In this Southern gothic horror debut, a young Black woman abandons her life in 1960s Chicago for a position with a mysterious family in New Orleans, only to discover the dark truth. They’re under a curse, and they think she can break it.

In the fall of 1962, twenty-seven-year-old Jemma Barker is desperate to escape her life in Chicago—and the spirits she has always been able to see. When she receives an unexpected job offer from the Duchon family in New Orleans, she accepts, thinking it is her chance to start over.

But Jemma discovers that the Duchon family isn’t what it seems. Light enough to pass as white, the Black family members look down on brown-skinned Jemma. Their tenuous hold on reality extends to all the members of their eccentric clan, from haughty grandmother Honorine to beautiful yet inscrutable cousin Fosette. And soon the shocking truth comes The Duchons are under a curse. And they think Jemma has the power to break it.

As Jemma wrestles with the gift she’s run from all her life, she unravels deeper and more disturbing secrets about the mysterious Duchons. Secrets that stretch back over a century. Secrets that bind her to their fate if she fails.

I received an advance galley of this book courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.

I love a good Southern gothic horror novel. It’s been a while since I’d read one, and this definitely hit the spot. Set in the Deep South in the 1960s, this story is full of curses, spirits, and dark family secrets.

The book focuses on 27-year-old Jemma Barker. When the book begins, Jemma’s life is coming apart, so when she receives a letter from Honorine Duchon, offering Jemma $300 a month if she moves in with Honorine and her family in New Orleans, Jemma takes her up on the offer. Jemma has no idea who this woman is or how she found her, but she’s desperate for money and feels that a change of scenery is exactly what she needs after all she has been through.

From the moment Jemma arrives in New Orleans, everyone she meets warns her to leave rather than stay with the family, and when she arrives at their home, it’s abundantly clear that something is off. The family members, who are Black but can pass as white, never leave their house and are all dressed as if it’s the 1940s. And where is the child that Jemma assumed she would be tutoring? It’s not long before Jemma learns that there is no child, and the family brought her there because they need help with a curse placed on them 28 years ago. A curse that prevents them from leaving their property and claims a family member’s life every seven years. Jemma has no idea how the family knows she can see ghosts or why they think she can help break their curse. But as the days pass, Jemma learns dark secrets about this eccentric family – secrets that may threaten her life and her sanity.

The author seamlessly blends elements of horror, suspense, and family drama and does it very well. The Duchon family’s complex history, secrets, and the curse that haunts them provide a haunting backdrop for Jemma’s journey. Even though I had a few suspicions about some of the characters early on, I loved watching it all come together.

Sandeen’s writing is immersive and easily draws readers into 1960s New Orleans. This is still very much a Jim Crow South, and Jemma is exposed to a lot more racism than she experienced in Chicago. It’s unsettling and adds an extra layer of danger and frustration to an already tense tale. Not only is there danger in the South, but all of that is amplified further at the Duchon’s home with the family’s dark secrets. There is a lot of tension and creepiness between these pages.

As far as characters go, this book is filled with several memorable ones. Jemma is a breath of fresh air in a genre that often lacks diverse representation. Not only is she fighting her own secrets, but she’s also dealing with the racism of a Jim Crow South and the colorism in the Duchon household. She is strong and driven, and I loved watching her grow. As far as supporting characters go, the Duchon family is the icing on the cake. Honorine and her family are characters you will either love or love to hate. I found myself pitying them one moment and then hating them the next.

I think my only complaint with this one was that I felt the pace was uneven. The author tended to repeat herself a lot – almost as if she didn’t trust the reader to remember certain plot points. I also felt like we would get several chapters of intense forward movement, and then things would slow down for a few chapters. I read an advance copy, so maybe some pacing issues were fixed before the final publication. Despite this, I still very much enjoyed the story.

Overall, I found this to be a haunting read that I couldn’t put down. It’s full of family secrets, curses, and creepy happenings, offering a unique twist on Southern Gothic horror. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a blend of the eerie and the mysterious. If you’re a fan of ghost stories, this one is a must-add to your Halloween TBR.

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