The Jumbie God’s Revenge by Tracey Baptiste
Every lightning strike hit the mountain now, shaking loose larger and larger rocks...Larger ones left bruises...Sharper ones left scratches that burned in the rain. But Huracan wouldn’t stop, so neither would she.
| It is interesting to view the cover art for the three books in Tracey Baptiste's Jumbies series. The Jumbies, features a frightened young Corinne moving cautiously through a dark wood, ominous-looking eyes following her. Rise of the Jumbies depicts Corinne submersed in water, body entangled in the coiling tail of Mama D’Leau. |  |
The Jumbie God's Revenge features Corinne facing the sky, defiant and strong. She is determined and is not going to back down. One of my favorite things about this series Is the development of Corinne. Baptiste notes in her afterward that she planned on stopping with book two. I'm so glad that she didn't. Corinne comes into her own after battling forces on land, sea, and the heavens.
On with the story...
 | The island looked as if a giant hand had picked it up, shaken it, and put it back down again. Everything was out of place. Corinne’s island is experiencing a rare occurrence: torrential rains accompanied by vicious lightning strikes. This is not normal. Corinne suspects that jumbies are the cause of this destruction. She learns to her surprise that this is not the work of Mama D’Leau. Huracan, a Mayan mythological entity, is the force behind the devastating storms. This god of lightning, wind, storm, and fire is out for revenge and is intent on destroying all of the island’s inhabitants. It is up to one girl to save everyone on the island. She must negotiate mountain rockslides, avoid underwater volcanoes, and face a killer whale. She resolves to free Mama D’Leau who is trapped underwater. She must find her aunt Severine and return her to the island. Several of these tasks require Corinne to take mermaid form. In the process, she risks losing her memory and even her life in order to save her family and friends. |
The conflict which begins on land, intensifies in the water, and eventually moves to Huracan’s home in the skies. Corinne defeats this deity in a dramatic scene that will keep readers rapidly turning pages.
She was relentless, And she had talked back, Never had anyone shouted him down.
Interspersed with Corinne’s battle against Huracan are accounts of her island friends who traverse a dangerous mountain path, searching for family and safety. There is a fascinating mermaid/jumbie subplot. Narrative is rich with island culture and dialect. Baptiste weaves it all together in the series' gripping conclusion. The Jumbie God’s Revenge is a harrowing, heart-warming tale of tremendous courage and love.
Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.
Pub date: September 3, 2019 Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers ISBN: 978-1616208912
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