Family Spirit

by Diane McKinney-Whetstone

Diane McKinney-Whetstone’s latest character-rich, page-turner blends her signature style with a little magic in her depiction of the Maces, a vibrant family of Philadelphia clairvoyants with issues.

Ayana has inherited the Knowing gene that the Maces believe have been passed down to at least one girl child in every generation from as far back as they can trace. But her mother has tried to convince her that she is nothing like those weird Mace women. To keep the peace, Ayana lies to everyone--to the Maces, insisting she’s never felt a Knowing, to her mother about participating in the rituals, and to herself about her relationship with a man who helps her recover time and time again from the mania she experiences after seeing into the future. Ayana’s aunt Lil, banned from the Mace home decades ago after violating a sacred vow, has returned to Philadelphia for a medical procedure. She settles into the chaos of her brother’s home where Ayana, a failing college senior, has also returned.

After a harrowing premonition, Ayana must decide whether to deepen family schisms by enlisting her aunt’s help, even as she learns the shocking details of Lil’s breech.

Meanwhile Nona, becomes more of a participant than creator as her own drama is deftly interspersed throughout, as she too yields to the power of the Mace family and its indomitable spirit.

Genres: Fantasy, Magical Realism, Contemporary, Fiction, African American

256 pages, Hardcover

Published August 12, 2025

Reviews

[Ciana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whetstone provides us with a meta narrative, we meet Nona an author who is married to Bob, a pilot, who she suspects is cheating on her. Nona is writing a story about Ayana a young clairvoyant woman whose gift stems from her paternal family, the Maces. The Maces are a family of seers and the gift is passed down through the women in the family. Nona’s story starts with Ayana, but quickly pivots to Lil’s story, her aunt. All three women, have family issues, and troubling relationships with their mother or maternal figure. All three of them have issues within their romantic relationships, from cheating, to being cheated on, to being sold out…they struggling! They also are all hiding some illness. It’s giving Virginia Wolfe Ms. Dalloway with magical/Santeria like rituals. Honestly I’m not sure what to think about the novel. I liked how we saw Nona processing her writing and allowing the characters to lead her, but moving between the stories was jarring and took a minute to understand whose story we’re reading. I wanted to like it, and there were moments when I was invested, but overall I feel like I needed more.

[Bobbieshiann · Rating 3 out of 5]

“These tears weren’t bringing, they were deleting. She felt the deletion draining the years of guilt for lies she’d told to hide herself.”

Family Spirit centers around Anaya and the Mace family she belongs to in Philadelphia, a line of women carrying clairvoyant abilities they call “Knowing.” Although the family’s beliefs are strong, Anaya hides her abilities to appease her mother. Still, she sees things, and the fear they bring causes her to rely on a man’s sexual attention to ease her thoughts and racing heart.

Interwoven in her story is her aunt Lil, who was exiled from the Mace family for breaking a sacred vow. Lil’s journey is one of self-discovery, and with a bit of rebellion festering in her, she struggles to recover from past mistakes. While both characters are central, Nona, the metafictional narrator, also plays a crucial role, telling the Mace family’s story while reflecting on her own current and past family issues.

As the story progresses, the lines between past and present blur. While Nona figures out how to move forward with her life, Lil and Anaya come together to understand a vision they each witnessed years apart, one that could disrupt the family more than anything before.

It took a while for the story to grow on me because it jumped to Lil’s story for a long time, and to me, it happened at the wrong moment. I felt like I was really connecting with Anaya, and then suddenly a shift took place. While all three characters learned something about themselves and the decisions they needed to make, the book was just okay for me.

[The Page Ladies Book Club · Rating 4 out of 5]

Family Spirit by Diane McKinney-Whetstone has everything I love in a family saga messy secrets, generational drama, a touch of magic, and characters who feel like people you actually know or are related to!

Ayana is supposed to carry on the Mace family’s Knowing, a gift that lets her see into the future but she spends most of her time pretending it doesn’t exist. She lies to her family, to her mom, even to herself, trying to keep the peace while holding it all together. Enter her Aunt Lil, who was basically banished years ago for breaking a sacred vow, and suddenly the old family tensions come roaring back. Add in Ayana’s own haunting premonitions and the return of some shocking family history, and you’ve got a story that’s equal parts heartbreaking and fascinating!

What I really loved here is how Diane McKinney-Whetstone blends the ordinary chaos of family life with the extraordinary pull of magical inheritance. The writing is beautiful but approachable, and the way she layers in Nona the writer inside the story was such a cool twist! It makes you think about how family stories get told, and who gets to tell them!

[meevreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

For generations, certain women in the Mace family have carried a gene of clairvoyance that they call the Knowing.

Ayana has inherited this ability, but kept it to herself as her mother had drilled into her that she was nothing like those weird Mace women. She struggles with the lies she's woven into all aspects of her life, pulled between the obligation towards her family and to herself.

When her aunt Lil, the black sheep of the family, comes back to Philadelphia, she has to face her lies as she confronts the vision that plagues her.

Diane McKinney-Whetstone has written a beautiful and atmospheric tale full of family drama, longing, and suspense.

I enjoyed how she has interwoven the stories of Ayanna, Lil and Nona and we are left to follow the common thread until the story ultimately unravels. I had a nice time reading it.

Thank you to Amistad Books and Colored Pages Book Tours for the gifted copy!

[Courtney Pityer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Family Spirit is a very interesting novel that deals with the heartbreaking topic of mental illness running in families. I will say I was very moved by this story and it's plot. This novel makes you realize how easy you might have while others around you don't have it so easy.

We are introduced to Anaya who has suffered from horrible panic disorders and has had very descriptive premonitions for most of her life. Although she tries her hardest to succeed in life to please her parents but at the same time her coping skills for managing her illness includes seeking "attention from men". When her long lost Aunt Lil who suffers from the same ailment returns Anaya finally feels luke she has someone who understands her.

[Ms. Woc Reader]

Review to come

[Monique Howery · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an easy read. I'm typically drawn to stories involving the supernatural and this book blended elements that I find compelling--the intersection of everyday life with real but unexplainable experiences like premonitions. Like another book I recently read (Death of the Author), this was a book within a book.

We have the main story of the Mace women who are clairvoyant, and we also have the story of the author, Nona, writing the story of the Mace women. This is an atypical approach to storytelling that I didnt find especially effective here. Other than give insight into various aspects of the main Mace narrative, Nona's story lacked depth and did not add much. The Mace story could have been told without the Nona narrative which would have allowed deeper exploration of characters in the Mace story, many of whom were flat like Lil's mother Hortense and Ayana's lover Cue.

Overall, this was a decent weekend read.

[Sarah Pavelko · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of potential

I really enjoyed the main story. I appreciated the authors attempt to look at what an author felt when writing but it was all too much and nothing to as fully developed.

[Bobbie Keane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ayana inherited the Knowing gene passed down to Mace girls for generations, but had to deny it because her mother didn’t approve. Her great aunt Lil was disinherited decades earlier and the two share the same disconcerting vision… Quick read but narrative kept shifting so felt disjointed.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

You know I liked this, but didn't love it. I enjoyed the concept, but it just seemed short and wrapped up quickly. I definitely wanted more with Ayanna in the present.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Diane McKinney-Whetstone’s Family Spirit is a lush, character-first novel that turns generational drama into something magical—literally. Set in a vividly drawn Philadelphia, the story follows Lil Mace, a prodigiously gifted clairvoyant, as she returns home for cancer treatment after years of painful estrangement. Her homecoming cracks open decades of family secrets and resurrects old wounds, forcing the Maces—a clan whose supernatural talents are matched only by their emotional baggage—to confront the ties that both bind and break them.

McKinney-Whetstone writes with poetic grace, weaving together the Mace family’s past and present in a way that feels both intimate and epic. The clairvoyance at the heart of the story isn’t just a party trick; it’s a lens for exploring betrayal, forgiveness, and the heavy cost of protecting your own. The shifting timelines and magical realism deepen the sense of generational trauma and longing, while never losing sight of the characters’ humanity.

What truly stands out is the novel’s sense of place. Philadelphia hums in the background, as alive as the Maces themselves. The supernatural elements add intrigue, but the emotional core—love, resentment, sacrifice—keeps the story grounded and relatable. You might find the structure or magical touches a bit challenging, but you will likely still be swept up by the novel’s lyrical prose and emotional depth.

Family Spirit is both propulsive and beautiful—a refreshing twist on the family saga that lingers long after the last page. Highly recommended for anyone who loves literary fiction with a touch of the mystical.

[Yvette Sapp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Amistad and Net Galley for the copy of Family Spirit.

The Mace family is introduced via Nona, who is dealing with medical issues whose husband is often away due to his career as a pilot. Nona’s story is connected to a family she begins to write about, the Mace family. The women in the Mace family are clairvoyants, and portions of the book focuses on challenges of the family members having that gift, known as the “Knowing” among the family.
Two of the Mace family members, Lil, who has the gift but has been estranged from the family behind a breach of the Knowing, but returns to family hometown on Philadelphia as she deals with a health issue. Her arrivals opens up long simmering tensions, as her niece Ayana faces navigating spaces recognizing her own gift. The individual challenges facing Lil and Ayana are interwoven with news of family secrets and the recognition of past hurts.

The city of Philadelphia is a character in the book, as Dianne McKinney-Whetstone introduces landmarks and places around the city that are connected to the Mace family members.

McKinney-Whetstone does a fine job of connecting all the characters and stories together, in a way that allows readers to feel the magic and the messiness of the family while also feeling the love and support that they give to one another. The story will hold you right until the end of the book.

[Deepthi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tropes:
✨Magical Realism
✨Multi-generational Family saga
✨Secret-Keeping
✨Healing and reconciliation
✨Female empowerment and Sisterhood


Family Spirit by Diane McKinney-Whetstone is honestly such a vibe it’s a multi-generational family drama packed with magical realism, strong Black women, and messy secrets that keep you flipping pages way past midnight. The story follows Ayana, who’s dealing with her inherited gift of “knowing” the future, and her struggle to fit in with both her supernatural family and everyone else. Add in her banished Aunt Lil’s messy return and a clever twist where Nona, the novelist, becomes a character in her own story.

The writing here is engaging, lyrical and atmospheric. The characters mainly Ayana is a relatable, flawed college senior wrestling with family duty feel like the kind of aunties and cousins you argue with and laugh alongside IRL. Every character feels authentically messy yet lovable, creating a crew that’s both relatable and memorable. There’s chaos in the best way, old family beef, generational traditions, and a sprinkle of magic that hits different but never overshadows the relatable drama. It’s a book about healing, owning your story, and finally accepting the gifts and baggage you inherit.

For anyone craving a fast, emotional read that feels equal parts nostalgic and fresh, you should totally checkout Family Spirit.

[Quaterria Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Amistad for the free book!

I do really enjoy books with magical realism and this book encompasses just that as it tells the story of Ayana, a member of the family of Mace women who has inherited the "knowing" gene but has to hide it from her mother. One day, Ayana has a vision that severely affects the livelihood of her family and must decide if she will keep this to herself or help her family.

Nona is a character writing the story about Ayana and her family and it is so interesting how what Nona writes is a reflection of the unraveling of her own story as unresolved issues surface, similar to the issues that Ayana and the Mace family face.

Read this if you like books with a combination of Black womanhood and ancestral gifts.

3.5 Stars

[Kate Brasington · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a captivating story! It opens with Nona who is writing a story about a clairvoyant family. We get to read the story as Nona is writing it and get her perspective on why she thinks the characters are acting the way they do.
Within the story we get to meet Ayanna and Lil and get to know them more in depth.
This is not just a story about clairvoyant people but also about how a family can come back together after years of being separated due to differences.
I highly recommend this book, and I am so glad I got to read it! Thank you to the author and coloring pages book tours for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Family Spirit explores the lives of three women - the narrator, Nona who is a writer, and her two fictional characters Ayana and Lil who are clairvoyants. As the story unfolds we realize Nona’s writing is cathartic to her, and her characters’ lives sometimes reflect her own despite the fantasy elements.

Familial bonds and expectations are central to the plot, and through each woman’s pov we experience the burden that comes with these and how they choose to react. This story is unlike any I’ve read before, and is sure to resonate with many readers with the powerful themes explored within.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy a book featuring magical realism and this one did not disappoint. This is the story, employing dual timelines, to focus Ayana and Lil and their coming to terms with their gifts of “knowing”. It is a beautiful story of family, tradition and acceptance. The story of Nona is intertwined with the rest of the story and, in my opinion would have been just as well left out to focus solely on the Mace family.

Thank you to Amistad and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Carrolet · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story begins with Nona, a writer who is trying to decide between two storylines that are both an immediate pull into the novel. Her characters are magical and share much of what Nona is dealing with in her life. I had to work at keeping Nona and her characters separate in my mind, but I enjoyed the work. I also enjoyed the everyday-ness of their lives. The men play mostly supporting roles, while the women shine. An interesting and spirit filled story.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty fascinating book. Characters so beautifully drawn that I could see/feel them in the room with me, as if I was the proverbial fly on the wall. Dual, interwoven stories that tie together perfectly, dusted with a coat of magical realism. Plus, it’s set in Philly, a Philly I know, and could visualize the characters there. I guess it’s pretty clear I liked the story. This was my first book by this author, and I definitely will seek out more.

[Dominique McAlister · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t think I could give Diane McKinney Whetstone anything lower than 4 stars. But I don’t see myself relistening (s/o to everand) to “family spirit,” or recommending it to anyone.

My attention bc was gone halfway through the book, but I kept going bc “Tumbling,” and “trading dreams at midnight, were so good. “Blues Dancing,” was written with such musicality it was inarguably a good read, whether you liked the plot/characters or not.

[brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful story about family history, tradition and different viewpoints of the story. Was a pleasant read. There was a lot to keep up with when it came to the different storylines within the story, but once you can sort them out, the story has a lot of beautiful points.

[Teonna · Rating 5 out of 5]

The characters lifted off the page, I understood them in this beautiful blend of fantasy and reality. The thoughts of a writer and how their own thoughts , life events, and emotions dance with the characters they create.

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting

I am not sure how to describe this one. The plot kind of meanders and is definitely more a character and family study. It was definitely interesting and the characters drew me in.

[The Book Jawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author never misses. I absolutely enjoyed this story and encourage all to read it.

[Shnika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not my type of book

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted more of the Knowing.

[Asia C · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 ⭐️

Thank you to Amistad and Netgalley for this ARC!


Ayana, a college senior with the Mace family’s inherited Knowing gene, hides her visions while navigating family secrets and her tumultuous relationship with a man who helps her recover from the mania they bring. When her estranged Aunt Lil returns, Ayana must confront a terrifying premonition, while the novelist chronicling their story weaves her own drama throughout.

I wish there were more pages to fully explore the Mace family, especially Aunt Lil and Ayana. It took me a while to get into each character’s story, including Nona’s, and just as I was settling in, the focus would shift to someone else. The stories do connect, but for me, it didn’t quite click. That said, I’ve heard amazing things about this author and I’m definitely willing to try more of her books.

[Chante Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

~ ARC provided by NetGalley & publisher in exchange for my honest opinion ~

I really enjoyed this read! While I think it could have explored some aspects a bit deeper, and I sometimes had trouble keeping track of the characters, it still captivated me. I’ve always been drawn to stories about family dynamics mixed with a touch of magic. The dual narratives added an extra layer that I absolutely loved—books within books are a personal favorite of mine! The end though, ha, yea I'll be looking for book 2.