Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Oct 2020
352 pages
Genre: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Speculative, Alt. History
Publication Information
From the award-winning author of The Truth of Right Now comes a stunning, 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.
"The story is well paced and suspenseful, and the magic that is Jubilation is wonderfully creative. The exploration of home, and the reflection on how a place where you can't be safe can nevertheless be called home, is powerful. A compelling story of first love and battling racism with a magical twist." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"This book by author, TV writer, and playwright Corthron is a well-told, fast-paced story about a teenage girl coming of age, while coming to terms with her family's legacy. A perfect addition to any library's collection." - Library Journal (starred review)
"While the first-person narrative, told in a 1960s Southern dialect, aids in characterization and setting, the novel's harrowing plot is in places disturbing. Emotional, magical worldbuilding, however, redeems the distressing narrative by weaving it with grounding bonds of familial love and protection." - Publishers Weekly
This information about Daughters of Jubilation was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Kara Lee Corthron is an author, playwriter, and TV writer based in Los Angeles. She's the author of The Truth of Right Now, winner of the Parent's Choice Gold Award. Her plays, including What Are You Worth?, Welcome to Fear City, AliceGraceAnon, and Holly Down in Heaven, have been performed across the US, and she writes for the TV thrillers You (Netflix) and The Flight Attendant (HBO Max). She's a multiyear MacDowell Fellow and a resident playwright at New Dramatists.
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