Daughter of the Merciful Deep by Leslye Penelope

Rating: 4.5 stars

Recommended Ages: 12+

Release Date: June 4, 2024.

Daughter of the Merciful Deep is a beautifully written story about how love, family, belief and community can bring hope in the face of hatred and ignorance. The book follows Jane Edwards, a young woman living in Awenasa, a small, vibrant Black town in the American South. Jane lost her voice after tragic events caused by the sins of white men left her emotionally scarred. Now Awenasa, a town founded by a former slave who bought the land upon which he was forced to work, is threatened by state authorities who plan to drown the town after completion of a large dam. Jane might be able to save the town, but she must believe in miracles in the form of the gods of her ancestors. Author Leslye Penelope was inspired in part by the true stories of the drowned Black towns of the American South in the early 20th Century. To this she adds African folklore to tell the tale of a young woman who must overcome her past to save the people and town that she loves.

While this book started a bit slow, I was soon engulfed into this world--the people of Awenasa came alive, and I was invested in Jane's search for a way to save her town. Daughter of the Merciful Deep is a historical fantasy, and halfway through the book there is a shift in the fantastical elements that in lesser hands could have seemed abrupt. But there was enough forethought in how these elements were introduced that moving from grounded reality to beyond reality seemed natural.

This book confronts the stark verity of America's racist past in a very personal way--through the eyes of one young woman. That Jane's story and indeed, the story of Awenasa, can also be so hopeful and, at times, joyous, not only speaks to the writing, but the resilient spirit of the people upon which Penelope based this story. I was enchanted by the fantastical elements; and I wouldn't mind reading an entire book about what happens after this story ends.

I highly recommend Daughter of the Merciful Deep to fans of historical fiction and fantasy, and am eager to read more of this author's work.

Thank you to Redhook and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.