e-ALC, 11:28:42
Narrated by: Clay Cane
Release Date: January 27, 2026
Published by: Recorded Books, Inc.
Read from: January 27-28, 2026
Stand-alone
Source: Libro FM (I received this ALC free from the publisher and Libro FM. This did nothing to influence my review!)
Content Warning: Racism, Bullying, Racial Slurs, Death of a Parent, Abandonment, Alcoholism, War
For Readers Interested In: Adult, Audio, Historical Fiction, Holy Crap, Sparkly Covers, Own Voices, Racial/Ethnic Diversity (Black)Inspired by true, long-buried stories of enslaved people who dared to fight back, a searing portrayal of resistance for readers of Colson Whitehead, Jesmyn Ward, and Percival Everett, from Clay Cane, award-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author of The Grift.
In the midst of the Civil War, another war brews among the enslaved who are living and enduring in the shadow of the plantations—imposing monuments to power and tyranny. Their interconnected journeys of rebellion and kinship unite them in a long-seething need for justice. In an ultimate act of revolution, they will get it.
Luke, intelligent and literate, and Henri, a man with a strong and defiant spirit, forge an unbreakable bond at Magnolia Row in Virginia. Both seek escape from unimaginable cruelty. And sure as the fires of hell, Luke and Henri will leave their mark, sparking future uprisings. Like Josephine, a young, sharp, and observant girl who wields silence as her greatest weapon. She listens, watches, waits. Her vow is They gonna remember us. Also, Charity Butler has successfully fought for her freedom, but battles against a deeply unjust system and a future abolitionist. Then there is Nathaniel, a Black enslaver whose existence disturbs the very nature of bondage. His rule is both fragile and contradictory, setting off a collision of resistance that will shape their fates.
When these souls and those of others—oppressed and oppressors alike—collide, a visceral and indelible portrait of love, brutality, betrayal, and identity comes unsparingly to life. Inspired by the true stories of the profoundly courageous men and women who dared to fight back against the barbarism of the era, Burn Down Master’s House is a singular tour de force of a novel—breathtaking in scope, compassion, righteousness, and timely defiance.
*MY THOUGHTS*
I’m not gonna lie, I was so hesitant about this book. I’m not a huge fan of historical fiction because with my anxiety and depression and *gestures wildly everywhere* the rest of the state of the world, seeing my people go through all those atrocities just upsets me more and more. But I had at least 3 people tell me to go ahead and give this one a try anyways. I wasn’t sure why, but I tried it anyways.
The format of this was kind of like an anthology. Each story had their own characters and their own ending. They all started in the first story. I’ve never read a book like this that wasn’t classified as an anthology, so I thought this was pretty interesting. I guess it could just be classified as just branches of the same story, it made more sense to me for it to be split up and called individual stories.
So when I first started reading this I was mad and cussing out everyone. But then towards the end of that first story, I was happy and found myself falling for this story mor and more. This is definitely not what I expected from this story, but it turned out to be everything I needed. Yes it hurt to see them going through what they did, but the ending to each story gave me a satisfaction that helped me to get over that initial mad feeling.
Of course there were some stories that I didn’t like, but those were not because of the writing style or anything like that. It was because of the characters. Every story I didn’t like was because of the characters. They either ratted out their own people or they were assholes and didn’t think of anything with nuance. I know there were some of them out there, but damn I didn’t want them to be in this particular book. But they did get what was coming to them, so I couldn’t stay mad. It was just really jarring. Especially to read about these people during a time when there’s these stupid ass 🧊 agents doing the exact same thing. It was just nerve wracking and I don’t think I was exactly ready for it.
This book made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me cheer, and so much more. But one thing was for sure… When they said, “you gon remember me,” they weren’t lying. I will always remember my time with this book.
Overall, I give this
