The Jumbee in Once Upon a Twilight blog

Sep 23, 2010 Heather rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arcs-i-own

Synopsis from author "Seventeen-year-old Esti Legard spent her childhood in the Shakespearean world of her famous father, and when he died, she knew she could never give up acting. After she and her mother move to a Caribbean island for her senior year, she realizes that nothing at her new school's theater department is quite as it seems. Stunned by the death of a fellow student on her first day of class, Esti is soon surrounded by legends of the wicked jumbees that haunt the West Indies. She fi Synopsis from author "Seventeen-year-old Esti Legard spent her childhood in the Shakespearean world of her famous father, and when he died, she knew she could never give up acting. After she and her mother move to a Caribbean island for her senior year, she realizes that nothing at her new school's theater department is quite as it seems. Stunned by the death of a fellow student on her first day of class, Esti is soon surrounded by legends of the wicked jumbees that haunt the West Indies. She finds herself snubbed by the school’s star actress and relegated to a minor part in Romeo and Juliet.

Only her intriguing new friend, the elusive Alan, shares her passion for Shakespeare. Hiding in the dark recesses of the theater, he leads Esti deep into her own soul to explore the limits of her talent. When Esti's childhood best friend moves to the island and back into her life, however, Alan disappears. Rocked by growing accusations of befriending a jumbee, Esti realizes she must find out who – or what – Alan really is. She is soon forced to defy everyone and everything she’s ever believed in, as she plunges into the mysteries of Shakespeare and the legends of the West Indians, discovering shocking truths about her own past that will forever shape her future."

At first glance this is not a book I normally would have picked up since I have no background in theater or Caribbean culture. Half the fun of reviewing uncorrected bound proofs is that it exposes us to books we otherwise never would have known about. This is one of those books that took me pleasantly by surprise. The story starts out as Esti and her mother Aurora have just moved to their second home in Caribe after the death of Esti's father, the famous actor Legarde. Esti is thrown into the world of Shakespeare in preparation for an upcoming school play and while practicing hears a mysterious voice. The voice helps her realize her potential as an actress and though she has never seen his face she is drawn to his whisperings. Locals begin to speculate that Esti has the gift of speaking with the Jumbee, a ghost who haunts the theater. Readers are exposed to the Caribbean history of sugar cane fields and slavery, as well as West Indian English slang. It took me a while to get used to reading the shift between Esti's English and the acent of those who live on the Island. (Think the movie Cool Runnings and Rastafarian raggae lyrics) The Jumbee's setting is tropical and colorful juxtaposed with the haunting and ery island called the Cay. You'll find yourself pulled between two opposite attractions.

Once Esti is hooked on her phantom mentor Alan, her childhood friend Rafe comes back into the picture to teach her to swim and snorkel. These were some of my favorite scenes in the book. Rafe's carefree, fun personality stand in stark contrast to the cold removed personality of Alan, the other main love interest. I had a hard time with how many times Esti seems to flip flop instantly between the two. She is very indecisive and compulsive so readers are pulled into her on again off again antics. Esti and Rafe as well as many of the islanders are in danger as accidents are piling up and everyone suspects the Jumbee. Who is Alan, is he really what everyone suspects and will Rafe stick around with Esti through all of the drama? This is a page flipper with plenty of suspense, lots of literary references and a dash of romance. It reminds me a lot of The Phantom of The Opera with a Caribbean twist and a detective work ending. The Jumbee is an original idea and well written for ages 12 and up. To learn more and read an expert from the book visit Pamela Keyes website at http://www.pamelakeyes.com/jumbie.htm

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Oct 11, 2010 Cynthia Lopez rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I was very excited to read The Jumbee since I've never read a book that took place in the Caribbean and The Jumbee was suppose to be a new take on the Phantom of the Opera which I only know a little about from watching the movies. I was intrigued to find out more about it and how the author would make it work in this beautiful setting.

After Esti's father dies she moves to the island of Cariba with her mother to attend a prestigious school of theatre where she hopes to escape from the shadow of I was very excited to read The Jumbee since I've never read a book that took place in the Caribbean and The Jumbee was suppose to be a new take on the Phantom of the Opera which I only know a little about from watching the movies. I was intrigued to find out more about it and how the author would make it work in this beautiful setting.

After Esti's father dies she moves to the island of Cariba with her mother to attend a prestigious school of theatre where she hopes to escape from the shadow of her famous father, get the big part as Juliet in the school play and make new friends. While she's rehearsing her lines for the play she hears a sultry male voice that calls himself Alan and begins to tutor her by reciting lines and teaching her how to become a better actress. As she begins to have feelings for Alan (even though she's never seen him and the locals think he's a jumbee/ghost that haunts the school) her childhood friend Rafe arrives in the island and her love life starts to get a lot more complicated.

The Jumbee did not disappoint, I got hooked on it as soon as Alan spoke to Esti the first time . You can easily fall in love with this mysterious character even though we don't get to see him, but get a great rich description of his beautiful voice that recites romantic lines from Shakespeare. It definitely made me swoon, I couldn't help but cheer for him in this love triangle. The reader along with the main character doesn't know what's really going on, you really doubt yourself as you're reading that Alan is a person and begin to believe that he's a ghost. The book keeps you guessing until the end when a few of Esti's family secrets begin to unravel. Once I got to the end I was already missing Alan and definitely wanted more. You don't need to have any knowledge or love of the musical, theatre or Shakespeare to enjoy this story, Shakespeare bores me to death but I didn't mind it in The Jumbee and I actually loved all the lines and the romance behind it. The Jumbee was a fascinating take on The Phantom of the Opera, we get a lot of the Caribbean culture and beliefs in the book that will draw you right into this suspenseful and magical story that you won't want to let go until the end. ...more

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Dec 01, 2010 Mundie Moms & Mundie Kids rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2010-100-book-challenge, 2010-debut-author, mundie-moms-reviews

The Jumbee is a beautiful retelling of Phantom of The Opera with a Shakespearean twist and full of Cariba lore that completely surprised me and held me captive through the last page. I'll admit, I'm a huge Phantom of the Opera fan and I was worried at how this beloved classic could have a modern day retelling, but Pamela Keyes proved me wrong. With it's beautiful, tropical setting, it's rich history and lore, and with real, superstitious characters, The Jumbee is a story I fell in love with and The Jumbee is a beautiful retelling of Phantom of The Opera with a Shakespearean twist and full of Cariba lore that completely surprised me and held me captive through the last page. I'll admit, I'm a huge Phantom of the Opera fan and I was worried at how this beloved classic could have a modern day retelling, but Pamela Keyes proved me wrong. With it's beautiful, tropical setting, it's rich history and lore, and with real, superstitious characters, The Jumbee is a story I fell in love with and devoured in one sitting.

Esti Legard is the the daughter to a well known Shakespearean actor. After his death, she moves to Cariba with her mother to study at the famous Manchicay School. Wanting to step out of her late father's shadow and make a name for herself, Esti will get more than she bargains for at her new Caribbean high school. Manchicay is believed to be haunted by a Jumbee, whom islanders believe to be a one of the trapped souls who died on the island long ago, but Esti doesn't believe in Jumbee. Esti becomes completely captivated by the rich, beautiful voice of a mysterious guy who hides in the shadows, and helps her rehearse for the upcoming Romeo & Juliet play. She's become so enraptured with his voice, that only she can hear that many believe she has the sight, and can communicate with the Jumbee. As weird things start happening surrounding the play of Romeo and Juliet, Esti realizes there's more to Alan, her mysterious Romeo than meets the eye. I found myself trying to decipher along with Esti, if Alan was real or a Jumbee.

There's a great cast of characters and a real feeling of Island life, as Pamela uses West Indy dialect and Cariba history and lore to set the tone for the story. I really liked Esti's character, even though I was a little irritated with her a few times. The Jumbee has a wonderful love triangle, much like Phantom of The Opera, only my heart went out to Alan more than it did to the Phantom. As the mystery surrounding Alan unravels, I became even more torn for Esti. In getting to know Rafe, her childhood best friend who plays the other love interest, I understood the tough choice Esti had to make. Rafe was real and someone who kept her safe and made her feel alive. Alan was someone who saw her potential as an actor and while he loved her, he couldn't truly give her what she needed. I sympathized with her, but in the end I was both elated and heartbroken with her choice. Alan and Rafe are both similar and different in many ways, and I couldn't help but fall in love with both of their characters.

The Jumbee is a suspenseful, beautiful love story full of Caribbean lore, added with a twist that kept Esti and I guessing what would happen next until the very end. Mixed with the perfect amount of Shakespeare to give the story a more romantic feel, this story isn't a predictable Romeo & Juliet love story, as Pamela ends the story with the perfect twist. If you're looking to get swept up in a wonderful love story, I highly recommend picking up The Jumbee. ...more

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Jan 04, 2011 Jennifer Monzon rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-in-2011

What an amazing story. This book captivated me since the moment I read the first paragraph. I read this entire book in one day! It is nothing that i have ever read before. I usually read the back of the book and the sleeve to find out a little about the book before I get into it and when I read that it was A Phantom of the Opera with a Carribean twist, I just had to read it to find out what "The Jumbee" was. I am not familiar with A Phantom of the Opera and after reading this book, I have caught ...more

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Sep 25, 2010 Katieb (MundieMoms) rated it really liked it

Shelves: books-i-own, mundie-moms-review, 2010-100-book-challenge, debut-author-challenge

The Jumbee is a beautiful retelling of Phantom of The Opera with a Shakespearean twist and full of Cariba lore that completely surprised me and held me captive through the last page. I'll admit, I'm a huge Phantom of the Opera fan and I was worried at how this beloved classic could have a modern day retelling, but Pamela Keyes proved me wrong. With it's beautiful, tropical setting, it's rich history and lore, and with real, superstitious characters, The Jumbee is a story I fell in love with and The Jumbee is a beautiful retelling of Phantom of The Opera with a Shakespearean twist and full of Cariba lore that completely surprised me and held me captive through the last page. I'll admit, I'm a huge Phantom of the Opera fan and I was worried at how this beloved classic could have a modern day retelling, but Pamela Keyes proved me wrong. With it's beautiful, tropical setting, it's rich history and lore, and with real, superstitious characters, The Jumbee is a story I fell in love with and devoured in one sitting.

Esti Legard is the the daughter to a well known Shakespearean actor. After his death, she moves to Cariba with her mother to study at the famous Manchicay School. Wanting to step out of her late father's shadow and make a name for herself, Esti will get more than she bargains for at her new Caribbean high school. Manchicay is believed to be haunted by a Jumbee, whom islanders believe to be a one of the trapped souls who died on the island long ago, but Esti doesn't believe in Jumbee. Esti becomes completely captivated by the rich, beautiful voice of a mysterious guy who hides in the shadows, and helps her rehearse for the upcoming Romeo & Juliet play. She's become so enraptured with his voice, that only she can hear that many believe she has the sight, and can communicate with the Jumbee. As weird things start happening surrounding the play of Romeo and Juliet, Esti realizes there's more to Alan, her mysterious Romeo than meets the eye. I found myself trying to decipher along with Esti, if Alan was real or a Jumbee.

There's a great cast of characters and a real feeling of Island life, as Pamela uses West Indy dialect and Cariba history and lore to set the tone for the story. I really liked Esti's character, even though I was a little irritated with her a few times. The Jumbee has a wonderful love triangle, much like Phantom of The Opera, only my heart went out to Alan more than it did to the Phantom. As the mystery surrounding Alan unravels, I became even more torn for Esti. In getting to know Rafe, her childhood best friend who plays the other love interest, I understood the tough choice Esti had to make. Rafe was real and someone who kept her safe and made her feel alive. Alan was someone who saw her potential as an actor and while he loved her, he couldn't truly give her what she needed. I sympathized with her, but in the end I was both elated and heartbroken with her choice. Alan and Rafe are both similar and different in many ways, and I couldn't help but fall in love with both of their characters.

The Jumbee is a suspenseful, beautiful love story full of Caribbean lore, added with a twist that kept Esti and I guessing what would happen next until the very end. Mixed with the perfect amount of Shakespeare to give the story a more romantic feel, this story isn't a predictable Romeo & Juliet love story, as Pamela ends the story with the perfect twist. If you're looking to get swept up in a wonderful love story, I highly recommend picking up The Jumbee. ...more

Like · see review

Oct 20, 2010 Once rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

What an amazing story. This book captivated me since the moment I read the first paragraph. I read this entire book in one day! It is like nothing that I have ever read before. I usually read the back of the book and the sleeve to find out a little about the book before I get into it and when I read that it was A Phantom of the Opera with a Carribean twist, I just had to read it to find out what "The Jumbee" was. I am not familiar with The Phantom of the Opera and after reading this book, I have ...more

Like · see review