Where the Dead Brides Gather by Nuzo Onoh REVIEW

Summary:

Bata, a young girl tormented by nightmares, wakes up one night to find herself standing sentinel before her cousin's door. Her cousin is to get married the next morning, but only if she can escape the murderous attack of a ghost-bride, who used to be engaged to her groom.

A supernatural possession helps Bata battle and vanquish the vengeful ghost-bride, and following a botched exorcism, she is transported to Ibaja-La, the realm of dead brides. There, she receives secret powers to fight malevolent ghost-brides before being sent back to the human realm, where she must learn to harness her new abilities as she strives to protect those whom she loves.

My Thoughts:

Bata, at eleven years old, is chosen as a bride sentinel. When her family learns of this, her father takes her to medicine man Dibia, who helps her connect with the spirits to gain her powers. But when something goes wrong and Bata is in Ibaja-La for longer than supposed to be, she comes back to the mortal world with different eyes and speaking a different language. While this is going on, one of her mothers is planning on running away with another man. But the man plans to kill her mother and take her money. When the mother dies, the man's fiancee is plagued by a vengeful ghost-bride, and Bata must save her.

This was a very interesting concept, but the book dwelled a bit too much in the land of the ghost-brides and not enough time in the mortal world. Once Bata returns to the mortal world, she doesn't really use her abilities until the end of the book, which was different than what was advertised on the summary of the book itself. However, it was a quick and fun read, as well as a look into African culture.

My Rating: 3 stars 

Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters REVIEW

Summary:

Nan King is captivated by the music hall phenomenon Kitty Butler, a male impersonator extraordinaire treading the boards in Canterbury. Through a friend at the box office, Nan manages to finally meet her heroine. Soon after, she becomes Kitty's dresser and the two head to London, where they begin a glittering career as music-hall stars in an all-singing-and-dancing double act. Behind closed doors, they admit their attraction to each other and their affair begins.

My Thoughts:

While the writing was somewhat difficult to get used to, I think this was a really interesting read. We follow Nan, a closeted lesbian in the late 1800s who falls in love with Kitty, a male impersonator. After getting to know each other, they go to London and star in an act together. But Kitty's fear of being outed is what makes her lose Nan, and Nan runs away after learning of Kitty's affair and engagement to Walter. After another failed attempt with a rich woman named Diane, Nan finds her true love and a circle of women who are just like her.

This book was a roller coaster ride of emotions. Nan's sister Alice was probably my least favorite character, as she was really terrible toward Nan when she found out her sexuality. I both loved and hated Kitty, and the same for Diane and Florence. Despite the large time distance, I do feel connected to Nan in some aspects, with some of my family not being happy about my sexuality.

My Rating: 4 stars