This was a really great short novel. This isn't the normal type of book I would read but something about it intrigued me so I decided to give it a shot and I am glad I did.

Oya is a young woman who has just lost a baby and has been sent to New Orleans to live with Marie Laveau, the famed voodoo queen.

This was an interesting premise for a story, with a lot of the historical magical realism that normally draws me in. Oya's character felt very juvenile, with her merely accepting things happening around her. The other characters felt very one-dimensional, as though they didn't exist outside of Oya's observations of them.

I enjoyed the mythology interspersed within the story and the vivid descriptions that the author gave. The story felt very magical.

This is the companion novel to Shallow Waters. In this book we follow Yemaya’s daughter Oya. Oya is sent to live with a Voodoo woman to learn how to cultivate and control her powers. Oya is also grieving the child she has lost from miscarriage.

This book was pretty good. I did not know it was actually a sequel, and I read it as a standalone book. Honestly, it was still very readable without having read book 1, I may have missed a bit of context, but overall it was still easy to follow. I think the synopsis with the mythological/ magical realism was what hooked me, but I do not think it was executed that greatly in the book unfortunately.

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complementary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

*Arc provided for my honest review*

I was very excited to read this, I love stories that incorporate mythologies into daily lives, unfortunately this did not scratch that itch.

We follow a young adult 18-21/ish y.o. as she works to control her storm power and deal with the loss of her child, and navigate colorism in post slavery Louisiana. I loved the history of the book and there were some interesting pieces about voodoo and what the world was like then. For me I struggled with the characters complexity, and the tone. This book felt very YA even though she was pregnant before the start of the book. Also many things that could be some internal conflict or just have more thought behind them would just be resolved with a that's the way it is or she supposed it made sense.

I'm giving this a 3 stars because I did really like the history and some of the side characters, and I would pick up the first book in the series about the FMC's mother, but ultimately the younger way this was written and the flatness of the characters make it a lower rating.

full disclosure: i was approached by the publisher to read this book; this is the second of a series but i believe it can be read as a standalone as it follows the daughter of the first book’s protagonist.

this book was a beautiful mashup of genres. i absolutely adore historical fantasy, and i especially love historical fantasy set in the americas— the discussions on colorism, racism, voodoo, and more were captivating. and i really liked oya, our protagonist. as well, the new orleans setting just pops. new orleans & lousiana is one of my favorite settings for novels bc it always feels like a character on its own, and this book is no exception.

the ending felt a little sudden, but i had such a good time with the rest of the book that i can’t find it in me to fault it too badly. beautiful novel.

This is such a great smash up of different genres!
Mythology, magical realism and Historical Fiction.

I am a huge mythology fan and one of my top favorites is the Orisha. This is book 2 to Shallow Waters following the daughter of Yemaya; Oya, which Oya had powers almost opposite of her mother’s healing powers-powers of destruction. Oya leaves Cuba for New Orleans because she fears she is a danger to the island and wants to learn how to manage her powers under the tutelage of Marie Laveau, The Queen of Voodoo.

This series is super powerful and wonderful. Huge fan of the writing and the subject.

Thanks to netgalley and atria for an eARC

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc!
I appreciate when an author can bring me a story that is new to me and helps me learn something. This story does that! I enjoyed learning about Oya and her journey and powers, and through her about her culture.

Title: The Wind on Her Tongue
Series: Daughter of Three Waters Trilogy Book #2
Author: Anita Kopacz
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Atria Books/Atria Books Black Privilege Publishing
Pub Date: January 21, 2025
My Rating: 3.4 Stars
Pages: 224

Genre is listed as Historical Fiction however it also includes mythology, and magical realism.

Yemaya is a mermaid and lived in the shallow waters off the coast of West Africa, she married Obatala a fisherman and they have a daughter Oya.
Oya was born in Cuba and has inherited powers from her Yoruba Orisha heritage. She is the Orisha of the storm, wind and weather.
She is sent to New Orleans to study and live with Marie Laveau a voodoo woman, who will teach Oya how to control her powers and overcome the loss of the stillbirths and the miscarriages.
Although there are many variations about Oya – you will be pleased to read on!

Story was certainly different from my normal psychological thrillers. Sometimes I like to change it up a bit- and this did have me curious

Want to thank NetGalley and Atria Books/Atria Books Black Privilege Publishing – for this uncorrected text copy.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for January 21, 2025.

This was a beautifully done story and worked with the overall feel that I was looking for. Anita Kopacz has a strong writing style and it was a great journey to go on with the characters. I enjoyed the overall story being told and was glad I got to read this.