What another amazing ride Kathleen took me through! Glory Over Everything is the amazing sequel to The Kitchen House (see my previous review on that one). Usually, I find with most sequels they're not as memorable or captivating as the first book. However, this sequel is just as good, if not better than the first. You can read it as the sequel to The Kitchen House, or you can read it as a stand-alone.
As the synopsis states,
"The year is 1830 and Jamie Pyke is keeping a deadly secret. Although he is passing as a wealthy white aristocrat in Philadelphian society, Jamie is really a runaway slave, hiding in plain sight, still hunted. But Jamie's carefully constructed world begins to come apart when his beloved young servant, Pan, whom he has sworn to protect, is kidnapped and sold into slavery in the South.
Tracing the boy to a North Carolina plantation, Jamie risks his life to save Pan from the fate he himself barely escaped as a child. Fortunately, a fearless slave, Sukey, has been mothering the terrified young boy, planning to get him out on the Underground Railroad. As the ruthless slave hunters close in, the three make a run for freedom through the Virginia backwoods and the treacherous Great Dismal Swamp, where they are faced with another desperate choice."
Once again, each character has their own distinct voice and I was hooked from the beginning. Not only are there alternate chapters told from the perspective of James (Jamie) and Pan, but also of Sukey and Caroline. We meet Sukey in The Kitchen House, where she was a newborn and then up until she was a young girl. Now, she's a grown woman with children of her own, but they have all been sold as slaves on various plantations. One thing that never changed about Sukey is her bravery and perseverance. Caroline is James' true love, but their romance is the forbidden kind; almost akin to Romeo and Juliet.
Of course, it wouldn't be a Grissom novel without plenty of deaths!
**SPOILERS AHEAD**
One of those deaths was the death of Rankin, the evil overseer from The Kitchen House. He was beyond ruthless and even sold his own flesh and blood into slavery (after raping one of the slaves). All of these years later, he was still after James. I literally yelled out in joy when he was killed by James. But, my heart sank when Sukey died in childbirth.
**END OF SPOILERS**
Overall, this novel is an amazing follow up to the just as amazing first novel. You follow the characters through this amazing journey that will literally leave you on the edge of your seat. I'm not ashamed to admit the countless nights I've stayed up way later than I should have, just to get one more chapter in! I highly recommend this novel!
Overall rating: 5/5 stars.
Until next time bookworms,
xoxococonutlatte
Comentários