Set in 1960’s Jim Crow South, Daughters of Jubilation is a visceral, brutal, and starkly realistic story; needless to say, by no means was it a light read. Before heading into the book, you must be aware of the trigger warnings that include physical abuse, rape, homophobia, and racism.
Evalene Deschamps, a Black teen living in the American Deep South, comes from a long line of women with unique magical powers. They call it the Jubilation: supernatural abilities passed down generations of coloured women since before the time of slavery. Jubilation can prove to be a gift or a curse- entirely depending on the wielder.
It’s the summer of 1962, and Evvie is sixteen. She has never known the true limits of her powers, but now they are growing stronger and scarier with every passing day. At first it feels like nothing but an inconvenience to Evvie, who’s already too busy juggling a job and a family, all the while dreaming of a future where she gets to go to college and study astronomy. On top of it all, the boy she has liked for years finally appears to be reciprocating her feelings. As Evvie gets into a new relationship, she starts to lose control of her magic more and more often, and has to go to her grandmother to learn how to master her powers. When demons from her past come back to haunt her, Evvie must use her powers to protect the people she loves.
Daughter of Jubilation is a very fast paced story, and is structured somewhat like a thriller. Corthron opts for a very straightforward writing style that unflinchingly portrays the horrors of slavery that Black people, especially Black women, have faced. The idea of Jubilation as a magic given to women of colour so they can fight back against their oppressors was something I found to be incredibly strong and innovative.
One of the things that I admired most about Daughters of Jubilation was Corthron’s characterisation of her antagonist. Even though he keeps showing up since the beginning, it’s not until much later in the book that his identity is revealed. For the most part, Corthron purposefully makes him out to be a vague, nameless, featureless creature, the embodiment of white supremacy.
Evalene was a strong protagonist, and the fact that she kept swaying back and forth between being impulsive and indecisive throughout the book, as most teenagers her age do, just made her character all the more relatable. Clay, the love interest, was a genuinely sweet person, and while the romance did seem a bit intsa-lovey, I mostly enjoyed it.
My primary issue with Daughters of Jubilation was that the plot felt very messy; the story didn’t really seem to have a clear direction, and the ending seemed pretty hasty too. There were also quite a few secondary characters scattered throughout the book, all of whom turned out to be fairly one-dimensional and forgettable, and didn’t really seem to have anything to do with the plot.
While ultimately this book left quite a few things to be desired- namely a better narrative structure and detailed, layered characterisations, I do feel readers who enjoy dark fantasy would appreciate it. If you have read and loved The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave or The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson, you should probably give this one a try!
Daughters of Jubilation is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of October 13th 2020.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
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.
