This historical retelling of the birth of Liberia and it’s complicated connection with the U.S. will draw you in. Skipping back and forth between Virginia, Jamaica, and West Africa. Between Gbessa born in the village of Lai who was cursed at birth, June Dey a slave with supernatural strength, and Norman Aragon son of a British colonizer and a Maroon slave who can become invisible. “She Would Be King” is a beautifully woven tapestry layered with history, mythology, and magic. ( )

This fictional origin story for the nation of Liberia brings together three characters with unique talents. Gbessa, born with red hair in the West African village of Lai, is considered to be cursed and ostracized. June Dey is born into slavery in Virginia under miraculous circumstances and develops superhuman strength. Norman Aragon is the child of an enslaved woman and a white British slaveholder who gains an ability to fade from sight. All three end up in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia founded by the American Colonization Society to resettle freed Black people. The summary makes it sound like a comic book superhero team, but the book is more nuanced than that. The book works well as an examination of the ongoing trauma of slavery, Liberia's intricate ties with the United States, and the interaction of the American Blacks with the indigenous people of that part of Africa. ( )

2.75 stars

I really thought I would LOVE this book. I adore historical fiction and have been making it a point to branch out from Regency era titles. This seemed like it would tick all of the boxes for me, but the story was hard to follow. There are also too many trigger warnings to keep count.

I am not usually drawn to magical realism, so it's hard to say if I don't like the genre or just didn't enjoy it in this writing. There were parts that I did enjoy- mainly Gbessa's transformation as she grew into a more confident and secure person. The synopsis makes it sound like Gbessa, Norman and June's stories would unite once their back stories were told, so I was a bit disappointed at the structure of the story after Book One.

I think the reason I feel so confused by the book is that there is SO much information given- so many sub plots for each character that ended up being rather irrelevant once they met each other. It felt like too much and also not enough because of the way it ended. I don't know- I think this read will stick with me, but in a frustrating way... ( )

Great premise and intriguing characters. The writing was a little weak in some places. It illuminated some history I did not know anything about. The slipstream nature worked -- the combination of realism and fantasy was well done and appropriate. ( )

stunning. use of third person and the wind as narrator allows the story to open up wide. ( )