The Jumbie God's Revenge

The Jumbies #3

by Tracey Baptiste

The scariest and most heart-pounding installment of the highly praised and popular  Jumbies series!

Huracan summons the wind and rain and wields lightning like a sword. He doesn’t miss and he never falters. He will destroy everything in his path if he desires.

When an out-of-season hurricane sweeps through Corinne’s seaside village, she knows it’s not an ordinary storm. At first Corinne believes Mama D’Leau, the powerful and cruel jumbie who rules the ocean, has caused the hurricane. Then an even more ferocious storm wrecks the island, sending villagers fleeing their houses for shelter in the mountains, and Corinne discovers the chaos wasn’t caused by a jumbie, but by an angry god, Huracan.

Corinne, with the help of her friends and even some of her enemies, must race against time to find out what has angered Huracan and try to fix it before her island home is destroyed forever.

The Jumbie God’s Revenge blends Caribbean and West African tales to present powerful themes of community and heroism in a thrilling action adventure.
 

Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Mythology, Fiction, Adventure, Childrens, Audiobook

272 pages, Paperback

First published September 3, 2019

About the author

From Thompson-Gale: "Something About the Author"
I have always loved books. My favorite, was an oversized complete Grimm's Fairy Tales with beautiful illustrations, which I lost when my family moved to the United States. I was fascinated by the stories of the tailor who went up against a giant, and clever Hans, who wasn't so clever as well as the more traditional princess stories. When I was about thirteen, after spending a summer in the library reading Paul Zindel and Judy Blume among other authors, I announced to my best friend that I was going to be a writer. I didn't decide what I wanted to write until I read "The Friends" by Rosa Guy. I had recently moved to Brooklyn, NY, and the book spoke to my situation precisely. It remains one of my favorite books. I started writing for children then, and never stopped. I had early interest from publishers from the moment I began submitting stories at the age of 21, but I didn't put in the work necessary to become published until my late twenties. "Angel's Grace" was largely written while I was on maternity leave with my first child. It was inspired by my mother (the redhead) and my husband. Because I have very young children, I work when they sleep, which, sadly, is very little.

Reviews

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Jumbie God's Revenge is a pretty good Middle Grade book. Since I haven't read the first two books of the series, I can say that the book can somewhat be read as a standalone, if you're welling to not understand some parts.

In the second half of the book, the change of character point of view every chapter was supposed to build the suspense. But it didn't do that for me, maybe because the chapters were too short. The rhythm was too fast, it was disorienting.

I also didn't understand the very last sentence of the book. I think it's a reference to the previous books.

Overall, I did like the book. Full of action from the start: the island's myths are, in fact, very real, and only a good fantasy writer can bring that to life.

Special thanks to Algonquin Young Readers for providing me an e-galley of this book for this tour! Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

[Sara Kamjou · Rating 3 out of 5]

جلد سوم داستان رو کمتر دوست داشتم اما در کل اون طعم پرتقال‌های کورین توی کل فضای سه جلد جاری بود. اینکه نفر اول کتاب و هیروی اصلی یه دختربچه بود رو دوست داشتم و به نظرم این سه‌گانه می‌تونه انتخاب خوبی برای بچه‌های حدودا ۹ تا ۱۲ سال باشه.
با همه‌ی بالا و پایین‌هایی که داشت خوشحالم خوندمش.

+ ترجمه امین بهره‌مند عالی بود.

[Amin]

چیزهای زیادی هست که می‌شه از دست داد.

نوشتن ریویو برای کتابی که خودِ آدم ترجمه کرده، کار سختیه، چون مدام دچار تعارض منافع می‌شه. اما دوست دارم نظرم رو درباره‌ی این کتاب در قامت خواننده نوشته باشم و نه مترجمش.

جلد سوم مجموعه‌ی جامبی‌ها به‌خوبی جلد دوم و اول نبود. متأسفانه ویژگی‌های مثبت جلد اول که توی جلد دوم تقویت و بیشتر شده بودن، توی جلد سوم دیده نمی‌شن. دیگه خبری از اون فصل‌های کوتاه نیست و جاشون رو فصل‌های نسبتاً بلند گرفتن. دیگه کورین برای حل مشکلات، چندان از کمک دوستانش استفاده نمی‌کنه و توی این داستان بیشتر اتکاش روی خودش و قدرت‌های جادوییشه که مشخص نمی‌شه دقیقاً از کجا پیدا می‌شن یا حد و مرزشون چیه. توجه ویژه روی «کار گروهی» از نقاط مثبت کتاب اول و دوم بود که خب، توی این کتاب اون‌قدرها پررنگ نیست.

نویسنده تا حدودی شبیه جلد دوم سعی کرده از روایت چند ماجرای معماگون در دل هم استفاده کنه (که توی جلد دو به‌نظرم خیلی خوب جواب داده بود)، اما نتونسته چندان خوب از آب در بیارش. چون سوالات معماگونه‌ی زیادی مطرح می‌کنه، اما جوابی بهشون نمی‌ده. شخصیت‌ها در طول داستان دیالوگ‌ها و رفتارهای مرموزی دارن که خواننده انتظار داره در ادامه حکمتشون مشخص بشه، اما این اتفاق اصلاً نمی‌افته.

باز شدن گره‌های داستان چندان جالب نیست. تناقض‌های منطقی هم داره که به‌شخصه نمی‌تونستم برای بعضی‌هاشون توجیه بیارم.

گرچه چندان طرفدار پایان خوش نیستم، اما پایان خوش این داستان به دلم نشست. شاید این داستان برای این رده‌ی سنی، چنین پایانی رو می‌طلبید. جا دادن مفهوم جذابی مثل کمک به هم‌نوع توی دل داستان هم قطعاً تحسین‌برانگیزه. در ضمن روایت آسیبی که بلایای طبیعی می‌تونه به زندگی آدم‌ها بزنه، خوب از آب در اومده بود.

در مجموع اگر بخوام جلدهای مجموعه رو رده‌بندی کنم، رتبه‌ی اول رو به جلد دوم می‌دم، رتبه‌ی بعدی رو به جلد اول و رتبه‌ی آخر رو به جلد سوم.

پ.ن: صحنه‌ی پایانی نبرد هوراکان و کورین، من رو یاد اولین رویارویی هری پاتر و ولدمورت انداخت. شباهت عجیبی داشتن. البته اون کجا و این کجا.

از این بدترش را هم دیده بود. مگر نه؟ خب، اگر این‌طور نبود هم آخرش از آن داستان خوبی در می‌آمد و همه‌ی داستان‌ها سرانجام به پایان می‌رسیدند.

[Nicole Melleby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect third story in this trilogy. I love the Jumbies so much.

[Hristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can also read this review on my blog illbefinealonereads.

A huge thanks to Algonquin Young Readers for the chance to be a part of this blog tour.

The Jumbie God’s Revenge is a terrific conclusion to The Jumbies trilogy. Everything about this series is well executed and intriguing, and the final book doesn’t disappoint.
Mrs. Baptiste’s way of crafting and telling stories is beautiful. Her writing flows very well, and the characters she offers are amazing. I had such a fun time being introduced to folklore and myths that are so distant to me, and it was all pulled off so wonderfully. For it to come to an end was bittersweet, on one hand I was eager to see how it ends, on the other I didn’t want it to.
Fantasy as a genre is something I tend to avoid, as more often than not I find the worlds underdeveloped. That was not the case with The Jumbies at all, it’s a world that’s so well constructed and described, it was so easy to get lost in.
I loved The Jumbie God’s Revenge. If you haven’t picked up the series, you definitely should, and if you’ve read the series, make sure you read this sequel too.

*Copy received through NetGalley
*Rating 4/5 stars

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[Belles Middle Grade Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my 100th read of the year! & what a read it was! This time our problems came from the sky!! Crazy! Lol I loved it! The stakes were even higher, & Corrine became even stronger. She embraced her Jumbie side a LOT more in this one. I loved seeing her character continue to grow. She had such family loyalty as well, & never gave up on Severine. I loved also, seeing how Severine developed & how her character ended up. She was such a fascinating character. The God Huracan was such a great “villain” in the sky. He was also so unique & interesting! The whole reason he was doing what He was doing was so well done. Like all of these books! lol The friend dynamic b/n the 4 friends was stronger than ever, & I love their own little family of sorts the 4 of them have together. We got some more backstory of Bouki & Malik, & you guessed it-so interesting!! lol I loved that the author included that. It fit perfectly w/the story & what was going on. This was so action-packed, & suspenseful. Every layer of this book just kept getting more thought out, creative, & better & better. Like each book themselves. So sad it’s over, but I will definitely be looking for more from this author in the future. She’s brilliant! Highly recommend!💜💜





Synopsis of 1st book in trilogy: Corinne La Mer isn't afraid of anything. Not scorpions, not the boys who tease her, and certainly not jumbies. They're just tricksters parents make up to frighten their children. Then one night Corinne chases an agouti all the way into the forbidden forest. Those shining yellow eyes that followed her to the edge of the trees, they couldn't belong to a jumbie. Or could they?

When Corinne spots a beautiful stranger speaking to the town witch at the market the next day, she knows something unexpected is about to happen. And when this same beauty, called Severine, turns up at Corinne's house, cooking dinner for Corinne's father, Corinne is sure that danger is in the air. She soon finds out that bewitching her father, Pierre, is only the first step in Severine's plan to claim the entire island for the jumbies. Corinne must call on her courage and her friends and learn to use ancient magic she didn't know she possessed to stop Severine and save her island home.

[Celia Buell (semi hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This definitely had a lot going on. It kind of tied everything together nicely, but it really dragged.

There was a lot that I couldn't really follow here. It was hard to tell what was going on with Corinne. A lot of it seemed thrown together haphazardly and didn't really have much purpose.

I did like that we get more background on Bouki and Malik, instead of just that they were orphans. I liked seeing that other side of them, although there are still a lot of unanswered questions about Auntie Lou. What did she know, or what made Corinne think that she was involved with jumbies? Not everything she didn't understand had to be jumbie related, and I'm not sure why they left this unanswered.

I also thought the ending with Papa Bois and Mama D'Leau was really confusing, and I'm wondering how it reflects on own voices audiences to see their head jumbies reflected this way. I don't know much of the culture, but this part stands out to me.

It would be interesting to see how the target middle grade audience reacts to these plot holes and the confusion. Sometimes I know kids do react to these things or understand them better than adults. I could see myself recommending this to kids who are into mythology or Percy Jackson, but only if they have strong reading comprehension, because I was very confused throughout this series.

[exorcismemily · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Jumbie God's Revenge is the third installment in The Jumbies series. This one was okay. It took me a while to get invested in the story, and I don't feel like much happened in this book. The second half was more interesting to me, though.

I know there wasn't a plan for a third Jumbies book originally, but this just kind of felt unnecessary. The first two books are really entertaining and heartwarming, and I didn't get the same vibes with The Jumbie God's Revenge. The spooky element wasn't really present in this book, either. This is not a bad book at all, but it was a fairly middle-of-the-road read for me.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE OF THE TRILOGY

[Cassie Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, I was captivated by Tracey’s storytelling. Corinne is a bad ass girl who seriously defends her friends and family until the end. This series is one I will recommend for a long time. How lucky for my students to have all three readily available; whereas, I had to wait.
Wire bend, story end.

If Tracey wants to write a 4th, I wouldn’t be sad about it😜.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Corrine La Mer returns in this third installment of Tracey Baptiste's Jumbies series, this time confronting the consequences of her actions in the previous two books. The balance between the water and land jumbies had been thrown off by Corrine's assistance to Mama D’Leau, and by her exile of her Aunt Severine to Arctic waters, and the god Huracan had been awakened and angered as a result. Now Corinne must help her friends and family flee to the mountains, when hurricane after hurricane batters her Caribbean island home, uniting everyone - human and jumbie - in the fight for their very survival...

I enjoyed The Jumbie God's Revenge, finding it an engaging middle-grade fantasy, much like its predecessors. I did sometimes feel that events were a little rushed, and I wasn't entirely clear about the extent of Corinne's powers, and how she came by them. The narrative seems to imply, in the scenes in which she confronts Huracan, that she has abilities that even full jumbies like Papa Boi and Mama D’Leau do not. Perhaps we are meant to understand that because she is half jumbie and half human, she can unite the two? I wasn't entirely clear on that, or on how she developed her various abilities. I did like the incorporation of Huracan into the story, given that he is a Mayan deity, and that this reflects the mixed cultural influences in the Caribbean. Recommended to anyone who has read and enjoyed the first two books in the series.

[Cassie Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, I was captivated by Tracey’s storytelling. Corinne is a bad ass girl who seriously defends her friends and family until the end. This series is one I will recommend for a long time. How lucky for my students to have all three readily available; whereas, I had to wait.
Wire bend, story end.

If Tracey wants to write a 4th, I wouldn’t be sad about it😜.

[Monique · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Everything had been different since her aunt Severine’s arrival. Their lives seemed haunted by ghosts and the ever-present idea that some new jumbie would wind up on their doorstep.”(25%)

Back for one more installment of this middle grade Trinidadian folktale about the brave Corinne and her encounter with jumbies, or spirits that live on land, the sea, and as she finds out even in the sky…

This book picks up right where Book Two left off and it really recommended to read them in succession because there is a lot of information and all the characters return!!--Dru, Bouki, Malik, Papa Bois, Mama D’Leau, Severine, Hugo, Viktor, Mrs. Rootsingh..all the names you remember in the last two stories and in this one it starts with a series of hurricanes that surprise and devastate their island home….

“It was a hurricane. In June. There was nothing normal about that. She
had a sick feeling about why this hurricane was too early. What had been the cause of every strange thing on the island in recent months? The jumbies………
There was always some selfish motive behind the jumbies’ behavior. Corinne could find out why a hurricane was being whipped up now. But the only way was to face Mama D’Leau, the cruelest of the jumbies. (10%)

Corinne knows jumbies and since finding out her mother was one she has enlisted the advice of the white witch to help her set things right..but the white witch is even frightened and unsure---

“There was a jumbie who cared for the woods, and one who lived beneath the waves who would turn anyone into stone at a glance and who ruled the mermaids in the sea. Corinne had seen them all. But worse than that, she had witnessed their power, and she understood just how easy it was to succumb to any one of them. (6%)

Things get real when Mama D’Leau and the white witch can’t provide answers and seem just as frightened---stories from Bouki and Malik tell of a god that rules the skies--Huracan and how it could be him behind the storms--but why is he mad, and what can Corinne do to help??

““So you know? Huracan summons the wind and rain and wields lightning like a sword.
He twirls it in his fingers and jabs it at his mark. He doesn’t miss and he never falters. He
will destroy everything in his path if he desires.” (41%)

Huracan is fierce and unrelenting-------”the idea that something was stronger than the strongest jumbie she knew, and that it was ripping the whole island apart, filled her with terror. (51%)

It is up to Corinne to try and so she goes on adventures in a tar lake, deep in the water (lots of currents) and even discovers her own powers--

“If you go, I might lose you.” Corinne held her papa’s face in her hands. “If I don’t go, we will lose everything.” (55%)

Corinne transforms to a mermaid, a fiery ball of rage that removes her skin, and anything that is required to save her precious Papa and the village she loves..this one had lots and lots of adventure action sequences and it read alittle choppier than the first two--my favorite had to be Rise of the Jumbies Book Two for sure but this series was surprising good..
The rich culture, island references, Trinidad food and island life make this intoxicating and vivid--you feel like you feel the sun and salt of their world and its great! I had to look up terms from this book like soursop, sargassum and cascadura but love the exposure to them..
This one was probably the most mature of the three and so for that my final recommendation grades for this one would probably be 6th grade and up but whew these are engrossing and beautiful reads for a middle grade/YA fantasy action lover!!!

[Alyson Stone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book: The Jumbie God’s Revenge
Author: Tracey Baptiste
Rating: 3 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank the publisher, Algonquin Young Readers, for providing me with this ARC.

This is the third and final book of the Jumbies series by Tracey Baptiste. I have read the entire series this month and I must say that they are very written books. They follow Haitian mythology, which is something different. I love the depth of this series and the characters are really flushed out. I love seeing the bonds that the characters have with each other and how these bonds strengthen over time.

So, why a three star rating? I really didn’t enjoy this one as much as the other two. This is supposed to be the finale of the series, but it was just lacking in so many ways. The ending felt rushed and I didn’t get the same good vibes that I got from the first two books. I understand that this is middle grade and all, but as I was reading, I really didn’t get a sense of how intense the events actually were. It just felt meh to me. I guess what I’m trying to get at is this ending felt really rushed to me. It’s a shame too, because this could had been epic.

Like with the rest of the series, Tracey does an amazing job with detail. It really did feel like I was on a Caribbean island and going around with the characters. This is what I love about reading. It allows you to go to places that you may never get to. To me, this is what diverse books should be: you should be able to explore another culture without losing the story. She also does an amazing job with weaving in traditions and explaining to the point where people don’t get lost. Not it’s not info dumping; it’s just enough to get you in the mindset as to where you are going.

This book comes out September 3, 2019.

Youtube: https://youtu.be/92nyJRU22Ao

[Ms. Woc Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this series is very well written Middle Grade. The stories all do a good job of standing on their own and you don't have to read the previous book to follow along.

That being said I did not enjoy this one as much as the first two.

Tracey Baptiste does a great job explaining all the Trinidadian and African mythology. And she gives great descriptions of life in Trinidad in the quiet villages. I can almost taste the juicy mangoes and smell the salty sea air. I like the fantastical world she has created better than some of the hyped YA books. I don't feel like this book topped Rise of the Jumbies though. To me that book had a strong ending and everything seemed to be resolved. The Jumbie God's Revenge struggled a little to find it's footing in the first half. While there was plenty of action in this story it was missing that creepiness present in the first story and the wonder of the 2nd. Ahe said she put her all into the 2nd book because she didnt think there would be a 3rd and I agree. The 2nd was her best work.

Still i enjoy reading about the different Jumbies and all of Corrine's friends and neighbors.

I received an arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Matilda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ez a kötet sem volt számomra olyan erős, mint az első. Igazából kicsit befejezetlennek érzem, olyan szempontból, hogy vannak dolgok, amikre nem kaptunk választ, pedig elég fontosnak tűntek. Én úgy tudom, ez egy befejező kötet volt, de igazából félig-meddig lenne hova folytatni a történetet. A fő szálat azért elvarrta az írónő, és a befejezés maga is szép volt. Három kötet után az emberek és a jumbie-k most már együtt tudnak élni egymással.

Összességében ez a sorozat egy élvezetes kaland volt, olyan mitológiai lényekkel, amik számomra is újak és izgalmasak voltak, és betekinthettem egy teljesen más kultúrába.

[N.G. Peltier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looooooved it. I cant even put into words how much i enjoyed this. Tracey really escalated all the action from the previous books as Corinne's actions have consequences for this one.

Loved seeing Mama D Leau, Papa Bois and other jumbies i grew up hearing stories about. It was simply a delight readkng how the author stuck to the basica of the folklore aa i know it but put her own twists on the characters!

Corinne has definitely come into her own here as she has to deal with not only a hurricane threatening her island but other things as well. Loved how those things weee manifested and dealt with.

My fave MG series and i cant wait for my nephew to read the series and learn about the stories we heard growing up !

[Sabrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stars: 4.5
Cawpile: 8.71

[Sabrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Corinne finds out just how strong she is and what she can do. The short sharp chapters near the end really add to the suspense and tension.

[Reza Eska · Rating 3 out of 5]

جلد آخر رو نسبت به جلدهای قبلی کمتر دوست داشتم و شاید یک دلیلش رو بیشتر اتفاق محوری بودن داستان بشه دونست نسبت به جلدهای قبلی که نقش روابط توشون پررنگ‌تر بود.
و البته حس کردم حجم و دوز فانتزی کار بیشتر از چیزی شد که برای من خوشایند باشه.

[Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Author: Tracey Baptiste

Book Series: The Jumbies Book 3

Rating: 5/5

Publication Date: September 3, 2019

Diversity: Yes! Caribbean!

Recommended Age: 10+ (scary moments with a huge hurricane, might frighten those who aren’t used to them)

Genre: MG Fantasy

Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers

Synopsis: In book three of the popular Jumbies series, Corinne must use her emerging supernatural powers to battle the angry god who would destroy her Caribbean island home.

When an out-of-season hurricane sweeps through Corinne’s seaside village, Corinne knows it’s not a typical storm. At first Corinne believes Mama D’Leau—the powerful and cruel jumbie who rules the ocean—has caused the hurricane. Then a second, even more ferocious storm wrecks the island, sending villagers fleeing their houses for shelter in the mountains, and Corinne discovers the storms weren’t caused by a jumbie, but by the angry god Huracan.

Now Corinne, with the help of her friends and even some of her enemies, must race against time to find out what has angered Huracan and try to fix it before her island home is destroyed forever.

Review: For me not reading the other books in this series (totally my fault, bad time management) I thought this book was incredibly well written. The book flowed well, the characters were amazing, and I love the world building. This book was amazing and I want to go back and read the first two one day.

The only thing I will say is that this book was a bit hard for me to get into but that’s more than likely because I didn’t read the first two in the series.

Verdict: Definitely check this one out!

[Tonya · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story dragged for me. This book and the two before had a lot of interesting mythos but the writing of this one seemed rushed and the pacing of the book was off. The author created some scary and intense moments that didn't feel scary or intense because the writing was flat and lacked the build up and depth needed to create tension. You just knew the mc corrine would be fine.
I wanted this series to be good. It had promise but never delivered for me it started out okay and ended poorly. This last book and the second book rise of the jumbies, both lacked character development, were plot driven, and sadly were paced in such a way that no matter what weird or horrid thing happened you just knew it was fine because the mc always walks away unscathed. She makes the same mistakes throughout the series and is okay in the end. Corrine's character doesn't grow and you could imagine her bumbling her way through horrible events without ever really changing throughout her life.
I liked the first book but can't recommend this series overall.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Baptiste has a knack for writing really cute middle-grade novels with strong themes, brilliant characters, and captivating plots. I really enjoyed reading the entire Jumbies series, though I would definitely rank this as the weakest entry in the series.

There was a lot to love - we had the same characters we have grown attached to, continuing to fight to protect their family and loved ones from mythological dangers. Baptiste has done a great job in developing her characters - even though it's still the same old Corinne, the reader can definitely see has she has grown and changed throughout the series, which I absolutely loved!

Unfortunately, I think the premise this time was just a little too big for Baptiste to fully capture and do justice. In the conclusion of the series, Corinne is no longer fighting against the Jumbies - no, instead, she is now fighting against Huracan, the god of wind and storms. The lead-up to the intro of Huracan was interesting, but it seemed like once we met him the author didn't really know where to go from there. Corinne was still a young girl struggling to come to terms with her half-Jumbie nature, and prior to this book hadn't really shown much in terms of strength or power. Now, in order to deal with Huracan, Baptiste had to suddenly have Corinne grow and change in ways that were hard to follow and make sense of. I confess, I have no idea what Corinne is or what the significance of her is, though near the end of their fight it seemed like Huracan had come to some sort of realization (was I also supposed to come to one? I was left unsure). All of a sudden she is able to slough off her skin and become a being made of pure fire and energy, able to attack and withstand massive blows - and then slip her skin back on and be fine. I didn't understand it at all. It seemed like there was some big message I was supposed to be getting from this transformation, but whatever it was I missed.

I was also really distracted by the premise of plotholes, which I hadn't noticed in previous books. The most notable would be the sudden inclusion of Bouki and Malik's real family. Apparently, they actually lived with a group of people on the top of a mountain on the island - a group of people that it sounds like no one had ever seen or heard of before, even though they've lived there for years? I was so confused as to how no one knew they were living up there, and to why they never found the boys when they went missing - it's mentioned that the two had ventured off the mountain before, so they definitely knew their way back. It also seemed like Baptiste was throwing down some suggestions that the people on the mountain were dangerous and could not be trusted - there were weird comments from Corinne about how it seemed like they only wanted the boys to stay and everyone else to go, and when they returned from the mountain they were described as looking older than when they had first gone up? It's also clear that they don't both feel comfortable, for reasons unknown, with returning home and staying there. But if that was a plotline, it was quickly and upsettingly abandoned. There's also the weirdness of Severine, who Corinne had previously abandoned in the ocean without her memories. Now, Corinne is able to bring her home and it seems like Severine holds no angry feelings about it whatsoever...which was absolutely bonkers. Like, alright, sure, family forgives and gives multiple chances - but Severine didn't seem like the type to forgive being thrown off a cliff and later left in the ocean.

The series itself was really good! I just think the author bit off more than she could chew with this last book, which was a shame. Even her author's note left me feeling like this book was just a little too big to be done justice, and like she knew that going into writing it.

[Sietse Hagen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll try to keep this review as spoiler-free, but keep in mind that this is the third book of the Jumbie series and there might be small spoilers ahead about the previous two books.

I enjoyed this book a lot but I had some issues with it. As a standalone book, maybe I would have given this book 4 or 4.5 stars, but as part of the Jumbie series, it has to be a 3-star book. Let me explain.

When I finished The Rise of the Jumbies, I was pretty content with how it ended. Most issues around inequality between the humans and the Jumbies had ended and the villain seemed to have been disposed of. To me it felt like the ending was somewhat open for interpretation because one could debate on how Corinne felt about how her dispute with Severine ended. To me, it felt like Corinne regretted her actions and felt sorry for Severine and how she left her. The start of The Jumbie God's Revenge undoes this interpretation and cements a reading that I felt did not correspond to what was written in Rise of the Jumbies. Corinne seems more afraid of Severine than anything, and I did not sense this form of anxiety at the end of the second novel of this series. As the series focusses on the Jumbies of the island and how Corinne has to reconcile her hybrid identity, I did not see the need to bring in a God. Sure, it was cool and I quite enjoyed this action-packed, high-paced book, but within the series I did not feel it necessary.

I want to point out one more thing that I had an issue with, but this is a slight spoiler for The Jumbie God's Revenge, so read ahead with caution. I will not spoil the ending of the book or anything, it's just a detail I noticed which happens near the end of the book. So, around the end of the book, it is revealed that Jumbies can take on a human form. Sure, we've seen this with Severine and Corinne's mother, but this is different. ALL of the Jumbies can do it now, even the Lagahoos who seemed inferior to Jumbies like Severine and Mama D'Leau. The issue I have with this is that it feels like the Jumbies need to take on a human form and become more humanised to be accepted into the community of the island. Whereas the previous two books build up this society where the Jumbies have become equal to the human islanders, it feels like the third book undoes this by making the Jumbies feel necessitated to become more human. The Jumbies cannot be said to be equal to humans if they have to become something they are not to fit in.

Again, I feel that this book could have been good if it were something outside of the Jumbie series. The plot is fun and exciting, the characters are strong and cool. Corinne gets a significant power-up and relations are formed. It's exciting, it's adventurous, it's action-packed. However, when taking into account its role within the Jumbie series, it feels like it does not add much to the overall storyline or of Corinne's struggles with her identity. Nor does it improve the discourse around inequality as it makes the Jumbies seem inferior to humans. I enjoyed the book a lot, but within the scope of the Jumbie series, it was not a good addition and seemed out of place, therefore deserving a 3-star review instead of the 4/4.5 star ratings I gave for the first two books.

[Escape Into Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven’t been reading a lot of middle-grade books. My main reason is that I haven’t found ones that intrigue me enough to pick it up and read it. So, imagine my surprise when I realized that I have middle-grade books back to back. The Jumbie God’s revenge is the first of the three that I read.

The blurb for The Jumbie God’s Revenge was what made me accept the publisher’s invite to review. A tween girl going up against a powerful god? Yeah, I wanted to read it.

The Jumbie God’s Revenge was a simple read. Corrine is suspicious when an unexpected hurricane rips through her island home. She finds out that her actions have caused the god, Hurracan, to single the island out. With the help of her friends, Corrine needs to fix what she did before Hurracan destroys the island. Can she do it?

The Jumbie God’s Revenge is not a stand-alone book. I found out, early in the book, that I should have read books one and two before reading this book. There were times where I was left confused and wondering about events hinted at in this book. But, it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of this book.

The main plotline of The Jumbie God’s Revenge was fast-moving. There were a couple of small lags in the storyline. But the author did a fantastic job of getting the book back up to speed. There were also no dropped storylines.

I liked the characters in The Jumbie God’s Revenge. They were well written and fleshed out. My only complaint is that I couldn’t connect to them as well as I wanted to.

The Jumbie’s were an interesting mix of different ethnic backgrounds. I did do a google search and found that there Jumbee’s are a mix of African, Amerindian, Dutch, English, and Chinese mythology. The main jumbie’s in the book, Papa Bois and Mama D’Leau, are mythological beings out of Trinidad and Tobago. The god, Hurracan, is a Mayan god. I loved it.

The Jumbie God’s Revenge is 100% appropriate for middle-grade kids. I have a list going of books for my 11-year-old son, and this trilogy is going right on it.

The end of the book did seem a little rushed. But I liked how the author ended it. All the storylines were wrapped up. The characters got their HEA’s. I do wonder about Corrine’s aunt and how things are going to be once she remembers everything.

I would give The Jumbie God’s Revenge a Tween rating. There is no sex. There is no language. There is mild violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 13 read this book.

I would reread The Jumbie God’s Revenge I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

[Amin]

چیزهای زیادی هست که می‌شه از دست داد.

نوشتن ریویو برای کتابی که خودِ آدم ترجمه کرده، کار سختیه، چون مدام دچار تعارض منافع می‌شه. اما دوست دارم نظرم رو درباره‌ی این کتاب در قامت خواننده نوشته باشم و نه مترجمش.

جلد سوم مجموعه‌ی جامبی‌ها به‌خوبی جلد دوم و اول نبود. متأسفانه ویژگی‌های مثبت جلد اول که توی جلد دوم تقویت و بیشتر شده بودن، توی جلد سوم دیده نمی‌شن. دیگه خبری از اون فصل‌های کوتاه نیست و جاشون رو فصل‌های نسبتاً بلند گرفتن. دیگه کورین برای حل مشکلات، چندان از کمک دوستانش استفاده نمی‌کنه و توی این داستان بیشتر اتکاش روی خودش و قدرت‌های جادوییشه که مشخص نمی‌شه دقیقاً از کجا پیدا می‌شن یا حد و مرزشون چیه. توجه ویژه روی «کار گروهی» از نقاط مثبت کتاب اول و دوم بود که خب، توی این کتاب اون‌قدرها پررنگ نیست.

نویسنده تا حدودی شبیه جلد دوم سعی کرده از روایت چند ماجرای معماگون در دل هم استفاده کنه (که توی جلد دو به‌نظرم خیلی خوب جواب داده بود)، اما نتونسته چندان خوب از آب در بیارش. چون سوالات معماگونه‌ی زیادی مطرح می‌کنه، اما جوابی بهشون نمی‌ده. شخصیت‌ها در طول داستان دیالوگ‌ها و رفتارهای مرموزی دارن که خواننده انتظار داره در ادامه حکمتشون مشخص بشه، اما این اتفاق اصلاً نمی‌افته.

باز شدن گره‌های داستان چندان جالب نیست. تناقض‌های منطقی هم داره که به‌شخصه نمی‌تونستم برای بعضی‌هاشون توجیه بیارم.

گرچه چندان طرفدار پایان خوش نیستم، اما پایان خوش این داستان به دلم نشست. شاید این داستان برای این رده‌ی سنی، چنین پایانی رو می‌طلبید. جا دادن مفهوم جذابی مثل کمک به هم‌نوع توی دل داستان هم قطعاً تحسین‌برانگیزه. در ضمن روایت آسیبی که بلایای طبیعی می‌تونه به زندگی آدم‌ها بزنه، خوب از آب در اومده بود.

در مجموع اگر بخوام جلدهای مجموعه رو رده‌بندی کنم، رتبه‌ی اول رو به جلد دوم می‌دم، رتبه‌ی بعدی رو به جلد اول و رتبه‌ی آخر رو به جلد سوم.

پ.ن: صحنه‌ی پایانی نبرد هوراکان و کورین، من رو یاد اولین رویارویی هری پاتر و ولدمورت انداخت. شباهت عجیبی داشتن. البته اون کجا و این کجا.

از این بدترش را هم دیده بود. مگر نه؟ خب، اگر این‌طور نبود هم آخرش از آن داستان خوبی در می‌آمد و همه‌ی داستان‌ها سرانجام به پایان می‌رسیدند.

[Johnny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Huracan, the storm god, is back and he is angry. Corinne's island is slammed by powerful storms and it looks like it won't stop until the island is destroyed. It turns out that Huracan is angry because the natural order of Jumbie life is out of balance, caused by Corinne's actions in the previous books. To save the day, Corinne will need to bring Severine back to land and Mama D'Leau and Papa Bois will need to be separated forever, but will it be enough?

This third and probably final book in The Jumbies series has some great storytelling is a bit of a letdown after the first two entries. To start with the strengths, Baptiste continues to demonstrate her ability to write clear, concise action series that maintain suspense, even when readers know that it will all work out in the end. The strong themes of community and family are present in this story as in the previous entries. One of the disappointing parts of this story is the number of plots the author attempts to resolve including assuaging Huracan's wrath, the discovery of Bouki and Malik's long-lost extended family, and the love between Mama D'Leau and Papa Bois. It felt like none of these plots had time or space to be fully fleshed out and while some related to the main plot of saving the island, the connection wasn't always strong enough. The other part of this book that I really didn't like was the development of Corinne's jumbie abilities. Out of nowhere in this story, Corinne is suddenly able to shed her skin and become a flying fire spirit a la the soucouyants we have met in previous entries. It seemed to come a little bit out of nowhere as we have not gotten hints that Corinne's mother or aunt were of this jumbie lineage, so it felt like a contrived power that was simply added to push the story along. This is still a competent and engaging story, but nowhere near as good as the first two entries and if this were a stand-along book, I might have given it three rather than four stars.

Like the previous Jumbies books, this book is probably best for late fourth graders to early seventh graders.

[Kate Waggoner · Rating 4 out of 5]

@kidlitexchange #partner

Thank you to the publisher Algonquin Books and the author Tracey Baptiste for sharing an advance copy of The Jumbie God's Revenge with the #kidlitexchange network. The third book in the Jumbies series will be released in September 2019. All opinions are my own.

Just when life seems to be returning to normal for Corrine, an out-of-season hurricane sweeps across the island. Corrine knows it's more than a typical storm and at first she blames Mama D'Leau. After confronting Mama D'Leau and seeing the fear in her eyes, Corrine begins to realize that something bigger may be to blame. When a second storm hits, her fears are confirmed. Corrine will have to find all her inner strength and rely on those who in the past she has worked against in order to defend her island and save it from the angry god Huracan.

I really enjoy the Jumbies series as it exposes readers to folklore and mythology not traditionally represented in books. Corrine is a strong and determined protagonist and she learns some important lessons about her actions and their consequences in this book. Additionally, I really loved the message about not fearing those that are different from you which was woven throughout the book as the jumbies, who are traditionally viewed as bad/evil, helped and supported the people on the island (even when they were being called out and attacked for just being what they are). Baptiste is great at writing engaging and captivating narratives full of action that keep you turning the page to see what happens next. One of my favorite things about this third book is that it united characters and conflicts from the previous two books. I highly recommend this book and can't wait to add it to my classroom library.

[Megan Manosh (acota) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t have time to read the other two books in the series and while I knew I was missing things the book was able to hold it’s own and I was able to enjoy it. Tracey Baptiste writing is amazing I didn’t really know what to expected when picking up this book I don’t normally read middle grade but what i got a was a well written book about friendship and family.

After a unexpected hurricane rips though Corrine island home she becomes suspicious that it’s something more it’s not hurricane season thinking it might be one of the jumbies she starts to investigate only to discover that it’s a god call hurracan who is determined to destroy the island and everything that lives on it.

The moment I picked up this book it drew me right in, the writing is very lush and the descriptions made me feel like I was on the island with Corrine. I could feel the ocean and the forest and the mountains and at time I forgot where I was.

I loved the folklore and mythology that Tracey used for this book (it’s the main reason why I said yes to the blog tour) it was interesting and different (it’s also a mythology that I have never studied before so I learned something new!). I loved hearing about Mama D Leau and Papa Bois and the jumbies and it made me very interested in learning more about them.

I loved how fleshed out the characters were they felt real to me and I loved how determined and strong willed Corrine was, I also loved that her friends and family always had her back.

I would definitely recommend picking up this series (though I recommend picking it up in order). If you like books like Percy Jakson and Aru Shah you will definitely love this one.

[Gina C · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this series. I very much appreciate that it takes place in the Caribbean, Trinidad specifically although I don't think it's ever called out by name. The occasional mentions of food remind me of Puerto Rico (where my family is from) since they share a similar cuisine and similar roots - Taino and African.
The cast of characters are very likable with the exception of Viktor who serves as resident jerk face again. I really loved Marlene; she is so sweet and so set on the task she has set for herself. I felt like there could have been a smidge more concerning Bouki and Malik's time on the mountain, but I welcomed getting to know their history from their Aunty. Corinne is a great character; she is so determined to do what is right for everyone even though she tends to leap before she looks into what she is doing. Her father Pierre is so supportive which is refreshing since he easily could have been made to be a "my way or the highway" kind of guy. I've seen people complain about Dru not being developed. I disagree. She's shy at first but willing to make friends. She's always the first to tell Corrine she's being irrational, but will still have her back.
The jumbies, Papa Bois, Mama D'Leau, Severine, and the mermaids all play a role in defeating Huracan. I appreciated the development of Mama D'Leau. She was more than a stone cold killer out for herself.
I normally don't like a happy ending, but this book had a happy ending I can get behind (I won't spoil it). It fit perfectly with the story, yet still left it open to a possibility of future books. I know this is the final book, but still being able to just imagine new adventures is fun.