Eden's Everdark by Karen Strong

 

Eden has never been to Safina Island, the place where her mother's family set up a life for themselves after slavery. But when Eden's mother dies, meeting her long-lost family is just what she thinks she needs. 

On Safina Island, Eden finds a warm and welcoming extended family, a rich history, and a place that could, maybe, heal her grief. But when she encounters a mysterious sketchbook of her mother's in a closet, full of dark and morbid illustrations, Eden starts having strange dreams of an eerie nighttime world that mirrors Safina Island. And one day, Eden follows a black cat into the forest and falls into a cut in the daylight. She is in Everdark, a land where spirits wait to move on to the afterlife and the sun never rises. 

Eden is soon taken in by the Witch of Everdark, who promises to make Eden her daughter for all of eternity. As Eden searches for a way to escape the witch's mansion, she finds that all is not right in this lonesome world. Rot crawls across the mansion walls, and the Witch rules the other spirits with her powerful magic. Will Eden be able to escape Everdark, and save the other spirits from the Witch's magic, before it's too late?

The inside of this haunting fantasy is just as lush and beautiful as its cover. The world building of Everdark is so creative; it is an eerie, quiet world full of sadness, so different and yet so similar to our own. I felt like I could smell the salt of the sea and feel the Spanish moss against my fingertips as I wandered across Safina Island. Drawing in important parts of Black history, Strong creates a story with important lessons about grief, hope, and personal strength. Eden is a determined protagonist who never truly gives up hope, even when all seems lost; and the spirits who help her along the way create a tender and complex cast of characters. Another wonderful recommendation from Anne Ursu!