For me, Francine Thomas Howard’s Scattered Seed was a page-turner. Set in 18th century Africa, three royal sisters are kidnapped along with other members of their village to be sold abroad into slavery. Each sister experiences the personal horrors awaiting them at the hands of the slave traders all the while holding out in the vain hope of being rescued by their tribal king and his warriors. A very harrowing fictional account of the horror and injustice of losing one’s identity in the frenzy for colonial imperialism and prosperity.

Dnf @ 14%

I did not enjoy what I read of this book at all. The sisters that the story is about are annoying, especially Folashade. She is supposed to be 14 but behaves like a 9 year old. The author tells us the sisters are close but there was no evidence of that before we were dropped into the brutal and dark portions of the book.

It's strange that the author spent a whole chapter talking about how learned the people of Timbuktu were, but the main characters act like they have never seen or heard of white people before. They literally bring up Spain and how Moors are no longer accepted there so...what is going on?

The narrative voice was not compelling, I already know about the horrors of the Middle Passage, and the main characters irked me. I feel good about not finishing this book.

TW: sexual assault, rape, violence, mass killings

There are very few books I find so raw and harrowing that I struggle to finish them. I had a physical reaction to Scattered Seed, and I highly recommend it to others for furthering your education of the true origins of slavery through the Middle Passage.

Scattered Seeds follows three sisters of royalty living in Middle Passage era Timbuktu. The daughters of a linguistics professor, all three women possess distinct expertise that make their lives easier as wives and mothers. On the eve of the youngest sister's wedding, the women are captured and forced into the slave trade, where the sisters must ban together and use their unique talents to avoid the traumatic, often-fatal journey to the Americas.

There were so many times I wanted to DNF this book, not because of the writing or the plot, but because the story is so graphic. What's harder to swallow is that it's authentic and unfiltered, historically accurate. These atrocities were committed on a grand scale, and violence against women, specifically black women is just as prevalent as ever. Then to learn this story is about Francine Thomas Howard's own family? And you realize that millions of families have evolved from these same exact origins? It's gut-wrenching, yet we all owe it to their memories to continue studying and sharing these stories, no matter how uncomfortable they are to read.

A poignant tale, about three sisters taken from their lives in pre-colonial Mali and sold as slaves. It depicts the lack of agency these women felt, particularly the lack of control over their own bodies. The pace of the story could have been faster in some sections- but otherwise a good book which can be used in literature classes to explore themes about women’s agency and the challenges faced by women during the slave trade.

My first book to read by this author but definitely not my last! Such a gripping novel that made it hard for me to put his book down once I started it. Highly recommend!!

This was a difficult book to read, which should be obvious due to the subject matter. I would advise anyone interested in this book to read it with care, and with the trigger warning that it does include violence against women. The author approaches the subject with an unwavering glare, depicting the harsh and cruel reality of the time and circumstances.

Three sisters navigate the horrors of the Middle Passage in a powerful historical novel about family, honor, and the will to live, by the author of The Daughter of Union County. This novel, and its unforgettable characters, know no boundaries. To read this book is to laugh, to mourn, to learn, and to grow….

The concept of this book is beautiful and timeless — it follows three sisters trying to maintain their relationship and connection to their culture and homeland as they are kidnapped from Mali and taken on a journey to be sold into slavery in the new world. The beginning is fascinating, I learned a lot about Bambara culture and Islamic Mali in the 1700s. The relationship between the three sisters is well written and believable. The climax was also a page turner. Unfortunately, it drags on and on and I felt as long as this book was, not a lot really happened.

What really drew me away from the book, and would have caused me to DNF if I wasn’t reading it as an ARC was the near constant sexual harassment, assault and rape. The treatment of the sisters may have been accurate, but it was constant and grotesque. I left feeling that I didn’t read a book about sisterhood amidst slavery, I read a book about rape that happened to have sisters in it. I have read other books in this genre that also follow women’s journey through the Middle Passage that discuss the sexual assault that occurred without being so graphic about it. Most of the book left me feeling sick to my stomach.

I would give other pieces by this author a chance, I liked her writing style, I just wished that I knew just how triggering of a book I was getting into when I requested it.

I was given this e-book as an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this ARC.

It feels wront to say that I enjoyed this book when it is about a harrowing and very real topic. The book is so well written with a heartwrenching and gripping storyline and well developed characters who I took to my heart, especially the three sisters. I went through a rollercoaster of emotions whilst reading this book and I know it will be one that stays with me for a long time.