Mundie Moms

Friday, October 15, 2010

Beautiful Darkness Tour TONIGHT


I am so excited that tonight we will be Co-Hosting Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl's Beautiful Darkness tour stop here in Austin, TX! Tonight we will be have exclusive interview with them and we'll have some wonderful BD swag to giveaway on the blog. If you can make it out to Book People tonight, we'd love to see you!

Here's the information for tonight's stop:
October 15th, 6:00 PM (CST)
BOOK PEOPLE
1640 603 N. Lamar Blvd.
Austin, TX 78703

You can find where Kami & Margie's next stop will be here-

Book Review- The Jumbee

By Pamela Keyes
Published by Dial Books/Penguin
Released on October 14th, 2010
Source- The Publisher
4.5 stars- I Really Liked This Book, Go Pick It Up

Seventeen-year-old Esti Legard spent her childhood in the Shakespearean world of her famous father, and when he died, she knew she could never give up acting. After she and her mother move to a Caribbean island for her senior year, she realizes that nothing at her new school's theater department is quite as it seems. Stunned by the death of a fellow student on her first day of class, Esti is soon surrounded by legends of the wicked jumbees that haunt the West Indies. She finds herself snubbed by the school’s star actress and relegated to a minor part in Romeo and Juliet.

Only her intriguing new friend, the elusive Alan, shares her passion for Shakespeare. Hiding in the dark recesses of the theater, he leads Esti deep into her own soul to explore the limits of her talent. When Esti's childhood best friend moves to the island and back into her life, however, Alan disappears. Rocked by growing accusations of befriending a jumbee, Esti realizes she must find out who – or what – Alan really is. She is soon forced to defy everyone and everything she’s ever believed in, as she plunges into the mysteries of Shakespeare and the legends of the West Indians, discovering shocking truths about her own past that will forever shape her future. (from the book's cover)

The Jumbee is a beautiful retelling of Phantom of The Opera with a Shakespearean twist and full of Cariba lore that completely surprised me and held me captive through the last page. I'll admit, I'm a huge Phantom of the Opera fan and I was worried at how this beloved classic could have a modern day retelling, but Pamela Keyes proved me wrong. With it's beautiful, tropical setting, it's rich history and lore, and with real, superstitious characters, The Jumbee is a story I fell in love with and devoured in one sitting.

Esti Legard is the the daughter to a well known Shakespearean actor. After his death, she moves to Cariba with her mother to study at the famous Manchicay School. Wanting to step out of her late father's shadow and make a name for herself, Esti will get more than she bargains for at her new Caribbean high school. Manchicay is believed to be haunted by a Jumbee, whom islanders believe to be a one of the trapped souls who died on the island long ago, but Esti doesn't believe in Jumbee. Esti becomes completely captivated by the rich, beautiful voice of a mysterious guy who hides in the shadows, and helps her rehearse for the upcoming Romeo & Juliet play. She's become so enraptured with his voice, that only she can hear that many believe she has the sight, and can communicate with the Jumbee. As weird things start happening surrounding the play of Romeo and Juliet, Esti realizes there's more to Alan, her mysterious Romeo than meets the eye. I found myself trying to decipher along with Esti, if Alan was real or a Jumbee.

There's a great cast of characters and a real feeling of Island life, as Pamela uses West Indy dialect and Cariba history and lore to set the tone for the story. I really liked Esti's character, even though I was a little irritated with her a few times. The Jumbee has a wonderful love triangle, much like Phantom of The Opera, only my heart went out to Alan more than it did to the Phantom. As the mystery surrounding Alan unravels, I became even more torn for Esti. In getting to know Rafe, her childhood best friend who plays the other love interest, I understood the tough choice Esti had to make. Rafe was real and someone who kept her safe and made her feel alive. Alan was someone who saw her potential as an actor and while he loved her, he couldn't truly give her what she needed. I sympathized with her, but in the end I was both elated and heartbroken with her choice. Alan and Rafe are both similar and different in many ways, and I couldn't help but fall in love with both of their characters.

The Jumbee is a suspenseful, beautiful love story full of Caribbean lore, added with a twist that kept Esti and I guessing what would happen next until the very end. Mixed with the perfect amount of Shakespeare to give the story a more romantic feel, this story isn't a predictable Romeo & Juliet love story, as Pamela ends the story with the perfect twist. If you're looking to get swept up in a wonderful love story, I highly recommend picking up The Jumbee.

You can find out more about The Jumbee by visiting Pamela's site here http://www.pamelakeyes.com/jumbie.htm

Labels