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afloodofbooks's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Jane Edwards stopped truly speaking when she was eleven, after a traumatic experience that saw the source of her greatest secret and guilt, and all the Black residents of her town expelled under the cover of night. Jane and her family find solace in Awenasa, an all-Black town. But 12 years after the incident, and their move the Awenasa, the construction of a dam threatens the safe haven her family, and many others call home.
Jane will do anything to protect her family and community, including following the river to a submerged world of myths and gods not too far from her own.
Penelope brings together the stories of Oscarville, Georgia and Kowaliga, Alabama, two Black towns that were drowned between the 1930s and 1950s by man made reservoirs, to rewrite history with a fantastical twist that draws on Black history, folklore, and African Diasporic traditions and gods. This book was beautifully written as we come to know Jane, her family, and the town and citizens of Awenasa, their stories, the struggles they face(d), and the secrets they keep. I was completely swept up in the beauty of New Ilé, a mythical city built by the gods to give their children the lives and futures they deserved. The details in this book were gorgeous and I really felt connected with Jane and felt the power of the gods as they worked to save Awenasa and solve their own problems. It was a lovely reminder that freedom is not just a physical thing, but mental as well. Thank you to NetGalley and Redhook Books for a digital ARC of Daughter of the Merciful Deep!
Jane will do anything to protect her family and community, including following the river to a submerged world of myths and gods not too far from her own.
Penelope brings together the stories of Oscarville, Georgia and Kowaliga, Alabama, two Black towns that were drowned between the 1930s and 1950s by man made reservoirs, to rewrite history with a fantastical twist that draws on Black history, folklore, and African Diasporic traditions and gods. This book was beautifully written as we come to know Jane, her family, and the town and citizens of Awenasa, their stories, the struggles they face(d), and the secrets they keep. I was completely swept up in the beauty of New Ilé, a mythical city built by the gods to give their children the lives and futures they deserved. The details in this book were gorgeous and I really felt connected with Jane and felt the power of the gods as they worked to save Awenasa and solve their own problems. It was a lovely reminder that freedom is not just a physical thing, but mental as well. Thank you to NetGalley and Redhook Books for a digital ARC of Daughter of the Merciful Deep!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Gun violence
Moderate: Pregnancy, Racism, and Racial slurs
There are memory throwbacks that tell the story of a man being lynched for a crime he did not commit.
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