I absolutely loved everything about this book. I read the first book by this author (Frying Plantain) and although this novel has a different feeling, it was equally as enjoyable. I felt at home with the speech and references throughout the book. I loved the folklore element and I thought it was all very well done.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

This book was incredible. It was so vivid in the writing that the characters came alive on the page. I love learning more about Jamacian folklore and River Mumma. It was a bit difficult to get into the rhythm of how some of the characters speak but that just made me slow down and not race through the book.

Akin to a Jamaican diaspora's answer to Percy Jackson, River Mumma is a thrilling journey that follows 3 young people's race to recover a missing comb. With beautiful writing, hilarious dialogue and profound commentary on culture and belonging, River Mumma is an un-put-downable book.

This book was the all-absorbing hit that I didn't know I needed. Reid-Benta has masterfully evoked Toronto in the winter, the ice-chilled river, the parks and small shops, the vibe of the city as experienced by youth. And her storytelling capacity is impeccable. Reid-Benta has brought Jamaican folklore to life, and transported it to the frosty North. After loving her first book Frying Plantain, and now being mesmerized by River Mumma, I very eagerly look forward to her upcoming releases.

Many thanks to Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I so loved that this book was set in Toronto, and that it reminded me slightly of Nalo Hopkinson's "Brown Girl in the Ring",which is also set in Toronto, albeit a dystopic version of the city.

In this book, Alicia is out of grad school, working in retail as she has no other job prospects. She hates her job, lives with her mum, who constantly texts her news stories and reminds Alicia of things to pick up from the grocery store.

After leaving a party she was invited to by her Jamaican folklore-loving coworker/friend Heaven, Alicia has a scary encounter with River Mumma, a Jamaican water goddess, who tells Alicia that she has twenty-four hours to recover River Mumma's missing comb.

Alicia begins having visions, and ropes in Heaven, and coworker Mars, on her quest, mainly because weird stuff starts happening to the trio and Heaven refuses to abandon Alicia to her fulfill her quest alone. They travel through a snowy Toronto on public transit and taxis (I loved this detail, as who wants to drive and park in Toronto??), are chased by duppies, and realize that they can't find the comb without relying on their connections and history. Alicia's visions also provide her with clues to the comb's and her own past, which eventually leads her to a some unusual locations and people around the city.

Even while Alicia and company are rushing about the city, we see the difficulties this generation of people has with finding their identities in their Toronto Caribbean community, as well as the hurdles and bigotry they encounter professionally and personally, as people of a diasporic community.

This story came to life immediately for me, and kept me hooked as Alicia's malaise transformed into a greater focus on her life and aspirations through her one day's many mundane and terrifying experiences.

Author Reid-Benta's characters are so well drawn, and I could see the trio arguing and bantering their way around the city, as well as figuring out how to evade the many odd spirits chasing them down. Jamaican folklore is skilfully integrated throughout Alicia's story, and it was wonderful seeing strange beings of these tales on Toronto streets.

This was a fast-paced story with great characters, wonderfully realistic dialogue and character dynamics, and a compelling situation. I look forward to reading more by this talented author.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Penguin Random House Canada for this ARC in exchange for my review.

I adored River Mumma. I inhaled it. I was planted on my couch and whipped through it in less than 24 hours. As a first generation Canadian, a child of Caribbean parents, and a current Torontonian who knows their heritage through a diasporic lens it felt like this book was written for me. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I found her inclusions and critiques of Toronto culture to be playful yet accurate. Her references to the city are pure enjoyment from the patty debate to the TTC delays and commuter frustration. With her debut novel and second published work, Reid-Benta has become an auto read author for me.

This sure was a different read, magical and fast-paced. I greatly enjoyed the Toronto setting (and the not-so-subtle nod at one of its favourite sons, Drake).

The story follows Alicia, a recent graduate who has yet to find her way, as she races through the city to retrieve a golden comb and return it to its proper owner, River Mumma. The latter, a Jamaican deity, is threatening a drought if the object is not returned to her by end of day, It is intriguing and leaves the reader wanting to discover more about Jamaican folklore.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the ARC.

This book! My highly anticipated CanLit book of 2023 did NOT disappoint. I think Zalika’s writing style really shone wonderfully in this book that’s perfectly atmospheric for the fall season.

So much action is jammed into this impossible 24 hour quest that Alicia, Heaven, and Mars are on-to find River Mummy’s comb, or else she’ll be gone from this world and her rivers with her, impacting so many lives.

Magical realism, Jamaican folklore, and an epic-like tale is wrapped up into this beautiful book that’s a must-read. And can we talk about this fictionalized Drake figure? I love it 😂. The setting is perfect for us Torontonians to know exactly where what happens - I LOVE this book. I can’t wait for more book from Zalika Reid-Benta 💜

This was very fun! I do love a bit of magical realism and books set in Toronto so I was predisposed to be into this book.

What I loved about this book: the various familiar settings across Toronto, the sort-of nostalgia that comes with reading about young people's experiences in the city, the action and adventure, the not-always-smooth teamwork and developing friendship between Alicia, Mars and Heaven, the way things connected to each other and tied together neatly throughout the story, the low-key Drake shade, the little lesson in there about appropriation, the depiction of quarter-life ennui, the device of Heaven and Oni's interest and knowledge of Jamaican history, magic and culture. Oh and a retelling of the story of the ghost of University College at the University of Toronto! And because I ended up listening to the audiobook, the Jamaican patois delivery took the whole thing up another level.

What didn't always work for me: There were times where I got a little bit lost in what felt like multiples POVs (although I belatedly caught up and understood that Alicia was still the vehicle for those things through her experience and that helped.) The dialogue was hit and miss - it worked for the most part, except when there was conflict around the action. In those cases it felt a little forced and kind of took me out of the story. There were also times the characters seemed younger than their mid-twenties but you know what? I'm old so that is probably a me problem.

I think this was a great book and a fun read and recommend it to others. Bonus if you are familiar with Toronto or have Jamaican heritage because then you'll be able to enjoy the book even more deeply!

I enjoyed reading this book.

I learned about Caribbean words, culture and beliefs all the while being engrossed in the magical story.

The friendship between Alicia, Heaven and Mars will be tested in this quest, but it will stand strong in finding the comb for River Mumma.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.
I really enjoyed Reid-Benta's short story collection and was excited to see that she had written a novel. The description did remind me a lot of the Rivers of London urban fantasy series (which I love) and I was interested to see what kind of twist a Toronto setting would make.
I love Alicia's relationship with her mom. Reid-Benta's grasp of dialogue and dialect writing is perfection!
The mingling of Jamaican spiritualism, magic and myth with the 'real' world via dream sequences and apparitions was really interesting.
The portrayal of a twenty-something struggling with student debt, decisions and an uncertain future was very realistic. Alicia's friends are pretty cool too.
However, I think the novel could have benefited from some storyboarding, sorry to say - I get the need for an extended intro as the characters and their relationships are pretty complicated; then about 1/2 way through the book we're on a D&D type quest, which keeps getting bogged down and finishes somewhat anticlimactically (at Drake's house?). The plot didn't really flow, it seemed at times like disconnected parts of something that should be longer. I think that I was hoping for urban fantasy and got low key magic realism.
The ending seemed rushed and unsatisfying after getting us all involved and invested in Alicia's future.
The author is a wonderful writer, and there's a lot to like in this book, but I understand why some readers are ambivalent; I'll look forward to her next one.
I'm subjectively rating this 3.5 out of 5, there was a lot I liked, but I just didn't love the book as a whole.

As a Canadian who is very familiar with Toronto, I really enjoyed this book’s setting, I also loved learning so much about Jamaican folklore and the River Mumma, a mermaid that protects Jamaican bodies of water,

The main character, Alicia, is a Jamaican-Canadian, second generation immigrant, who is going through a quarter life crisis after completing law school. One night she is walking home and the River Mumma approaches Alicia and gives her 24 hours to retrieve her golden comb.

What ensues is a fast-paced story where Alicia, accompanied by her friends Heaven and Mars, race against time, battling supplies (ghosts, demons, ghost-demons???) in search of the golden comb so that the River Mumma does it leave the waters forever.

Many thanks to Penguin Canada and Netgalley for giving me this arc in exchange for an honest review.

River Mumma is a bit of an experience. When I'm not pretending to be a fuzzy animal online, I live the life of a Black American who has immigrated to Canada. So, while my experiences were exactly like those of Alicia, I could definitely identify with some of the things that she dealt with.

The story is set in Toronto and features Alicia, a Jamaican-Canadian girl who is trying to adjust to having a bit of a social life and getting to know her friends better. However, all that is tossed aside when River Mumma, a Jamaican goddess, tasks her with finding a lost, golden comb of hers within 24 hours. She luckily has her two friends, Heaven and Mars, who know Jamaican folklore and mythology, which prove to be extremely helpful in her quest.

The story starts off a bit slow for me and I almost didn't finish it, but it picks up towards the middle and then really gets going. The book is heavy on the descriptions and geography of Toronto, so if you manage to brave Ontario to get out, you'll find that Reid-Benta was not very far off in her descriptions.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes folklore, mythology, African Diaspora writings, and strong female leads.

The racial and generational argot in the writing style prevent me from continuing. I was about to put aside this book after an uninteresting first chapter but the first few paragraphs in the second could well have me revisit in the future. Reviews suggest I'd be remiss if I didn't!

Really enjoyed the concept of this novel; learning about River Mumma and the folklore! However, I wish it was longer…a lot had to happen and having more time in Alicia’s visits (learning more about the women in her ancestry) or scenes with the duppies would’ve been helpful to round out the magic, and the story. Felt a little lost on why they took certain actions, how the hauntings worked and why we spent so much time on the TTC/Ubers. Will definitely be picking up more from Zalika though, as the writing was enchanting, you can feel the magnificence of River Mumma immediately upon your first encounter with her.

Alicia is feeling lost, a 26 year old recent grad she doesn't know what to do next.
On her way home from a party Alicia encounters River Mumma who gives her 24 hours to find a stolen comb, if she doesn't find it and return it to River Mumma the world will face an environmental collapse.
This leads Alicia and her friends on a hunt through the city all the while fighting off dangerous creatures determined to keep them from finding the comb.

I'll be honest, Magical Realism is not my genre. I want no magic, or all the magic. I am generally not a fan of this middle ground. But this book had me. I loved the execution of this genre I do not usually like, and am shocked by how much I enjoyed it. The writing, the story, the setting, it was all done so well.

I was so excited to read this book, and even more excited when I was approved for the digital advanced readers copy. River Mumma is the brilliant debut story from award-winning Jamaican Canadian author Zalika Reid-Benta, and is set in Toronto. It did not disappoint!

Meet Alicia. She’s living with her mother, and trying to figure out life. She’s floundering but keeping on. On her walk home one night, she happens across a Jamaican water deity. The deity demands Alicia find and return a comb within 24 hours. Cue a mythical quest through a captivating city.

For those of you who aren’t familiar, I love stories set in Toronto. It takes me back to my twenties and such amazing times. I also adored the use of magical realism, mixed with Jamaican folklore and mythology. Aside from my personal love for the story, Reid-Benta is a Canadian author to watch! Now on my auto-buy list, I think this is going to be a popular book club pick for 2023 and beyond. An overall amazing read, friends!

This is a perfect Jamaican-Toronto fusion. I must confess I don't know much about Jamaican culture, so I jumped at the opportunity to read River Mumma, which is steeped in Jamaican folklore.
Alicia finds herself on an epic quest that she only has 24 hours to fulfill. With her friends/co-workers Heaven and Mars, they must find River Mumma's stolen comb, while being chased by duppies such as the Rolling Calf and the Three-legged Horse.
Zalika Reid-Benta does a fantastic job of immersing the reader in tales of Jamaican mysticism, while anchoring it in the middle of snowy Toronto in wintertime.
Once Alicia starts her quest you will not be able to put this book down until you find out how it ends. So good!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is a fantastic book. Let me start by saying I know absolutely nothing about Jamaican stories, and I found this book thoroughly enjoyable. For someone with no knowledge, there's enough explanation of the lore that I never felt lost - but enough depth and enough left unsaid that it's clear this book would also appeal to someone who is fully steeped in it. Having lived in Toronto, I can fully appreciate the TTC hate - it really is that bad.

I love the way the characters come together, and the clarity of the motivations everyone has. The choices they make work. I really did love this book so much.

Thank you to the publisher & netgalley for the eARC.

Great concept of being sent on an impossible quest by a river deity, and what a great age for the characters. I was constantly frustrated by the transit system and this felt like a very true and underrepresented depiction of Toronto. I loved learning about all the duppies and Jamaican culture.