MY ⭐️ RATING: 5/5
Format: Kindle Whispersync
BOOK DESCRIPTION
In an alternate New Orleans caught in the tangle of the American Civil War, the wall-scaling girl named Creeper yearns to escape the streets for the air–in particular, by earning a spot on-board the airship Midnight Robber. Creeper plans to earn Captain Ann-Marie’s trust with information she discovers about a Haitian scientist and a mysterious weapon he calls The Black God’s Drums.
But Creeper also has a secret herself: Oya, the African orisha of the wind and storms, speaks inside her head, and may have her own ulterior motivations.
Soon, Creeper, Oya, and the crew of the Midnight Robber are pulled into a perilous mission aimed to stop the Black God’s Drums from being unleashed and wiping out the entirety of New Orleans.
MY REVIEW
The Black God’s Drums is 110 pages of an incredible story that’s compelling and imaginative, and rich with history by capturing the very essence of N’awlins (New Orleans) during the 1880’s. The narration by Channie Waites is spectacular, and honestly makes this entire novella 100x better. The dialogue can be tough for some, as most is written in Louisiana Creole and Caribbean, and Channie nails it with ease making the accents feel as true as possible which made me feel if I was on those very streets which made me dive even further into this incredible story. Though it’s just a stand-alone novella, I pray that Clark decides to come back to this world and build upon what has already been started, because there is so much more that can be added to this story in the future!
This type of story is what I love about historical fiction/fantasy. It not only tells such a riveting story, but also adds in real life places and beliefs. When I don’t know about something, it makes me want to look it up, so I get a great story, plus I get to learn about history or deities from other places that I didn’t really know. Something like this also opens up learning a bit more about the dark history of our past in the US, such as the use of “drapeto gas” which is based on Drapetomania, which was a supposed mental illness that caused enslaved African Americans to flee plantations, because “slaves that only those suffering from some form of mental illness would wish to escape.” –Samuel Cartwright.
“She hadn’t meant to harm them. But she was Oya, the rain that grows your crops and the tornado that tears your home apart; the wind that brings change and the storm that reaps destruction. Calling on her was always like flipping a coin: one side a blessing, the other chaos.”
With that being said, I want to say how much I loved the characters Jacqueline, aka Creeper who is the MC and who the story is being told through, and Captain Ann-Marie St Augustine. With how much history is in this, I have a feeling that these two characters names may have something to do with Louisiana history, but I’m not certain. Anyways, I loved both of these characters almost immediately, and I thought Clark did such a smooth job of using Yoruban Goddesses Oya and Oshun who incapsulated the characters they were connected to perfectly. Finally, there is Eunice and Agnès, two minor characters that are completely unforgettable!
Have I mentioned there are sky pirates? Because there are freaking sky pirates! Just imagine what can be done in a series with something like this, we’re talking something that already stands out as different, but could add a whole new twist and standout even more. Especially with the popularity growing of the One Piece manga and Netflix show. Pirates are coming back and this could be a great opportunity to jump aboard to give not only pirates, but POC pirates a large platform and a bright future in fantasy!
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