Following is a volunteer review of “The Prodigy Slave, Book One: Journey to Winter Garden” by Londyn Skye.]
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘺 𝘚𝘭𝘢𝘷𝘦, 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘖𝘯𝘦: 𝘑𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘛𝘰 𝘞𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘎𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘯 by London Skye, is a captivating, historical fiction/romance novel which unfolds with our protagonist, a girl of nine years old torn literally from her Mother’s arms by her slave – master, Levi. Levi procured Lily at a slave auction to replace his ailing house slave, Auntie. Fourteen years later to the day, Lily, still suffering the appalling after-effects of the violence perpetrated against her proceeds to play the piano in her master’s parlour: her only form of escapism from the painful, persistent imagery of that fateful day and every day thereafter.
Lily has the unique gift of imprinting piano melodies into her memory from sound alone and learns to play like an accomplished performer by sneakily listening to Levi’s wife. Lily establishes an extraordinarily close bond with James, Levi’s youngest son, and they become inseparable. James eventually leaves for Ohio State University to study medicine, as his greatest wish is to return to the community as a doctor. He returns home six years later to discover Lily playing his Mother’s piano and chastises her: although he secretly admires her playing a piece that his late Mother loved and realises Lily is playing like an accomplished master.
James is captivated but wary and confronts Lily who is consumed with terror, begging him not to tell his Father for fear of being punished, she pleads with James to keep her secret hidden. James threatens her but concocts a plan to lure her away from his Father by suggesting that Lily be taken to a breeder to ensure a continuation of slaves on the property. During the agonising journey, Lily has visions of the horrific fate of forced pregnancy that awaits her and mentally tries to prepare herself. But James has other plans for Lily beyond her wildest imagination. He introduces her to William Werthington, a British-born musical genius who is enraptured by Lily’s raw musical talent and proceeds to carve a path which takes Lily on a captivating musical journey to the hallowed halls of the Winter Garden and beyond.
This is very clearly a scintillating romance novel but the clever inclusion of articles from the American Slave Code of the 1800s at the beginning of each chapter ensures that the novel also belongs in the historical fiction genre. London Skye is a gifted, master storyteller who captures her readers with a beguiling storyline that will keep you invested till the very last page. I was enthralled by this perfectly edited novel and a rating of no less than five out of five stars is befitting a book of this substance. I eagerly await the follow-up to this novel.
It’s necessary to point out that there are many instances of racial slurs and profane language in the book, which could upset sensitive readers, however, by including quotes from the American Slave Code, the book was educative and enlightening. I heartily recommend it to fans of romance, historical fiction and those who have an interest in the slave history of America.
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The Prodigy Slave, Book One: Journey to Winter Garden
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