Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got a copy of this on ebook from NetGalley for review.

Thoughts: I was on the fence about whether I should review this book or not. I only read the first 15% of the book and really struggled with it. This is one of those books where the author tries to spell out accents rather than just saying "the character talked in a heavy ___ accent". I absolutely hate it when authors do that, it just makes things annoying and hard to read.

As far as I got...this was about a young woman, Alicia, who has a lot of education but can't seem to land a decent job. She goes to parties she hates being at and isolates herself from everyone, until suddenly she starts to get caught up in dealing with some malevolent spirits called duppies.

Right off the bat I didn't like the characters or the writing style. Everything about this rubbed me the wrong way. I struggled to read nearly every sentence and decided to set it aside.

My Summary (3/5): Overall I didn't like this right away because the author kept trying to spell out character's accents, which is a huge pet peeve of mine. I didn't enjoy the characters or the writing style and decided to set this aside pretty quickly. This just wasn't my thing. Again, I was reluctant to review because I read so little of the book but that in itself says something. I almost always give 3 stars to something I dont't finish, so 3 stars for this one...I am giving it the benefit of the doubt that it gets better as it goes. I just didn't have the patience to stick with it any longer. ( )

This novel of the supernatural, based on Jamaican folklore, reads like badly executed young adult fiction. The poor quality of the prose made it impossible for me to suspend my disbelief and enter the story. There was potential here, and a good editor might have made all the difference. I bailed at page 70. Cannot recommend. ( )

Jamaican-Canadian Alicia, having finished graduate school but, unable to find a job in her field is now working in retail and living with her mother. One night, while walking home after a party, she stops by the river. She is confronted by River Mumma, the water goddess, who has a task for her. Someone has stolen her comb and Alicia must find it within 24 hours or, well, River Mumma doesn’t say what would happen if Alicia fails to return the comb in the time alloted but ahe makes it clear it would be bad.

With the aid of Heaven and Mars, two of her coworkers, she sets out to find the comb but, with nothing to go on, it seems impossible. They have just begun the search when they are confronted by a duppy, a type of bad spirit from Jamaica folklore, which is shocking enough but nothing had told them a duppy could breathe fire.

They manage to escape only slightly singed but this is just the beginning of the trials they will encounter in their quest. It is clear that someone or something does not want the comb found and returned to River Mumma and will do everything they can to stop them.

I have seen River Mumma by author Zalika Reid-Benta listed on most anticipated books to look out for this year and I can honestly say my enjoyment far exceeded any of the hype. It combines magical realism with Jamaican folklore to create a wonderfully unique and engrossing tale that kept me flipping the pages. I loved the three main characters and how the actions of their ancestors factored into the present. Definitely one of my favourite books this year.

I received an arc of this book from Netgalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review ( )