This historical novel set in the 1950s Georgia reads like a thriller with supernatural touches. Charlie and Magnolia are twin sisters, but they don't know it and they couldn't come from worlds further apart: Charlie is a Black civil rights organizer in New York City and Magnolia is a white Southern girl raised on a plantation who knows nothing of her racial heritage. Fast-faced, Charlie and Magnolia uncover secrets quickly when their grandmothers pass away and soon they learn of a curse that threatens their future. An enjoyable read, but also one that tackles the difficult topic of racism and its deep roots in the South. ( )

A riveting read for YA and adults. This book is a mishmash of historical fiction, romance, thriller, paranormal, fantasy.

Twin sisters Charlene (“Charlie”) Yates and Magnolia Heathwood were separated as infants. Their parents were killed because they dared to love someone of a different race. Magnolia appeared to be white so was claimed by the Heathwood family. Charlie, having dark skin, was raised in the North by Nana, her maternal grandmother.

The book opens in 1953 with Nana and Charlie taking a train to Eureka, Georgia. Nana is dying and wants to be buried where she grew up. Neither Charlie nor Magnolia know she has a twin sister, but that is about to change…with horrific consequences. Each sister will have to make a choice that will change her life.

Charlie organizes Civil Rights protests in Harlem. She is brave and outspoken, something not welcomed in the South. She will soon face the harsh reality of being Black in the South and living under the Jim Crow laws. Magnolia lives on a cotton plantation and is part of the white elite society. Her best friend Annamae is the epitome of the “Southern belle”, and Magnolia is expected to marry Annamae’s brother. She does not know she has lived her life “passing for White.”

This is a dark story with spirits and curses that the sisters struggle to understand. The ghosts of the slaves are demanding to be heard, to be freed. There are strong secondary characters that the sisters will need to help them fight the family curse.

Thank you to The Book Club Cookbook for the review copy. ( )

RGG: Fantastic, literally with the elements of magical realism, story that represents the Jim Crow South, the fight for Civil Rights in the North, the history of slavery and lynching, and the conflict of passing. Reading Interest: 13-YA.

You're pulled into this very quickly by a prologue that intrigues while laying the groundwork for what unfolds throughout the story. Two sisters, twins of a white father and black mother, are torn apart shortly after birth. the parents are murdered and one girl who is very light skinned, is raised to become a white southern belle by her cold, manipulative grandmother. The other twin, dark skinned Charley, ended up living with her other grandmother in New York City. This grandmother, knowing death is near, takes Charley back to Eureka, GA, intent upon having her meet her sister Magnolia. It's 1953 and the town is still deeply entrenched in segregation. What happens when the sisters meet is at times painful, at others revealing, and sometimes cringeworthy due to the level of racism. However, it portrays a place and time that was very real and prevalent across the south. It's something teens need to understand in view of how little things in many parts of our country have changed. This is an excellent read and a book deserving of shelf space in most libraries. ( )