A review by tuesdaydg
The Magic of Marie Laveau: Embracing the Spiritual Legacy of the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans by Denise Alvarado

informative

2.0

I picked up this novel out of pure curiosity. I have never been to New Orleans, nor was I familiar with Marie Laveau as a voodooist and cultural icon. The first half of the book is a historical account of Laveau’s life, struggles, and rise to power, all of which I found very interesting. I love how the author references historical interviews as well as scholarly sources to report a thorough account of how Laveau was (and continues to be) seen and described by others. However, following this historical background, the remainder of the book contains instructions for becoming a devotee and following various voodoo practices. While I also found this interesting, I feel as though it was directed for a wholly different audience than the first half of the book.