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Black Candle Women
A Read with Jenna Book Club Pick as Seen on the Today Show
“If you like Practical Magic… you will love Black Candle Women.” —Jenna Bush Hager
Named a Best Book of the Month by: Shondaland, MS. Magazine, TODAY, Reader’s Digest, Katie Couric Media, AARP Sisters, Goodreads, BookRiot
A warm and wry family drama with a magical twist about four generations of Black women, a family love curse, and the secrets they keep for and from each other over one very complicated year
Generations of Montrose women—Augusta, Victoria, Willow—have always lived together in their quaint California bungalow. They keep to themselves, never venture far from home, and their collection of tinctures and spells is an unspoken bond between them. But when young Nickie Montrose brings home a boy for the first time, their quiet lives are thrown into disarray.
For the family has withheld a crucial secret from Nickie all these years: any person a Montrose woman falls in love with will die. Their surprise guest forces each woman to reckon with her own past choices and mistakes. And as new truths about the curse emerge, they're set on a collision course dating back to 1950s New Orleans’s French Quarter—where a hidden story in a mysterious book may just hold the answers they seek in life and in love…
“Richly imagined and elegantly told, with plenty of satisfying secrets, heartaches, and twists.”
—Sadeqa Johnson, New York Times bestselling author of The House of Eve, a Reese's Book Club Pick
“Propulsive and poignant, Black Candle Women concocts an intoxicating potion of warmth, wisdom, and wonder.” —Ava DuVernay
“If you like Practical Magic… you will love Black Candle Women.” —Jenna Bush Hager
Named a Best Book of the Month by: Shondaland, MS. Magazine, TODAY, Reader’s Digest, Katie Couric Media, AARP Sisters, Goodreads, BookRiot
A warm and wry family drama with a magical twist about four generations of Black women, a family love curse, and the secrets they keep for and from each other over one very complicated year
Generations of Montrose women—Augusta, Victoria, Willow—have always lived together in their quaint California bungalow. They keep to themselves, never venture far from home, and their collection of tinctures and spells is an unspoken bond between them. But when young Nickie Montrose brings home a boy for the first time, their quiet lives are thrown into disarray.
For the family has withheld a crucial secret from Nickie all these years: any person a Montrose woman falls in love with will die. Their surprise guest forces each woman to reckon with her own past choices and mistakes. And as new truths about the curse emerge, they're set on a collision course dating back to 1950s New Orleans’s French Quarter—where a hidden story in a mysterious book may just hold the answers they seek in life and in love…
“Richly imagined and elegantly told, with plenty of satisfying secrets, heartaches, and twists.”
—Sadeqa Johnson, New York Times bestselling author of The House of Eve, a Reese's Book Club Pick
“Propulsive and poignant, Black Candle Women concocts an intoxicating potion of warmth, wisdom, and wonder.” —Ava DuVernay
336 pages, Hardcover
First published February 28, 2023
1183 people are currently reading
28100 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,183 reviews
March 2, 2023
This book was just aggressively fine... Just yesterday I was talking about how some books would benefit from being read a part of a collective, and while this was meant to be a buddy read I don't think that there is much to be gained from reading this outside of isolation... Definitley one of the Jenna picks that is a swing and a miss fro me.
Most of what makes this book just okay for me is how the book ends and how the narrative finds a way to weave together the lives of the women in this family into something that makes sense in a book. I think that seeing these dynamics play out on television, with more episodic moments might have been a better vehicle, or for there to be some other driving force of the narrative outside of this little curse situation. By the timer we'd reached the 70% mark I was mostly just going along to get along.
I said this early on in my reading of this book, but the narrative certainly wasn't aided by the addition of multiple perspectives. Or at least, not all of the perspectives that were included felt like they added much given how short the book is and how tall of them eventually come into play. There were a lot of times during the book where it felt like we were spinning our wheels with very little reason for that being the case.
It's not the worst book I've ever read, and I would likely read another book from this author because i do think there was a little something there, this just didn't land for me.
Most of what makes this book just okay for me is how the book ends and how the narrative finds a way to weave together the lives of the women in this family into something that makes sense in a book. I think that seeing these dynamics play out on television, with more episodic moments might have been a better vehicle, or for there to be some other driving force of the narrative outside of this little curse situation. By the timer we'd reached the 70% mark I was mostly just going along to get along.
I said this early on in my reading of this book, but the narrative certainly wasn't aided by the addition of multiple perspectives. Or at least, not all of the perspectives that were included felt like they added much given how short the book is and how tall of them eventually come into play. There were a lot of times during the book where it felt like we were spinning our wheels with very little reason for that being the case.
It's not the worst book I've ever read, and I would likely read another book from this author because i do think there was a little something there, this just didn't land for me.
January 23, 2025
I have mixed feelings toward the story which is why I settled on three stars. I see the potential of the story as a whole and I could see it being made into a film or tv mini-series with Janelle Monae playing Willow.
It shines in the past timeline with it's backdrop set in 1950s New Orleans, history of voodoo spells, how they worked and what led to the curse on the Montrose women through the eyes of the family's matriarch, Augusta. The reason behind my mixed feelings is that I didn't actually like Augusta and never felt bad for her. Every consequence she experienced (past and present) for her actions were well-deserved. 🤷🏾♀️😂 Those are the moments I enjoyed the most. Basically, I became a bonus villain to the plot.
In the present timeline, the details of the spell book came across as very convoluted. They seemed to all get lost with each other? Sections with actual printed spells and recipes would have benefited the flow and visual of the story. The disagreements between Victoria and Willow got old and tired really quick and only caused extra miscommunication especially when it came to the plot regarding Nickie. How they worked in their job field was beyond me. The last quarter felt rushed and misplaced at times. The character development went into hiding and there were still things left in the air. A lot of points where I went "How does that make any sense?" or just shook my head in discontent.
Thank you NetGalley and Graydon House Books for providing a copy for an honest review.
It shines in the past timeline with it's backdrop set in 1950s New Orleans, history of voodoo spells, how they worked and what led to the curse on the Montrose women through the eyes of the family's matriarch, Augusta. The reason behind my mixed feelings is that I didn't actually like Augusta and never felt bad for her. Every consequence she experienced (past and present) for her actions were well-deserved. 🤷🏾♀️😂 Those are the moments I enjoyed the most. Basically, I became a bonus villain to the plot.
In the present timeline, the details of the spell book came across as very convoluted. They seemed to all get lost with each other? Sections with actual printed spells and recipes would have benefited the flow and visual of the story. The disagreements between Victoria and Willow got old and tired really quick and only caused extra miscommunication especially when it came to the plot regarding Nickie. How they worked in their job field was beyond me. The last quarter felt rushed and misplaced at times. The character development went into hiding and there were still things left in the air. A lot of points where I went "How does that make any sense?" or just shook my head in discontent.
Thank you NetGalley and Graydon House Books for providing a copy for an honest review.
July 24, 2023
The tension in this book was constant as there were secrets that everyone was hiding. The interesting thing is that everyone genuinely felt that they knew best and their actions were out of love. It’s like family drama…. but with a curse that escalates everything!
What a ride! Not necessarily thrilling, but still a fun one.
What a ride! Not necessarily thrilling, but still a fun one.
December 11, 2022
I really wanted to love this book but honestly, it felt like nothing really happened in it. I didn't feel like any of the characters had any real growth and the plot felt like it never got off the ground.
Also, the miscommunication trope! So frustrating. 95% of the issues in this book could have been solved if they had just talked to each other. If you hate this trope as much as I do, this book is not for you. Otherwise, maybe it's your next perfect read.
Also, the miscommunication trope! So frustrating. 95% of the issues in this book could have been solved if they had just talked to each other. If you hate this trope as much as I do, this book is not for you. Otherwise, maybe it's your next perfect read.
July 28, 2023
Not going to lie, this one was very underwhelming for me.
I generally love an intergenerational read filled with Black Women and magic but this was not it for me. There were multiple POVs and I just could not get into it because none of the characters engaged me or I really cared for to be honest. Also these characters all had secrets that when I found them out were so underwhelming. I know I keep saying underwhelming but thats how it felt... really beautiful cover though....
I generally love an intergenerational read filled with Black Women and magic but this was not it for me. There were multiple POVs and I just could not get into it because none of the characters engaged me or I really cared for to be honest. Also these characters all had secrets that when I found them out were so underwhelming. I know I keep saying underwhelming but thats how it felt... really beautiful cover though....
October 13, 2022
"but maybe, she thought, Dudley Lee had been born to die young anyway . Some people’s fates were chosen that way, so that others could do things they wouldn’t otherwise do."
I recieved a netgalley arc of this and I LOVED IT SO SO MUCH. magic? A cursed family tree? Badass women? this was an adventure start to finish and it was my pleasure to read, honestly.
recommended<3
I recieved a netgalley arc of this and I LOVED IT SO SO MUCH. magic? A cursed family tree? Badass women? this was an adventure start to finish and it was my pleasure to read, honestly.
recommended<3
November 21, 2023
A warm, sensual novel centering upon the all-female Montrose family, practitioners of hoodoo, and laboring under a curse begun with grandmother Augusta incurred when she worked as an assistant to a hoodoo practitioner, Bela Nova, in an occult shop in New Orleans.
Now an elderly woman, mute after a stroke, Augusta lives in Long Beach, California with her granddaughters Victoria, a therapist, and Willow, her assistant, both of whom practice hoodoo in their own ways, and whose lives have been distorted by the curse that Bela Nova laid upon Augustina and all her progeny, that the men they love will die. Two other Montrose women round out the cast-- Victoria and Willow's wayward mother, Madelyn, now attempting reconciliation, and Victoria's daughter Nickie, seventeen and in love and trying to find herself in the shadow of this curse which has always been kept a secret from her, yet whose restrictions have isolated her and her family.
I especially enjoyed the richness of the sensual world inhabited by these women, the ingredients of the spells, the openness to the senses, and the disconnect between the four points of view, each woman with her own secret life, her guilt, her struggles, even in such a small isolated family, the layers of disconnect. The curse isn't just that their beloved men die, but that their fear of love distorts all their relationships.
SO PROUD that my former student's debut novel was chosen as the Today Show book pick for March 2023.
Now an elderly woman, mute after a stroke, Augusta lives in Long Beach, California with her granddaughters Victoria, a therapist, and Willow, her assistant, both of whom practice hoodoo in their own ways, and whose lives have been distorted by the curse that Bela Nova laid upon Augustina and all her progeny, that the men they love will die. Two other Montrose women round out the cast-- Victoria and Willow's wayward mother, Madelyn, now attempting reconciliation, and Victoria's daughter Nickie, seventeen and in love and trying to find herself in the shadow of this curse which has always been kept a secret from her, yet whose restrictions have isolated her and her family.
I especially enjoyed the richness of the sensual world inhabited by these women, the ingredients of the spells, the openness to the senses, and the disconnect between the four points of view, each woman with her own secret life, her guilt, her struggles, even in such a small isolated family, the layers of disconnect. The curse isn't just that their beloved men die, but that their fear of love distorts all their relationships.
SO PROUD that my former student's debut novel was chosen as the Today Show book pick for March 2023.
March 18, 2023
2/5
This slow burn sets about the generational effects of magic/hoodoo on a family of women than actual magic/hoodoo.
I found caring about the family difficult, even Nickie, the teenager. Perspectives were given to characters without much meat or magic.
I wanted magic, literally and metaphorically, on the pages.
This slow burn sets about the generational effects of magic/hoodoo on a family of women than actual magic/hoodoo.
I found caring about the family difficult, even Nickie, the teenager. Perspectives were given to characters without much meat or magic.
I wanted magic, literally and metaphorically, on the pages.
January 30, 2023
3.5
Full review below
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February 3, 2023
This was a good read, but not what I was promised. A story of family and an age old curse. To me the story was disjointed and I was beginning to lose interest. This book could have been so much more and for me it did not deliver.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.
abandoned
April 16, 2023Black Candle Women by Diane Marie Brown
12h 13m narrated by Bahni Turpin, 336 pages
Genre: Fantasy > Paranormal, Magic, Witches; African-American, Contemporary, Adult Fiction, Young Adult, Historical Fiction
Featuring: Playlist, Long Beach, California; New Orleans, Food, Multiple POVs, Multiple Timelines, Family Drama, Curses, Voodoo, Hoodoo
Rating as a movie: R for adult language and content
Songs for the soundtrack: BLACK CANDLE WOMEN PLAYLIST
“Controlla”—Drake
“All This Love”—DeBarge
“Love’s Train”—Con Funk Shun
“The Power of Love”—Huey Lewis & the News
“Shame”—Evelyn “Champagne” King “Poison”—Bell Biv DeVoe
“B.U.D.D.Y.”—Musiq Soulchild
“Just Like a Star”—Corinne Bailey Rae
“Give Me the Night”—George Benson
“Anotherloverholenyohead”—Prince
“Black Magic Woman”—Santana
“You Make Me Wanna…”— Usher
“Some Kind Of Lover”—Jody Watley
“A Night to Remember”—Shalamar
“All This Love”—DeBarge
“Meeting In the Ladies Room”—Klymaxx
“Boo’d Up”—Ella Mai
“I’m Every Woman”—Whitney Houston/Chaka Khan
“Murder She Wrote”—Chaka Demus & Pliers
“The Payback”—James Brown
Find it on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/bdemdtm5
My rating: DNF @ 14% 1:41:08 Ch. 7
My thoughts: 📱4% 27:16 Ch. 2 Nickie - I'm just not feeling this like I thought I would. I think if I read my other book, I'll have more interest in this one.
📱11% 1:18:18 Ch. 6 Willow - I want to read this book, but so far, I just don't care about the characters or plot. I may have to move on. 😔
📱14% 1:41:08 Ch. 7 Augusta - This story wasn't giving me much. I might be done.
Why I quit: I wasn't drawn in or enjoying it so I headed to the reviews and read about the disappointment from other readers. This book is too long for me to trudge through only to get a generous 3-star rating. I don't have the time or patience for that. 15 people are waiting for my library's only copy so I'm going to give them what they want and return this book. I'm just not appreciating the story. The most interesting thing about this book for me is there is a guy named January. The blurb sounded great but reading this story feels like a bait-and-switch. I was really excited about the playlist
Recommend to others?: I would actually. This book would likely go better for someone who likes magical realism, witchcraft, voodoo, New Orleans, and/or family drama.
12h 13m narrated by Bahni Turpin, 336 pages
Genre: Fantasy > Paranormal, Magic, Witches; African-American, Contemporary, Adult Fiction, Young Adult, Historical Fiction
Featuring: Playlist, Long Beach, California; New Orleans, Food, Multiple POVs, Multiple Timelines, Family Drama, Curses, Voodoo, Hoodoo
Rating as a movie: R for adult language and content
Songs for the soundtrack: BLACK CANDLE WOMEN PLAYLIST
“Controlla”—Drake
“All This Love”—DeBarge
“Love’s Train”—Con Funk Shun
“The Power of Love”—Huey Lewis & the News
“Shame”—Evelyn “Champagne” King “Poison”—Bell Biv DeVoe
“B.U.D.D.Y.”—Musiq Soulchild
“Just Like a Star”—Corinne Bailey Rae
“Give Me the Night”—George Benson
“Anotherloverholenyohead”—Prince
“Black Magic Woman”—Santana
“You Make Me Wanna…”— Usher
“Some Kind Of Lover”—Jody Watley
“A Night to Remember”—Shalamar
“All This Love”—DeBarge
“Meeting In the Ladies Room”—Klymaxx
“Boo’d Up”—Ella Mai
“I’m Every Woman”—Whitney Houston/Chaka Khan
“Murder She Wrote”—Chaka Demus & Pliers
“The Payback”—James Brown
Find it on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/bdemdtm5
My rating: DNF @ 14% 1:41:08 Ch. 7
My thoughts: 📱4% 27:16 Ch. 2 Nickie - I'm just not feeling this like I thought I would. I think if I read my other book, I'll have more interest in this one.
📱11% 1:18:18 Ch. 6 Willow - I want to read this book, but so far, I just don't care about the characters or plot. I may have to move on. 😔
📱14% 1:41:08 Ch. 7 Augusta - This story wasn't giving me much. I might be done.
Why I quit: I wasn't drawn in or enjoying it so I headed to the reviews and read about the disappointment from other readers. This book is too long for me to trudge through only to get a generous 3-star rating. I don't have the time or patience for that. 15 people are waiting for my library's only copy so I'm going to give them what they want and return this book. I'm just not appreciating the story. The most interesting thing about this book for me is there is a guy named January. The blurb sounded great but reading this story feels like a bait-and-switch. I was really excited about the playlist
Recommend to others?: I would actually. This book would likely go better for someone who likes magical realism, witchcraft, voodoo, New Orleans, and/or family drama.
March 1, 2023
I feel like I wanted more magic from this one versus some of the family drama, which is why this one was just okay. More to come.
March 24, 2023
3.25 ⭐😅📖✨
March 19, 2023
The synopsis had me intrigued. Sadly, the delivery did not live up to the synopsis. The story was confusing, repetitive and a bit boring. We're told over and over and over and over (get the repetition) again that there's a curse but it isn't until near the end of the book that we find out the details of the curse. By that time I really didn't care. I just wanted the book to be over.
This book falls into the miscommunication trope which is aggravating considering it lasts for the entire book. Instead of teaching her 17 year old daughter about the families history, Victoria comes off as a controlling tyrant. Her tirades are irrational to the point she takes her daughter's phone, prohibits her from using a computer or anything that connects her to the outside world, bans her adult sister who lives with her from inviting a man over, etc. All because she isn't adult enough to just talk to her daughter about their history.
By the end of the book, the curse is broken but none of the women ever really talk about what was really broken in their relationships with each other. Things are just miraculously sunshine and roses even though they still harbor secrets.
Doubt I'll read more my this author.
This book falls into the miscommunication trope which is aggravating considering it lasts for the entire book. Instead of teaching her 17 year old daughter about the families history, Victoria comes off as a controlling tyrant. Her tirades are irrational to the point she takes her daughter's phone, prohibits her from using a computer or anything that connects her to the outside world, bans her adult sister who lives with her from inviting a man over, etc. All because she isn't adult enough to just talk to her daughter about their history.
By the end of the book, the curse is broken but none of the women ever really talk about what was really broken in their relationships with each other. Things are just miraculously sunshine and roses even though they still harbor secrets.
Doubt I'll read more my this author.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 25, 2023
A book about four generations of women living in one house and there’s magical elements and Hoodoo?! There’s just one problem, all the women are cursed and whoever falls in love with them will die. When I first read the blurb about this book I knew I wanted to read it and have you seen the cover?! It being set in New Orleans was just bonus points lol Black Candle Women took me on a journey and it was definitely stressful at times. It alternates between present day California and the past in New Orleans. All of the women kept secrets, lied, snuck around and I feel like all of that could’ve been avoided with a simple conversation. However, uncovering all of the secrets is an integral part of the book. Did the women finally come together to undo the hex or was there even a hex to begin with? Read it and find out!!
Shoutout to the author for thoroughly researching New Orleans! I read in her acknowledgements that she spent summers in New Orleans and that really made my heart smile lol The last names, street names, places, food, the fact that the women were Catholic (the city has a very large Black Catholic population) were all spot on! I really enjoyed reading this book and I’m sure you will too ✨
Shoutout to the author for thoroughly researching New Orleans! I read in her acknowledgements that she spent summers in New Orleans and that really made my heart smile lol The last names, street names, places, food, the fact that the women were Catholic (the city has a very large Black Catholic population) were all spot on! I really enjoyed reading this book and I’m sure you will too ✨
March 15, 2023
There were big differences between what I was expecting from this story and what I actually got. I was sold by the cover but even more so after reading what it was about. Black women, hoodoo, and a family curse? I was all in. This story was more family drama than magic and I think that's what really disappointed me. With a title like Black Candle Women I think I expected more from the hoodoo side of the story. I wasn't expecting magic wands or anything but I was certainly expecting more supernatural than what I actually got. The writing is good. I liked the characters but I kept waiting for something that seemed like it never really came.
May 17, 2023
A lush saga of magic, love, and reconciliation. Filled with mystique and complicated family relationships, this novel has an intriguing balance of drama and enchantment. The characters, each with their own secrets and desires, as well as flaws, are torn apart and brought back together in a journey that is both frustrating and satisfying. Black Candle Women is a story of breaking generational curses and finding the strength and power to live authentically, to forge unique paths, and to come to terms with the past in the hopes of a better future.
April 5, 2023
Being as I am from/live in South Louisiana, this is a completely hokey, Hallmark meets Voodoo NOLA plot line for this book which made it extremely difficult to maintain interest. It also made it super cringey in parts as it was a very tourist take on NOLA.
Would not recommend if you’re from Louisiana and won’t recommend to friends.
Didn’t hate her writing style and would give the author a second chance.
Would not recommend if you’re from Louisiana and won’t recommend to friends.
Didn’t hate her writing style and would give the author a second chance.
Read
March 26, 2023Couldn’t get pass the first 15%. Life too short, Im not struggle reading these books in 2023 lols. very pretty cover though.
March 17, 2023
4.5 Stars rounded up
I truly loved this.
I like family drama and this focused on grandmother, mother and daughter.
Plus magical elements.
I will definitely reread this probably many times.
Loved it.
I truly loved this.
I like family drama and this focused on grandmother, mother and daughter.
Plus magical elements.
I will definitely reread this probably many times.
Loved it.
September 25, 2023
Richly imagined and elegantly told, with plenty of satisfying secrets, heartaches, and twists. Black Candle Women is a promising debut.
April 4, 2023
Four generations of Montrose woman believe they have a generational curse that any man they love will die. Barely any chaos ensues.
I really wanted to love this book.
It was fine. It kept me interested enough but was slow. I might have been more invested if it didn’t seem like the research for New Orleans, the creole culture, and voodoo magic was all conducted on Wikipedia or written by Disney because it was a cheesy, forced and very stereotypical representation at times. And though it is one of my favorite Disney movies, some of the characters seem entirely based off of Mama Odie from Princess and the Frog. It was fine. Probably would not recommend to friends to read. And probably would have DNFd this if it were not my book club’s choice this month. Maybe if you’re not from the New Orleans area but think you love New Orleans, you’d enjoy this more. I’m too close to it and know it’s very touristy.
The author was raised and lives in California. She spent time in summers visiting her uncle in New Orleans. I still believe this was written by a tourist considering the audiobook reader’s mispronunciation of étouffée, fricassee, and Lafayette to name a few.
I really wanted to love this book.
It was fine. It kept me interested enough but was slow. I might have been more invested if it didn’t seem like the research for New Orleans, the creole culture, and voodoo magic was all conducted on Wikipedia or written by Disney because it was a cheesy, forced and very stereotypical representation at times. And though it is one of my favorite Disney movies, some of the characters seem entirely based off of Mama Odie from Princess and the Frog. It was fine. Probably would not recommend to friends to read. And probably would have DNFd this if it were not my book club’s choice this month. Maybe if you’re not from the New Orleans area but think you love New Orleans, you’d enjoy this more. I’m too close to it and know it’s very touristy.
The author was raised and lives in California. She spent time in summers visiting her uncle in New Orleans. I still believe this was written by a tourist considering the audiobook reader’s mispronunciation of étouffée, fricassee, and Lafayette to name a few.
May 5, 2023
The premise of this story sounded interesting & I was looking forward to reading this book. But it wasn’t giving “fantasy”, more so “coming of age”. I’m not sure if the story picks because once I got page 188 I gave up. When I’m reading fantasy I want to be captivated into a whole another world or on an adventure. Neither of this things were happening in this story so therefore I was left with no choice but to #DNF.
March 10, 2024
Read the first 200 pages in print, the rest in audio.
I didn't like this book at all. I see the potential--this book centers on a strong family unit with secrets, magic, and opportunities for atmosphere. However, this was really, really boring and disengaging. I always harp on books for being too long but I felt like this could've been cut by a third due to unnecessary repetition and bouncing around the characters. There was a hurry up and wait aspect to this book where nothing happened for eighty percent and then stuff kinda happened? Even then it was kinda a blip. The characters were flat and again, there was so much potential for quirky characters and more magic, but the author just didn't commit. I hated the Nickie-Felix storyline. The only thing I liked was the ending. It was a nice wrap-up to the story.
I swear by tomorrow I won't remember one thing that happened in this book.
The narration of the audiobook was great.
I didn't like this book at all. I see the potential--this book centers on a strong family unit with secrets, magic, and opportunities for atmosphere. However, this was really, really boring and disengaging. I always harp on books for being too long but I felt like this could've been cut by a third due to unnecessary repetition and bouncing around the characters. There was a hurry up and wait aspect to this book where nothing happened for eighty percent and then stuff kinda happened? Even then it was kinda a blip. The characters were flat and again, there was so much potential for quirky characters and more magic, but the author just didn't commit. I hated the Nickie-Felix storyline. The only thing I liked was the ending. It was a nice wrap-up to the story.
I swear by tomorrow I won't remember one thing that happened in this book.
The narration of the audiobook was great.
January 4, 2024
This was an excellent read by Author Diane Marie Brown.
4 generations of women, between LA and New Orleans; who-do and potions.
Women with experiences so detailed, you felt their emotions.
Wanting love, refusing love, just needing a fling.
This book had a little of everything.
It flowed seamlessly and kept me engaged until the end.
A definite page turner!
4 generations of women, between LA and New Orleans; who-do and potions.
Women with experiences so detailed, you felt their emotions.
Wanting love, refusing love, just needing a fling.
This book had a little of everything.
It flowed seamlessly and kept me engaged until the end.
A definite page turner!
March 28, 2025
Very disappointing. Victoria is a grown woman with an almost grown daughter that can't for the life of her talk about her problem's. And of course her daughter Nickie is confused and just wants answers but no she just get's yelled at. I didn't enjoy this and I really wish I had dnfed. I'm so sad because I really enjoyed the concept but the execution was not there. Pass
May 20, 2023
Strong 3.5 stars.
This was My Book Club read for May.
Although I did enjoy this book I feel like it was missing something. The author kept my attention but I still feel It needed more. Being from New Orleans the references definitely gave tourist vibes but I also love when books reference my home town. ❤️⚜️
I did not like Victoria AT ALL in the beginning, as the story unfolded I let up a little but she was DEAD wrong for doing Willow like that period. 😒 I related to Niki the most having strict parents & not being told family secrets. Niki was literally just trying to find her way. I related to Willow also feeling like the black sheep of the family. Augusta & Madelyn are definitely that old school generation ‼️Augusta was ready to take that secret to her grave!
Last but not least let’s stop the narrative that Hoodoo is demonic because let’s not forget Christianity was the colonizers religion our ancestors definitely weren’t demonic….. I’ll just stop there. 🤫
This was My Book Club read for May.
Although I did enjoy this book I feel like it was missing something. The author kept my attention but I still feel It needed more. Being from New Orleans the references definitely gave tourist vibes but I also love when books reference my home town. ❤️⚜️
I did not like Victoria AT ALL in the beginning, as the story unfolded I let up a little but she was DEAD wrong for doing Willow like that period. 😒 I related to Niki the most having strict parents & not being told family secrets. Niki was literally just trying to find her way. I related to Willow also feeling like the black sheep of the family. Augusta & Madelyn are definitely that old school generation ‼️Augusta was ready to take that secret to her grave!
Last but not least let’s stop the narrative that Hoodoo is demonic because let’s not forget Christianity was the colonizers religion our ancestors definitely weren’t demonic….. I’ll just stop there. 🤫
January 23, 2023
While an enjoyable read, this was definitely missing something for me.
I wanted more of a New Orleans feel to it, and I felt like a lot of things happened off page. More telling than showing, you know.
I did enjoy Nanagusta's background story a lot, and Willow was definitely a character I wish we got more from.
I feel like adding Nickie to to the storyline made things a bit more convoluted and took away from Victoria, Willow and Nanagusta's story.
Overall, a good book if you're interested in generational curses and magic, and following different POVs.
I wanted more of a New Orleans feel to it, and I felt like a lot of things happened off page. More telling than showing, you know.
I did enjoy Nanagusta's background story a lot, and Willow was definitely a character I wish we got more from.
I feel like adding Nickie to to the storyline made things a bit more convoluted and took away from Victoria, Willow and Nanagusta's story.
Overall, a good book if you're interested in generational curses and magic, and following different POVs.
January 19, 2023
I'm not a big reader of multigenerational family drama but I was interested in the cultural and/or magical realism of the story.
This didn't quite do it for me. The narration was a little clunky-- with 5 women from 4 generations, it would be a challenge to keep all dialogue and attributions clear, but there's extra confusion added by frequent changes in perspective or primacy. Readers who prefer multigenerational family stories will have more insightful feedback on the dynamics.
The curse is mildly interesting but can't carry the story. The author tries to add tension by revealing-- and the repeating, multiple times-- that each character is keeping secrets but drawing out the reveal of those secrets. This goes on too long and feels repetitive and stingy. That the matriarch can't effectively tell her secrets now, as she is mute after a stroke, adds dimension-- although she never speaks in the book, she is a major character. A lot of narration is focused on the long history of the curse and the generations of women it has impacted, but curse turns out to be not much more than 50 or 60 years old, laid against the great-grandmother who is still alive and well(ish). This short lifespan makes the curse feel less real, less important.
There were some problems with the writing-- it often seemed like the characters were frozen if not acting on the page. During gaps of days up to several months, no conversations took place off-screen and nothing changed, nothing developed or evolved. If the characters weren't on the page, they were in stasis.
eARC from NetGalley
This didn't quite do it for me. The narration was a little clunky-- with 5 women from 4 generations, it would be a challenge to keep all dialogue and attributions clear, but there's extra confusion added by frequent changes in perspective or primacy. Readers who prefer multigenerational family stories will have more insightful feedback on the dynamics.
The curse is mildly interesting but can't carry the story. The author tries to add tension by revealing-- and the repeating, multiple times-- that each character is keeping secrets but drawing out the reveal of those secrets. This goes on too long and feels repetitive and stingy. That the matriarch can't effectively tell her secrets now, as she is mute after a stroke, adds dimension-- although she never speaks in the book, she is a major character. A lot of narration is focused on the long history of the curse and the generations of women it has impacted, but curse turns out to be not much more than 50 or 60 years old, laid against the great-grandmother who is still alive and well(ish). This short lifespan makes the curse feel less real, less important.
There were some problems with the writing-- it often seemed like the characters were frozen if not acting on the page. During gaps of days up to several months, no conversations took place off-screen and nothing changed, nothing developed or evolved. If the characters weren't on the page, they were in stasis.
eARC from NetGalley
April 14, 2024
3.75 starssssssss
UPDATE:
I didn’t like Victoria AT ALL until like 85% into the book. Willow was my favvvvv and idk if it’s because I’m the black sheep of the family like her or what but I was always rooting for her. That secret was turning all of them every way but loose. Although I enjoyed the story and it kept my attention, I gave it 3.75 stars because idk if it’s just me but something felt like it was missing.
UPDATE:
I didn’t like Victoria AT ALL until like 85% into the book. Willow was my favvvvv and idk if it’s because I’m the black sheep of the family like her or what but I was always rooting for her. That secret was turning all of them every way but loose. Although I enjoyed the story and it kept my attention, I gave it 3.75 stars because idk if it’s just me but something felt like it was missing.
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