Shallow Waters: A Novel
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- Create Date：2021-08-06 11:21:29
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Anita Kopacz
- ISBN：1797125427
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Reviews
Molly Sullivan Donnelly
，
Happy publishing day to this beauty of a book！ What a unique and beautiful story。 Yemya is brought to life in the mid-1800s and falls in love with an African fisherman while they are both at sea。 She follows him to land where he is captured and forced to become a slave。 The story follows Yemya as she searches for him and travels the Underground Railroad。 The story is mythical but a mix of historical fiction。 It is not something I normally pick up but I am so glad I did， I really enjoyed it。 Im g Happy publishing day to this beauty of a book！ What a unique and beautiful story。 Yemya is brought to life in the mid-1800s and falls in love with an African fisherman while they are both at sea。 She follows him to land where he is captured and forced to become a slave。 The story follows Yemya as she searches for him and travels the Underground Railroad。 The story is mythical but a mix of historical fiction。 It is not something I normally pick up but I am so glad I did， I really enjoyed it。 Im grateful to Atria/Black Privilege Publishing and NetGalley for this advanced reader copy。 。。。more
Kim Brands
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This story is fantastic and a must read for lovers of myth and history。 The characterization pulls you in， and the way that the different facets of history at the time are woven together makes for a rich atmosphere。
Sarah-Hope
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Anita Kopacz's Shallow Waters is built around a striking premise: a young Yemaya （the Yoruba mother/sea god）， unaware of her powers， falls in love with an African fisherman and， when he is captured by slavers， follows his boat across the sea to the pre-Civil War U。S。， transforms herself into a woman and sets out in search of this man。 The book has been compared to The Water Dancer and The Prophets， so I was looking forward to the kind of read that would build a world and let me live in the minds Anita Kopacz's Shallow Waters is built around a striking premise: a young Yemaya （the Yoruba mother/sea god）， unaware of her powers， falls in love with an African fisherman and， when he is captured by slavers， follows his boat across the sea to the pre-Civil War U。S。， transforms herself into a woman and sets out in search of this man。 The book has been compared to The Water Dancer and The Prophets， so I was looking forward to the kind of read that would build a world and let me live in the minds of its characters as they experience that world。As several reviewers have pointed out， however， this title reads like Young Adult literature。 It's episodic， and too much of the narrative relies on coincidence。 I'm meaning to slam neither young adult literature nor Shallow Waters， but at 224 pages the author doesn't give herself room to flesh out the many situations， settings， and characters she creates。 I'd love to see this novel developed into a trilogy， say， that would let readers linger on different stages in the journey Yemaya takes。Bottom line， though: Kopacz wrote the book she wanted to write—not the book I might have wished she'd written。 Shallow Waters provides an effective basic introduction to one part of Yoruba beliefs; introduces a number of historical characters， including Harriet Tubman and Ralph Waldo Emerson; depicts the underground railroad; and explores the way U。S。 colonialism shaped the lives of those unwillingly brought from Africa and those who were living on this land before the arrival of Europeans。 There's much to value here， even if some readers may leave the book wishing for more。I received an electronic review copy of this title from the publisher; the opinions are my own。 。。。more
Lindsey Eick
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I received an ARC from @SimonandSchuster from a Goodreads giveaway。 This was a wonderful debut novel from @AnitaKopacz 。 I loved the way the story flowed with no lulls。 It was an incredible story or strength and courage told from the point of view of Yemaya。 The story was wonderful and characters were well developed。 Absolutely loved the story between Yemaya and Obatala。 Cannot wait to read future novels by Ms。 Kopacz。 This novel was unexpectedly incredible beyond words。 So glad I was able to be I received an ARC from @SimonandSchuster from a Goodreads giveaway。 This was a wonderful debut novel from @AnitaKopacz 。 I loved the way the story flowed with no lulls。 It was an incredible story or strength and courage told from the point of view of Yemaya。 The story was wonderful and characters were well developed。 Absolutely loved the story between Yemaya and Obatala。 Cannot wait to read future novels by Ms。 Kopacz。 This novel was unexpectedly incredible beyond words。 So glad I was able to be immersed into this story and world！ 。。。more
Joy Nielsen
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Unique， wonderful read that I would have appreciated even more as a teenager。Was happy to receive an Advanced Readers Edition。
Rachel
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Non-BIPOC reviewer。 Prior to reading this book， I was unfamiliar with the story of Yemaya。 Part mythology， part fantasy， and part historical re-imagining， this book presents a unique account of slavery and the underground railroad。 Though the context is important for all readers， I was not quite sure who exactly the intended audience was。 In some ways the book seemed directed at younger readers， with simple prose and limited description of the more horrific events。 But other passages seemed to s Non-BIPOC reviewer。 Prior to reading this book， I was unfamiliar with the story of Yemaya。 Part mythology， part fantasy， and part historical re-imagining， this book presents a unique account of slavery and the underground railroad。 Though the context is important for all readers， I was not quite sure who exactly the intended audience was。 In some ways the book seemed directed at younger readers， with simple prose and limited description of the more horrific events。 But other passages seemed to speak to adult readers。 Though I greatly appreciate the author's goals and intentions with this work， and I enjoyed the brief journey， in some ways I felt like I was only getting a shallow view of Yemaya， and the author's， full potential。 。。。more
Sylvia-Marah
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I received an advanced reader’s copy of Shallow Waters by Anita Kopacz from Black Privilege Publishing， an imprint of Atria/Simon and Schuster， after winning a Goodreads giveaway。 When I read the description of this novel， it immediately intrigued me。 In this historical fantasy Yemaya， an Orisha water deity from the religion of Africa’s Yoruba people， finds herself thrust into mid-1800s America before the civil war。 Yamaya is a Black mermaid who’s parents have died。 She is alone in the sea and d I received an advanced reader’s copy of Shallow Waters by Anita Kopacz from Black Privilege Publishing， an imprint of Atria/Simon and Schuster， after winning a Goodreads giveaway。 When I read the description of this novel， it immediately intrigued me。 In this historical fantasy Yemaya， an Orisha water deity from the religion of Africa’s Yoruba people， finds herself thrust into mid-1800s America before the civil war。 Yamaya is a Black mermaid who’s parents have died。 She is alone in the sea and doesn’t yet comprehend who and what she is。 Yemaya follows a fisherman， Obatala， she has fallen in love with in Africa， across the Atlantic on a slave ship， when slave traders abduct his tribe。 When Yemaya reaches the New World， she is confronted with the ugly realities of slavery， while struggling to find Obatala。 Yemaya finds her inner strength while traveling the Underground Railroad， where she meets historical icons of the abolitionist movement。I don’t want to say too much about Shallow Waters， because I would hate to spoil the plot for interested readers。 What I can say is that through Yemaya’s eyes we see the horror of both slavery and the annihilation and relocation of native populations in North America。 The disbelief she experiences when she first comes to understand what the white man is doing to her people and the native people of the America’s is palpable。 But she encounters kind white people too。 People who are dedicated to helping runaway slaves find freedom in the North。 I found many of the characters Yemaya encountered on her journey intriguing and wanted more of their stories。 My central criticism of this novel is that the pacing felt a little rushed; I wanted more。 I feel like Kopacz touched the surface of these characters。 I would have liked for Yemaya to spend more time with the groups of people who helped her along the journey， diving deeper into their experiences and the place in history they occupy。 I suspect the brevity may have been a stylistic choice。 I have noticed stories inspired by folklore and mythology often have an intentional brevity and simplicity。 Perhaps this was the case with Yemaya’s journey。 I found this novel enjoyable and interesting。 If I piqued your interest， you can pre-order a copy online， or purchase from your local bookseller on August 3rd。 。。。more
Debra Pawlak
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I received an advance reading copy of this book from NetGalley。com in return for a fair review。 This story is based on an African folk tale about a black mermaid named Yemaya and the man she loves， Obatala。 I had never heard of this story or of either of these characters， but author Anita Kopacz did a fine job bringing them to life and relating their adventures。 When Obatala is taken from his homeland and sold as a slave in America， Yemaya follows him--first as a mermaid and then as a woman。 She I received an advance reading copy of this book from NetGalley。com in return for a fair review。 This story is based on an African folk tale about a black mermaid named Yemaya and the man she loves， Obatala。 I had never heard of this story or of either of these characters， but author Anita Kopacz did a fine job bringing them to life and relating their adventures。 When Obatala is taken from his homeland and sold as a slave in America， Yemaya follows him--first as a mermaid and then as a woman。 She has magical powers， as well as the ability to heal。 She is befriended by kind white people and desperate slaves， who have faith that she can help them。 As she travels from state to state with the Underground Railroad， she is focused on finding Obatala。 Anita Kopacz is a promising new author and I hope she plans to pen more books。 If you have never heard of Yemaya and Obatala， I recommend this one--it is a quick read and well-written。 I look forward to hearing more from this author。 。。。more
Billie
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I'd like to see a Marvel film featuring Yemaya。 This novel was a fun read and a good introduction to the godess。 I'd like to see a Marvel film featuring Yemaya。 This novel was a fun read and a good introduction to the godess。 。。。more
Yurema
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Lovely to read about a fictionalized Yemaya， an Orisha close to my heart。 The story reads more as a middle grade or YA rather than for an older audience。 Still educational even with the historically fictional liberties it took。
Kat Nakaji
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Anita Kopacz's Shallow Waters combines myth， magical realism， and historical fiction into a tale about a lost god looking to find her love after he is abducted and enslaved in the transatlantic slave trade。 The book follows the main character， Yamaya， through the horrors of the American slave trade during the mid-1800s as she searches for her love， Obalata。 Anita Kopacz's Shallow Waters combines myth， magical realism， and historical fiction into a tale about a lost god looking to find her love a Anita Kopacz's Shallow Waters combines myth， magical realism， and historical fiction into a tale about a lost god looking to find her love after he is abducted and enslaved in the transatlantic slave trade。 The book follows the main character， Yamaya， through the horrors of the American slave trade during the mid-1800s as she searches for her love， Obalata。 Anita Kopacz's Shallow Waters combines myth， magical realism， and historical fiction into a tale about a lost god looking to find her love after he is abducted and enslaved in the transatlantic slave trade。 The book follows the main character， Yamaya， through the horrors of the American slave trade during the mid-1800s as she searches for her love， Obalata。 Kopacz does a great job of introducing Yamaya and building the world around her。 Kopacz honors oral and storytelling traditions， showing how Yamaya's mythology was carried to the Americas through the stories of enslaved Africans。 The book does not conform to a historical timeline but brings together many events figures from across the 1800s。 It feels like a new American tall tale， where the facts of history are not as important as the story， experiences， and mythology of the hero。 A few of these elements meld into the narrative， however many of them felt contrived， the story of Yamaya could have stood on its own without the parade of other historical figures in and out of the story。 The book carries the story well enough and was a good casual read。 It would appeal to people who are interested in African mythology。 Or it would make for an interesting book club book where learning more about the character and historical context is part of the experience。 On its own， the book doesn't stand out from similar books。 。。。more
Jennifer Kamauff
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What a powerful book。 This is a fairly short book written about Yemaya an African deity and her journey to America during the 1800's to follow and find her love Obatala when they are separated。 She learns of different cultures， of slavery， of immense pain， and also of love。 Even during these horrible times， she learns that not all are evil， she finds love in the hatred， and hope during despair。 I would have easily given this a 5 star， except I felt the ending just dropped。 Still a decent ending， What a powerful book。 This is a fairly short book written about Yemaya an African deity and her journey to America during the 1800's to follow and find her love Obatala when they are separated。 She learns of different cultures， of slavery， of immense pain， and also of love。 Even during these horrible times， she learns that not all are evil， she finds love in the hatred， and hope during despair。 I would have easily given this a 5 star， except I felt the ending just dropped。 Still a decent ending， but I felt I wanted a little more for as engrossed as I was in this it just ended too quickly。 Overall， beautifully written！Trigger warnings: slavery， beatings， lashing， drowning， religious ritualsThank you to GoodReads Giveaways， Black Privilege Publishing， and Anita Kopacz for this Advanced Reader's Edition to review， I appreciate this。 。。。more
Nancy Lewis
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Read more about the Africa gods Yemaya and Obtala。 Read more about the Africa gods Yemaya and Obtala。 。。。more
Francisco Leonardo
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This book is absolutely amazing。
Melissa
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"You are Yemaya， the Goddess of the Sea。"I love books that incorporate elements of fantasy， mythology， or magical realism to breathe new life into old stories or to retell historical events from a new perspective。 So I was instantly sold on the premise of Shallow Waters， which tells the story of Yemaya， an African goddess， who traverses the Underground Railroad in pursuit of a man who once protected her from being captured as a slave。"Our best bet during those times of doubt is to rely upon fait "You are Yemaya， the Goddess of the Sea。"I love books that incorporate elements of fantasy， mythology， or magical realism to breathe new life into old stories or to retell historical events from a new perspective。 So I was instantly sold on the premise of Shallow Waters， which tells the story of Yemaya， an African goddess， who traverses the Underground Railroad in pursuit of a man who once protected her from being captured as a slave。"Our best bet during those times of doubt is to rely upon faith。 Faith that one day we will see the light again。"But， as excited as I was about Shallow Waters， I found myself wanting more from the story at every turn。 At just over 200 pages， it's more of a short story than a novel， and the brief length didn't leave room for sufficient explanations， character development， cultural background， or world-building。 Much of the book felt a little one-dimensional， rushed， and incomplete， almost as though important sections were missing。"We are in this together， united by the knowledge that we need one another to survive。"Because of the lack of depth， paired with a very simplistic writing style， this book feels much more like something intended for middle-grade or young-adult readers。 It isn't a bad story at all; in fact， I loved everything about the premise and the intent of it！ I just wish there had been more， to really immerse myself in the African legends， the various cultures introduced， and the different settings explored。"Your presence has renewed our faith and made us understand that no one can rob us of our roots。"Even though it left me wanting more， I'm impressed with what Anita Kopacz has done here， shining a fresh light on the horrors of slavery and racism， while also acknowledging the historical oppression of women and Native communities， through the lens of magical realism。 This is a moving story of resilience， bravery， hope， and love in the face of terrible circumstances。 A worthwhile read！"When I’m older， I promise you that I’ll change things for Negroes， Natives， and women。 People always think I’m silly for thinking this way， but we’re all in chains。 I want to be free， too。"——A huge thank you to Anita Kopacz， Atria Books， and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review！—— Follow @letteredlibrary on Instagram！ 。。。more
Deb
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This is a beautiful story of love and the Underground Railroad。 I thought it was well done and there was good character development for Yemaya。 I enjoyed the story and frankly， was kinda surprised by the ending。
Leslie Dauer-Creek
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A magical story that initiates the reader in one Yoruba Orisha （deity） Yemaya as well as refamiliarizes the stories of the Middle Passage， Underground Railroad and other events/circumstances facing African/black people in the mid 1800's in southern North America。 It also serves as a harrowing but fulfilling love story。 Through the ups and downs you are carried with Yemaya on her journey of love， betrayal and ultimately self-discovery。 I enjoyed this book thoroughly， though I wish there had been A magical story that initiates the reader in one Yoruba Orisha （deity） Yemaya as well as refamiliarizes the stories of the Middle Passage， Underground Railroad and other events/circumstances facing African/black people in the mid 1800's in southern North America。 It also serves as a harrowing but fulfilling love story。 Through the ups and downs you are carried with Yemaya on her journey of love， betrayal and ultimately self-discovery。 I enjoyed this book thoroughly， though I wish there had been a bit more to her story at the end。 I would also recommend this as a good young adult book （though I am far from that）。 。。。more
Peggy Moore
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A novel like I never read。 A new author to me but I will read again。 This book pull me in from the start and kept me there until the end。 You will enjoy it as much as me I hope
The Meadows Review
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I was highly anticipating this book。 This story of Yemaya， the African Orisha of bodies of water， was a good read。 I enjoyed the connections to other Orishas and various famous leaders of that time。 It is a great introduction for novices of traditional African religions with a great storyline。 I read like a young adult novel although it's not in that category。 I would definitely recommend this book to people who like a good origin story。 Thank you to Atria for allowing me the opportunity to revi I was highly anticipating this book。 This story of Yemaya， the African Orisha of bodies of water， was a good read。 I enjoyed the connections to other Orishas and various famous leaders of that time。 It is a great introduction for novices of traditional African religions with a great storyline。 I read like a young adult novel although it's not in that category。 I would definitely recommend this book to people who like a good origin story。 Thank you to Atria for allowing me the opportunity to review this book。 I love what you put out！ 。。。more
Elisa Strickler
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This book uses mythology， historical events， and magic to weave a story of resilience and love。 I think young adult readers will be enthralled by the story， and hopefully， use it is a springboard to do their own research to learn more。 Thank you to Atria Books and Black Privilege Publishing for sending me an advance reader's edition of this book！ This book uses mythology， historical events， and magic to weave a story of resilience and love。 I think young adult readers will be enthralled by the story， and hopefully， use it is a springboard to do their own research to learn more。 Thank you to Atria Books and Black Privilege Publishing for sending me an advance reader's edition of this book！ 。。。more
Leighton
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Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review！First off， when I read the description for this book， I added it to my TBR list right away。 I was planning on purchasing this book even if I didn't get approved to review it on NetGalley。 Thank you again to the publisher for this opportunity！Shallow Waters by Anita Kopacz is a historical fantasy based on African myths and antebellum America。 The story revolves around Yemaya， a Yoruba goddess who travels from Afr Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review！First off， when I read the description for this book， I added it to my TBR list right away。 I was planning on purchasing this book even if I didn't get approved to review it on NetGalley。 Thank you again to the publisher for this opportunity！Shallow Waters by Anita Kopacz is a historical fantasy based on African myths and antebellum America。 The story revolves around Yemaya， a Yoruba goddess who travels from Africa to the mid-1800's America in search of a man。 Along the way， she meets historical figures。 Based on the description， this book sounded like the perfect blend of history and fantasy。 In addition， I think it's so important to support #ownvoices black authors， especially during this time。 A lot of books in both the history and fantasy genres focus on white people， and there really aren't enough books that feature People of Color written by authors of color。Here is an excerpt from the description of the book:"Shallow Waters imagines Yemaya， an Orïsha—a deity in the religion of Africa’s Yoruba people—cast into mid-1800s America。 We meet Yemaya as a young woman， still in the care of her mother and not yet fully aware of the spectacular power she possesses to protect herself and those she holds dear。The journey laid out in Shallow Waters sees Yemaya confront the greatest evils of this era; transcend time and place in search of Obatala， a man who sacrifices his own freedom for the chance at hers; and grow into the powerful woman she was destined to become。 We travel alongside Yemaya from her native Africa and on to the “New World"。。。Yemaya realizes the fighter within， travels the Underground Railroad in search of the mysterious stranger Obatala， and crosses paths with icons of our history on the road to freedom。"Unfortunately， this book turned out to have a better concept than execution。 In my opinion， the description of the book was much better than any quotes I could find in the actual book。 Yemaya is an African goddess but I didn't see her use any exciting magical powers。 She travels through exotic settings but I didn't get much world-building or descriptions of those locales。 She meets historical figures along the way， but I didn't recognize any。 It wasn't until I went back to the timeline at the beginning of the book that I realized the character of "Moses" was actually Harriet Tubman！ Overall， Shallow Waters is a book that is less interesting than its synopsis。 It's possible that I just didn't understand it， which is why I am giving it the benefit of the doubt and giving it 3 stars。 If you're a fan of historical fantasy or #ownvoices books by black authors， you can check out this book when it comes out in August！ 。。。more
Bianca
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"Shallow Waters" is a historical fiction/fantasy book that takes place in the mid-1800s。 The author does a fantastic job merging myth and history， with a beautiful writing style that makes this a easy read。 As someone who is not typically into fantasy， but very much into historical fiction， I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book and found myself binge reading it over a few days。 I really enjoyed how the book took us across the ocean in the beginning， and illuminated an import "Shallow Waters" is a historical fiction/fantasy book that takes place in the mid-1800s。 The author does a fantastic job merging myth and history， with a beautiful writing style that makes this a easy read。 As someone who is not typically into fantasy， but very much into historical fiction， I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book and found myself binge reading it over a few days。 I really enjoyed how the book took us across the ocean in the beginning， and illuminated an important part of the underground railroad。 I found the writing style and storytelling very captivating， making it a hard book to put downWhile a quick read， the book did feel a bit rushed in that there were a lot of historical aspects of the book that were briefly touched upon （i。e。 Harriet Tubman， Frederick Douglass） that I would have loved to have seen developed further。 I also found the ending a little rushed。 But， overall， an easy whimsical read that I would recommend to other。Thank you to the publishers for an advanced readers edition of the book！ 。。。more
Lena Nash
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Non-BIPOC reviewer here: Anita brings readers a history of the UGRR that is not often showcased。 Yemaya's story and presence in the Underground Railroad is extremely important to share with the world。 This was a book I finished in one sitting because I was so caught up in it。 Non-BIPOC reviewer here: Anita brings readers a history of the UGRR that is not often showcased。 Yemaya's story and presence in the Underground Railroad is extremely important to share with the world。 This was a book I finished in one sitting because I was so caught up in it。 。。。more
Megan
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This book merges myth and historical fiction beautifully， telling a story of the Underground Railroad for all ages。 I received an ARC from the publisher。
Mocha Girl
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In short， this is an imagined story of Yemaya， the water goddess， pursuing the man （Obatala） she loves when he is captured in Africa and brought to America in chains to be sold into slavery。 She， too， is captured and the book is essentially her pursuit to reunite with him。 In her quest， she matures into womanhood and discovers her powers which are mistakenly referred to as witchcraft by some。 Orphaned at a young age， Yemaya is largely clueless about her people， powers， or purpose （beyond searchi In short， this is an imagined story of Yemaya， the water goddess， pursuing the man （Obatala） she loves when he is captured in Africa and brought to America in chains to be sold into slavery。 She， too， is captured and the book is essentially her pursuit to reunite with him。 In her quest， she matures into womanhood and discovers her powers which are mistakenly referred to as witchcraft by some。 Orphaned at a young age， Yemaya is largely clueless about her people， powers， or purpose （beyond searching for Obatala）; however， her legendary status precedes her as it seems there is always someone she encounters who knows more about her than she does。 During her journey North to freedom via the Underground Railroad， she meets several note-worthy historical figures - a woman named Moses （Harriet Tubman）， a runaway slave named Frederick （Douglas）， etc。 but these encounters were too brief and added very little to the story outside of name-recognition。Perhaps it was just me， but I was expecting much more based on the publisher’s description and recommendation for fans of The Water Dancer。 This read like a young adult/middle-grade story where the protagonist seemingly surfs from one scene to the next in a series of neatly threaded coincidences （presented as “destiny” in the novel） leading to a fairly predictable （and protracted） ending。 There is little breadth or depth to any of the characters。 Granted， the story is notable and educational in that it introduces at a cursory level Yoruba folklore， the Quakers as abolitionists， and African American icons that share a touch of their principles/philosophies， and a key historical event that affected the Cherokee Nation。Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to review this book。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Shallow Waters: A Novel
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Shallow Waters: A Novel&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft