BEWARE THE HEARTMAN

In beautiful Barbados, the Heartman emerges from folklore to terrorize a small fishing village, but a brave girl has fought the supernatural before and won.

It’s been 10 months since the events of Josephine Against the Sea (2021), in which Mariss, an evil sea spirit, set her eyes on Josephine’s dad and turned the lives of father and daughter—and everyone in Fairy Vale—upside down. Now, with the disappearances of her cricket coach, a teammate, and best friend Ahkai, Josephine suspects something just as magically nefarious is afoot. She initially suspects the replacement coach, who is kind of a jerk, but promptly shifts her investigation toward Ahkai’s new crush, the mysterious Lynne. The characters have grown over the past year, and this sequel continues to build upon its robust Caribbean mythological base. Josephine remains zealously protective of those close to her as she aims to solve the mystery of the Heartman through cultural research, impressive savvy, and thoughtful engagement with her community. Reluctantly, as it becomes clear Lynne isn’t the threat to her friendship with Ahkai that she thought and rather something entirely different, the two become close and realize they must work together to save Ahkai and the others from the dangers of the Heartman’s lair. Their success relies on healing from the past while making new connections, and Josephine’s journey is as frightening as it is emotionally challenging.

Cleverly reimagines Caribbean folklore while reinforcing friendship and family.