Opinions of a Wolf

Summary:
Aiyana Gamelle has been sleepwalking, waking up on the beach of the half Gullah, half Native American Sa’Fyre Island off the coast of South Carolina.  But she knows she’ll soon be transitioning to being Queen of the Gullah half of the island, due to being directly descended from both the founders and a mysterious African goddess, so she brushes it off and focuses on the festival she’s organized on the island to bring in more revenue.  But when an important island guest is murdered and her grandmother passes away before the official crowning ceremony, an unwanted family curse is slowly revealed.

Review:
This is one of the six indie books I accepted for review on this blog in 2015.  Everything about it from the title to the description stuck out to me both as something that I hadn’t seen a mainstream publisher get around to trying in many years and also as something that piqued my interest.  An island that’s half Gullah and half Native American? (Never heard of the Gullah? Check out this informative article about them).  A woman inheriting a position of power from another woman? A family curse? Yes please!  I am happy to say that the book more than lived up to my expectations, it also had some unexpected elements that I was delightfully surprised by.

The known history of the island and the Gamelle family is well told early in the book.  It comes through in bits and pieces at just the right times.  There is never an info dump.  Similarly, Aiyana and her siblings are slowly revealed, going from how you may first perceive them to more well-rounded characters throughout the book.  The island and the people on it are incredibly well described.  I had no trouble imagining what this island may be like, despite having never been to the Carolinas myself.

One thing that caught me by surprise in the book and that I think should be promoted more in its promotional materials, as it’s something that is often sought after, is the romance between Aiyana (who is half-Native American and half-Gullah, since her mother dated her Native American father against the wishes of both sides) and one of the Native American men on the island.  It’s an inter-racial relationship….with no white people.  I can’t remember the last time I saw that in a book, frankly, and I was happy to see it.

This is primarily a mystery/horror book though, so let’s talk about the mystery plot.  It takes many twists and turns, none of which I expected but all of which ultimately made sense.  I found it at times grotesque and at other times it kept me on the edge of my seat.  All the time I was always rooting for Aiyana, which is exactly what I generally want out of a mystery.

One negative I would say is that it’s a bit unclear if the book is the first in a series or a standalone.  Amazon mentions it being the first in a series, but neither the GoodReads record nor the page about it on the author’s website mention it being the start of a series.  If it is the start of a series, the book’s slightly abrupt ending works.  If it’s a standalone, then I would want a bit more closure at the end.  If it is the start of a series, then I’d say perhaps a quick “Look for more Sa’Fyre Island adventures coming soon!” at the end would be an excellent addition to help the reader know to expect more and to keep them coming back.

Overall, this is both a fun and a quite different entry into the mystery genre.  A Gullah woman takes the center stage of the mystery, rather than being a prop. The mystery is well crafted and told, and there’s even the bonus of a bit of romance in the book.  Recommended for readers looking for a completely different mystery from what they may be used to reading and who don’t mind a bit of the fantastical showing up in the plot.

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4 out of 5 stars

Length: 206 pages – average but on the shorter side

Source: Kindle copy from author in exchange for my honest review

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