Reviews

Jilo by J. D. Horn

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talntd1's review against another edition

emotional tense

5.0

An Endeavour Read. And not my usual kind of thing. It was interesting to read something set in Georgia - though I certainly am more familiar with Atlanta than Savannah. Witches. Rural black life. Yeah, whatever. Stuff just kept happening to this family, not sure I cared much. And the magic was just too arbitrary. Readable but just okay.

locket1981's review against another edition

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dark tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Aged Mother Jilo is wise in the ways of magic...but once upon a time, she was just a girl.

1950s Georgia: King Cotton has fallen. Savannah is known as the "beautiful woman with a dirty face," its stately elegance faded by neglect, its soul withering from racial injustice and political corruption.

Young Jilo - fiercely independent, intelligent, and ambitious, but thwarted by Savannah's maddeningly genteel version of bigotry - finds herself forced to embrace a dark power that has pursued her family for generations, an ancient magic that may prove her salvation...or her undoing.

This was just what we needed! I love Jilo and it was so good to get her story and the back story of the Taylor’s too. This book was just creepy as hell in some parts and I’m referring to Poppy if you’ve read it the hairs on the back of my neck stood up! I’m sad to see this all wrapped up as the series was so good. I think I may have to start over.

dreamofbookspines's review

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5.0

This is the most explosive book in the series, because it goes back and explains things readers have inevitably been wondering about as they read it. Another chapter, another lightbulb goes on (in relation to what happened in book 1, or book 2, or book 3).

Full disclosure: Jilo is by far my favorite character, so it was absolutely delightful to learn her history with this addition to the series. By the end, I wished there was about 200 more pages. Hoping that if there are future books, they'll talk more about Jilo again.

edp95123's review against another edition

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4.0

I'm not a big fan of books written about witches, but this book was quite interesting. I couldn't put it down! Unconventionally, I read this book FIRST before starting book 1 of the series. This book could actually stand on its own, in my opinion. I was planning on reading this book only; however, I became curious about the other families mentioned. I just started book 1, and I'm SO glad I read Jilo's story first! Everything is starting to make sense now in book 1. This appears to be young adult fiction, but it's written in such a way that it will draw you in. I can't say as much for the protagonist's lack of common sense in book 1, but the book is written well enough to overlook this minor detail. I enjoyed Jilo's story much more.

tiffany_grace's review against another edition

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4.0

I won this book from a goodreads giveaway. It gives you the story of the other characters in the series. I was a little lost not having finished the other books. Nice mix of magic and a love story.

jazzrizz's review against another edition

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3.0

I really appreciated a look back at Jilo's history. It surprised me how far back the book went. Jilo's just a baby at the beginning ... and already she has a pretty bumpy start.

I loved the history of the Wills' line, and how intertwined the familes are. The historical elements were a nice surprise, and probably my favorite parts of the book. There's not as much magic in this book ...

Spoiler

and I'm still not quite sure how Jilo got so good at magic

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There weren't too many surprises in this, but there were a couple of unexpected developments in the story. Overall, I'm glad to get a glimpse in Jilo's history ... but it lefting me wanting a bit more at the end.

chrissycracksabook's review

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3.0

This book is an engaging prequel to the Witching Savannah series by JD Horn. In this book we follow Jilo's history from infancy to becoming Mother Jilo. I these characters are all so interesting. I especially loved Tinker (even though his appearances as few). I loved how these strong, colored women learned to survive and thrive in the early to mid 1900's in Georgia.