World Whisperer book review

Young adult novel spins fanciful tale of powers, growth
By: 
Jan Jones

With lots of baking to do, I turned to a selection from the Young Adult section. “World Whisperer” by Rachel Devenish Ford was both dire and hopeful.

A beautiful black woman named Amani and her children Isika, Benyameen and Aria have walked for months in search of Amani’s people. She is exhausted and heavily pregnant and decides to take her chances in a worker village where the citizens are the palest white she’s ever seen. She knows she won’t be welcome but has little choice with her baby Ibba due any day.

The worker village is a strange place. It is ruled by four cruel goddesses. Homes are separated by high walls, people eat one meager meal a day, and may not touch or look each other in the eye. The harsh life is made worse by ‘sending forth’ small children as sacrifices. The little ones are drugged and placed in a small boat and set adrift on the sea.

Isika hates the village and all the horrible rules. Ben hates it too. All his life, he’s been plagued by ‘strange music’ within his body. When he sees something that is ‘wrong’, he hears drums and feels discord and he is surrounded by what is wrong.

When a drought hits, the priest decrees that little Aria will be sacrificed. Amani, who is pregnant again, is devastated and gives birth to baby Kital weeks early. When Amani dies, Isika takes care of the baby. She loves Kital fiercely and does all she can to raise him well. Isika often clashes with her stepfather. She knows that the old priest is dying and is furious when he offers Kital to be ‘sent out’ to appease the goddesses and heal him.

With the help of the priest’s new wife, Jerutha, Isika and Ben make a bold plan to take Ibba and rescue Kital by using a hidden boat. Before they leave Isika promises to return whenever Jerutha needs her. They paddle hard and as they draw near, another boat arrives, takes Kital then rows away.

As they try to regroup on the beach, three huge birds approach them. Instead of fear, they feel peace and Ben’s inner music has become sweet and joyful. The birds speak to them, saying that all those sent from the Village have been saved and are in their capital city, even Aria.

Amani’s children explain about Kital, so the birds summon Jabari and Gabi, two teenaged boys who will guide them to Kital. During the long walk, Isika experiences a connection with all living things. Some soothe her, some give her strength and others offer her insight. She will also learn that she must hold her temper, listen more and trust others. Ben will learn that the ‘drums’ are a warning and even little Ibba has latent talents for making people feel better.

Once in the city, they learn that the worker village has been ‘poisoned’ by an evil demon who destroys joy and love while it sews distrust, anger, and cruelty. The people are helpless to fight it.

But to her amazement, Isika discovers that she has the power to defeat the demon and heal those who have been poisoned. She faces down the demon, rescues Kital and finally convinces Jabari that her magic isn’t evil.

Now that the siblings are together again, they must deal with the fact that they are the grandchildren of the lost queen. It appears that each one has inherited some of the queen’s special powers. Since this is the first book in a series, I’m sure that the young characters will strive to understand their heritage and their relationships with their new families. They will need to hone their skills and work together because they are destined for future confrontations with the demon, the sea people and more.

Can cut from here.

We can’t go places and do the things we used to, but we can ‘go places’ whenever we select a good book. The shelves of YOUR public library are filled with great choices. Put on your mask and drop by to check it out.

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