I wasn't expecting Ibis to be so much of a puzzle, but a puzzle it was, and I loved it! It magnifies an ugly truth and makes the reader deeply think while also not being able to turn pages. I highly recommend this and think Haynes was very successful is wrestling with how you square where you come from with who you become.

Some books are so gut-punching, deeply moving, and unique that no matter what I write, I know I’ll never fully capture how amazing they are. Ibis is one of those books.

This debut novel by Justin Haynes is flawlessly executed. The characters’ stories are intricately woven through time, bound by shared tragedies and history.

As a young girl, Milagros and her mother boarded a boat full of desperate mothers trying to get their children out of Venezuela. Upon arriving in Trinidad, they were separated. Milagros was rescued by a New Felicity man and taken to the U.S., safe but forever disconnected from her mother. As an adult, she is determined to find her again.

By no means is this an easy book to read. The story unfolds through multiple formats, including letters, shifting back and forth in time and moving between different perspectives. However, it is absolutely worth reading.

Throughout the novel, a chorus of island residents shares their experiences and superstitions, adding depth and richness to the story. My favorite part was how these seemingly disparate narratives gradually converge into a resounding, unforgettable tale.

Thank you to Netgalley and The Overlook Press for an advanced reader's copy of Ibis.

Thank you to Abrams, The Overlook Press, and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

The cover of this book is gorgeous - I love birds and pink, naturally being drawn to the stunning design. Beyond the aesthetics, Justin Haynes tackles heavy themes like colonialism, migration, and generational trauma with nuance, never lingering too long on a point and making sure each lands impactfully. The different narrators added richness and created an atmospheric story, though at times, the altering perspectives were a tad disorienting. Haynes’s storytelling makes this a compelling and unforgettable read; fans of lyrical, character driven fiction steeped in myth and history will appreciate this read.

The story opens with us learning about the village of New Felicity, in what is presumably Trinidad (always referred to in the novel as "the island"), and its inhabitants, who are genuinely worried about the ibises that have appeared ominously in the village and seem to be multiplying by the day. This may have something to do with the three local fishermen who have been captured in Venezuelan waters and are now being held hostage; or with the witch who until recently lived in one of the village's houses; or with the Venezuelan girl, Milagros, who has been rescued by one of the locals; or with a foreign journalist who has come to the village to research his article on the refugee flow and who may learn about Milagros?

From there, we venture into the past and future to explore the intertwined histories of Trinidad and Venezuela and their diasporas. Back to the 18th century, when the British used enslaved Africans to grow sugar cane on their plantations, and into the future, when the adult Milagros, a U.S.-based journalist, tries to find her mother, from whom she has been separated since the initial events.

This is a complicated, meandering story that touches on human trafficking, organized crime, and government corruption, but also offers truly magical realist visions of Caribbean cultures. It is also stylistically quite elaborate, with sections of different focalization told in distinctly recognizable voices: the collective "we" of the village, for example, is stylistically very fancy and whimsical, while Milagros in the future is deliberately plain. From a narrative point of view, I most appreciated the section told in the letters of the 18th-century estate manager, stylized into what we can recognize as familiar from the time of Jane Austin. But this familiarity, with its reproduced clichés and racist hierarchies, is definitely not what I liked about this section - instead, what really stands out is how the author managed to make the agency and dissent of the enslaved people shine through even this stylized and clichéd discourse of the slave owner.

What this novel is probably not ideal for: a first introduction to Trinidad and its cultural and historical relations with Venezuela. Because I personally came to this text as such a clueless reader, I realized that I missed much of what Haynes' text has to offer. (Yes, I only learned while reading this novel that Trinidad is so close to the South American mainland and specifically to the shores of Venezuela.)

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free eARC through NetGalley. The review above is my own unaffected opinion.

I really wanted to give this novel a chance, but unfortunately, I couldn't really mesh with it.

I definitely appreciate what the author was going for, especially with the novel's themes on migration (whether forced or voluntary), the plight of refugees, and how the specter of European colonialism lingers on long after a nation gains its independence.

I loved the Caribbean island setting too, especially with the focus on Trinidad's British colonial history. But while the writing read very poetic, it was too allegorical for me to really grasp the author's intent.

There were a lot of characters that spanned the centuries, all connected to the FMC, Milagros. I didn't mind the back and forth jumping through time periods and POV changes, but I think it minimized the impact of the story.

I liked Milagros's story, including her ancestors' stories, but the secondary characters didn't make any impression on me. (They're varying levels of important to the main narrative.) And unfortunately, the ibis and bird theme didn't really hit me as hard as it should have.

I don't think the author's style is a match for me, but others who prefer allegorical novels might like this.

Thank you to The Overlook Press and NetGalley for this arc.

What a debut!

This book had me at Catherine the Great Disemboweler, whose story begins on the very first page. Ibis then introduces more and more interesting characters, strange rumors, and mysterious events that make it a true page turner.

Ibis begins with a bad omen that plagues the villagers of the small, coastal village of New Felicity in Trinidad, across the water from Venezuela, where generations of the island’s inhabitants are influenced by old superstitions, as well as complex family lineage and colonial remnants.

Told in multi character perspective and multiple timelines, the stories intertwine beautifully and feature characters from island rif raff, colonizers, enslaved people, witches, ghosts, gangsters, refugees, reporters, and a special young girl who has been separated from her mother and whom the villagers all swear to protect.

The book is wry, clever, exciting, and mystical. It covers topics like the migrant crisis and colonialism, by way of legend, myth, folklore, feminism, and magical realism. This is a big book and a lot of story, very ambitious, and so well executed. The last few pages gave me goosebumps in the best way.

Read if you like multigenerational family sagas, beautiful writing, magical realism, and birds. So many birds!

Ibis is a poetic and devastating book. This species of bird are mystic presences. The novel interweaves the story of Milagros and the appearances of the ibis, blending supernatural elements and real history chock full of abuse of power, oppression and greed. The violent history in these sugar cane fields contain dark secrets.

Milagros, our MC, was only 11 when she and her mother boarded a boat full of other mothers desperate to get their children out of Venezuela. Once they disembark in Trinidad and Tobago, they are separated. Milagros is saved and taken to the US. She never sees her mother again. Twenty years later, Milagros returns to Venezuela to find answers about her mother. This book has moments of levity, but I would definitely say it's on the darker side. Grief is a tough thing to navigate.

This is a debut novel from Justin Haynes. Thank you so much to NetGalley & Overlook Press for the ARC. This book publishes February 11, 2025.

This novel was definitely not for me.
I just couldn't get into at all.
The writing is good, but the story didn't engage me. I had to force myself to read it.

I LOVED this book! Wow! This book should be getting a lot of buzz! It is wonderful! I am so happy I got to read this and will be telling everyone about it.

Ibis is categorized as sci-fi/fantasy, but I found it to be more literary fiction with touches of magical realism and historical elements. The author very successfully juxtaposes vivid depictions of the natural world with the violent history of slavery on sugar plantations. There is clearly a message in the story regarding the current migrant crisis, and thoughtful commentary on generational trauma through slavery and oppression. It was a unique read, but one I struggled with at times because of the writing style. I found myself taking breaks from reading when it began to feel tedious, and this book required an amount of concentration and effort that made my reading experience not as an enjoyable as I had hoped.

I really enjoyed this debut novel. I don't think many people know about it, and I wish more did. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review.

An odd, bittersweet fairy tale. I would not consider this sci fi or fantasy, as categorized on NetGalley.

We are made by history. A pivotal statement within #Ibis, a powerful puzzle piece of a novel which insidiously weaves back and forth through time and place, past and present, following the lives of a group of characters as well as their histories and fates.

This is a DEBUT novel from Justin Haynes - Associate Professor of English at Oglethorpe University - and it's powerful, magical, and heartbreaking. The novel is rife with the supernatural and also the real ghosts of human history -- our dark and diabolical misuse of power, sexuality, greed, and oppression.

And then there's the birds -- as harbingers, mystic presences, and fortune tellers.. The author's colorful use of biodiversity -- mangroves and clearings, water and sand, wildlife -- and the unique language of the characters who "lime" around and find ways to get by from day to day. The violent history of the sugarcane fields, rape, slavery, and dark secrets. The writing is vivid, sometimes funny, often heartbreaking, always engaging.

The Ibis. "That the species was the national bird sickened us a little. What good was it when the source and symbol of island pride stood there and encouraged bad luck from a great height?"

Thank you #netgalley and #theoverlookpress for an advance read of Ibis. I glanced through the limited number of reviews on this platform and felt baffled by what I read. I enjoyed this novel very much - its many messages are important and painfully applicable to today's world.

In comparison to what I read, I feel fortunate for this opportunity to recommend this book highly and confidently. It's not an "easy" read - the book is layered and requires concentration as it does move through time. The "puzzle piece" description in my review refers to the slow reveal of backgrounds - of the primary characters (the group of young men who dominate the island clearing and the main character of Milagros - a young Venezuelan immigrant who has spent much of her childhood under their care and all of her life searching for her estranged mother, Grecia).

The themes of corruption, slavery, immigration, and human trafficking are maddening and integral to the stories of every character. Shifting locations between the fictional island of New Felicity and Venezuela (and even New York), it's a hero's journey on many levels. I loved this novel and CONGRATS to Professor Haynes on his remarkable DEBUT!!!

Ibis is slated for publication❤️2.11.2025

Shout of on the EXCELLENT COVER ART by @_elimock 🖋

I just can't get into the style. Maybe there's something I'm missing or I'm not in the right head space, but this feels like a book I would strongly dnf.

Thank you for the opportunity to review Ibis. I unfortunately was able to finished the book. I ended up DNFing the book at page 14. I DNFed the book as the writing structure was not for me. I found certain sentences to be awkward and unneeded where the were placed. For example on page 1, "It tightened anuses." Overall, I wish I could have finished the book as the synopsis sounded interesting to me but I was unable to push past the writing style to finish.

The book 'Ibis' was an engaging and thought-provoking read that captivated my attention from the very beginning. The authors writing style was Generally clear and concise, but there were moments when the descriptions felt overly detailed and disrupted the overall flow of the story, causing me to lose focus.