An immersive, supernatural take on the nuanced construction of Black identity that delivers hope and catharsis.
Biracial twin sisters, separated at birth in 1936 and raised on opposite sides of the Mason-Dixon Line, reunite to vanquish the metaphorical and literal ghosts of their entangled past.
For nearly 17 years, fledgling civil rights activist Charlene “Charlie” Yates believed she was the only child of a Black mother and a White father who were murdered by White segregationists. She has lived in Harlem with Nana, her maternal grandmother, but when Nana becomes terminally ill and demands to be buried in her rural hometown of Eureka, Georgia, Charlie accompanies her. As a result, she learns that she has a twin sister—a White-passing Southern belle named Magnolia Heathwood. At first, Charlie wants nothing to do with her twin, who seems hopelessly adrift between two worlds. But Nana’s death sheds light on a long-standing family curse that threatens Magnolia’s life, and Charlie’s conscience won’t allow her to leave. As the girls grow closer, they unearth horrifying details about the town’s brutal legacy of chattel slavery, discover how sisterhood can transcend the color line, and use the power of love to defeat the poison of hate. The narrative, which alternates between the first-person perspectives of Charlie and Magnolia, captures the horrors of Jim Crow without gratuitous detail, vividly depicts each sister’s internal struggles, and speaks to McWilliams’ skill with characterization.
An immersive, supernatural take on the nuanced construction of Black identity that delivers hope and catharsis. (family tree) (Historical fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: Feb. 8, 2022
ISBN: 9780759553873
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Perhaps a more genuinely enlightened protagonist would have made this debut more engaging
Audrey Rose Wadsworth, 17, would rather perform autopsies in her uncle’s dark laboratory than find a suitable husband, as is the socially acceptable rite of passage for a young, white British lady in the late 1800s.
The story immediately brings Audrey into a fractious pairing with her uncle’s young assistant, Thomas Cresswell. The two engage in predictable rounds of “I’m smarter than you are” banter, while Audrey’s older brother, Nathaniel, taunts her for being a girl out of her place. Horrific murders of prostitutes whose identities point to associations with the Wadsworth estate prompt Audrey to start her own investigation, with Thomas as her sidekick. Audrey’s narration is both ponderous and polemical, as she sees her pursuit of her goals and this investigation as part of a crusade for women. She declares that the slain aren’t merely prostitutes but “daughters and wives and mothers,” but she’s also made it a point to deny any alignment with the profiled victims: “I am not going as a prostitute. I am simply blending in.” Audrey also expresses a narrow view of her desired gender role, asserting that “I was determined to be both pretty and fierce,” as if to say that physical beauty and liking “girly” things are integral to feminism. The graphic descriptions of mutilated women don’t do much to speed the pace.
Perhaps a more genuinely enlightened protagonist would have made this debut more engaging . (Historical thriller. 15-18)Pub Date: Sept. 20, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-316-27349-7
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Jimmy Patterson/Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The magical world is fresh, but the storyline is less satisfying.
In a world where everyone has a magical ability based on the moon’s phase on their day of birth, magical education is reserved for those with exceptional talent.
Students at Aldryn College for Lunar Magics pursue the advanced study of magic. Emory Ainsleif is a Healer, an ability associated with House New Moon. Last spring, she followed her best friend, Romie Brysden, and seven others into the Dovermere Caves. In the deepest cave, known as the Belly of the Beast, Emory unwittingly took part in a ritual that left a peculiar mark on her wrist and left the other students dead. Back at Aldryn for the new school year, Emory begins to develop magical abilities that go beyond healing—and that she’s unable to control. She turns to Baz, Romie’s brother, for help—Baz was born during an eclipse, giving him unpredictable magic. Reluctant to train Emory but eager to find out what happened to his sister, Baz finally agrees, and together they begin to unravel what happened last spring. This dark fantasy, told in Emory’s and Baz’s alternating third-person perspectives, has a spooky atmosphere and rich worldbuilding. It slowly unfolds to reveal what really happened to Romie, but predictable plot twists and a gratuitous deus ex machina may frustrate readers. The central characters are described as having pale skin.
The magical world is fresh, but the storyline is less satisfying. (content warnings, Sacred Lunar Houses & their tidal alignments) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 3, 2023
ISBN: 9781665939270
Page Count: 544
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2023
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