#Conjure woman series

#Conjure woman series

But a series of strange illnesses, a strange preacher and an unusual child start to pull the threads of this new settlement apart and the world outside is going to come back with a vengeance. Rue has devised a way to protect the settlement from envious white people by using the mess of the war to suggest that the old owners are still around. We skip to after the Civil War where Rue is now вЂfreedвЂ™ and lives in an exclusively Black settlement built on the ruins of the old plantation making its own way. This leaves Rue in an unusual position вЂ“ her path to follow in her motherвЂ™s footsteps, able to mix with other children including her masterвЂ™s daughter Varina and she is slowly realising her childhood isnвЂ™t as safe as she thought it was. Rue is the daughter of Miss May Belle in the slave plantation where they live her mother has a powerful role as a Conjure Woman вЂ“ someone who knows old magic and remedies to cure people - not just slaves but on occasion the slave masterвЂ™s household. In Afia AtakoraвЂ™s Conjure Women we visit an intriguing settlement trying to make its own way that then leads to a battle between old traditional and new belief, hope and fear. But sometimes explaining the history of what happened next is missed yet just as important and its good to remind ourselves that the end of the Civil War didnвЂ™t end racism as we see regularly on our screens every day. When we talk of slavery there is a tendency to only focus on the southern states pre civil war вЂ“ you can imagine the plantation already IвЂ™m sure as so many tales have used it. It is tempting to zone in on particular moments in history. And now she knows she must face her fears вЂ“ and her ghosts вЂ“ to find a new way forward for herself and her people.Д¬onjure WomenВ is a story of the lengths weвЂ™ll go to save the ones we love, from a stunning new voice in fiction. It has shaped her life and her motherвЂ™s before her.

What secrets does she keep amidst the charred remains of the Big House? Which spells has she conjured to threaten their children? And why is she so wary of the charismatic preacher man who promises to save them all? When sickness sweeps across her tight-knit community, Rue finds herself the focus of suspicion. But this new world brings new dangers, and RueвЂ™s old magic may be no match for them. Times have changed since her mother Miss May Belle held the power to influence the life and death of her fellow slaves. The other is that Miss Rue вЂ“ midwife, healer, crafter of curses вЂ“ will know what to do.Д«ut for once Rue doesnвЂ™t know. ThatвЂ™s one thing the people on the old plantation are sure of. The pale-skinned, black-eyed baby is a bad omen. Price - ВЈ14.99 Hardcover ВЈ4.99 Kindle eBook I would like to thank Fourth Estate for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review