The Jumbies (The Jumbies #1) by Tracey Baptiste
Release: April 28th 2015
Format: EBook
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Source: Amazon
The Jumbies Synopsis:
A spine-tingling tale rooted in Caribbean folklore that will have readers holding their breath as they fly through its pages.
Corinne La Mer isn’t afraid of anything. Not scorpions, not the boys who tease her, and certainly not jumbies. They’re just tricksters parents make up to frighten their children. Then one night Corinne chases an agouti all the way into the forbidden forest. Those shining yellow eyes that followed her to the edge of the trees, they couldn’t belong to a jumbie. Or could they?
When Corinne spots a beautiful stranger speaking to the town witch at the market the next day, she knows something unexpected is about to happen. And when this same beauty, called Severine, turns up at Corinne’s house, cooking dinner for Corinne’s father, Corinne is sure that danger is in the air. She soon finds out that bewitching her father, Pierre, is only the first step in Severine’s plan to claim the entire island for the jumbies. Corinne must call on her courage and her friends and learn to use ancient magic she didn’t know she possessed to stop Severine and save her island home.
With its able and gutsy heroine, lyrical narration, and inventive twist on the classic Haitian folktale “The Magic Orange Tree,” The Jumbies will be a favorite of fans of Breadcrumbs, A Tale Dark and Grimm, and Where the Mountain Meets the Moon.
Review:
I picked up this book because I got an advanced e-copy to read the third book in the series “The Jumbie God’s revenge” and I wanted to catch up from the beginning of the series.
This was such a fun book to read! The pacing is fast and consistent and the plot contains a lot of action and adventure! It also has supernatural creatures, fantasy elements and focuses on friendship, which just makes it such an amazing read! I loved the whole fairy tale like setting where Severine comes as the mysterious evil character and tries to marry into Corrine’s family as a form of revenge. It was like reading a completely new version of the classic Grimm’s tales. I thought Tracey Baptiste did a wonderful job in bringing the Caribbean folklore to life in this book. It has a few similarities to the Haitian folktale “The Magic Orange Tree”, but this has so much more going. On a side note, kudos to the author for diversifying the characters and including an Indian family as well!
Corrine is a wonderful protagonist and such a strong character. She looks out for her father and friends, and tries to do the right thing to please them. I also liked the camaraderie between Corrine and her friends. Malik and Bouki are hilarious, adventurous, and so much fun to read. Initially, I thought Dru was a bit annoying and didn’t fit well with the team. However, I started liking her when she proved her friendship to Corrine after she found out who she really was. The villains are also very memorable. I kept wondering what Severine would do as she seemed to be very powerful. The other jumbies are also very creepy in their own way, and I thought La Diabless and the Soucouyant stood out. This book made me want to research more on these characters.
Moreover, I also liked how some questions are left open ended which makes me look forward to reading the next book in the series. I really want to know more about Corrine’s mother and her relationship with Severine. Oh, and I really want to know more about the witch who helped the team and how she connects with Corrine’s mother. I am also curious about the frog who returns the favor and saves Corrine in the story. Overall, I really loved reading this book and can’t wait to read the next book in the series.
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