Daughters of Jubilation

 By: Kara Lee Corthron

Location: FIC COR

Genre:  Fantasy, Historical Fiction

This book is written in an easy to connect to dialect and though there's violent trauma there's the joy of discovering new love, embracing your family for all that they are, and discovering yourself. The themes of finding your power resonate. Mrs WOC Reader

From the award-winning author of The Truth of Right Now comes a “lyrical” (PopSugar), grounded fantasy in the vein of Dread Nation that follows a black teen as she finds her place among a family of women gifted with magical abilities.

In the Jim Crow South, white supremacy reigns and tensions are high. But Evalene Deschamps has other things to worry about. She has two little sisters to look after, an overworked single mother, and a longtime crush who is finally making a move.

On top of all that, Evvie’s magic abilities are growing stronger by the day. Her family calls it jubilation—a gift passed down from generations of black women since the time of slavery. And as Evvie’s talents waken, something dark comes loose and threatens to resurface…

​And when the demons of Evvie’s past finally shake free, she must embrace her mighty lineage, and summon the power that lies within her.

Content warnings include rape, murder, racialized violence, racist slurs, misogyny, references to childhood sexual abuse, graphic violence. 

Review by Bethany

Wow, this one hit much harder than expected emotionally. Definitely check content warnings if you need them, because it's an intense one but it's also very, very good. Daughters of Jubilation is set in the 1960's and follows a sixteen-year-old Black girl in the South with magical abilities, passed down through families for the survival of Black women. In some ways this is a coming of age story about first love, but it also verges into horror as Evvie encounters misogyny, racism, and a very disturbing man who is obsessed with her.

Evvie is struggling to cope with her growing abilities that can be as dangerous as they are powerful. She is also falling in love with her first boyfriend (Clay), exploring her sexuality, and facing the dangers of racism and white supremacy for herself and the people she loves. Her relationship with Clay is achingly beautiful and feels real. In general, this is the sort of book that just might rip your heart out as it explores the difficult realities of how slow change can be and the evil in the hearts of people. I don't want to say too much more about the plot but I really hope people will pick this book up! Just do be aware that this book gets quite dark, and I'm not sure the cover really gets that across.