A woman learns the astonishing truth of her family’s ties to a vanished American Kingdom in this riveting new novel from the bestselling and award-winning author of Take My Hand
Nikki Berry hasn’t seen her estranged grandmother Rita in years – until an unexpected phone call summons her to the hills of North Carolina. There, Nikki learns the astonishing truth of her family’s her formerly enslaved ancestor Luella was the queen of a now vanished American Kingdom.

The Kingdom of the Happy Land sounds like a fairytale. But beneath its legend, family secrets lie buried deep in the hills . . .

Now, Nikki must protect her family’s legacy before – like so much else – it is stolen away.

I read “Take My Hand” by Dolen Perkins Valdez last year and absolutely loved it. So when I saw her latest, I knew I had to read it. Valdez does historical fiction so well. She shines a light on real stories and injustices that Black people have faced throughout history, and she does it with characters who feel fully human and stories that stay with you long after you finish.

This book follows two timelines. In the present, we meet Nikki Lovejoy-Berry, who visits her estranged grandmother, Mother Rita, in the hills of North Carolina. Their relationship is strained due to some tension between Mother Rita and Nikki’s mother, but Nikki makes the trip anyway. In the past, 150 years earlier, we follow Luella Bobo, whose people move into those same hills to create the Kingdom of the Happy Land. A settlement of formerly enslaved people who strike out to build a better world for themselves.

Through conversations with Mother Rita, Nikki learns about the Kingdom and her own connection to it through her ancestry. She learns about the people who came before her. The sacrifices they made. The community they built. The land they fought to keep. And as she learns, she begins to understand the importance of knowing her history and reconnecting to her past.

The dual timeline structure is perfect. Valdez moves back and forth between past and present seamlessly. I was never confused. The timelines are clearly marked, and each one feeds into the other in a way that builds momentum. You want to know what happens next in both stories. You want to see how they connect. And when those connections finally come together, it hits hard.

What I appreciate most about Valdez’s work is how she brings history to life. She doesn’t just tell you what happened. She shows you the people it happened to. She makes them real. She makes you care. And she makes you understand why these stories matter.

The characters are a highlight in this book. Nikki is dealing with her own life, her own struggles, and her own complicated feelings about family. She’s not sure why she’s here. She’s not sure what she’s supposed to get from this trip. But as she listens to Mother Rita and learns about Luella and the Kingdom, something shifts. She starts to see herself and her family differently.

Luella and the people of the Kingdom are just as compelling. They’re building something from nothing. They’re trying to create safety and community in a world that has only ever shown them violence and exploitation. And it’s not easy. It’s never easy. But they keep going. They plant roots. They build homes. They raise children. They create traditions. And they fight to protect what they’ve built.

The story is frustrating and heartbreaking. The injustices, the cruelty and the violence is all too real. And Valdez doesn’t look away from it. She shows you what these people endured. What they survived. What they lost. But there are also moments of celebration, love and triumph. The book doesn’t let you sit in only one emotion. It makes you feel everything. By the end of the book, Nikki’s journey and reconnection with her estranged grandmother and her ancestry felt real and her future looks brighter because of it.

I enjoyed this book. The characters are unforgettable, the story is powerful, and Valdez continues to prove that she’s one of the best historical fiction writers working today. I’m already looking forward to whatever she does next.
If you love character-driven historical fiction, stories about community and resilience, or books that explore family and legacy, this is absolutely worth your time.