I really enjoyed reading this book!!! It’s not like your typical historical fiction that involves slavery because these slave owners were on the verge of being poor. The cruelty and unjust treatment was still there I just liked the twist of it being about survival on all parts.

The Harlow’s thirst for financial gain resulted in the idea of forcefully breeding their slaves Junie, Patience, Lulu, Alice, and Serah with random stockmen. I kept thinking if y’all that damn poor let them people go. Can barely afford to keep your land let alone a slave. Gotta force them to breed with men in hopes of creating more workers cause y’all broke. But I love how the women didn’t just allow it to happen and conjured a plan of their own. With the help of Nan a cotton root was concocted that would hopefully prevent any of them from bearing a child. It even helped Mrs. Harlow at one point.

The most memorable characters were Serah and Monroe. Their forced marriage was toxic and abusive. Serah was in love with another man by the name of Noah so I can understand her distant behavior from Monroe. Once Monroe found out she was creeping he became angered and abusive. This man hit Serah over the head with a wooden plank that’s how serious things got.

The dialogue between the characters was amazing and immersive literally read the book in like 3 days. The structure was very different flipping back and forth between a first and third person narrative. Only two of the six main characters were richly developed while the others just helped the plot move along.

Overall, this is a book I’d definitely recommend. The author provides a different experience with her vivid portrayal of the challenges these women faced while trying to survive. Again it’s not like our normal historical narratives because we’re given a different perspective on bondage, solidarity, defiance, and survival.