And The Ancestors Sing

And the Ancestors Sing gives a view of Chinese culture through three families and how their lives intersect over many years. 

One thread is the story of Lei, who marries a stranger and navigates a new way of life, and makes sacrifices to ensure the well-being of her children. 

Lulu expects that when she arrives in Shanghai, she’ll be working in a factory, but instead becomes a prostitute. She has no choice but to be resilient in the face of this unexpected turn of events. 

Farmer Master Wang enjoys the best of both worlds, but life has a way of turning the tables and creating problems that money cannot solve. 

Survival, family obligations, mental health issues, and difficult choices bind the lives of the main characters together. None of them escapes without sacrificing their dreams or giving up something of value. 

The descriptions of the settings are well written, as well as the movement of time and the accompanying changes. The characters were many but distinct from one another. A good story that offers an inside view of China and the changes that unfold over the decades covered.

Many thanks to Netgalley for providing an ARC. 

The Love of My After Life

Delphie’s at home, living her very ordinary life, when she chokes on a burger and ends up in the afterlife. While there, she meets a man who’s her soulmate and gets ten days to find him, have him kiss her, and earn a second chance at life and love. 

Dephie’s adventure takes her all over London and into many mishaps while seeking the man she believes will give her a second lease on life. 

Although at first glance, she’s snarky and withdrawn, Delphie is a caring soul as evidenced by her relationship with her neighbour, Mr. Yoon. 

It took me a while to read this book, but eventually, I came back to it and finished the ride, which took me into Dephie’s past and revealed why she chose to be a loner. 

By the end, I was rooting for her happy ending, and it was rewarding to see her faith in people restored. 

Where The False Gods Dwell

Where the False Gods Dwell takes the reader on a voyage of discovery (physical and personal) from Chicago to Jamaica, as experienced by three women. The story follows a young con artist who can’t seem to avoid trouble, a well-to-do wife and anthropologist, and the labor union activist they meet on the island. 

All three have a variety of issues and are brought together by Katherine Dunham, whose expedition is focused on studying the dance and customs of the people in the Cockpit Country. Accompong, specifically. 

Each woman faces unique issues. Othella can’t shake the seedy characters who follow her from Chicago. Vivian Jean has marital issues and believes all will be well if she can reach the sacred silk cotton tree and pour out her heart. Zinzi believes in the trade union movement and faces danger when she falls in love with the son of a devious plantation owner. 

As they work together, the women’s lives are intertwined, and they come to depend on each other. Their destinies intertwine during a hurricane as they lean on each other for survival. 

The characters in this story made me chuckle, fume, and yes, shed a few tears. I read one chapter several times in disbelief about that character’s outcome. 

In Where The False Gods Dwell, the writer brought 1935 society to life with great descriptions and colorful characters. I was particularly interested in the history, settings, and the culture of the Maroons, and was not disappointed. 

The story flowed well, and every time I thought my favorite character, Othella, was safe, something happened to keep me turning the pages. The end was poignant, and I wished for another ending for Othella, but understood how and why her story ended as it did. For the other characters, the novel came to a satisfying close.

If you enjoy historical fiction with complex characters, this book is for you. 

A Poignant, Impactful Tale

Fallen Grace by Sadeqa Johnson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Love can convince us to throw caution to the wind, and that's exactly what happens to Bubbles. She ends up disgraced and is sent away to have her baby and then give it up for adoption. But she wants something different. Bubbles will not submit to the future charted for her and she will not be a hypocrite.

Fallen Grace is a gripping, suspenseful, and poignant tale about a young woman who takes back her power and refuses to be shamed. The author deftly conveys the fact that courage is important and forgiveness is freeing.

One thing I wondered about was whether she called the mother of the girl who gave her the note at the start of the story. Knowing Bubbles, she likely did.

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Bad Guys, Family & A Sweet Romance

Knight of Penn Quarter by Terri Ann Johnson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Mateo is jaded and on his way out of the FBI when he lands a date with Rachel, a social worker. One of her cases goes haywire, and she becomes a target. Of course, Mateo won’t leave her to deal with the bad guys alone.

I enjoyed the action scenes in this story, but more than that, the connection between Mateo and Rachel was solid. Heaven was a good addition to the story and their relationship. Loved the funny moments and the hero’s protective nature. Seeing the Kings was also a treat. :)


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A Power-Packed Read

Fires to Come by Asha Lemmie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a short, yet poignant and power-packed story. Carlotta, a black woman raised by a loving mafia family, made choices to secure her future and the life she’d known. Her choice reminded me of Nori and her life-changing decision in Fifty Words For Rain. A good read.

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The Girl With The Hazel Eyes

The Girl With The Hazel Eyes tells the tale of an author exiled from her homeland, Barbados, after writing a tell-all that put her life in danger. She hires a young writer from the island nearly a half-century later to pen her biography. 

The dual timeline which explored both Susan’s past, Lia’s present, and her interaction with the eccentric older woman makes for an intriguing read. Susan’s childhood and adolescence explored her parents’ quirky personalities, her early romantic escapades, mishaps, and life in general on the island. 

History and politics make this tale more than the ordinary. The corrupt characters and their fight for political power, plus Susan’s ill-fated, maddening “romance” and the poignant account of her mother’s decline kept me turning the pages. 

Susan’s idiosyncrasies and the changes that came as she got to know Lia had me invested and when the big reveal came, also Lia’s loss, I was in my feelings, too. Although it’s fiction, I couldn’t help wishing that Lia found love unlike what she’d experienced. 

Overall, The Girl With The Hazel Eyes is a good read that explores many facets of the human character. I enjoyed reading about life in Barbados during the period Browning explored and recommend this novel for those who enjoy a Caribbean setting, a bit of skullduggery, and a varied, but distinct, cast of characters. 

A Different Kind of Romance

 

The Vanishing Girls by Callie Browning
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Vanishing Girls was a refreshing change of pace, simply because it is set in the Caribbean. I hasten to say that the Barbadian experience is very different from Jamaica, and that’s part of the charm of this story for me.

Holden’s stodgy character and clumsy attempts at dealing with his attraction to Eileen made me wonder if he’d ever wake up. Eileen’s a live-wire, so there are funny moments when they clash because of their very different views on life, love, and how things should be done. Browning has a way with descriptions that provide some laugh-out-loud fun.

This was an easy read. The mystery wasn’t the pulse-pounding variety, but certainly enough for me to understand Eileen's reaction to the murders taking place in a usually safe society. The unique part of this romance/mystery is that their relationship develops in and around a funeral home, which isn’t for the faint of heart.

The romance is a slow burn (remember Holden’s character) and Browning writes a good love scene. If you like stories set in a different location from the norm, definitely pick up this book. I liked this so much, I started The Girl With The Hazel Eyes, which was Browning’s debut novel.


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A Heartrending Read

 

Fifty Words for Rain by Asha Lemmie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If I had to review this book in one word, it would be heartrending. From start to finish, Nori goes from one bad situation to another. She’s the bastard child of the Kamiza clan and is hidden away in an attic after her mother disgraces herself, then abandons Nori to the care of her grandparents. In my view, that’s the worst sin her mother committed.

Set in Japan after the Second World War, the reader gets a view of the changing world that’s resisted by the aristocracy. When Nori meets her brother, the heir apparent, she’s fascinated with him. He has scant regard for her at first, and her adoration is idolatry that I feared would turn into incest. It didn’t.

The cruelty and lack of regard for Nori’s life underscores the divide between the rich and poor, the accepted and the forbidden. Her calm acceptance of being less than nothing makes Fifty Words for Rain a painful read.

Nori eventually escapes the harsh world she was born into, but comes full circle and returns to Japan. The end of the book leaves much food for thought and speaks to untenable choices people make out of a sense of obligation, misguided or not.

In Nori’s case, her decision to change the status quo was at odds with the treatment of her son. With power in her hands, she walks in her wicked grandmother’s footsteps. But, if there’s a follow-up to this story, I definitely want to read it.


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Goodreads Giveaway - Flames of Wrath

It's been a while, but I have some good news so here I am to share. 

Black Odyssey Media, in conjunction with Kensington Publishing, is doing a Goodreads giveaway for Flames of Wrath. Twenty-fice paperback (25) copies of the book will be given away to some lucky readers. 

If you love having paperback copies of your favorite books, here's a chance to add one more. Visit this link on Goodreads. 

Good luck!