What I Loved: With the characters years older than where we left them at the end of Yellow Crocus, I loved seeing the changes in each of their lives. The children of Lisbeth and Mattie have led very different lives than these two women did. I really appreciated the way the author showed those differences, giving each character experiences in the book that helped them to appreciate the lives they led and the sacrifices their parents made to get them to where they are today.

How I Felt: This beautiful sequel answered all the questions I had from reading the first book, Yellow Crocus. I was so excited to find this book, Mustard Seed, starts a few years after the first book. It gave the story time to develop and made such a wonderful plot! The book tackles some the subjects of women’s suffrage, civil rights, and the post-civil war behaviors and sentiments of the south. I loved that these issues were shown to the reader through the writing, rather than told to us. It was perfect.

Content Warnings: Derogatory language and slavery.

To Read or Not To Read: This is a wonderful book with a powerful story that would be great for readers that enjoyed The Help or the first book in this series, Yellow Crocus.

It’s 1868. The civil war has ended and we find Lisbeth and Mattie both living in the same town in Ohio. They live their separate lives, seeing each other rarely, as befits each of their statuses, but always remembering their special bond.

Lisbeth is called home to her dying father’s bedside and she decides to take both children with her to see their grandparents and her childhood home.

Mattie has decided it is time to head south to rescue her remaining family that are still living on the plantation. She demands that both her son and daughter accompany her to help and see where their roots are from.

From there, both parties of travelers come across obstacles and issues that they must overcome before they can make it back to Ohio. The story unfolds beautifully and will keep you reading way into the night to know what happens next.

Mustard Seed by Laila Ibrahim
Sequel to Yellow Crocus by Laila Ibrahim
Page Count: 284 pages
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Pub Date: Nov 7, 2017

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