Genevieve

First read for Haitian Heritage Month, and it delivered! I absolutely loved The Rings of Revolution! It’s such a creative and powerful fantasy that shows the history of the Haitian Revolution. Emmanuel Jean-Pierre combines real history with magic, resistance, and Haitian culture. I could really imagine everything as I read. The characters were strong and unforgettable, and the story kept me hooked from start to finish. As a Haitian-American, it was amazing to see this part of history reimagined with pride and power. If you love historical fantasy with purpose, magic, and heart, this is a must-read!

This book was absolutely action packed! From the very first page, the action doesn’t stop. Fight scene after fight scene kept me on the edge of my seat (and there were a lot of fight scenes). The African inspired world is fast paced, and I was completely addicted. I both read and listened to the audio, and the narrator did an amazing job bringing the story to life.

Tau, the main character, has such a crazy story. Something happens at the start of the book that sets him on a path of revenge, and following his journey was incredible. Honestly, I didn’t expect to enjoy this book as much as I did.

The ending was both satisfying and heartbreaking, and I can’t wait to read book two! If you love action, adventure, and a story that pulls you in from the very first page, this one is definitely worth reading.

I really enjoy Ibi Zoboi’s writing. Having now read three of her books, I haven’t rated any lower than 4 stars, and this one was no different.

She does an amazing job bringing the Caribbean folklore of the soucouyant to life. I listened to the audiobook, and it was such a quick read. The book is written in verse, which I honestly didn’t realize until the author’s note at the end, but I really enjoyed the writing style and how easy it was to get through.

We follow two girls, Marisol and Genevieve (which made me so happy because that’s my name), as they navigate life and identity in very different ways.

Marisol, a teenage immigrant living with her mother, knows about her magic and understands the history behind who and what she is.

Genevieve, who is mixed, born in Brooklyn and lives with her father and stepmother, isn’t aware of her magic. Instead, she’s focused on living with a skin condition that she believes has no cure.

This book touches on themes of colorism, racism, immigration, identity, and family, all while blending in folklore and magic in a really interesting way.

Since it’s Haitian Heritage Month, I wanted to pick up more books by Haitian authors and An Untamed State came highly recommended by someone in my book club. And wow, this book had me from the very first line: “Once upon a time in a far off land, I was kidnapped.” After that, I could not put this book down.

The story is set in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, which is my family’s hometown, and Roxane Gay does not sugarcoat anything. This book is brutal, emotional, and honestly hard to read at times. It deals with poverty, corruption, kidnapping, torture, rape, and the mental trauma that follows, so please check your triggers before going into this one.

We follow Mireille, her husband Michael, and their son Christophe while visiting her wealthy family in Haiti for the summer. After Mireille gets kidnapped, the book follows both her time in captivity and the aftermath of everything she goes through.

What made this a 5 star read for me was how real and emotional it felt. I felt so connected to Mireille and everything she was dealing with. The writing completely pulled me in and even during the hard parts, I couldn’t stop reading because I needed to know what happened next.

This is definitely not a light read, but it’s one that’s going to stick with me for a long time.

This book… omg. It was surprisingly better than I expected. I went in expecting one thing and ended up knee deep in family secrets, generational chaos, and inherited family drama.

The women of the Falodun family gave me a story full of deep rooted trauma, gentle love, quiet hurt, and burdens they should’ve never been asked to carry.

Oyinkan Braithwaite wrote these characters like she pulled them from real life. You know these people. You’ve met a “her,” you’ve argued with a “him,” you’ve seen this family dynamic play out somewhere before.

The whole time I was reading, I kept thinking about what it means to inherit things you never asked for. Things like patterns, wounds, expectations, and how draining it is to undo damage that existed before you even got here. Some parts were chaotic, and some had me so irritated, But every single bit of it felt real.