Junie

Description

A young girl must face a life-altering decision after awakening her sister’s ghost, navigating truths about love, friendship, and power as the Civil War looms.

“An enrapturing tale of survival . . . Eckstine has poured a ton of heart into her characters.” —The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“The richly textured prose quickly pulled me into Junie’s treacherous yet magical world.” —Charmaine Wilkerson, New York Times bestselling author of Black Cake

Sixteen years old and enslaved since she was born, Junie has spent her life on Bellereine Plantation in Alabama, cooking and cleaning alongside her family, and tending to the white master’s daughter, Violet. Her daydreams are filled with poetry and faraway worlds, while she spends her nights secretly roaming through the forest, consumed with grief over the sudden death of her older sister, Minnie.

When wealthy guests arrive from New Orleans, hinting at marriage for Violet and upending Junie’s life, she commits a desperate act—one that rouses Minnie’s spirit from the grave, tethered to this world unless Junie can free her. She enlists the aid of Caleb, the guests’ coachman, and their friendship soon becomes something more. Yet as long-held truths begin to crumble, she realizes Bellereine is harboring dark and horrifying secrets that can no longer be ignored.

With time ticking down, Junie begins to push against the harsh current that has controlled her entire life. As she grapples with an increasingly unfamiliar world in which she has little control, she is forced to ask herself: When we choose love and liberation, what must we leave behind?

Recipe for Apple Tea Muffin/Bundt Cake

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup softened coconut oil
• 1/4 cup softened butter
• 1 apple of choice chopped (I used Fuji)
• 3 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp coconut flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tbsp Caramel Cabin tea from Chapters Tea & Co. (or black tea of choice — bonus points if it has notes of apple, caramel, or spice)
• 1/2 cup hot water
• 1/2 cup milk

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and set ingredients out to allow them to warm to room temperature.
2. Steep the hot water, milk, and tea for 10-20 minutes in a bowl or cup.
3. Cream the butter and honey together until they are light and creamy.
4. Add the eggs and mix until combined.
5. Whisk together salt, flour, baking powder, and spices in a separate bowl.
6. Mix in the tea mixture and dry ingredients into the wet ingredients at a low speed until incorporated.
7. Fold in chopped apple and pecans.
8. Pour the batter into a greased tin(s). If you’re making muffins, spoon batter into lined muffin tins.
9. Bake the cake/muffins until a toothpick comes out clean (around 25 to 35 minutes for a Bundt and 18 to 25 for muffins).
10. Allow the cakes to cool for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
11. Enjoy!

Thank You Messages

Thank you to @ballantinebooks for the free copy of Junie, @littlebrownyoungreaders for the free copy of The Tear Collector, and @drinkchapters for the free Caramel Cabin tea blend!