I added this to my To Read list in my library a long time ago, but I’ve only just gotten around to it! I’ve been looking for a few quick reads to get me through the wait as several of my holds are so very close to coming in and, well, I am trying to make sure I have the time to actually read all those books I’m waiting for. And this one looked really quick!
The story follows a young boy in the south named Hoodoo, wo was born with a heart shaped birthmark under his eye. One day he starts to see a strange man both in and out of his dreams, but it’s not until a talking crow visits that what’s going on starts to become clear: He is here to collect a debt from his dead father, and Hoodoo has to pay up. Hoodoo knows he must kill this stranger, but he does not know how—Yet.
I had a lot of difficulty with this book, honestly. I’ve got trouble with books that are very voice-y, and Hoodoo has a very distinctive voice in this story in the way he speaks and tells the narrative. It lingers on explanations that I can tell the character would want to explain more, such as what Moonshine is, but not on elements that I found myself not fully comprehending. Granted, some of this is because I am an Asian from Vancouver who is not familiar with how the southern hoodoo magic intersects with the bible, and how the folklore associated with hoodoo works.
I should also mention that one of the pivotal moments of this book involves lynching, so content warning. It’s middle grade, so I really wasn’t expecting that.
Overall, I think this was just a book that wasn’t for me. I’m not the intended audience. The story moved along pretty quickly and seemed to be pretty solid for a young audience that is more familiar with the cultural elements that lost me.