Content Warnings: Racism, Racial Slurs, Slavery, Child Death, Child Abuse, Animal Death, Sexism, Grief, Death, Violence, Alcoholism, Infertility, Classism.   

Summary: In the 1800s there was a kingdom named the Happy Land. It was located in America and run entirely by former slaves. Louella and William Montgomery were the king and queen of this unheard-of kingdom and this is their story.  We take this journey with them as they go through tragedy, hope and love as they navigate a world that sees them as less than human and lead their people to freedom.

Review: When I first heard about this book, I was getting back into the historical fiction genre. Not that I read a lot of them in the past but it did intrigue me. It interested me that there was a kingdom in America and when I found out that it was entirely run by black people, I couldn’t wait to read it. I love learning about the hidden history of African Americans. Aside from the important staples that are taught in our classes, we don’t get the opportunity to dive deep into every aspect of African American history. I will admit that I was a little apprehensive reading this book at first but my curiosity wouldn’t let me leave this story untouched.

The things that Louella Montgomery went through was difficult to read at times. While nothing in this book is extremely graphic, you still can feel the pain and devastation when life kept knocking her down. By the time things start looking up, it was understandable why she could not trust anyone or freely love anyone, including her husband, William. I appreciated that William kept hold of his faith in God and in turn, it helped Louella grow her faith and trust in God more. The way he loved Louella without hesitation and helped her see the perspective of others was sweet and inspiring. At times, I felt like William turned a willing blind eye to some of the actions and attitudes of his younger brother, Robert Montgomery. I understood that they both had a difficult childhood but I feel like there were times that he put his brother over his wife. It felt like Louella always had to bite her tongue, even though she didn’t, but Robert was able to say what he wanted. William did do his best to listen to Louella’s ideas but the Robert situation did not sit right with me.

When it came to the other residents of the Happy Land, I found them to be equally inspiring and frustrating. It was frustrating when they would completely disregard Queen Louella at times but they showed their strength as a community by fighting for their slice of freedom. They refused to let anyone take away the land that they dreamt about and worked hard for. I did enjoy their approach to government, making sure that everyone had what they needed and did not go without. I thought it was fair and while it was not perfect, it did have everyone pulling their own weight and using their skills to better the community.

Given the subject matter, this book didn’t go too far into the horrific details. While other readers may not be okay with that, it did not bother me. I think that this would be good for readers who are new to the genre or for those who prefer their historical fiction to be a little lighter.

Rating: 4.5/5

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