Tag: Black and African American fiction

Book review: ‘Root of All Evil’ by Ayura Ayira

‘Root of All Evil’ is the thrilling new novel by Ayura Ayira. Photo: Amazon

Ayura Ayira is a melting pot author who, with a masterful blend of genres, effortlessly spins captivating tales that empower, uplift, and celebrate the enduring power of strength, love, and diversity. Her books delve into dark content and feature characters from diverse social, economic, and racial backgrounds, often set in international locations. “Root of All Evil” is set in an intricate world of politics, spies, and assassinations where nothing is ever as it appears. It is available on Amazon and Goodreads. (Amazon, 2023)

“Root of All Evil” – What do you do when your true existence is cloaked in darkness? Set in fictional Togulisho, West Africa, First Lady Zayani Ada, formerly known as Chinasa, resides in a realm of duality, fueled by a clandestine operation orchestrated by her dictator husband Changa Ada and the powerful foreign forces that sustain tyranny. Balancing a facade of humanitarianism with internal turmoil, she keeps her identity concealed, haunted by the heinous acts she once played a part in during her country’s harrowing genocide. The story begins as a flashback in the Prologue, when, as a young girl, Zayani witnesses the total slaughter of her village and is taken as a child bride. In the first chapter, she is hosting a charity gala to benefit the Ijun people when she meets Stefan, who will ultimately challenge everything she has ever believed. In that moment, she tumbles into an overwhelming infatuation. With him, she can finally shed the layers of pretense and confront the consequences of her past actions—the damage she inflicted upon the world as a child soldier and the devastation she furthered by marrying the man responsible for spearheading the ethnic cleansing campaign that shattered her life. The weight of her secrets has placed her life, as well as the lives of her people, in constant jeopardy. Before she can embrace her own rendition of a blissful ending, she knows she must confront her past and seek redemption. As love beckons to her soul, the urge for revenge is stronger. She must reconcile her past misdeeds, charting a course that paves the way for her ultimate happily ever after.

In novels, politics, civil war, and humanitarian issues can sometimes be one sided and feature mostly male characters. What makes “The Root of All Evil” unique is that the protagonist is a strong female character who has been through hell and back, yet wants to help her people but still needs to look out for herself. Zayani can never let her guard down as she is under constant threat of violence. To make matters worse, she has to pretend to like her husband as a survival mechanism but in reality she cannot stomach him. She is complex and multidimensional; vulnerable but strong and smart enough to know when to push an issue and when to let it go: “Zayani wondered if she was boundary-defying or just a bitch with a long memory.” Due to her circumstances, she was a child soldier so as an adult, she has no qualms about killing when necessary. Even though she experiences love, she does not let it cloud her judgement because she learns that “Love, the soul’s highest aspiration, was remarkably unreliable. Hate is the most reliable emotion in the world.” With complex and well developed characters, this well written political thriller goes deep into the mind of a woman who has been through enough trauma and pain to last her a lifetime. The language is down to earth yet hauntingly poetic and descriptive: “The cut sounded like a foot sliding into a slipper, but the red of his insides splattered her face.” Overall, “The Root of All Evil” is a must read page turner with a riveting story that shines a light on how far people are willing to go due to greed and an unquenchable thirst for power. It is recommended for fans of Tom Clancy, Robert Ludlum, and Vince Flynn who appreciate political thrillers with an added human element component.

*Disclaimer: due to violence and sexual content, this book is intended for mature readers, but in this reviewer’s opinion, the violence is not graphic.

“Sometimes the only response to unspeakable cruelty is cruelty. There is no speech, no prison, no meeting of the minds, that reaches these people. There is only blood for blood.”

*The author was contacted for an honest review of this book. The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to her.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Book review: ‘The Union’ by Leah Vernon

‘The Union’ by Leah Vernon is a coming of age novel set in a dystopian future. Photo: Amazon

Leah Vernon is an author, body-positive activist, and the first international plus-size Hijabi model. During her double master’s program, she started a blog about being a fat Black Muslim in Detroit experiencing everything from eating disorders to anti-Blackness. She has been featured in ads from Target to Old Navy and even made it to the New York Times and HuffPost. She currently resides in New York City. Her new book “The Union” is a daring dystopian novel that explores the power of friendship in a future society built on violence and division. (Amazon, 2023)

“The Union” – A thousand years in the future, a black elite class reigns. The lower classes, made up of whites, toil in the fields or scrape by in blighted cities, serving their rulers in a cruel, divided world. The story begins with Saige Wilde, a mixed-race enslaved girl whose only goal is escaping beyond the borders of their brutal nation. Among the Lower Residents, there are three classes: Domestic, Chattel, and Impure. Because she is mixed, she is simply labeled as Impure. In this dystopian world, color determines everything: “the paler you were, the worse you got it.” Among the Elites is eighteen-year-old Avi Jore, born to a powerful father and destined to rule. As she comes of age, Avi cannot help but notice the injustices in her world―the treatment of enslaved workers and the oppression of the lower classes. Her disillusionment grows when she meets Saige, who saves her from an assassination attempt, and their paths become intertwined in ways they never imagined. As Saige plots her path to freedom, Avi tries to enact change from the inside but it is a complicated endeavor, filled with danger and malice. Together, their efforts could spark a revolution and underscore the staggering power of friendship.

“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely,” this is the quote from George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” that comes to mind while reading “The Union.” Regardless of who is in charge, there is a risk of them eventually going power hungry and those who are not end up under their heels. Such is the case in this totally engaging speculative novel that dares to imagine a world where whites are not the ruling class. Add in elements of a coming of age novel and friendships that are tested by life’s complications and you have a thought provoking story. Judging by the ending, this is likely to be a series and it would be interesting to read where the author takes these characters. They are well developed, relatable, and strong willed. The narration is in the first person point of view and switches back and forth between Avi and Saige, giving readers a glimpse into their thought processes. With descriptive language that is simple and down to earth, the story flows through the pages, making it a fast read. “The Union” is a coming of age fiction set in a dystopian future similar to the Hunger Games. It may appeal to fans of the genre who appreciate strong characters in tales of revolution and class struggles all mixed in with politics.

“The environment was nothing that I’d ever experienced. It was as if an acidic mist lingered over the entire block, turning everything into the same dull color. The buildings were tall, connected, and intimidating, like they had trapped any soul that had tried to escape. It was like being in a parallel universe, eons away from home.”

*The author received a copy of this book for an honest review. The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to her.

Rating: 4 out of 5.