5 Things I Loved About Bacchanal by Veronica Henry

Bacchanal

Evil lives in a traveling carnival roaming the Depression-era South. But the carnival’s newest act, a peculiar young woman with latent magical powers, may hold the key to defeating it. Her time has come.

Abandoned by her family, alone on the wrong side of the color line with little to call her own, Eliza Meeks is coming to terms with what she does have. It’s a gift for communicating with animals. To some, she’s a magical tender. To others, a she-devil. To a talent prospector, she’s a crowd-drawing oddity. And the Bacchanal Carnival is Eliza’s ticket out of the swamp trap of Baton Rouge.

Among fortune-tellers, carnies, barkers, and folks even stranger than herself, Eliza finds a new home. But the Bacchanal is no ordinary carnival. An ancient demon has a home there too. She hides behind an iridescent disguise. She feeds on innocent souls. And she’s met her match in Eliza, who’s only beginning to understand the purpose of her own burgeoning powers.
Only then can Eliza save her friends, find her family, and fight the sway of a primordial demon preying upon the human world. Rolling across a consuming dust bowl landscape, Eliza may have found her destiny.

Content Tags:

Perfect for readers who want:

• Books with a dark, creepy atmosphere where monsters lurk in the dark.
• African mythology and Orisha.
• Characters who all have secrets and ulterior motives.
• A unique, interesting setting in a dark carnival.
• Interesting magic and different powers/abilities.

Many thanks to 47North and JeanBookNerd for a copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

I was absolutely won over by the synopsis for this, not to mention that dark, creepy cover! Plus, who can resist some African mythology in a carnival setting? Not this girl! So of course I just had to pick up this book.

Bacchanal is a dark, atmospheric foray into carnival life and African mythology. Everybody has secrets, and they’re guarded well, for the carnival isn’t quite as it seems.

There were some things that didn’t quite work for me in this book (mostly related to the romance and love triangle, which I think would surprise exactly none of you). However, there were also a lot of really unique things in this book, and I want to highlight some of those. So rather than a traditional review today, I’d like to tell you about some of my favorite things in this book!

1. Veronica Henry sure can capture an atmosphere. There are moments that will genuinely give you the creeps, in all the right ways.

One thing’s for sure: Henry can build a setting! The carnival comes to life in Bacchanal in fun and unexpected ways, from the almost Jumanji-esque African drumming when a certain demon is around to the overall sense of looming darkness and dread. This isn’t exactly a carnival you’d necessarily want to visit . . . although you know I totally would. Because how could you not?!

There were moments in this book that definitely gave me goosebumps and had me wondering what awful thing was lurking on the next page. The atmosphere was fantastic! I don’t know about you, but I tend to find carnivals kind of creepy to start with, so I was delighted when Henry’s vision lived up to that. Even if you tend to enjoy carnivals, this one is supposed to be creepy. Henry reminds the reader of this in between the mystery and the action as things are not quite right for all the carnival goers. Some of which visit . . . and never leave! *makes woooo noises and wiggles fingers at you*

2. Henry pulls in African mythology and legends and nicely diversifies the carnival setting by giving it an African feel.

I feel like there are quite a few carnival books out there, especially recently, but it was a bit of fresh air to get a unique African spin on that setting. It makes sense that a carnival run by an African demon would be very African, right? It isn’t just the characters, though, even though a lot of them are African, but it’s the attractions Henry writes about, as well.

Not all of these are named, but readers might recognize them all the same, like a were-hyena/kishi. Some are named, like the eloko that happens to be called Eloko (which is maybe a little on-the-nose, and part of me wonders why no one ever seemed to pick up on that, but hey, that’s just me). This book plays on the mythology of the ahiku, where abused and neglected children spurn the real world and die young to live happier lives in the spirit world.

The Orisha even play a part in this, though it’s really only Oya. I would’ve loved to see more about the Orisha and have things tied into the larger pantheon, but either way, it was still exciting seeing Oya play such a big role in the story!

3. The characters are really diverse, with very different backgrounds, and each brings something unique (and potentially dangerous) to the carnival.

This goes back to the idea that everyone has a secret . . . and sometimes, they’re not even aware of their own secrets, which makes the story all the more thrilling! The characters in Bacchanal exist in a gray area. They’re not necessarily bad people, but they’re definitely not good people, either. They almost all have ulterior motives and not-so-great things they’ve done that have led them there.

I enjoyed the difference in backgrounds between all the characters. Even though most of them are Black or African, their stories are all very unique in how they ended up at Bacchanal. I don’t want to say too much more than that, because discovering the characters is half the fun in the book. Needless to say, though, I really enjoyed learning their backstories!

4. The magic in this book is unique and interesting, with a very African feel to it.

There are demons and spirits and shapeshifting and all sorts of dark, wonderful things. Not that it’s all dark, of course, because it’s not. There’s some of the traditional things, like being able to see glimpses of the future. There are more fun powers, though, like Liza’s ability to communicate with spirits through conjuring up images. I thought this was a really neat way for communication to occur! Plus, like with all communication, it sometimes goes awry . . . in less-than-ideal ways that leave the animal dead. So talk about upping the stakes with that one.

5. Despite being historical fiction, this book is filled with strong women (from the heroine to the villain and several in between).

Society just keeps trying to knock them down, and they keep on keeping on, which I absolutely loved. As the protagonist, Liza hasn’t had a great life, and as a woman, it’s been even harder for her on her own. Still, she’s been determined to make her own way in life and doesn’t need a man to do it.

This theme is echoed nicely through the other female characters, who are strong in their own right, even those who do have male partners. There are even two characters who are female warriors, and while they’re not exactly sympathetic characters (nor are they necessarily meant to be), it’s hard not to feel something for them and, at the very least, respect their abilities.

About Veronica Henry

Veronica G. Henry was born in Brooklyn, New York, and has been a bit of a rolling stone ever since. Her work has appeared in various online publications. She is a graduate of the Viable Paradise Workshop and a member of SFWA.

Veronica is proud to be of Sierra Leonean ancestry and counts her trip home as the most important of her life. She now writes from North Carolina, where she eschews rollerballs for fountain pens and fine paper. Other untreated addictions include chocolate and cupcakes.

Veronica's debut novel, Bacchanal, will be published in the Spring of 2021.

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3 Winners will receive a Copy of BACCHANAL by Veronica G. Henry.
—Giveaway is open to International. | Must be 13+ to Enter
Ends June 21, 2021

You can find the full tour schedule here.

WEEK ONE

MAY 31st MONDAY BookHounds REVIEW & INTERVIEW
JUNE 1stTUESDAY JeanBookNerd INTERVIEW
JUNE 2nd WEDNESDAY Casia’s Corner SPOTLIGHT
JUNE 3rd THURSDAY J.R.’s Book Reviews REVIEW
JUNE 4th FRIDAY TTC Books and More REVIEW
JUNE 4th FRIDAY Lady Hawkeye EXCERPT

WEEK TWO

JUNE 7th MONDAY A Court of Coffee and Books REVIEW
JUNE 8th TUESDAY Ya It’s Lit REVIEW
JUNE 9th WEDNESDAY Gwendalyn’s Books REVIEW
JUNE10th THURSDAY The Bookwyrm’s Den REVIEW
JUNE10th THURSDAY Pages Below the Vaulted Sky SPOTLIGHT
JUNE11th FRIDAY Book Briefs REVIEW