Outstanding and beguiling debut novel! Atakora has pulled out all the stops in the engaging tale of life on a plantation, slavery, the Civil War, healing, magic, relationships, betrayal, and everything in between. I took my time reading this - rather than plow through it, I read a few chapters at at time - for this is a book to be savored, a unique delicacy that doesn’t come around too often. The plot centers around a mother and daughter, conjurers both, creating potions to birth, curse, wound, heal people and the community of a variety of maladies, real and/or imagined. The characters were well developed, the plot held my attention, and great narration (occasionally it was hard to know who was narrating at first). While some material may be disturbing, the author takes no prisoners in researching and describing a harsh life during the Civil War and the lives that revolved around it, for better or worse. I’ve read many books on the history of both the Civil War and slavery, but this book is unlike any I’ve read. Kudos to Atakora, and I look forward to reading more from this fabulous author. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

A novel about slavery, magic, and the south after the war rolled up in one story, beautifully written. . Once you start reading about Rue and conjuring you're in for a magical ride. I highly recommend

I would like to thank Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for the allowing me to read this book!

I found Conjure Women to be an interesting read, and an in-depth look into slave midwives and healers during the years leading up to, and after the American Civil War. While I have read many books about the Civil War and slavery, I found this book to be original and something I have never read about before. I was drawn into the characters and their back stories and how their lives changed from before the war to after the war.

The book starts off with introducing the main character, Rue, as a midwife/healer/ conjure woman in a small village of newly freed slaves after the Civil War. The story rotates between her story after the war, and what her and her mother's life was like before a during the war. Her mother was also a midwife and healer, and taught Rue her skills from a young age. The main story line after the war centers around a baby boy Rue names Bean. The small village believes that Bean has been cursed, and connects that back with Rue. The village begins to loose faith in Rue, and she has to find a way to gain that trust back. Before the war, the story focuses on her mother, Miss May Belle, and the medical issues she is always solving. It also goes into detail the relationships between the slaves and their master and his family.

I enjoyed reading this book, and lost myself in the stories of Rue and May Belle. The author has a a beautiful way with their words, and transported me back in time. I found myself getting lost in the tragedies and my heart broke for the characters. However, with the time subject comes lots of heaviness. While I enjoyed reading this book, I wouldn't say that this is a turn-pager. I found myself needing to take breaks so I could digest what was happening. I

I will warn you now, once you start reading this book, you won’t want to put it down, so clear your schedule for a few hours and prepare to be transported to the American south of the nineteenth century. The story takes place on two time lines, during slavery and shortly after, and tells the story of a mother, May Belle and her daughter Rue, both born into slavery and both conjure women. They help deliver babies, treat the sick and injured with herbal medicine and sometimes, perform darker “spells”, when asked. May Belle has learned the hard way to keep out of the plantation owner’s way, if she can, but Rue is a different story. The same age as the owner’s spoiled daughter, she’s been allowed to play with the little girl and dares to want more for her own life. This book is one of the most evocative and moving portraits of slavery I have read since Cane River