Blitz Bazawule

"December 15, 1965, Alabama, the fateful night that triggers an avalanche of events that turn newly engaged couple Melvin and Bernadette into fugitives. A pitstop in the wrong part of town ends with blood on their hands. Suspecting that cops are already following them, Melvin realizes the only way they'll survive is if they flee the country. Bernadette, who's hiding a secret from her fiancé, reluctantly agrees. With a persistent FBI agent on their trail, they travel to Ghana to seek the help of Melvin's old college friend, who happens to be Kwame Nkrumah, the country's embattled president. The couple's chance encounter with Ghana's most beloved Highlife musician, Kwesi, who's headed to play for the president, sparks a journey full of suspense, lust, magic, and danger as Nkrumah's regime crumbles around them. Traveling with Kwesi seems to be the perfect cover for the couple to go undetected. But Kwesi and Bernadette's undeniable attraction builds during their three-day trek, as does Melvin's staunch jealousy and erratic behavior. What was meant to be a fresh start quickly threatens both their relationship and their freedom. With the rogue FBI agent on their heels, Melvin, Bernadette, and Kwesi must confront each other and their secrets, setting off a series of cataclysmic events"--

A Novel

The Scent of Burnt Flowers

Lindsay

“Can you imagine the colonized fighting on behalf of the colonizer to protect the colonizer from being colonized?”

Of course the pregnant black woman died from gun violence by two men fighting over her, lol.

Impressive debut novel, but I think it could have used a couple more chapters to connect the parts better. The time jumps felt really abrupt. Absolutely love the magical realism!

Also, the narrator was excellent, but made each of the characters sound like they were out of breath.

Bella Baxter

Of course the pregnant black woman died from gun violence by two men fighting over her, lol.

Impressive debut novel, but I think it could have used a couple more chapters to connect the parts better. The time jumps felt really abrupt. Absolutely love the magical realism!

Also, the narrator was excellent, but made each of the characters sound like they were out of breath.

Kristen Claiborn

Somehow, I ended up reading two books in a row set in Africa. I have noticed that the book clubs and lists I follow have a tendency to have similarities like this. It almost makes me wonder if the coordinators of those lists all sit and chat with each other, like middle-school girls do to make sure they wear similar clothes every day (ok, that’s what my friends and I did, so I assume other middle school girls did the same thing). 
	This book bored me to pieces. I hate to say that, but I really struggled with it. It felt like it took way too long for the author to let the reader know why Melvin and Bernadette had to flee the United States in the first place. Sure, we got a hint of what happened, but the full story wasn’t revealed until farther along in the book than I thought was necessary. So, the reader is following these two as they trek it into Ghana on the search for Melvin’s old college roommate, but we’re not clear on why they’re taking such huge risks. Throughout their adventure, Melvin becomes increasingly unhinged, making some pretty poor decisions, including putting their trust in a man that CLEARLY has a thing for Bernadette. While I understand that Kwesi (the guy that has a thing for Melvin’s fiancé, Bernadette) had an “in” with Ghana’s president, it just seems odd that Melvin would willingly place himself and his fiancé in that situation. 
	Then there’s the fellow from the FBI. He was unhinged from the very beginning. His character was just a mess. It felt like his hunt for the two murderers was more of a wild-goose chase, even though he was aware of every step Melvin and Bernadette took. It seemed so far-fetched that he would completely go against his employer, hell the entire United States, to follow them to Ghana, especially when he had a heart condition and not enough medication to get him through the trip. He made a mockery of his job, and in the end, the reader isn’t really privy to how he, um, expired. 
	And finally, the “mystical realism” part. There are mentions of other-worldly beings, like a mermaid and humans that turn into birds, but their role in the story is minute and unclear. They almost show up like an afterthought, like the author forgot she wanted to add those elements so she just threw them in haphazardly. Those mystical beings didn’t add anything to the story, they just added a gigantic question mark. 
	In summation, I didn’t love this one. I barely even liked it.

The Scent of Burnt Flowers A Novel

Reviews

Highlights