon Black woman in the name of faith. 

Now I know when we think of church ladies we often think of older women dressed to the nines in big brimmed hats patting their bibles, stamping their feet, and passing judgment left and right. Those women are present to but they aren't the leads in these stories. 

One of the longer stories Jael features a girl lusting after the preacher's wife. And her granny is one of those righteous old women. Not sure I buy a good Christian woman just picking names out of the Bible for her children without knowing the story behind them. But this is what she did and now she's trying to pray the wickedness out of young Jael. Her grandbaby who writes her lusty thoughts in her diary and hangs out with the fast girl down the street who messes around with grown men. 

My favorite stories were Dear Sister Dear Jackie which was a letter from one sister to another she'd never met detailing how she and the other sister buried their deadbeat father. How one sister feels they should only talk about their father with honor because the Bible said so and how she refuses to acknowledges his faults. How the best bond he gave them was the one they have with each other and the grandmother they spent summers with.

Snowfall where a woman reminisces about her life down South in the warmth where Sunday services and crab boils prevailed compared to her life now where snowfalls heavy and she wakes up extra early to shovel snow. The life where her lesbian lover seems to be drifting away from her. Where she finds herself yearning to reach out to her mother who has disowned her due to her lifestyle not fitting her strong Christian values.

Peach Cobbler where a teen girl reflects on her mother's long going affair with the reverend of the local church. How her mother would bake him the best peach cobbler he ever had while never letting her have one bite. The neglect she felt as her mother put forth more effort into taking care of this man with his own family vs her daughter whom she couldn't bother to muster up affection for.

This anthology is a love letter to the Black women who grew up down south sipping sun tea, watching The Young & the Restless with their mothers, attending Church every Sunday and bible study every Wednesday. The women who spent afternoons in the kitchen learning to fry chicken to perfect and bake a peach cobbler with the flakiest of crusts.  

Now I'm a proud Christian woman myself but I don't agree with everything people use the Bible to justify their wrongdoings. And this story calls you to look beyond your image of those "good Christian women" to see the multifaceted ladies before you. 

And if you're a good Saint who loves both the close bonds, sense of community and messiness the Black church has to offer this book is for you too.

Now That I've Found You by Kristina Forest

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers! I'm back with another book review. You might remember my interview with Kristina Forest earlier this year where we talked about her experiencing writing this book, Old Black Hollywood, and NYC. 

This was the perfect way to wind down after a heavier read. I enjoyed Kristina Forest's debut I Wanna Be Where You Are last summer and I think I loved this one even more. Set in NYC this story follows a young actress Evie Jones who has just graduated high school and got the role of her dreams leading a major movie. Evie has always dreamed in following in her grandmother's footsteps and becoming a big star. And with her parents being famous in their own right for their documentaries she has a big legacy to live up to. But unfortunately a jealous frenemy sabotages her and she's blacklisted. Now Evie is left scrambling to try and salvage the pieces of her career. And she's hoping her grandmother famed actress Evelyn Conaway will help her do so. The problem is Evelyn Conaway turned her back on Hollywood awhile back and isn't interested in a return. 

So Evie shows up on her Gigi's doorstep intent on making sure they both attend the ceremony for a prestigious Lifetime achievement award that the academy has decided to bestow upon her. But her Gigi is different from the last time they were together. And she's suspicious of this young musician named Milo who has moved in and pretty much become a member of the family. Is he using her grandmother? And before Evie can get her grandmother on board with her plans to revive her career they get into a big argument. The next morning Gigi has disappeared with a vague note saying she'll return.

Evie and Milo trek around the city meeting up with close old friends of her's as they try to figure out where she would've gone.  They attend a charity art gala, a movie premiere party, and the performance that could be the big break that Milo's band needs. 

I liked that as the days go by Evie has to reflect on the things she really wants. Why is she so obsessed with comparing herself to her parents and grandmother?

Evelyn Conaway reminds me of the likes of Eartha Kitt, Lena Horne, and Diahann Carroll she's  sophisticated and glamorous. I enjoyed not only seeing and hearing about her from Evie's perspective but also's Milo's as well. I really liked how she took him in and brought him into her circle during a time when he really needed support. And I also like how she gives Evie sound advice about knowing who she is outside of the fancy career she wants to have. You can see her longing to reconnect with her distant granddaughter.

It's a classic teen rom-com sure to make you feel good. And I liked seeing two Black teens fall in love without trauma threatening to tear them apart. They have their obstacles to overcome but it doesn't feel like the whole world is against them ready to see them fail. 

Thank You, Kristina Forest for sending me an advanced copy of this charming book!

Interview with Author Jordan Ifueko

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers!

I'm continuing my interview series by introducing you to a debut author. I've already read and reviewed her book Raybearer earlier this year. It was one of my five star reads and an absolute gem after a series of disappointing reads. I had been picking up every African inspired YA fantasy released recently and this stood out to me. It did end up getting pushed back because of lockdown so I'm glad this book is finally being released to the rest of the world. I was lucky enough to do an interview with Jordan Ifueko in time for Raybearer's release as apart of the Raybearer blog tour.

Congratulations on your upcoming debut during this time of uncertainty and unrest. How would Tarasai tackle surviving a pandemic?

Thank you! Tarisai would initially sit anxiously on her hands in a bunker with her council siblings, trying to convince herself she isn’t supposed to take charge of the situation. Then her frustration at how the pandemic is being handled would boil over. She would eventually  start a local coup, perhaps committing some light treason to upend the government powers that be and replace them with something that actually saves lives.

What research did you do when writing Raybearer? And how did your culture specifically inspire this story?

Raybearer is the sum of all my cultural and personal influences! I sourced folktales and customs from my West African parents and extended family, and incorporated their storytelling styles and even some of their childhood games. I did plenty of academic research as well. When it comes to academic sources on pre-colonial African, the trouble is always finding sources that aren’t from a racist lens. I also had fun reading up on the myriad of other cultures that inspire Raybearer, which range from Joseon period Korea to Bedouin travel caravans.

Since your story is West African inspired did you feel a pressure to include certain elements like the actual Orisha god system in your story?

I actually felt fairly free to craft my own religious systems in Raybearer, since there’s a lot of religious and cultural diversity in West Africa and always has been! In general however, there is a pressure to over-emphasize one’s Blackness or Africanness in stories because it makes one’s work easier to categorize from a white publisher’s perspective, and I did hate that. Many authors from minority groups are expected to make their stories into veiled educational primers for outsiders to learn about their cultural background, and that isn’t fair--we should be free both and represent ourselves and to let our imaginations run wild. In any case, I am, like most people, a blend of many cultural influences, and had to work against pressure to put myself in a box.

The Lady is a very multifaceted character. I’m not sure whether to feel sorry for her or root for her. What was the inspiration behind her character?

The Lady shows what happens when a marginalized person tries to empower themselves by mimicking the oppressive system that marginalized them in the first place, rather than dismantling the system itself. The sad thing is, she started off very innocent, but trauma whittled away her values to little more than a sense of self-preservation. The Lady has a deep, deep capacity for love, but it’s wrapped up in this fear of intimacy that keeps getting in her way. She becomes strikingly like the person she’s trying to take down, which often happens when we act of hurt and fear.

I thought you showcased love in a very refreshing way. Did you ever feel like you had to write a big romance since YA fantasy often features star-crossed couples and love triangles?

This is a funny question, because I absolutely tried to fit into that mold when I first wrote RAYBEARER! I tried to force a love triangle in early, early drafts and couldn’t figure out why it wasn’t working. Then I realized that what drew two certain people together had nothing to do with romantic bonds, and I was doing a disservice to just how earthshaking friendships can be.

Were you able to listen to the audiobook yet?

I have almost finished both the US and UK audiobooks! The readers, Joniece Abbot-Pratt and Weruche Opia, both did a fantastic job.

Who are some of your favorite Black authors?

N.K Jemisin, Chimimanda Ngozi Achidie, Angie Thomas, and Kwame Mbalia all have work I’ve loved to revisit over and over again.

Follow Jordan on Twitter @jifueko and buy her book!

Love in Colour by Bolu Babalola

Welcome Back, Booklovers.

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC from Headline Publishing of Love in Colour for an honest review. It releases in the UK on August 20th and releases in the US next year.  Now I know in the past I've said I'm not the biggest fan of retellings but this anthology intrigued me because it includes retellings of West African folklore as well. 

The first story is called Oshun and is inspired by the Yoruba river goddess and her relationship with Shango, god of thunder and lightning. While I had heard of them I'm not too familiar with their story. In Trinidad Shango is a religion that incorporates elements of Yoruba religion as well as spiritual baptism. And there was a bit of a stigma against some of their rituals that several family members have talked about. Having never really looked deep into their story this was a nice gateway. 

The next story is Scheherazade which is very loosely inspired by the storyteller from 1001 Arabian Nights. This story didn't leave much of an impression on me. I felt like it just moved along from scene to scene but I didn't feel for this one. 

The third story Psyche is based on the story of Psyche and Eros but set in the corporate fashion magazine world. In the story they navigate the workplace with Eros's sister Venus as Psyche's tyrannical boss.  I thought it did a good job telling the story of an office friendship blossoming into more.

The next story is Attem. Attem seduces King Offiong to settle her parent's debts. The King is a cruel man however she knows how to stroke his ego and get more free reign to move about the city compared to the other wives. While she is out in the marketplace she spots Ituen and soon invites him to her chambers. I wouldn't really classify this as a love story. More like a lusty entanglement. It did inspire me to look up the original myth Ituen and the King's Wife.

Yaa is a story about a young professional in a relationship that's more of a convenience. He's old money, she's new money and they run in the same circles so it makes perfect sense for them to be together. But does she actually love Kofi? And why is she putting up with his bullshit? Are his connections really worth it? And what about the relationship she left behind? This was the most real feeling of all the stories. It was inspired by The Princess' Wedding.

The next story, Siya is about a warrior woman defending her home Wagadou from The Snake Man. Though Siya wants to put of a wall of defense and remain the strong unnerving lead at all times Maadi pushes her to let her guard down. This story felt very lengthy to me and I didn't quite feel the chemistry between this couple. The descriptions of them coming together were very wordy too and the language felt less poetic then it's intention. This is based on a lesser known Ancient African Civilization called the Soninke. 

Nefertiti is a re-imagining of the Queen herself as a notorious gangster running a gentleman's lounge that also serves as a hub for anti-government activity and trains women to be guerrilla warriors. This was my favorite story in the anthology. It was paced well and just the right length. And unlike some of the stories it showed more than it told and I was entranced in the story. 

Naleli is a story about a girl learning to love herself again and be comfortable in her own body despite it's imperfections. She suffers from vitiligo and her peers do nothing to ease her pain often comparing her to a cow. The romance was sweet and I loved the overall theme and self love and friendship that was present.

Zhinu is a rising musician with an overbearing momanger determined to make her a superstar. It is based off a story called The Cowhead and the Weaver Girl.  It reminded me of Beyond the Lights since Zhinu is a manufactured popstar singing the sexualized music she doesn't want to sing vs her own original music.

Thisbe is a Thisbe and Pyramus retelling set in modern times. This one was too heavy on the pop culture references for me and I found myself being pulled out of the story. The length also didn't help because for me it droned on.

New Tales Tiara is about Tiara who runs a popular advice based Twitter account and has currently written a memoir. She reflects on a past love who is back in town. She compares herself to the woman he hooked up with after her. She remembers how they pulled apart from each and the directions their careers went in after. How they're still connected through their best friends who are in a relationship together. I didn't really care for this story either because it felt like for them to work out everything had to be on her terms with no real compromise.

Orin takes place in Bixton on a Friday night where our main characrer is on the date from hell. This was another story of modern love in the age of social media where sliding into the DMs on Instagram in the way to link up. 

And to conclude the anthology we have Alagomeji which is an original story based on our author's parents. 

This anthology switched from stories that felt contemporary to stories that felt like fantasy. While the overall theme was love the tone of some stories was vastly different than the tone of other stories. In some the romance was strong while in some the friendship was stronger. Some stories clicked with me more than others. I found her retellings of myths to be strong additions than her originals. I'm not a big fan of too many pop culture references and slang so the ones that were heavy on the 2020 slang and references weren't my favorite. Some of those read like an article of  a Twitter thread.  It was nice to read an anthology form the UK perspective for once and from the British Nigerian perspective. 

Vanessa Yu's Magical Paris Tea Shop by Roselle Lim

Welcome Back, booklovers!

I decided to read this because it was for Download on Edelweiss and the premise sounded cute. And how cute it was. I would definitely describe it more as women's fiction vs rom-com though because while there was a romance this was more about the journey of discovery. If you like light-hearted stories with a touch of magical realism then this is the book for you.

This book is great if you ever dream of going to Paris and having the art loving and culinary adventure of a lifetime. Vanessa Yu and her aunt love to eat. In fact her whole family loves to eat and this book had me craving everything from Peking duck to sweet crepes and prosciutto pizza. They eat so don't go into this book without a snack ready.

But Vanessa has a special ability she was born with that allows her to see other people's futures and it sometimes causes problems. When Vanessa sees a fortune she can't help but blurt it out like when she ruins her cousin's wedding after foreseeing her divorced within a year. Ashamed and struggling to deal with this gift that she's convinced is ruining her life she and her family decide she needs a vacation. So she's spending time in Paris with the other family fortune teller her tea selling aunt Evelyn. 

From there her adventure begins which includes eating her way through Paris, wearing fashionable clothes, and sketching at historic sites. Not to mention a cute expat willing to show her around the city.

I do wish the book would've gotten more into how people react to Vanessa blurting out their futures. We got to see her reactions but not there's. Of course her family was used to her and would accept it but she would have encounters with strangers like the man who was planning to propose to his girlfriend and no one really questioned her.  People were coming in for a cup of tea and getting told their family member would die!

I also didn't like how she was pushing her aunt to rekindle a romance with a man who she knew nothing about who also had a friend who launched a racist/xenophobic campaign against the tea shop. 

Overall this was a cute romance that would be good for a rainy day read curled up under a blanket with a cup of hot tea.

You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria

Welcome Back Booklovers,

I shifted gears for a moment and dove into romance after back to back fantasy stories. I needed a a light summer read to refresh me and this one did not disappoint. With such a pretty cover it would've been a damn shame if it wasn't a good story. This was the best romance I've read this year. It's been years since I've watched a telenovela (with English subtitles because I'm not fluent) or an American soap opera regularly but this brought the nostalgia. Alexis Daria is not a new author but she is new to me and she did not disappoint.

The story starts with Jasmine Lin fresh off a breakup from a good for nothing rockstar dealing with the blowout which is negative press and paparazzi hounding her.  But she's also starting a new role on an English language telenovela called Carmen in Charge on a popular streaming platform where she's playing the leading role. This is her potential breakout role and she can't let her complicated love life screw it up. But why did her new leading man have to be so irresistible?

Ashton Suarez is a veteran telenovela actor who is hoping that this show will be his big break into Hollywood. He's not getting any younger and has a lot riding on this show. He also has his son back in Puerto Rico with the his father and grandparents who are depending on him. Ashton is very closed off because of an incident years back so he doesn't easily take the cast.

Jasmine helps Ashton open up more on set as they film alongside each other and he helps her with her Spanish speaking skills which need a little bit of work.

I love how we actually get immersed into the show they're filming. Coming off two recent reads where the characters were chefs participating in a cooking show but we never really saw them get involved in the cooking show aspect this was very refreshing. It was like getting two different stories in one as we also follow along with Carmen and Victor's adventures. 

I also liked how this book touched on the importance of Latinx representation on screen of all different backgrounds and even mentioned colorism in the community without taking too much away from the romance.  I don't mind when contemporary romance discusses heavier issues I only have a problem when the romance takes a back seat to those issues. Jasmine and Ashton both have their issues which require therapy to overcome but this didn't become a story about their trauma which I was truly grateful for. And they have an intimacy coordinator on set for the more romantic scenes who stresses the point of consent and working with each other to make sure each person is comfortable.

I received an arc from Harper Collins in exchange for an honest review.

Trouble the Saints by Alaya Dawn Johnson

Welcome Back, Booklovers!

So I'm back with another review of a new release. I've been on a fantasy kick recently and at the moment it's taken over as my favorite genre. So coming off The Year of the Witching which was a five star read I immediately dove into Trouble the Saints which is my first Alaya Dawn Johnson book. 

This book had a format that I'm not used to. It was split into three different parts with  each section being told by a different narrator. You get to know each character from all three of the narrator's eyes. It also had a very noir vibe to it which I liked.

The first section was from the POV of Phyllis who is nicknamed Pea.  Pea is white passing and this book can't seem to go by more than a few pages without reminding you of it. Though then I started to wonder if she was really actually that white passing since everyone seemed to know she's not fully white. There were constant references to her race whether it was calling her an light-skinned, octoroon, high yella, etc. Being light-skinned is not a personality trait however it seemed to completely define her character throughout the story.

 On top of that the synopsis and blurb just made you think this was a bad ass assassin story when it wasn't. She's an assassin that gave up killing because of her morals. She was fine with killing as long as she convinced herself that everyone she killed deserved it because they were a bad person. She's working for one of the most notorious mobsters in the city but foolishly believes everyone he instructs her to kill is some horrible person until one day her biracial(Indian/White British) ex-lover hits her with a, "Girl, you didn't know he had you killing innocent people?" Well not exactly in those words but that's basically what he says. And she's so conflicted going forward acting as if her life has been a lie for years. It didn't help that the book is written in a way that just throws you into her life and then tries to piece together a little back story here and there via flashback. 

Dev's section might have been more boring than hers. It had potential to be interesting. It started off well with him dealing with the after effects of a very heavy event where he ended up with blood on his hands. He's also conflicted with  his role as a police officer where he will never truly be seen as one of them. His section was also good for learning more about the "saints' hands" since the first section had very little detail about this gift bestowed only on Black and Brown people. While Pea is able to use her hands to knife wield, Dev can sense danger with his touch. It also adds an interesting dynamic to his relationships with Pea and Tamara.  But his section was even longer and drawn out then the first.

By the time we got to Tamara's story I was just about done with this book. Pea is very much the character this story is centered upon no matter who the narrator is. And Tamara spends much time caring for her. I felt the story flowed better in this section and I did like her backstory. She also worked for the same mobster as Pea as a snake dancer at the club. However she willingly ignores the unsavory dealings for the protection the job brings and the freedom to curate entertainment at the club a few nights a week. She has escaped Virginia after witnessing a friend's lynching and has dreams of a finer life preferably in Paris. Tamara is also an oracle who much as she tries cannot ignore the visions. 

At the end of this day for me this book was very dense. It tried to make a lot of statements and I saw where it could go and what was trying to be said but it just didn't resonate with me. It needed better structuring because the three different sections being continued from previous sections didn't flow seamlessly when the narration changed. Everything was also too purposefully obscured in the first section to really get interested in the story.