Publishers Weekly
01/13/2014
As if it isn’t enough that Violet’s twin brother was killed in the Civil War, her family’s quiet Mississippi farm is changing in every way possible: before enlisting, her father remarries, giving Violet both an invalid stepmother and a spoiled stepsister, and he also agrees to take in Violet’s young cousin, Seeley. Adding more complications are the mysterious Doctor VanZeldt and his African companions, as well as a wounded Union soldier tucked away in the woods. Nickerson’s Strands of Bronze and Gold retold the Bluebeard story in antebellum Mississippi; this is a version of the Scottish tale of Tam Lin, with the fairy folk and their magic replaced by the VanZeldt’s voodoo. Tomboyish Violet’s interactions with Seeley and the Union soldier are charming, but Nickerson overburdens the book with plot, and the Civil War setting ends up an odd combination of special pleading (Violet is an unusually enlightened slave holder) and stereotype (the Africans are often described as moving with a feral grace), making for an overwrought jumble of the domestic and the fantastic. Ages 14–up. Agent: Wendy Schmalz, Wendy Schmalz Agency. (Mar.)
From the Publisher
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, February 2014:
"There’s a languid ease to the prose that invites readers to become fully immersed in the sweltering heat of a Mississippi summer, and Nickerson paints a picture of the Southern landscape that is rustic but ethereal and at times, eerie."
Publishers Weekly, January 13, 2014:
"Tomboyish Violet’s interactions with Seeley and the Union soldier are charming."
Kirkus Reviews, February 1, 2014:
"Far from the typical Civil War romance...[w]ith rich imagery and imaginative subplots driving the storyline."
BookPage:
"An exciting story—juicy, romantic and at times quite chilling."
Kirkus Reviews
2014-01-15
The author of Strands of Bronze and Gold (2013) returns to both Mississippi and fairy-tale retellings in this Civil War version of "Tam Lin." Seventeen-year-old Violet Dancey has recently lost her twin brother to battle. Despite the war, she feels a sisterly connection with Laney, a slave who grew up alongside them. Perhaps that's why Violet feels compelled to assist Amenze VanZeldt, a free black girl, while shopping in town. The act begins an apprehensive relationship with these Africans, who practice the conjuring spirituality of hoodoo (as opposed to the religious practice of voodoo). In this atmospheric story in which darkness houses mysteries, the VanZeldts seem to glide like shadows rather than walk as humans. Fateful events keep Violet and the eerie family connected, most notably the discovery of a wounded Union soldier. As a secret romance evolves between Violet and this Yankee who makes her question slavery, the VanZeldts furtively heal him. Tension builds as their reasons for keeping the soldier alive become clearer. With rich imagery and imaginative subplots driving the storyline, the loose "Tam Lin" connection doesn't really arrive until the end. The author is careful not to generalize all African-Americans, offering a wide variety of characters—black and white. With an inexplicable magic of her own, the ever-resilient Violet is a force against the VanZeldts' deadly rituals. Far from the typical Civil War romance. (Historical fantasy. 14 & up)
