I really enjoyed the novel. The characters were great and engaging. I loved learning about Jamaican folklore. It was great to have the book base in Toronto. I loved the Drake cameo.

This book was definitely interesting but it just wasn’t for me. I just couldn’t connect to the book. I felt lost at times while reading, it felt kind of hectic. One wild thing happened right after another. However, I really enjoyed reading and learning about different Jamaican legends and culture.

Reading this was, at times, difficult. Between the Jamaican language and/or slang and the millennial/gen Z slang, it was hard to understand. I am a millennial and I still didn't understand the dialogue half the time. And with that being said, I think for those with dyslexia or anything else that can cause issues with reading, it will likely be very difficult for you to read.

The genre here is Magical Realism and while it definitely fits the magical part, I also felt that it was maybe trying too hard or pushing closer to fantasy. The writing was okay, although it felt rushed. There wasn’t really any slow down in the story, which I’m sure for some would be great, but for me I just felt that it all read kind of chaotic

To say I liked this book would be me being modest. I absolutely loved and adored this book. It shocked and surprised me just how much when I realized I was going to bed at three in the morning for work at Six because I could not put this book down. It was honest to God, an ultimate page turner with a plethora of knowledge handed out about Jamaican folklore and the constant struggles of the second or third generation trying to adapt to life in Toronto, but keep those old school legends and values intact.

See, you can clearly read that I loved it, but I am going to attempt to explain why I think other people would not appreciate this book. They may not like that there are a lot of references to the real world and that it takes a while for the characters to grow and get fleshed out. Hell, they may need even like that this jumps from horror to comedy, to drama, to fantasy, all in one chapter. They also may not like that this book can be very descriptive and may take some of the imagination out of it.

But those people are not me. I loved how well this author paints pictures with her writing style. It honestly felt like the scenery and people escaped the pages and entered my room. It was nice to see a world come to life with characters that felt human. The constant struggle to be proud of your Jamaican roots, but also being Torontonian was nice to see. We don't really get to see that second or third generation struggle in books done as beautiful as this. What a nice original concept and story written by a writer who will get better after every paragraph. Hey, don't take my word for it. Go out there and pick up River Mumma on August 22nd 2023 and let the author do the talking for me.

Happy reading, but remember to stay out of trouble!

Love Always, Chris Humphrey!

I don’t know if I’ve ever read anything quite like this book! I’m not at all familiar about Jamaican folklore and was intrigued to read this story to learn about the urban legend of the River Mumma.

The story takes place over 24 hours. We first meet Alicia, a newly graduated young women looking for work in her field and living in Toronto.

When walking home from a party, Alicia meets the Jamaican deity the River Mumma and ends up being pulled into an adventure filled with mythical creatures as she searches for a lost item.

I loved learning about Jamaican folklore and culture and it made me want to read more! I also really enjoy reading books that take place in Canada, especially when I’ve been there!

Look for River Mumma out August 22, 2023.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Based on Jamaican folklore this book was action packed and took place all over the Toronto landscape.

Though I have read and watched a lot about Roman or Greek mythology, I knew nothing about Jamaican mythology. It was very interesting to learn more about it and the book sent me down more than one rabbit hole looking up more about Jamaican folk tales.

Being set in Toronto this book makes for a great choice for the read the world challenge. It would also make for a great book to travel to Toronto with as there are descriptions all through the book that one could go see.

One of my hold backs is simple personal and nothing to do with the fabulous writing; fantasy and mythology are not my favourite topics to read about. However, if you do like fantasy and mythology, I would highly recommend this one. I also intend to read her book Frying Plantain. It is probably more up my alley.

Thank you @netgalley, @randomhouseca, @zalikarb for the opportunity to read and review this exciting new novel and author.

I absolutely loved this book!! I couldn’t put it down.
I just loved all the characters. I highly recommend this book.

River Mumma is an ambitious second novel from Zalika Reid-Benta, and an expansion on themes from her previous work on Jamaican-Canadian identity, mother daughter dynamics, the loneliness of young women on the cusp of something more. Our main character Alicia is stuck and disenchanted with life post graduation, which consists of working at her part time retail job and resentfully socializing with her not-quite-friends. Everything changes for her when Alicia is called to the Humber River walking home one night, and encounters River Mumma, a powerful spirit from Jamaican folklore. River Mumma needs help, and only Alicia can do what she needs - find her stolen comb in the next day or face dire consequences. This sets us off on Alicia’s quest to find the comb, which of course leads her to learn more about her ancestors, her life purpose, connection to her heritage, and how much better it is to take on life with the ones you love. I think Reid-Benta’s writing and thematic exploration is the standout in this book; she captures big ideas and feelings in concise, beautiful language, and paints a vivid picture of Toronto and our band of Jamaican-Canadian heroes fighting for River Mumma. I think the book could have benefited from being longer to give more space to flesh out the more fantastical elements of the story while also giving more space for our characters to reveal themselves to us. However, I still found it an engaging read and love Zalika Reid-Benta’s writing. I look forward to what comes next from this author!

This is an interesting story. The accents slowed down the pace for me, I found it very distracting.

I really enjoyed the quest elements and the folklore and the characters.

THIS BOOK!! I think this is one of my favourite reads of the year. I loved it from the very beginning. Reid-Benta wrote a love letter to Toronto and Jamaican Canadians in this novel.

I loved the aspects of Jamaican folklore and mythology and how the author blended it expertly into everyday Toronto life . River Mumma has something for everyone - quests, horror, fantasy, a mercurial and powerful goddess.

Alicia has only one day to complete the Jamaican water goddess, River Mumma's seemingly impossible task - bring back the her golden comb or face the consequences of River Mumma leaving her rivers. Knowing only that it is located somewhere in Toronto, Alicia sets off with her friends, Mars and Heaven, to find the comb before time runs out. Throughout the day, she experiences visions of her ancestors' ties to River Mumma, battles duppies and ghosts, and deals with the joys of public transportation.

Would I recommend River Mumma to my friends? Heck, yes! I plan on getting my hands on a physical copy (for myself) as soon as I can. Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for my advanced reader copy. This was an absolute joy to read.

This is definitely the most interesting (and probably one of my favourite) books I’ve read this year! And it’s a complete surprise because I would have never heard of this book otherwise if NetGalley hadn’t sent it out in an email blast.

The book is full of Jamaican folklore that has the main character, Alicia, running around Toronto as she has 24-hours to complete a quest by the Jamaican deity, River Mumma, or face consequences that not only affect her, but her ancestors as well. I felt that the author did a really great job with setting the story within the streets of Toronto, and this book was full of Canadian and Toronto specific nuances (e.g. which subway station had the best patties, Timbits from Tim Hortons, the unreliability of the TTC) which I really enjoyed; a special appearance by a very specific Toronto-based rapper was even involved in the story, which was hilarious. The banter between Alicia and her friends, Heaven and Marcus (aka “Mars”) had me cackling despite them being chased by spirits and other magical happenings that need to be seen to be believed. I also enjoyed the funny pop culture references that were peppered in throughout the book. I do admit that at times, I felt like I had lost track of what was happening (particularly when Alicia has visions), but I was able to come right back into the story.

I’m so glad that I was able to get my hands on this eARC, and I definitely want a physical copy when this comes out later this month on August 22! Thanks so much @netgalley !

This was one of my most anticipated books of 2023 by the award winning Jamaican Canadian author of Frying plantain and it did NOT disappoint. Set in Toronto, the story features new grad Alicia who is floundering, living with her mother and trying to figure out life.

Walking home one night she stumbles upon a Jamaican water deity, River Mumma, who demands she find and return a comb within 24 hours. What follows is a madcap dash around the city with a couple of her friends as they embark on a mythical quest.

I loved how grounded this debut fiction story felt as it combined magical realism with Jamaican folklore and mythology. Great on audio and highly recommended for fans of books like N K Jemison's The city we became series or Shallow waters by Anita Kopacz.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and Librofm for an ALC in exchange for my honest review!! Zalika is a talented up and coming Canadian author to watch out for and I foresee more award nominations in her future for this latest work of literary fiction!

I loved this book. The story was interesting, and the characters felt real. I love that it takes place in Toronto and I actually knew the places mentioned. I love the Jamaican history and mythology. Great read!

This book was a treat to read. Living mere hours away from Toronto, I've been to and heard of a lot of the landmarks in the book. I really enjoyed following Alice on her quest to retrieve Mumma's comb. With little to zero leads to follow, Alice and her friends embark on a journey fraught with drama, and a lot of danger.
Alice's Mom was a hilarious character that is constantly texting Alice to pick up different items at the grocery store, and inserting little tidbits about news stories that Alice would rather not hear about.
Poor Alice feels like everyone she knows is exactly where they want to be in life, and she's muddling along with no career or prospects.
An incredible story weaving Jamaican folklore, with modern day.

River Mumma was an interesting read for me mainly because the setting is in my home town. I could have used a translator for some of the phrases used throughout this book.
The story is interesting in that it hinges on reality, fantasy and occult beliefs that are strongly associated with the islands in the south.
I found the beliefs and traditions associated with those concepts interesting.
All around a good read and I look forward to more from this author.

I was given an ARC copy of this book for my honest review.

This was an interesting book! Not what I expected at all. I appreciated the local setting and thought the characters were well developed.
I normally read kid lit/YA ARCs, so adult fiction was a change of pace (for this medium) for me. It's also a bit outside my wheelhouse, but I'm really glad I tried it!

A different read for me! Enjoyed this "coming of age" story set in a city I'm pretty acquainted with. I appreciated the folklore and a small glimpse into some Jamaican culture. As many of us grapple with what happens next, this book will be a good read for many.

I just finished reading River Mumma. I had not read anything about Jamaican folklore before. That was quite interesting The story was engaging with a chaotic day in Toronto (24hours) focussed on 3 young people of Jamaican heritage dealing with an angry spirit who wreaks havoc as they attempt to locate a special object. If you enjoy fantasy thus should be up your alley.

This reminded me of the Percy Jackson books, but with Jamaican mythical creatures and based in Toronto. Born and raised in Toronto, I loved reading about all the local places Alicia and her friends travel in this book on the quest to recover a stolen item for River Mumma. I absolutely loved the Jamaican/Toronto culture that came through, “Me no have that” 😂. The book was engrossing and terrifying at times, well worth a read.

I was given this ARC from Netgalley and under no obligation to leave this review.

Alicia's life is not exactly going as planned. A recent college graduate, she is unable to find a job in her field so instead works retail. Walking home one night after a party, she finds herself drawn to Cruickshank Park in Toronto. Specifically, to the Humber River, where she meets River Mumma, a Jamaican water deity. River Mumma tasks her with finding her golden comb, which was stolen from her. The next morning, she wakes up with no recollection of how she got home. As she tries to brush off her encounter as a dream and go about her day, she is submersed into vivid flashbacks of her ancestors before her. When the first duppy (a Jamaican demon) attacks Alicia and her friends, Mars and Heaven, she realizes this is the real deal. If she doesn't find the comb, River Mumma has shown her what will happen. Rivers and lakes dried up, not only in Canada, but around the world. The stakes are high. With help from her friends and guided by her visions, Alicia has until nightfall to complete her task. Will she be able to? Or will the horrible future River Mumma show her, come true.

Alika Reid-Benta creates such a fantastic story woven with Jamacian folklore and magical realism. An exciting, and sometimes downright scary, pageturner of a book, I could not put it down!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Penguin Random house for the ARC. All opinions are my own!

I really enjoyed reading River Mumma. The novel follows the protagonist Alicia, a well-educated but under-employed young woman, through a 24-hour period as she frantically tries to restore a magical comb to its rightful owner. Who is the comb's rightful owner? A powerful, glamorous Jamaican deity named River Mumma.

This novel definitely falls into the category of magical realism (there is even a guest appearance by an artist who is obviously intended to be Drake!). I enjoyed the fact that I had never heard of River Mumma or the demons chasing Alicia, so it was an interesting introduction to Jamaican folklore. The characters were likeable and realistic and the plot moved quickly. River Mumma is a fun read by a talented Canadian writer.