Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark

Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark
⭐⭐⭐⭐

In Ring Shout, P. Djeli Clark reimagines the history books and writes an alternative world where the Ku Klux Klan consists of more than just hateful white people. Ku Kluxes are Klan members possessed by demons who are feeding off of the hate that they spew. Maryse and her friends are resistance fighters, monster hunters, and badass women who make it their goal to eradicate every single Ku Klux in existence. With the help of a sword gifted by some unknown higher power, Maryse slashes through these evil creatures in the hopes of building a safer, brighter tomorrow. 

This book was awesome! It is an amalgamation of historical fiction, science fiction, horror, and fantasy. I loved how wild this story was, from start to end, and how effortlessly P. Djeli Clark kept the book historically accurate. This is a short book, more of a novella I guess, but somehow it was well-rounded, fully formed, and fast paced! There are no plot holes, no lags, and you get all of the backstory, character development, and details that you would expect from a much longer story. 

I was also impressed with how imaginative the creatures in the story are. They are unique and creepy, and it was so much fun to envision all of the action and gore! Each character has a distinct voice and history, and they all add something really unique to the narrative. Maryse was also an awesome main character! She's conflicted, flawed, and human, but she's also determined, focused, and her character development was one of my favorite parts of this book.

Overall, I highly recommend Ring Shout! It's fun and gory, but it's also about a really important time in our history and unfortunately, a lot of the issues raised in the story are still prevalent today. This little book packs a huge punch and I would love to see this turned into a movie. Also - strong, independent, badass female main characters - of course I loved this! If you enjoy horror, historical fiction, or fantasy, definitely give this one a try!!