D J Walker

Received as part of LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program.
Not having read Book 1, it took quite a while for me to get into the story. The author's notes at the beginning were not as helpful as they might have been. Eventually, I was able to piece together enough to go back and actually get some useful info from those notes, but.... In my opinion, the notes should either give you everything you need or be completely unnecessary to understanding the story. In this case, they were neither.
Regardless of that lack, the story is quite interesting. The characters, while a bit thin, do show growth -- something I always appreciate. The magic seems to follow a pattern, but it's not one that I completely recognize -- likely because I don't know as much about the cultures involved.
Still, all in all, I'd give this a solid three stars out of five, and I'd be happy to bump it up if the beginning (or the notes) were written in a way that made it easier for new readers to jump into the story without having read the previous book.… (mehr)

My Review: Thank you to the author, D.J. Walker for a complimentary copy of their book.

The Short Story: Don’t judge this book by its cover. An intelligent, entertaining, time travel tale

First off, I have to confess that I find the cover visually unappealing, to the point that I almost passed on the book. So please, give this book a chance!

Mauri and Stan, biracial siblings are grieving the loss of their white father who they adored. After the funeral, Mauri reads her father’s genealogical research into his white ancestors in Georgia, who’d cut him off when he married a Black woman. The siblings decide to travel to Georgia to learn about their father’s roots. Shortly after arriving, the pair encounter Bathsheba and Ezekiel who claim to be from the year 1859. Bathsheba is the daughter of a slave-owning planter and Ezekial, whose dreams transported them through time, is her slave. Mauri and Stan help the pair adapt to the 1990s and the changes in both technology and social norms. As Bathsheba and Ezekiel work to educate themselves, find employment, they struggle to overcome their past, especially Ezekiel whose hatred of his former mistress impedes his progress.

The early chapters of the book are a bit overwritten and do not match the narrative of the rest of the story. Once Mauri and Stan arrive in Georgia the pace picks up. The author does a great job of showing the continued prejudices in our country. There are some fascinating historical details which help flesh out the story. I appreciated that both time travelers found it difficult to adjust to modern life.

I really enjoy this story, it’s well written and intelligent, not the usual time traveling tale. Readers who enjoy a good time-travel tale, African-American fiction/ historical fiction will really enjoy this fine book.

I rate this book 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ stars.

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goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/25436202.D_J_Walker?ref=nav_profile_l… (mehr)