Conjure Island by Eden Royce

Conjure Island Reviews

• 
  Kiki

  Since Goodreads decided to disappear my review lemme resubmit it.
  
  Eden Royce did it again and our girl Del cannot be contained!
  ⁣
  In her sophomore middle-grade novel Royce moved from the historical
  Root Magic to Conjure Island, out June 27, with a contemporary setting, a more explicit shift towards the fantasy genre, and that same history in the water, the ground, the air, in the body and spirit. It's a family mystery set in the now familiar marshy islands by Charleston, South Carolina. If you're a Black reader on the look out for books that don't prominently feature racial violence, Royce offered a softer, poignant story where the main "conflict" is the painful repressed silence sprung from grief for the loss of loved ones and one girl's determined search to learn the truth.⁣
  ⁣
  Like Nnedi Okorafor's Akata Witch series, Conjure Island exists within a genre in-between where an author takes a trope made popular in Eurocentric narratives, in this case the magic school plot, and rehomes it in a wholly distinct cultural philosophy. In so doing Royce unravelled those Eurocentric narratives' violent assumptions in unexpected ways. I had to look up from the text in amazement as I felt my mind shift and rewire to embrace what unfolded on the page.⁣
  ⁣
  🧹 What I loved most:⁣
  ⁣
  1. DEL. I loved her and how Royce imagined her life. So many of us can relate to the internalized prejudices she had to overcome, to the difficult circumstances that made her hyper competent so young. Books like this and
  Battle for the Park by H. D. Hunter do such a good job with their depiction of children as full-fledged human beings. Extra love for depicting a black kid with a small family when the big, extended unit is presented as the norm. (See also
  Ship of Souls by Zetta Eliott.)⁣
  ⁣
  2. The world building. This is a whopper. This is what happens when you centre peoples that oppressive systems push to the periphery. Because this is a Southern Conjure school everything from its history, the history of the communities it serves, who belongs in that community, the magic the tools of magic seem to effortlessly subvert what is foundational to not only the magic school plots in the most popular white titles, but others by BIPOC writers who simply insert characters of colour into the same violently elitist models.⁣
  ⁣
  The Gullah Geechee community focus meant the connections to the wider African diaspora were immediate. As a Jamaican I connected strongly with the broom's status through the Gullah Geechee proverb in the epigraph, which Jamaicans also say, and Bobo Shanti Rastafari's special relationship with brooms from whom my Kingston aunts always bought theirs . The watergazing scene currents carried me to Naomi Jackson's lit fic debut
  The Star Side of Bird Hill set in Barbados where Phaedra's grandmother taught her to sip from a carafe of water after waking to remember her dreams, dreams which gave her real world knowledge into community doings. Depending on where you're from different elements will resonate. ⁣
  ⁣
  There was so much else I loved: the matrilineal family focus, the teachers, Ol' Lundy who I want to meet (from a safe distance), that journal scene! What a beautiful sophomore novel. Highly recommend. ⁣
  ⁣
  Thanks to the publisher for the e-ARC.
• 
  Matal “The Mischling Princess” Baker

  I received this ARC from NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers in exchange for an honest review.
  
  Ever since reading “Root Magic” by Eden Royce, I have been eagerly awaiting her next middle grade novel. So, when NetGalley sent me the ARC for “Conjure Island,” I was thrilled. However, please be aware that I read an *Uncorrected E-Proof* and that my review may, or may not, be reflective of the polished, published version that will be available to the public in June 2023.
  
  If you love fantasies in the vein of “Harry Potter,” and “Percy Jackson,” then you’ll likely appreciate this book. And although “Conjure Island” shares some similarities with the above, Royce crafted the novel in a completely different way.
  
  There are *so many things* to love about this book. I mean, what kid (or adult!) wouldn’t want a library where books automagically return themselves and has an invisible librarian on call 24/7? Or gets to go to a school taught by anthropomorphic teachers and ghosts? The book has some excellent life lessons that will (or at least should) resonate with readers. For example,
  
  “…How a person views me is a reflection of themselves and their experiences. It has nothing to do with me…”
  
  There is so much that I enjoyed about this book, and the character Del is one of them.
  
  Delphinia “Del” Baker is an eleven-year-old Air Force brat. Due to her father’s occupation, Del’s tiny family moves around the country every single year. It doesn’t seem like a big deal because Del’s family is tiny and is comprised of only three people: Del, her father, and her maternal grandmother, Violet.
  
  Even though Del’s mother died when she was a baby, she’s not alone and finds constant companionship and friendship with her grandma, especially since her father is often deployed. But families keep secrets.
  
  When Grandma Violet falls ill, Del is astonished to learn two things that alter the course of her life: that she will be sent to a great-grandma, Rose, that she never even knew existed, and that Rose—and Del herself—are Gullah.
  
  Rose is no ordinary woman. In fact, she’s a teacher and a headmistress of a school for Gullah children. Over the course of several weeks, Del learns all about conjure magic, learning to embody the school motto: Protect. Educate. Survive. She also learns that magic doesn’t automatically fix things, but instead,
  
  “…connects people, builds community, and strengthens bonds…”
  
  The secrets that breed the disconnect in her own family drives Del throughout the book.
  
  One of the things that I really think needs to be addressed in this novel, however, is Del’s questioning of the magic during the first five chapters. For example, while she was wishing that magic was real so she could be zapped home, she was actually riding in a rower-less boat that was being moved and steered by an alligator. Then, when the island just *appeared* out of nowhere, Del really didn’t reveal a sense of shock, instead she just asked a question. It wasn’t until Chapter 9 during the house transformation that she actually began believing that magic existed; at this point, it seemed a bit too late.
  
  Another example of this is when Del was introduced to a haint named Jube who took her bag to her room. But the discussion about him was too brief. If I saw a man whose feet levitated off the floor and disappeared into thin air, I definitely would be shocked out of my mind. But Del’s amazement at it all seems too muted.
  
  Called the ‘Mist’ and the ‘Glamour’ by Rick Riordan, Royce just simply calls the enchanted house “an enchantment.” If Royce were to find a uniquely Gullah word and actually name the enchantment and refer to it throughout the book, the enchantment would remain in the readers’ minds more. For example, if she called the enchantment using the Gullah word, ‘Bakien’, and then translated it for readers in English as ‘Bacon’, she could explain that it’s called that because xyz, and that whenever they needed to hide what they were doing, they would ‘throw people the Bacon’. Or when Rose ran after Del’s broom, she could say she, ‘threw Rose the Bacon’.
  
  One of the biggest drawbacks that I see with the novel is the segregation. You see this in other novels as well whenever magic is part of the storyline. But whereas HP and Riordan’s Percy Jackson both include the ‘other’, Royce’s novel does not. The character Rose explains why this is so, and even provides a reason for the self-imposed segregation, but authors have found a multitude of ways to make their books more inclusive. This is extremely important because the inclusion of diverse characters would likely boost sales and kids of various backgrounds might be more eager to read the book, and (hopefully!) the series; kids of non-Gullah ethnicity might not be able to imagine themselves in this story.
  
  Authors have used diverse ways of going about this, and one way that the author could have incorporated it would be partially through backstory and partially through the present story. For example, if Rose had named the individual perpetrators of the past and placed blame with *specific* culprits, Rose’s community could have remained a secret society and still been open to other African Americans, Native Americans, whites, and etc. To add more tension, Rose could have explained that the daughter of the offender and the Gullah community wanted to make peace and encourage understanding, so they made a pact stating that the offending group would send the first-born child of a single generation to the Vesey school, and vice versa, so that they could learn about and from one another. Del’s grandmother, Violet, could have also been the one of her generation slated to attend that school (more problems, more tension), but Rose could have refused because of xyz.
  
  To bring this into the present, one of the ‘other’ students could have arrived, so not only would Del have a friend (Eva) but she would also have a non-Gullah false-friend-or-false-enemy that could build up tension; someone that she could like/dislike and trust/not trust at various points in the novel. Finally, the only diversity (other than the Gullah) that was included in the story was a reference to one of the other student’s ‘two dads’, but it was included almost as an afterthought at the very end of the story.
  
  I can’t say whether or not Royce will turn “Conjure Island” into a series, but I’m certainly hoping for it. The author breathed life into this story. I visually saw the ‘Hall of Brooms’ and all of the movement from her vivid description. I also understood and empathized with Del and with her entire family. Royce is a great author and making the Gullah center stage in a novel is a gift for young readers and adults alike. I don’t know what the edited version will bring, but I am certain that Royce’s literary talent will shine through.
• 
  Dawn Michelle

  PRO'S:
  * Excellent world-building. This, for me, was the best part of the book and has made me want to find some really good NF books about this part of the world and the Gullah culture and traditions.
  * The STRONG emphasis on family and the importance of that.
  * The STRONG emphasis on good, strong, friendships and how they are so vital to our lives, no matter our age
  * The importance of learning the dangers of keeping secrets
  * Magic.
  
  CON'S:
  * Though I typically really like this narrator [Bahni Turpin], I didn't care for her narration at all for this book and I think that contributed to some of my not caring for the book [I cannot say dislike, but more on that below] as much as I would have if I had been able to read/read this book.
  * I am not the target audience for this book. I am not from the south, I know next to nothing about the Island peoples and the Gullah traditions and culture [except that I vaguely remember from watching Gullah Gullah Island with the kids I took care of], which made the understanding of some of this book difficult [which is why I'd love a really good NF book about this very thing] and I am an older, white woman. There are just some things that I will never fully understand because of that. IF I had known more about what this book was about, I would have realized I was not the target audience for it and I probably would have passed.
  * I didn't know that there was a book before this - reading that book may have helped with some of the issues I had with understanding some of the traditions and culture in this book. I really wish I had known.
  * Unfortunately, while I really liked a lot of the characters in this book [there are some really excellent side characters that I really loved, but that you don't see much of as this is Del's story and not theirs], I had a real problem with the main character, Del. I found her to be defiant, rude and often just a big brat. She had no problem breaking the rules [that were there for her safety] and she really grated on my last nerve. While she improves by the end, so much of how she was in the beginning stayed with me a lot more.
  
  Thank you to NetGalley, Eden Royce, and HarperCollins Children's Books/Walden Pond Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
• 
  2TReads

  Del has my whole heart. I swear Eden Royce works Soul Conjure with her stories.
  
  I firmly believe that Royce sprinkles a little conjure in her books because they grab onto you and your feelings and don't let go even after you have read the last page. It was like that with Root Magic, and it is the same here.
  
  Del is a young girl with a military father and a loving yet secretive gramma. When she has to leave to stay with a great-grandma she never knew she had, we begin to see how hard she has to work to adjust and how she has been affected by the constant upheaval in her life.
  
  One huge reason I love reading middlegrade is the characters. Children at a certain age are honest and guileless, which sometimes can be used in nefarious ways, but when they are given the page to just be, it is magical. I think Eden Royce understands this, and this awareness translates into her stories, making her characters loveable, intuitive, and precious.
  
  These are some of the feelings I had while reading Conjure Island. Del, as a character, is vulnerable yet strong, witty yet quiet, yearning for friendship yet afraid to reach for it. And we get her from the beginning of the story. The further we get and the more we see her open herself up to the opportunity of forging more bonds as she learns and searches for family history through community, is the more we want the whole world for her.
  
  The supporting characters here are also great, looking out for each other, being empathetic, and actually moving with the actions of a community as preached. This is true and wholesome storytelling, and it feels like a warm hug that you just want to pass on and on, letting the energy of community magic and beauty wrap around everyone it touches.
  
  I adore child characters because they can be so genuine in their interactions and yet also have the capacity for immense resilience whenever the situation calls for it.
• 
  S.R. Toliver

  I’m really loving this middle grades “Black girls in magical schools” trend I’ve been seeing the last year or so. I need more!
• 
  Charlotte

  everything I want in a magic school story! Friendship, mystery, fascinating magic with real world roots, and a lovely main character to empathize with and cheer for!
• 
  Laila - Stories Steeped in Magic

  My Rating: 4
  A whimsical and heartfelt journey of a girl discovering her magical roots and bridging lost long family together again.
  Thank you Walden Pond Press, HarperCollins for providing an e-book copy through NetGalley.
  
  Synopsis:
  Del has all she needs with her small, close-knit family. Who needs same-aged friends or a community when they move states every year anyway? Sure, her mother died during childbirth, and her father is always out on deployment, but her grandmother, Gramma, is always there for her. Even when the loneliness creeps into Del’s thoughts, Gramma supports her in every way. Then, Del’s life is upended when Gramma takes a fall and must stay in the hospital to recover. With no other option, Del is sent to live with her great-grandmother, her Gramma’s mother, Nana Rose, someone whom she never knew existed. She travels deep into the swamp of South Carolina, where the air sticks to your skin and unseen creatures constantly make noise. When Nana Rose suddenly offers Del a chance to attend her school and learn her ancestor’s traditions, including a practice called “conjure magic”, Del nearly refuses. First of all, she doesn’t know this woman at all, and second, magic? From fairy tales and story books? Del can’t believe she is stuck in this weird place and not helping her Gramma. But when she attends a school meeting and witnesses the strange powers at work, Del soon realizes that Nana Rose wasn’t kidding. Conjure magic is real, and Del finds herself surrounded by teachers that are witches, classmates with fantastic abilities, ghost butlers and odd creatures. She finally has a chance to stay in one place, make actual friends, and learn of her family’s roots, but something about the whole school bugs her. Why hadn’t her Gramma told her about this?
  
  What I Liked:
  In Conjure Island, the details and world building of the conjure school stand out the most, enchanting readers with a form of African-American magic most have never heard of, but is just as special as others. The brooms, the different spells, the interaction between students and ghosts/creatures, and the teachers are all whimsical yet focused, well-researched and well-written. Readers can imagine themselves learning the same techniques in their own home. The themes of family, roots, and belonging throughout the novel also elevate the story and Del as a character, as she tries to figure out what happened to her Gramma, the history behind Nana Rose, and a shadowy presence that surrounds the school. This is not an action-packed, magic-school story like The Marvellers by Dhonielle Clayton, but more of a laid-back and introspective journey of a character who is finally finding a place to belong.
  
  What I Didn’t Like:
  The story is…kind of boring? After Royce’s middle grade debut Root Magic, I thought there would be more tension to the plot. Conjure Island is a quieter novel, but sometimes that lack of immediate conflict or intense scenes made me put the book down often. Maybe my expectations were too fantasy-adventure focused. Also, her new friend, Eva, talks like a wizened adult who knows exactly what to say to help Del through her thinking and problems. She doesn’t speak like a 12-year-old, and it’s off-putting, as if Del is getting taught lessons by her peer constantly.
  
  Who would you recommend this to?
  Kids who like reading about conjure magic (Root Magic by Eden Royce or Hoodoo by Ronald L. Smith) or who like magic school books that are less plot-intensive (The Girl at Earth’s End by Tara Dairman or A Taste of Magic by J. Elle).
  
  Review Date: August 9, 2023
• 
  Jenny

  Cute story. I'm glad I picked it for the 6th graders. The magic part was fun but it was really more about family and having a sense of belonging, which is always important for kids. I'd like to read more about the Gullah culture.
• 
  Lee Renee

  Eden Royce does an amazing job of explaining the GeeChee community in such a fun and immersive way. I enjoyed Root Magic and knew that I was going to become obsessed with Conjure Island. This book touched on grief and how lonely it can be when dealing with it alone. Especially when you don’t have community around you.
  I enjoyed everything about this book
• 
  Kristen Harvey

  I loved the whole vibe of this book, full of family love and solid new friends who help each other out and lift each other up. I loved the magic style and how even though it felt that magical school vibe it had its own unique sense to it. Definitely one I would recommend to my fantasy readers.
• 
  Ceallaigh

  “Magic isn't something you have or don't have.” Nana Rose considered her for a moment. “This will become evident as you study, but magic is something you embrace and accept in order to learn it and use it well.”

  
  
  TITLE—Conjure Island
  AUTHOR—Eden Royce
  PUBLISHED—2023
  PUBLISHER—Walden Pond Press (HarperCollins)
  
  GENRE—MG fantasy fiction
  SETTING—eastern united states, Gullah Geechee community
  MAIN THEMES/SUBJECTS—Southern conjure, community, family relationships, grief, military family, grandmother parental figure, school of magic, non-(/ex-)human characters, forgiveness & healing, coming of age, friendship & trust, [sentient] magical house & objects, ghosts, the importance of passing on family history & traditional knowledge
  
  WRITING STYLE—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
  CHARACTERS—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
  STORY/PLOT—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
  BONUS ELEMENT/S—Loved the setting!
  PHILOSOPHY—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
  
  

  “Gramma must have had a reason for leaving this island. For never speaking to Del of this place or all the incredible things the people here could do. What was that reason? The answer to that question was at the heart of why Del felt so alone in a place where her own history existed when others, like Eva, felt even more at home than she did.”

  
  
  My thoughts:
  This was *such* a cute book! Set very near where I grew up, it was such a joy to be able to conjure up childhood memories to fill in the gaps in the setting and feel of the atmosphere of the story. I absolutely loved the premise and execution of all of the characters, of Nemmine Island, and the school of Southern conjure magic. And the philosophy was *flawless*. 😚👌🏻 I actually would have *loved* for this to have been more YA-adjacent and very much longer. I feel like every page could have been *five* more pages, with the characters getting more development, more backstory, more flashbacks, more descriptions of the school, the house(!), the magic, more adventure! more Lundy! More everything! But overall it was a beautiful, cozy, wholesome story.
  
  I would recommend this book especially to young readers. This book is best read as a family.
  
  Final note: Absolutely cannot wait for Royce’s next MG book: The Creepening of Dogwood House—a Southern Gothic MG haunted house story that sounds like it will be a bit darker than Conjure Island. 🕯️🙌🏻🖤
  
  

  “Brooms did symbolize trees. And while a tree could grow alone, they thrived more when they were connected, their roots intertwining and feeding each other… You are connected. You are a part of conjure. Conjure is a part of you.”

  
  
  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
  
  Season: Summer
  
  Further Reading—
  - ROOT MAGIC by Eden Royce
  - everything else by Eden Royce
  - ROOTWORK by Tracy Cross
  - ELATSOE by Darcie Little Badger
  
  Favorite Quotes—
  Dedication:
  “For those who feel like they don't have a true home. I hope you find your portal.”
  
  Epigraph:
  New brooms sweep clean, but old ones get the corners.
  -Gullah Geechee proverb
  
  “…Most people assume our culture here on the island is primitive, or backward, or ignorant. Not worth knowing anything about. That's how the enchantment on the house works in fact—it shows you what you expect to see. A pretty convenient way to keep ourselves hidden, don't you think?”
  
  Nana Rose raised her eyebrows as she asked the question, but Del dropped her head, refusing to meet her great-grandmother's gaze. A short while ago, she'd been one of those people fooled by the spell on the house. And if Del was honest with herself, she was also one of those people who had thought this island was weird and useless when she arrived. She swallowed hard. “If people knew what conjure really is, maybe they wouldn't think those things.” “If only that were true, my dear,” Nana Rose said, as she paced along the porch in front of Del.
  
  “Once, we thought sharing who we are and what we do with anyone who wanted to know might lead to greater acceptance of our people and culture. We soon realized that was a mistake… People took what we taught and changed it and manipulated it and then claimed it as their own discovery, refusing to acknowledge us as the creators… After that, we stopped sharing our ways as freely with outsiders, but the damage was already done. They had erased us from the story… Of course, it was no surprise when the magic they'd taken began to fade from the world. They couldn't make it survive because they didn't truly understand conjure, or respect its origins. Since then, we've worked harder to protect ourselves and our knowledge.”
  
  “Even our own people forget us after leaving the island…”
  
  “Maybe witches of other cultures ride brooms, but we of conjure do not. Ever. Brooms are special tools for conducting our magic. They should be treated like cherished family—with honor, reverence, and respect. Come, I'll show you.”
  
  “…You don't have to practice conjure magic alone. It's a community. We help each other." Eva got up from her desk and sat on her bed across from Del. "Conjure is huge... and old. There's tons of stuff to learn and discover. It takes years. That's part of the reason Vesey does this summer session—so kids can find out if they like magic enough to want to spend that much time learning it.”
  
  “…we sorcells use different titles. I call myself a 'witch.' Sorcell Rose uses 'rootworker.’ Sorcell Nyla likes 'conjurer.' But we all practice Southern conjure. And just like how we all use different terms, we all have our own specialties.”
  
  “But... it doesn't bother you how other people might see you?”
  He took a piece of sugarcane from the table and tucked it into his pocket. “Not at all. How a person views me is a reflection of themselves and their experiences. It has nothing to do with me. Does that answer your question?”
  
  “…Remember, this is an old magic born of community, and of the need to protect ourselves, educate our people, and survive in a harsh world.”
  
  “Brooms connect us to the earth, from where we draw our strength. That's why we always keep them safe, never abuse them or treat them roughly, nor do we ride them.”
  
  “When we place the broom handle on grass or soil, it conducts the energy up and into bristles and provides a focus for our magic.”
  
  “We do not control or tame the earth's energy. We allow it to flow through as it will. That is why we must take care of the earth as it takes care of us…”
  
  “Not these brooms. These are made from a specific kind of corn called sorghum, which originated in Africa. Our broom magic originated from there as well. We hold on to that connection in how we use the materials.”
  
  “The handle represents the trunk, and the bristles represent the branches that grow up toward the sky. One of the reasons we store the brooms with the bristles upright is to honor its origins, a symbol of where our magic originates.”
  
  “Is that why it's also known as rootwork??” Eva asked. “Because it's working to make a connection between us and the earth?”
  
  Maybe she still didn't know much about conjure, but she was learning how it fit into the world she did know. This magic from a people—her people—who were brought to this country: afraid, trapped, without freedom, who tried to create a little bit of peace and safety in their lives. ‘Protect. Educate. Survive.’
  
  Nana Rose took a chance in allowing Del to come to Nemmine Island. There was no way she could have predicted how Del would react to learning magic was real. And when she refused to do the protection spell yesterday, the resulting stampede showed Nana Rose had been right about how dangerous it was to let people in who didn't take magic seriously. Del had endangered the school even more than it already was, and put the survival of her people's magic in jeopardy. ‘Gramma... why didn't you ever tell me?’ She felt sick to her stomach. Gramma trusted her to do so much: help pack before each move, navigate in the car, even to remind her when she needed to take her medicine. Gramma didn't trust her with this family knowledge and that stung.
  
  This time Nyla laughed as she set the girls on the edge of the pool. “I've never heard it put that way. But you're wrong. This is in fact the correct number of legs for me. I am part human, part crab. Blue swimmer crab, to be specific.”
  “But how can—“ Del stopped. “I've never heard of a part human, part crab!”
  “Just because it isn't your experience, doesn't make my experience untrue,” Sorcell Nyla replied, flexing her many-jointed legs. “Many of the stories Sorcell Harus has told you in his lore classes were examples of connections between us, the Caribbean islands, and the African continent, no? Do you remember his tale of the sea goddess Mami Wata? Here in this part of the world, we call her Mammy Watah, and she has many daughters. I am one of them.”
  
  With great effort, Del met Eva's gaze. She had promised not to hide things anymore. Eva's acceptance of her good and bad points was really helping with that.
  
  “It's not about how many people there are to perform a spell like that. It's about everyone in the circle doing it together.”
  
  “Well, Del,” Robert Vesey said, “I'm thankful for your moment of disbelief. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to return home.”
  
  Neither one of them talked when they both needed to.
  
  Del hugged her. “It's okay, Nana Rose. You did the best you could at the time.” After seeing her gramma fall and have to go to the hospital, Del understood how worry and pain and fear can cause you to make bad decisions. Ever since she got to Nemmine Island, she'd been making some pretty bad decisions herself. It was time to make a good one. “You… you were hurting too.”
• 
  Alison Rose

  Not me glancing curiously toward the closet where my broom lives while reading this book...
  
  This was a really fun read, and also educational. I love learning about lore and traditions that I'm not familiar with, especially ones with a magical or spiritual aspect, so it was really enjoyable to learn alongside Del while reading this story. I loved the world-building Royce does here on the island and with the school and its history, as well as how that history entwines with Del's family's history. I thought the author explained things really well, in a way that is accessible for the young kids in the target age-range, but is also substantive enough for older readers (or in my cases, much much much older readers) to stay engaged. I also appreciated that while there are a few times when things get a tiny bit scary, it was never overdone and you never felt worried for the kids' safety or anything.
  
  Del is a great character, and I really liked what a smart and grounded girl she is, and how much she clearly cares for her family. She's thrown into something really weird and uncomfortable at first, but she finds a way to be at ease with it, especially once she realizes she might be able to help her grandmother out through the knowledge she gains at the school. I did think it was a little odd that she is very disbelieving in the conjure magic for a long time but is also not all that thrown off when magical-type things happen. There was just a bit of dissonance there, but it wasn't anything that ruined the plot.
  
  Very fun and intriguing read, even if I am a bit let down that my broom is just a broom.
• 
  Chandler Taylor

  It's not that this is a bad book but it's got a big plot hole in it and a few typographical errors that bump it down the quality list for me.
  
  On a small island off the coast of South Carolina, a trio of teachers run the Vesey Conservatory for the Wonder Arts. As one would expect, this is no ordinary school on an island - this is a school for magic, specifically, the magic of Southern conjure. Southern conjure is a real class of, what I will call, Southern spiritualism and folk tradition passed down from generations of enslaved individuals (Eden Royce has written articles about it and this book is probably quite similar to her debut novel, Root Magic). It is the mission of the school to protect, educate, and survive, meaning they must protect their traditions and educate the next generations so the magic will survive.
  
  Eleven-year-old Delphinia "Del" Baker finds herself on Nemmine Island after her grandmother, her only caretaker, suffers a medical emergency and a temporary guardian must be found. Del's mother passed away when Del was very young and her father is on a military deployment. Del has moved around a lot because of her dad's job and she has been guarded from any information about her mom or extended family, including the great-grandmother who runs the Vesey Conservatory for the Wonder Arts. As a direct descendent of witches, conjurers, rootworkers, or whatever else one who practices Southern conjure might call themselves, Del is almost the Charlie of this chocolate factory, set to inherit the kingdom if only someone will teach her how to conjure. While staying with her great-grandmother, Nana Rose, Del is enrolled in the Conservatory's summer session for an introduction to Southern conjure. She hopes that by learning about her people's past and where the magic comes from, she can finally figure out why her grandmother kept this family legacy a secret.
  
  This is a semi-realistic fantasy novel. The conjurers cast spells, of course, and they use brooms as part of the magic (but these witches don't fly on their brooms, that's Disney nonsense!). This is a book I would not have been allowed to read as a child because of the "witchcraft and sorcery." Heck, even in my thirties, my mother does not approve of me reading this book. What I cannot support about this book is Del gets sent off to Nemmine Island and her grandmother has an appendectomy the same day. Gramma is set to be in the hospital for a few weeks. Day one, Del goes looking for information about her family in the library. Day two, Del learns how to watergaze and contact people with a bowl of water and sugar, so she determines to contact her grandmother with the biggest bowl of water she can find - the swimming pool. Day three, Del gets in trouble for the pool thing and goes to get information from a talking alligator. By the end of day three, there has been a spell cast that brings Gramma to the island. So, she just disappeared from her hospital bed and we're not even going to talk about that???? What did the hospital people think??? Did they even notice?? Is this a form of time travel? That's a big ol' hole in the plot that bothers me greatly. And, much like me here, Del asks far too many questions and it's kind of annoying.
• 
  Ms. Yingling

  E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
  
  Delphinia, who would rather be called Del, is used to living with just her grandmother and her father, who is in the military, since her mother died giving birth to her. The family moves frequently, and while it isn't great, Del loves to be with her grandmother (who, byt the way, is 63 years old). The latest transition, however, happens when her father is deployed, so she and her grandmother have to make the move on their own. They have a system, and clean the house and unpack the needed boxes, but the grandmother is uncharacteristically tired. Del is concerned, and rightly so. Her grandmother collapses and ends up in the hospital. Her father can't come home, and since her grandmother needs surgery and will need time to recuperate, she is sent to South Carolina to her great grandmother Rose whom she has never met and didn't even know existed! Rose runs a school on a small island where she teaches conjure magic to kids Del's age who have family connections to powers. There are any number of unusual things, from a tame crocodile, to buildings that appear run down but are really palatial, to a ghost butler! Why was Del never told about all of this? Why has her grandmother never returned to the island? While Del makes friends with fellow student Eva, she keeps the fact that she has family connections to the school secret from her. Eventually, secrets are revealed and the girls find a hidden room with many clues to her grandmother's course of action. Will Del be able to repair hre family's rift and also embrace her family and cultural connection to magic?
  Strengths: This had a good magical academy vibe, but for the summer, which seems more realistic than going to a Hogwarts type school! I enjoyed the quick peek at Del's life with her grandmother, and the information about the family's military life. Eva knows a lof more about how the magic works, and is a good friend to have, especially when she saves Del from quicksand. The island setting, especially the house and the library with the unseen librarian, were great fun. Fans of this author's Root Magic will be glad to see another magical book set in the South.
  Weaknesses: Did the mother have to be killed off? Such a common trope in middle grade books, especially fantasy, and it might have been more interesting if both women had just sworn off magic. Also, the grandmother seemed a bit young tobe incapacitated so long, although I did appreciate that it was a more minor health crisis and not, say, a heart attack.
  What I really think: This is a great choice for readers who liked Scott's School of Charm or Dumas' Wildseed Witch.
• 
  Paige V

  After her grandmother gets sick, a girl discovers her family heritage on an island off the South Carolina coast.
  
  Delphinia Baker, or Del, an 11-year-old girl, is used to moving around with her father and grandmother because of Del's father's military job. They soon settled into their new house in Delaware, and that's when disaster struck. Her grandmother gets seriously ill, and Del is forced to travel to be with her great-grandmother (Nana Rose), whom she has never seen or heard of before. How will Del adapt to her new situation? And will she fit in with the other kids on the island who practice magic called Southern Conjure?
  
  This magic school book is sure to bewitch you. The school Southern conjure magic will enchant you with teachers called Sorcells, students with strange abilities, and magical brooms.
  
  I read another book from Eden Royce, Root Magic (which I liked a lot), and Conjure Island was good. Though, I prefer Root Magic. This book had the School for Witches vibe and well-done characters. Although I wished the other kids got more representation in the story because it felt like the others were being treated like background characters.
  
  The setting was well-imagined, a unique isolated island with a magic school for Gullah children.
  Del is a hardworking and curious young girl. She is also a very relatable character for being the new kid. Her grandmother was quirky, and her great-grandmother reminded me of the grandmother in The Okay Witch. The reason why is the vibe she has that everyone has to lean on her to support the magical community, making her the leader. Del's best friend, Eva, was a very kind and loyal friend. Del's father is as hardworking as Del.
  
  Give this book to anyone who loves a family mystery with adventure and magic in it with heart.
  
  Happy Reading, Paige ❤️ 📚
  
  Thank you to Harperkids and The Shelf Stuff for sharing this magical book with me!
• 
  Ashley Sills

  My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
  middle grade—contemporary fantasy
  
  This cute middle grade novel comes out next week on June 27! Thanks to Walden Pond Press and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy!
  
  Conjure Island is a middle grade, light fantasy that gave me a unique perspective into the culture of the African American population in South Carolina.
  
  It follows Del, a tween whose only real family is her dad and gramma, to Nemmine Island, where the great-grandmother she never knew she had runs a school that teaches southern conjure. Along the way, Del learns important life lessons that will eventually help her bring her broken family back together.
  
  While I know I’m not the target audience for this book, I enjoyed the themes it focused on, the unique magic elements, and the quirky characters.
  
  The themes in this book are profound and universal, but simply put so middle grade readers and onward can understand them. Del learns that life is better and easier with a community around you, that remembering our history makes us more grateful and wise in the present, and that hiding our feelings can create rifts between us.
  Some of the themes were less subtle/seamless in the story than others, which may or may not appeal to the middle grade reader.
  
  I probably won’t reread this one anytime soon, but I’m glad I got the chance to experience it!
  
  If you or a child in your life enjoy middle grade fantasy, especially if you’re African American or live in the South, I think this book is definitely worth a read. It will leave you with a warm heart and and a resolve to keep your loved ones close.
  
  ❗️parent death, hospital visit
• 
  Courtney

  I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
  I really enjoyed Eden Royce’s first book, so I jumped at the chance to review her next book, Conjure Island. While not connected to Root Magic on a story level, the two books share similar themes of Black heritage and family ties with ancestral magic tying it all together, and I appreciate how Royce explored another aspect of that here.
  Del’s arc is a fairly common one in children’s diaspora stories, where the young protagonist is disconnected from their ancestral culture due to choices made by one of their forebears. In this case, she starts the book with a close relationship with her grandmother, who cares for her because her mother has died and her father is often deployed, until her grandmother falls ill, leading her to be sent to her grandmother’s estranged mother, Nana Rose. It’s a wonderful journey, watching Del become accustomed to her new surroundings, discover the beauty of conjure magic, and find out what it was that drove her grandmother toward cutting ties, and not passing on the conjure magic tradition to Del earlier.
  The setting is also richly imagined, being set on a magical, isolated island at a school for Gullah children that Nana Rose runs. While there’s a growing trend of “diverse” magic school books cropping up in recent years, this is perhaps the most unique, and I appreciate the specific cultural emphasis. I particularly liked the magical alligator that knows a lot of the school’s history.
  This is another magical book from Eden Royce, and I recommend it to anyone looking for a magical book about a Black girl.
• 
  nova

  ;____; what a lovely story!! it's hard not to compare it to
  root magic by eden royce, which was the debut from this author that stole my heart earlier this year. root magic is a southern gothic story with high stakes, while conjure island is portal-fantasy-esque with a low-stakes family mystery. conjure island leans more into fantasy, seemingly using the same folk magic as a jumping off point to make this fictional island more fantastical (like, this one has ghosts, portals, tangible spells, etc)
  
  i could feel the disconnect with me not being the target demographic for this a little more than i did with root magic. but i think that's just personal preference! i never felt spoken down to, and i found the information about the magic so intriguing. i loved the conversations about why this culture keeps these practices so insular for safety, while also grappling with how these practices might be dying off because of how insular they are.
  
  loved the cast of characters here. del was so great, and a perfect example of the ~parentification or growing-up-too-fast that kids like that go through. i also moved homes a trillion times so i feel her so hard. ava, her roommate, was a DELIGHT. and all the teachers at the school were super fun! in no small part because the audiobook - narrated by bahni turpin - was fantastic.
  
  if you liked root magic, pick this one up as well!! i can't wait for everything else eden royce has in store for not only middlegrade readers, but YA and adult readers too.
  
  thank you to netgalley for my first ever arc! i promise i'll read it before the pub date next time :')
• 
  TheDiversePhDReads

  I am not going to rate this book. The writing was engaging, and it was a page turner. I read this while listening to the audio. However, this is an example of why I do not read/like tween/teen centered books. Del is such an entitled, spoilt, self-centered, inconsiderate, and self-deprecating. She is truly annoying. I didn't like how the story unfolded. It would have been better if Del tried to investigate the dark shadow she kept seeing while homing her new skills - find out why the spell actually failed, etc, and then stumble onto her grandmother's legacy. Children need to stay out of grown folks business related or not. I did not like children written this way. Acting like they are entitled to be informed of everything and anything, to always be consulted, etc.
  
  Maybe Del's character was written like this to highlight how pleasant, logical, self-aware, and sensible her agemate Eva is. The potrayal of the adults were fine. They did have a voice and were not relegated to the background.
• 
  Christine LaBatt

  Del is not expecting to spend the summer at her great-grandmother’s house in South Carolina. After a medical emergency in her family necessitates it, she travels down to South Carolina. There, she learns her Nana Rose is actually the head of a magic school for conjure magic. Del not only starts learning about magic but also about why she has never heard about it from her family before.
  
  I liked the setting and the uniqueness of the magic here. It was really different from a lot of other middle grade magic books. However, I thought the pacing was too slow for the age level (and even for me as an adult). It took way too long for Del to get to the magic and I think some kids would maybe get bored before then.
  
  I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
• 
  Anne

  Del (Delphinia) is used to moving a lot since her dad is in the military. This doesn't mean she likes it - but at least she has her dad and her gramma at her core (since her mom died when Del was born). However, when her gramma becomes seriously ill during the most recent move and her dad is gone on deployment, Del is sent to stay with a great grandmother that she didn't even know she had before. On this remote island off the South Carolina coast, Del is exposed to conjure magic as well as family secrets. She needs to learn about trust as well as this new to her world and way of life.
  
  Well written and engaging book about a culture that one doesn't hear much about as well as themes of family and friendship.
• 
  Carlee Miller

  Conjure Island tells the story of Dell, whose father is in the military and whose grandmother takes care of her when he is not with them. When Dell's grandmother becomes sick and undergoes surgery, Dell is sent to spend the summer with a great grandmother she never knew existed. She learns about conjure magic and the mysteries of her family and its history on this marsh. I loved the focus on community and the importance of the community standing together for the magic to work. This was a really fun read, and I would love to see a sequel of what happens next for Dell and her family. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a digital advanced copy of this book!
• 
  Sarah

  She puts on a brave face, but it’s tough for Del to move every year for her father’s deployments. And as much as she loves her Gramma, it hurts that she won’t tell Del anything about her dead mother. Then, Gramma falls ill and Del has to go spend the summer with her great-grandmother, Nana Rose, who runs a school in South Carolina. Specifically, a conjure school. Del’s doubts about magic are quickly swept away, but her doubts about her own abilities, family history, and belonging remain. Offers a tantalizing glimpse of a fantasy world but mostly focuses on Del’s quest to deal with deep-rooted family trauma.
• 
  Sarah

  Del lost her mother as an infant and her father is deployed in the military, so she has mostly been raised by her grandmother whom she adores. When her grandma takes ill, she is whisked off to stay with the great grandmother she didn't even know existed. It turns out her great grandma runs a school for Gullah children teaching them conjure magic, and Del's whole world is expanded by all kinds of unexpected discoveries.
  
  This was a charming, whimsical story about family bonds, friendship, knowing your history, and the danger of secrets. Elements of Gullah lore are included as Del learns about her roots. I appreciated the story and found it to be one children and adults can both enjoy.
  
  
• 
  Drew Jameson

  This is a wonderful book about a young girl learning about southern Conjure and Root Magic, and their connection to her family history. She solves a mystery about her family background, and faces various subtle emotional and social conflicts. It's an interesting foil to Root Magic, because so much of the subject matter is the same, but this book is equally painful, but so much less traumatic. It's much subtler, and much less violent than its predecessor. This was a SLOW burn, but it did get better and better as it went on. Eden Royce is a force.
• 
  Eva

  "Conjure Island" is another amazing middle grade book from writer Eden Royce, and a wonderful follow-up to "Root Magic," which came out last year. This book is amazing in particular for younger readers of Gullah Geechee heritage, of which the author is part, and Black children growing up in South Carolina and the Lowcountry. Non-Black children will enjoy the book as well for its wonderful story with the family elements and the protagonist's closeness to her grandmother. Adult readers will also enjoy this book if they love Eden Royce's work.
• 
  Beth

  This was really good. Del is independent and full of agency, since she has grown up as a military kid, used to repeated moves. But she doesn’t know how to be part of a community and that’s what she is offered when an emergency sends her to her great-grandmother’s school. She also learns about friendship and asking for help. And about her secret powers of magic.
  
  It also leans into real history, talking about how communities and ancestors helped people survive in the south, and how important and yet also fragile are the threads of our past.
  
  Also there are cool alligators
• 
  Jennybeast

  Pretty great. I really thought that this was going to have a creepier vibe throughout than it did -- and I really likes how Royce creates suspense that draws you through the story. I also really like how much lighter this is than Root Magic -- still has the great messages about family, history, Gullah Geechee traditions, but ultimately feels more hopeful. I also like that it deals with a military brat as a main character. It helps to explain why she doesn't trust/form friendships easily, and her self-reliance.