Welcome to Litsy!

I love Brendan Slocumb‘s not the norm heroes. In this book a cello prodigy takes on the bad guys and kicks butt. Make sure you read the afterword.

A dark and spooky wait at the bus stop this morning. Luckily I have the Dark Maestro to protect me.

Middle school me would have enjoyed this even more than adult me. I found the main character a little whiney, but I still read this in one day.

I wish my copy had been an original from 1989. I understand they want to get today‘s kids to pick it up, but I would have preferred to read the original version.

Finished July 4, 2025

This novel was weird, but in a good way. It was coming from a unique place with a musician/ superhero angle. Curtis comes of age as a talented cellist in the midst of gang territory with well-meaning guardians who are in a losing situation. I was attached to these characters and cared very much about their outcomes. The author's afterward was quite interesting and put some of the ideas into context.

As a longtime Brendan Slocumb fan, The Dark Maestro exceeded expectations. Curtis‘s journey—a story of choices, consequences, and redemption—deeply resonated with me, especially as someone impacted by parental decisions. Hip‑hop references and a North Carolina setting made it feel personal and authentic. A captivating, emotional read.
Full review: https://www.instagram.com/p/DMTi5Sqhjpm/?igsh=MTJhM3JrbTIwd3c4Yw==

Great read! Propulsive story with interesting characters.

Thank you, @Liz_M for bringing back #14books14weeks! It turns out, I have a couple of authors with more than one of their books on my TBR so I‘ve got 2 books each from 7 authors for my list. Looking forward to so many of these titles!

Low pick. This started out so strong before the half way point I had this as the best of Slocumb, but then it took a turn and became a bit too ridiculous. If you are super into Superheroes you might be lored in, but it felt like I was reading 2 separate books. And unfortunately I wanted to stay in the beginning half.
As always I love his focus on Black classic musicians and family. I just wish his editor had resigned in the 2nd half.

Happy pub day to this great book.

I have the arc and I am so close to finishing, it has been really captivating.

Today's reading spot.

Reading: Dark Maestro by Brendan Slocumb (Violin Conspiracy) out next week!

Listening: Indila 2014 album Mini World