And with it being a family saga, I appreciate the commentary on the complex relationships between mothers and daughters, especially the intense expectations mothers can have for their daughters. From Victoria’s tendency toward self-isolation to Willow’s contrary profession of non-belief in the curse, while not putting herself out there, it’s hard not to feel for them, but also root for them as they navigate these issues throughout. It was fascinating to explore how each of the major characters was impacted by the curse (if they knew about it anyway, as Nickie is kept in the dark by her mother Victoria initially). But I appreciate that the first part of the book is largely devoted to that specifically, prior to focusing more on the magic in the second half. It definitely takes time to fall into the rhythm of things, figuring out the connections between characters and the complex family dynamics. I love mess, and this is a fairly well-executed mess, even if the main flaw is miscommunication among family members. While that combination can be rather-hit-or-miss for me, it actually worked for me, albeit with some caveats.

All opinions are my own.īlack Candle Women is an intriguing debut novel, combining the family saga/drama with magical elements. I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. Sadeqa Johnson, New York Times bestselling author of Yellow Wife and The House of Eve “ Richly imagined and elegantly told, with plenty of satisfying secrets, heartaches, and twists. And as new truths about the curse emerge, the family is set on a collision course dating back to a Voodoo shop in 1950s New Orleans’s French Quarter-where a hidden story in a mysterious book may just hold the answers they seek in life and in love… Their surprise guest forces each woman to reckon with her own past choices and mistakes. For the other women have been withholding a secret from Nickie that will end her relationship before it’s even begun: the decades-old family curse that any person they fall in love with dies. They keep to themselves, never venture far from home, and their collection of tinctures and spells is an unspoken bond between them.īut when seventeen-year-old Nickie Montrose brings home a boy for the first time, their quiet lives are thrown into disarray. Generations of Montrose women-Augusta, Victoria, Willow-have lived together in their quaint two-story bungalow in California for years. “Propulsive and poignant, Black Candle Women concocts an intoxicating potion of warmth, wisdom, and wonder.” -Ava DuVernayĪ warm and wry family drama with a magical twist about four generations of Black women, a family curse, and one very complicated year of heartache, miscommunication, and learning to let go.

Black Candle Women by Diane Marie Brown