Title: She Drinks the Light
Author: Yasmin Angoe
Genres: Supernatural
Pages: 336
Publisher: Fewer & Friends
Review Copy: Purchased
Availability: Available Now
Summary: Addae has spent her whole life on the Golden Isle, a private island off the coast of South Carolina that has been in her family for centuries. Island residents don’t really fraternize with mainlanders, and for good reason. Golden Isle was founded by the Kinfolk, descendants—including Addae and her Nana Ama, the island matriarch—of escaped enslaved Black people.
But the Isle and the Kinfolk have secrets that must be protected from the outside world. Secrets of spirituality, mythology that are deeply rooted in their West African culture, beliefs, and traditions. The Kin are bound to protect the Golden Isle and, in turn, it protects them.
When Addae’s best friend Naria goes missing and one of the Kin turns up drained of blood, Addae’s way of life is threatened. It looks like the work of the Adze, West African supernatural beings that drink human blood in order to survive—also known as vampires.
Believing Naira is alive, Addae travels to the mainland. But as Addae gets closer to finding Naria, she uncovers deep secrets about Nana Ama’s past, and about her own… secrets that could change how she feels about the Golden Isle and her lineage.
Torn between two worlds, Addae will have to decide how far she is willing to go—and who she is willing to cross—to save her best friend, and even herself.
Review: Yasmin Angoe has been a writer of adult thrillers and She Drinks the Light is her first YA novel and it is an interesting one. As a lover of vampires, I was pulled by the premise of the novel that incorporated West African mythology and I expected a unique and fresh take on the vampire trope. I was not disappointed. The novel did start off slow as Angoe worked to develop the world of the story, pulling the reader into the mystery. I struggled a bit here but once the story got truly moving and all sorts of secrets were revealed I was all in. And, you know I love plot twists, this one had a great one. It really added to Angoe’s unique take on vampires and really pulled me more into the story.
At the heart of the story is Addae who is on the cusp of adulthood as she is graduating from high school at the beginning of the novel. She is not sure what she wants to do with her life because she knows she is tied to the Golden Isle as the granddaughter of the island’s matriarch. Addae’s grandmother is slowly training her for the future but Addae is unsure if she is truly worthy of following in her grandmother’s footsteps. And I get it as Nana Ama comes across as the wise old sage who is the epitome of wisdom and Addae constantly questions whether she is doing the right thing. Addae sometimes comes across as unlikeable as she is singularly focused on her needs which sets her against her bestie Naira, who has decided she wants to go to college off the island and travel the world. Of course when Naira goes missing Addae, upset that her last words to her best friend were in anger, decides to take it upon herself to find her friend. This bring Addae out of her comfort zone and let’s her begin to get answers to questions she’s always had but to also discover her own strengths. She has to learn to trust her gut, which she sometimes gets wrong, but she also begins to tap into her own power, both literally and metaphorically. I started off annoyed with Addae a bit at the beginning but by the end I was proud of her growth and truly felt for her. Addae’s world is truly upended by what she learns from her Nana Ama and through her experiences with learning to trust the world outside the Golden Isle.
While this novel is a complete story, I do feel like there could be companion novels or a series made from it as the world the Angoe created is compelling and I would love to either read more stories or visit Addae through some adventures. I feel like Angoe captured the young adult experience really well and I look forward to what she has in store for the future.