Under the Heron's Light - by Randi Pink (Hardcover)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

Inspired by stories about the real-world Great Dismal Swamp, this acclaimed fantasy explores alternate history, a family's supernatural connections to the swamp, and the strength that comes in knowing your roots, perfect for fan of Judy I. Lin, Jason Reynolds, Ladarrion Williams's Blood at the Root, and Ryan Coogler's Sinners!

★ "A fierce, loving, and exquisite humanity-centered book." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ "Mesmerizing storytelling. . ." --Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Four thousand six hundred forty-two steps in," Grannylou interrupted. "You remember that now, Baby. Four-thousand six hundred forty-two steps to paradise."

On a damp night in 1722, Babylou Mac and her three siblings witness the murder of their mother at the hands of the local preacher's son--so Babylou kills him in retaliation. With plantation dogs now on their heels, the four siblings breach the treacherous confines of the Great Dismal Swamp. Deeper and deeper into Dismal they delve, amid the biting moccasins and pitch-black waters, toward a refuge where they can live freely within the swamp's natural--and supernatural--protection.

Three-hundred years later, college student Atlas comes home to North Carolina for the annual Bornday cookout and hog roast: a celebration of the fact that she and her three cousins were all born on the same day nineteen years ago, sharing a birthday with their Grannylou. But this Bornday, Grannylou's usual riddles and folktales about a marvelous paradise deep in the Great Dismal Swamp start to take on a tangible quality. Change coming.

When Dismal calls, sucking Grannylou in, it's up to Atlas and her cousins to uncover the history that the black waters hold. Centuries of family tension, with roots all over Virginia and North Carolina, are about to be dug up. Because Babylou and Grannylou are one and the same, and the power she helped cultivate hundreds of years ago--steeped in Black resistance, familial love, and the otherworldly mysteries of the Great Dismal Swamp--is bubbling back up. But so is a bitterness that runs deep as the swamp's waters. And some are ready to take what they feel they're owed.

Review Quotes

★ "Poetic language, lush descriptions, and characters so conflicted and nuanced as to feel real anchor the magical elements, while the cousins untangle centuries of heartbreaks and horrors inflicted by cruel white enslavers to learn where they came from and the gifts they've inherited. A fierce, loving, and exquisite humanity-centered book." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ "Mesmerizing storytelling brings together myriad backdrops, characters, storylines, and themes. Pulling inspiration from real events and places, Pink imbues this beguiling dark fantasy with striking texture, adding human elements to the eerie setting via fiercely wrought familial relationships." --Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ "The lyrical and ethereal writing alongside the warmth of the dialect, a creative concept extremely well executed, and characters readers can't help but care about combine with painfully authentic emotions for a one-sitting read."--School Library Journal, starred review

"This is a gripping tale of ancestry and finding your way home. . . Pink's use of alternating perspectives and time lines makes this all the more powerful. Under the Heron's Light is a beautiful story steeped in history and ghosts; it inspires further research and serves as a reminder to honor ancestors' sacrifices." --Booklist

"A deeply enjoyable, epic adventure."-- BCCB

About the Author