Island Queen by Vanessa Riley

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*CW: This book is based on the real life of a formerly enslaved woman who endured sexual, physical, and emotional abuse, as well as rampant racism and sexism. Read with care.

Based on the true life story of Dorothy ¨Doll¨ Kirwan Thomas, Island Queen is a compelling, gripping, and emotional novel. Told through her point of view, Doll narrates a tale that is both stunning in its cruelty and oppression, as well as the fortitude and determination she has in protecting and ensuring her family’s safety and freedom. It is a sweeping tale that shows Doll’s journey to freedom and economic success as well as the history of the Caribbean and the effects of colonialism and racism. 

I loved reading the story of Dorothy and was immediately drawn to her no-nonsense attitude and unwillingness to fail. Everything that Doll did, she did with her whole heart and a sense of true purpose. She dreamed big as a child and never gave up on that hope, no matter the cruelty and unfairness that was forced upon her. Doll’s story is one that shows how powerful hope and determination can be, but also more importantly, how hard people of color in history have had to work to be seen merely as people.  Throughout the story, Doll asks her father repeatedly why he won’t buy the freedom of her mother and siblings and he never has a good point. To grow up knowing you are truly owned by your parent?  To live through the repeated sexual, physical, and emotional abuse by family members and to have no recourse? I can’t even begin to imagine. Doll was able to live through all that trauma to become one of the Caribbean’s wealthiest women of her time and create an empire. Her story is just as fascinating as it is frustrating and enraging that this treatment was ever inflicted on anyone. But with all that said, this is not a sad tale. Doll goes on to have ten children, fall in love, and create an economic empire that ensures her family lives in luxury because as the title suggests, Doll was a true Island Queen.

I would highly recommend this to historical fiction lovers, as well as those wanting to read more books based on women in history.

If you would like to add this amazing book to your collection, you can find ordering information here:

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book. All mistakes and opinions are my own. 

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The Lady From the Black Lagoon by Mallery O’Meara

The Lady From the Black Lagoon by Mallery O’Meara

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Full Disclosure:  I had no idea who Milicent Patrick was when I picked up this book.  I had heard amazing things about the author, about her writing, how this book was so amazing and everyone should read it-but never about the subject of whom it was written.  

Milicent Patrick is a badass.  

Milicent Patrick is the incredibly talented designer and artist who created the iconic costume for the iconic monster in The Creature from the Black Lagoon.  She led a truly interesting life. Daughter to one of the designers of Hearst Castle, Milicent was surrounded by lavish luxury and excess but lived a life of chastity and modesty.  Forbidden from dating or having male friends, Milicent grew up with her behavior tightly controlled by her parents. When she left her family to make her way as an animator in Hollywood, she was disowned by her family and cut off from her connections to her previous life.  

Honing her skills at Disney working as an animator, Milicent went on to have a successful career-and what would have been an extremely successful one if a string of jealous men hadn’t gotten in her way.  Dealing with daily misogyny and getting more attention for her figure than her talent, Milicent struggled to be taken seriously even as her work proved to be exceptional on all levels.

The Lady From the Black Lagoon is part investigative journalism, part biography, and largely a love letter to an incredibly talented woman who would spark the creative spirit in generations of young women.  Reading through this story, Mallory O’Meara shows us how difficult it is to research women from the past who have had their work either stolen from them by men, or who never received credit for their work.  We get to follow O’Meara’s journey up and down California as she tirelessly tracks down any scrap of information on Patrick she can. And let me tell you, Milicent Patrick and her ever changing names was not helpful in the least!  

Reading this book felt far more like sitting with a best friend and talking over drinks.  O’Meara writes with an engaging conversational tone and the footnotes are a must read.

If you would like to learn more about Milicent Patrick, and would like to help support the site, you can do that here: