“The quiet calm of Ash Wednesday morning. Carnival is over. Everyone on the small island of St. Colibri is sleeping peacefully. Everyone except Sora Tanaka, a young pan player laying under the cannonball tree. Sora, a professional musician, had been visiting St. Colibri to take part in the island’s famous steel pan competition. But Sora isn’t asleep; she’s brutally murdered, and still in her costume.”
Passiontide, Monique Roffey
This book has stayed with me since I finished it last week. Roffey brought so many vivid and realistic characters to life, with passion and determination that resonated deep within me. The story is told from multiple points of view, but focuses on four women who create an unlikely group, determined to fight for their rights.
The sad reality of this book is that sexual assault and domestic violence are the primary danger for women everywhere in the world. The statistics are different from country to country, but the story is the same. Even if nothing has happened to you, you know at least one woman who’s been hurt. And for centuries, the women who were assaulted are the ones who are blamed.
Roffey perfectly encapsulates the pure rage that so many women feel when confronted with the misogyny that governs every system. The women in this book stroke that rage, letting the energy turn into determination to make a lasting change.
This book is outside of my typical genres, but had such an emotional impact. And while the subject matter itself is serious, there are moments that had me cackling, moments of tenderness, and moments of true womanhood that warmed my heart and made me feel hopeful about the future!
Thanks to Knopf for the free advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review!
Read with Fern 
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