(10/9/2020)
4 stars Thank you to Forge and BookBrowse for the chance to read this book. Published January 21, 2020.
A book of mysticism - not witches - but mystics, each with their own power. Their own past and an eye to their own future.
This book follows three women, from Mother Abigail who builds Remembrance and maintains it's Edge, to Margot 60 years later, to Winter an elderly woman in a nursing home. From the 1700's to the current day. Haiti to New Orleans to Ohio. A stop on the Underground Railroad, always protected. All women running from slavery and trying to make a life of their own. Josiah, forever young, as he ages. What is his attachment? And Gaelle, the nurse, how does she fit in? A story of three women living in different time periods, yet all connected. All having a mystic power.
It took me a minute to get into this story, but once I did I could not put it down. Historical content, slavery and sacrifice, mystical connotations, all create a page turner. Learning the stories of these women was like a quantum leap - space divided and time stood still. Not all questions are answered for you, it takes some thought to understand this book. Who is the all powerful one? Who has an untapped power? Again, where does Josiah fit in?
Many surprises in this book. If you follow where it leads, the outcome is simple. But you must meld the stories together and find how the three women connect.
This book is haunting, it is intriguing, it settles heavily into your mind. You ask yourself what you would do over and over again. It melds the history of slavery with the biases of today. It throws you off balance with abrupt changes, yet holds you firmly in it's grip.
This is a debut book by Dr. Woods - and a fine book, it is.