Wow. I actually finished this a couple of weeks ago and had to sit with it for a bit. What a story. It is a hard read. Hard because it puts realities of atrocities that happened in the past in front of our eyes and we cannot just pretend they didn’t happen. Now I realize this is a fiction story, but it’s a fiction story based on the lives of some real people and I have no doubt that much much worse events than what happened on these pages happened in real life.

Once in a Blood Moon was so well written. The emotion was felt and I really felt like *I* was Alexandra and going through what she was going through. She endured so much loss and a drastic change to her life, and she was STRONG. She was brave and tough and resourceful. She had some incredible help along the way from a variety of people, and had to witness some absolute tragedies.

I highly recommend this book. It’s certainly not a happy or easy read, but it is important and needs to be in the hands of as many people as possible. I only wish I had read it a lot sooner.

Thank you to Acorn Publishing, Dorothea Hubble Bonneau, and NetGalley for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

Alexandra is the daughter of a wealthy African-American plantation owner. Her mother is a mixed-blood socialite who could pass for white. Alexandra’s life in the Antebellum South seems idyll. Her father is on the verge of being made legally white, and she dreams of becoming a renowned violinist. However, her life takes a drastic turn when her father is murdered and her mother dies. Alexandra is made a slave. One of the people she befriends is a boy named John Fowler, who is a white slave. Can Alexandra find a way to free herself and John Fowler from a life of slavery?

Alexandra is an engaging protagonist. I found it interesting that even though they were an African-American family they kept slaves, and her mother treated them harshly. However, Alexandra was very caring to the slaves and even establishes a friendship with one of them. Alexandra is also very clever and resourceful. She also is an accomplished musician and has a passion for music. Her cleverness and accomplishments would become very beneficial to her when she becomes a slave. Alexandra is also a character who goes through many tragedies and obstacles, but she strives to overcome them to find her own happiness. Thus, I could help but root for her to find a life outside of slavery. I also loved Alexandra’s friendship with John Fowler, a white slave. I had never heard of John Fowler in history before. Yet, this novel opened my eyes to John Fowler and his dangerous escape to freedom.

Overall, this novel is about slavery, friendship, and freedom. I found all the characters to be very realistic and complex. Once in a Blood Moon is a very engaging novel that sheds light on a little known piece of history. The novel is very fast-paced and thought-provoking. The only thing I did not like about the book was that there were a few loose ends. Still, Once in a Blood Moon is a breathtaking and meticulously researched novel about a woman who fights for those she loves! I recommend this book for fans of Beverly Jenkins, Alyssa Cole, and Barbara Chase-Riboud! Once in a Blood Moon will be sure to stay with you long after you’ve read the last page!

Reminiscent of those long drawn out prose that only someone who loves words can really get into. And although that usually includes myself, I'm going to have to pass on this novel. It just didn't elicit the feelings I'd expect but there may be some who will enjoy this book.

I had a hard time getting into this book though I usually love this type though I was able to finish the book and enjoyed the settings.

Sadly not my cup of tea, i didn`t connect or care for any of the characters. Wich was unfortunate, because i hoped i`d like it.

Thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC. This was one great book. Sometimes i would forget it was fiction, it all seemed to real. Great attention to detail! I loved it! It should be a movie.

i really enjoyed getting to know Alexandra and go through the journey. The characters were great and I really enjoyed the plot. I look forward to more from the author.

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I usually stick to WWII historical fiction but I am trying to be knowledgable about black history so this one caught my eye. This is a story of a young, free, black woman and her brother Jimi. She is living the good life until her parents are both suddenly gone and her whole world turns upside down. Everything she has taken for granted and her comfortable life are a thing of the past.

This story had a very slow start for me. It mostly involved her violin playing and worrying about finding a husband. If these scenes had been shorter I might have been able to hold my attention better for the rest of the book. Despite this, it is well written and I got goosbumps when I discovered the author is a descendant of one of the characters!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review of Once in a Blood Moon by Dorothea Hubble Bonneau.
Once in a Blood Moon by Dorothea Hubble Bonneau.

In 19th Century America, Alexandra is living the life of a wealthy young woman until her father and mother dies and she falls into the hands of vicious slave traders. She will have to rely on her inner strength if she is to survive the cruelty that is inflicted upon her. Sold to a plantation with a ruthless mistress, she must use her gifts to stay alive. Help, friendship and love prevails where she least expects.

I thought that this novel was captivating and drew you in. I followed along with Alexandra’s journey, on a knife edge, hoping that she would escape and be free. It painted a vivid picture of what it was like to live at that time and experience suffering and cruelties at the hands of others. An amazing story with a hopeful ending. It stayed with me after I had finished reading it. I would like to see a sequel and find out what happens to Alexandra next. I gave this book five out of five stars.

With thanks to Acorn Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC, which I received in exchange for an honest review.

Alexandra de Gambia has lived a dual life on Heaven Hill plantation.  Her mother is concerned about social appearances and keeping up with the white world that she desperately wants to stay a part of.  Her father lives a traditional farming life among other free blacks on Heaven Hill's grounds providing a healthy profit for his family.  However, many people are not happy about the de Gambia's household, they believe that a black family should not hold land and will do anything in order to push them off their land.  When it finally happens, Alexandra's father is prepared to protect her and her brother, Jimmy as the heirs to Heaven Hill.  Things quickly turn sour as Jimmy and Alexandra are captured.  Alexandra is sold to a master and hidden away in a tower.  The tower is filled with the music of the master's son who dreams of being a composer.  Alexandra commits the score to memory and impresses the master's son, Peter with her knowledge and talent. 

Set in the early 1800's before the Underground Railroad, Once in a Blood Moon presents an intriguing historical fiction about the very unique situation of Alexandra de Gambia.  Alexandra's family are black land owners and slaveholders in South Carolina that descended from a group of slaves that joined with the indigenous Cofitachiqui people who rebelled and freed themselves.  Alexandra's character was caught between two worlds, but only wants to do what is right for her family.  I was fascinated by the very different lives that her mother and father led as well as her willingness to please both.  While Alexandra might not be a real person, the story of her ancestors is true and was amazing to learn about. I was equally absorbed in the fact that there were freemen that were slave owners as well.  Alexandra's story quickly becomes perilous and absorbing as everything falls out from under her and her life changes in an instant.  I was captivated by Alexandra's journey as a captured slave.  I knew of the dangers, but still found it hard to read at many points.  Alexandra's friend, the indentured servant, John Fowler also captured my attention and I was pleasantly surprised to see that John Fowler was a real person and an ancestor of the author.  With an amazing ending, Once in a Blood Moon is an amazing story of an even more amazing group of people. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

As a free black woman in pre-civil war America, Alexandra De Gambia has privileges that many women do not have. The contrast between what is happening now in the United States is vivid, making this more of a compelling read. Recommended.

Excellent debut novel, and would highly recommend. Once in a Blood Moon tells the story of Alexandra, an intelligent and gifted young woman of mixed race. Her mother, who could pass for white, seems to resent her daughter’s skin color, which I found a travesty. Her father lived in a nearby African village, honoring his heritage. I enjoyed learning the history of early 1800s South Carolina and rice farming. Alexandra comes close to losing everything she worked toward when she’s thrown out of her home and is about to be sold for slavery. After all the intense drama and dynamics, the ending was odd, with Alexandra making a “soft landing” and an abbreviated HEA. A little disappointing but not enough to spoil a beautiful and very well-written story.
Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was the perfect book for the times we are in. If you need a reminder about how horrible slavery was and how people were treated - READ THIS BOOK!! A beautiful piece of literature and the surprise at the end when I read the about the author - brought tears to my eyes.

This book delves into slavery, the mixing of races, the racism that existed between various shades of black, etc. In some ways, I felt like I was reading about the current time. I am off to find if she has another other books, if not, I cannot wait for something else. Amazing.

Enlightening Historical Fiction set in South Carolina during the early 1800s. Great for teen and YA readers! This book is very well written and is action-packed. I couldn't stop reading because I wanted to know what happened next! The reader learns about the history of South Carolina, what everyday life on a plantation from both sides of the story is like, and how love can be a powerful thing! I also appreciated how the author weaves her ancestor’s experience throughout the story.
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Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for this review!

This was a hard book to read because it dealt with slavery. It's timely, I'm glad I read it because it was informative but some places were very difficult to read.
I received an ARC copy from NetGalley and all opinions are my own.

Once in a Blood Moon by Dorothea Hubble Bonneau is an excellent historical fiction that weaves a tale that is breathtaking, intriguing, and yet difficult to read at the same time.

I loved the story of Alexandra and her life that takes place in the early 1800s in South Carolina. I loved her complex character and how she grew as a person as the story progressed. She could have easily given up and given in with all of the horrific events that were hurdled her way, but she persevered and came out stronger and changed in the end.

I also liked that the author gave historical insight and the true events that served as a basis for her story.

This book while gorgeous, intricate, and beautiful also consisted of very heavy and serious subject matter. To see what slavery did to so many innocent souls and how widespread it was, is very, very hard to read. I feel it is important to learn from these blights in history, and we need to honor those whose lives were lost and affected by this injustice.

This was an excellent story that was a serious read, but yet had a ray of hope and inspiration threaded within to create an unforgettable tale.

5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Acorn Publishing for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub, Amazon, and B&N accounts upon publication.

I thought that this story is well written and comparing it with what's happening in today's world I feel that history is repeating itself. I just don't understand why we can't learn from it and get along like God has meant for us to do.
When I seen the cover of this book I wanted to read it. History fascinates me.
I wasn't disappointed. I was thoroughly captivated throughout the entire story.
I feel that the author has done a wonderful job in bringing the characherter's to life and making me feel like I belonged in the book.
I love when a book calls to me and this is the second one that did.
I didn't want it to end. I hope to read more by this awesome author. I really liked her story.
It's worth the reread.
My thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own

I am of two minds about Once in a Blood Moon. It starts out as if it would be a spotlight on the racism we are currently raging against in the reaction to George Floyd's murder. The novel begins in the pre-Civil War South where proud, wealthy free black people people brought from Gambia years earlier have earned their wealth and privilege in rice farming, while living as free men while still following their African roots and beliefs.

Alexandra is a talented musician and the daughter of a mixed race woman who passes for white and her landowner husband who lives separately from her in a village nearby. Her mother seems repelled by Alexandra's dark skin and although raising her in a society of privilege, seems to resent the girl's dark skin, so like her father's, and treats her miserably. .

The first part of the book vividly illustrates what people face because of skin color alone. Alexandra must escaper from the unbearably cruel mistreatment perpetrated on her and people like her simply because of race. Vile, greedy whites and their criminal actions rob her of her father and brother and her heritage and her place. She is rendered homeless and is to be sold as a slave.

These scenes are so vivid and well drawn that the empathy I felt necessitated my putting the book down to recover from the horror and feelings of pain. Then, for whatever her reasons, author Bonneau turns the narrative into a Perils of Pauline, one near escape after another, thereby losing, for me, any verisimilitude she won in the early part of the book. Had the suspense continued, perhaps without the unrealistic happy ending, she might have written a 5 star novel for our time.

Given the current state of the world, I thought this was a timely read. Once in a Blood Moon was a heartbreaking, and beautiful story about Alexandra de Gambia, a free black woman in the pre-Civil War south. Alexandra was a strong, fierce, and talented protagonist, and we need more characters like her in books. Having grown up as a free black woman, her world is turned upside down when she is forced to go on the run. She gets a front and center seat in the way most black people are treated in the south. She goes from a bratty teenager who can't hold her tongue, to an understanding, compassionate, and empathetic young woman.

As a white woman with almost twenty-nine years of privilege, this book made me uncomfortable. Bonneau does not shy away from the brutality and mistreatment of blacks. As uncomfortable as it made me to read, it also left me angered that these incidents are not isolated to before the Civil War. This tough pill to swallow was balanced by the education of Diola/Jola culture. I had no idea people from Gambia were taken from their homes in Africa and brought to current day South Carolina to work the land in the 1500's! Their beliefs and customs were woven into the story beautifully, and I enjoyed my education. These people had a lasting impact on the agriculture in South Carolina, using their knowledge of rice growing to help make the state prosperous.

Honestly, this book could of been 100 pages longer and I still would of devoured it. The ending was so rushed and put together, that I was left a little disappointed. After all the buildup, the happy ending took all of a few pages. Overall though, a fantastic debut! Bonneau did her research and it shows - I would absolutely read more of her work.