Historical fiction meets fantasy in this debut novel. Told by four women across over 200 years, the story focuses on the trials and tribulations of three women possessing a power and strength of which they are all not aware.
Gaelle, an aide at a senior center in the present day, struggles to make ends meet. After her homeland suffered a devastating earthquake, she moved to the United States in an attempt to start fresh and make a life for herself. She develops a unique and somewhat frightening relationship with one particular patient at the senior center, a Jane Doe, and the relationship opens her eyes to her own self worth and strength.
Set in the 1850s, we meet Margot, a striking house slave for a wealthy family in the south. After her master dies, she and her sister run away in an attempt to find freedom and avoid being sold to someone more cruel. On the journey, Margot’s sister dies and Margot grapples with finding the will to persevere.
We meet Abigail, another slave, in the late 1700s. Happily married and a mother to two boys, Abigail has purpose and love. When her husband joins the rebels and is burned by his master, Abigail is destroyed. She reaches her breaking point when she’s sold away from her children and is forced to New Orleans. In New Orleans, lost and broken, she comes under the wing of Simona and Josiah, two powerful and spiritual beings who transform Abigail’s world.
Unleashed and learning her power, Mother Abigail creates Remembrance. Remembrance is a safe haven for runaway slaves. A world that is separate from the outside and a place where people can be free and work for the benefit of themselves and their community. Here we meet Winter, Mother Abigail’s adoptive daughter. Winter knows nothing of the outside world and is naive to its evils. Her naivety makes her weak and when Remembrance is compromised, she must unleash her own powers or allow her community to perish.
The four women’s lives intersect in unexpected ways and challenge our concepts of time and space. The writing is beautiful and creates vivid images. The characters are well developed and it’s easy for the reader to connect with and evoke empathy for their plights.
Thank you to Bookish First and the publisher for a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
Gaelle, an aide at a senior center in the present day, struggles to make ends meet. After her homeland suffered a devastating earthquake, she moved to the United States in an attempt to start fresh and make a life for herself. She develops a unique and somewhat frightening relationship with one particular patient at the senior center, a Jane Doe, and the relationship opens her eyes to her own self worth and strength.
Set in the 1850s, we meet Margot, a striking house slave for a wealthy family in the south. After her master dies, she and her sister run away in an attempt to find freedom and avoid being sold to someone more cruel. On the journey, Margot’s sister dies and Margot grapples with finding the will to persevere.
We meet Abigail, another slave, in the late 1700s. Happily married and a mother to two boys, Abigail has purpose and love. When her husband joins the rebels and is burned by his master, Abigail is destroyed. She reaches her breaking point when she’s sold away from her children and is forced to New Orleans. In New Orleans, lost and broken, she comes under the wing of Simona and Josiah, two powerful and spiritual beings who transform Abigail’s world.
Unleashed and learning her power, Mother Abigail creates Remembrance. Remembrance is a safe haven for runaway slaves. A world that is separate from the outside and a place where people can be free and work for the benefit of themselves and their community. Here we meet Winter, Mother Abigail’s adoptive daughter. Winter knows nothing of the outside world and is naive to its evils. Her naivety makes her weak and when Remembrance is compromised, she must unleash her own powers or allow her community to perish.
The four women’s lives intersect in unexpected ways and challenge our concepts of time and space. The writing is beautiful and creates vivid images. The characters are well developed and it’s easy for the reader to connect with and evoke empathy for their plights.
Thank you to Bookish First and the publisher for a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.