What do you think?
Rate this book
Dominion
The sins of a favorite son rock a small Mississippi town in this taut Southern family drama.
Reverend Sabre Winfrey, shepherd of the Seven Seals Baptist Church, believes in God, his own privilege, and enterprise. Besides the barbershop and radio station he owns, he has an iron hand on every aspect of Dominion, Mississippi, society. He and his wife, Priscilla, have five boys; the youngest, Emanuel, is called Wonderboy—no one sings prettier, runs as fast, or turns as many heads. After a surprising encounter with a stranger, Wonderboy finds himself confronted by questions he’d never imagined, and his response will send shock waves through the entire community. Told from the point of view of the women who love these two men, Dominion illustrates how we enable the everyday violence and casual sins of the patriarchy.
Reverend Sabre Winfrey, shepherd of the Seven Seals Baptist Church, believes in God, his own privilege, and enterprise. Besides the barbershop and radio station he owns, he has an iron hand on every aspect of Dominion, Mississippi, society. He and his wife, Priscilla, have five boys; the youngest, Emanuel, is called Wonderboy—no one sings prettier, runs as fast, or turns as many heads. After a surprising encounter with a stranger, Wonderboy finds himself confronted by questions he’d never imagined, and his response will send shock waves through the entire community. Told from the point of view of the women who love these two men, Dominion illustrates how we enable the everyday violence and casual sins of the patriarchy.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published August 19, 2025
257 people are currently reading
30182 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 172 reviews
March 26, 2025
Whew. This is one hell of a novel. In Dominion, people’s secrets are largely out in the open. Priscilla, the First Lady of the Seven Seals Missionary Baptist Church has long looked the other way from her husband, the Reverend Sabre Winfrey Jr.’s indiscretions but to do so she has turned to vices that help her grit her way through it. She has raised her five sons into young men and the Winfrey family enjoys the privileges of a well-to-do family. Diamond is a girl who has known more hurt than most, her family broken in all kinds of ways, but Maggie has taken the girl in and mothered her where Diamond’s own mother couldn’t. I share all this to say that this novel is about two women who see what they want to see, especially concerning Emanuel Winfrey aka Wonderboy, until they no longer can. There is a satisfying density to the storytelling which is layered and beautiful and ugly at the same time. Beneath the story there is the other story about small communities and secrets and powers and how feeling like you have to live up to unspoken expectations can destroy you and everyone around you from the inside out. As the tension builds and we start to see more of who Wonderboy really is, as his mother must face who her child is, this novel will grab you in the gut and hold you there. It’s absolutely outstanding. It captures church community and the South and the gulf between the haves and have nots with precision and keen observations. Once I entered this world I didn’t want to leave.
September 5, 2025
a family drama, a unique perspective, a searing story, THAT COVER...many reasons i need to read this
(thanks to the publisher for the copy)
(reading for a substack post)
(review to come)
(thanks to the publisher for the copy)
(reading for a substack post)
(review to come)
August 4, 2025
A thrilling debut. It starts off witty and effortless, an easy portrait of a church and its people, and then slowly the ground shifts under our feet and the whole book has flipped before you ever really notice. I don’t want to say too much, but it really works. Citchens nails the alternating narrators and their voices. She taps into the ways desires, loyalties, and power dynamics are ever shifting, even imperceptibly so. She has a gift for evoking a whole person with one quick off-handed observation or bit of dialogue. The commentary on masculinity, hypocrisy, and the barriers to accountability are great. My favorite fiction of 2025 so far
August 31, 2025
Dominion is Addie E. Citchens’ flammable debut novel, written under the writer’s fellowship from Farrar, Straus and Giroux, awarded to new and exciting voices. Set in the small town of Dominion, Mississippi, the novel follows a wealthy Black Baptist family torn between devotion and destruction. Citchens crafts an intimate portrayal of how the patriarchy moulds and folds everyone under its crushing doctrine and alienation in this propulsive story.
The story opens with a secular history of the Seven Seals Baptist Church, and through alternating points of view — mainly Priscilla, the First Lady, and Diamond, a troubled orphan — we piece together the complex dynamics of the Winfrey family. Reverend Sabre Winfrey Jr., beloved minister, father of four and Wonderboy, is largely voiced only through his typewritten sermons (blocking access between reader and pastor). Priscilla is the archetypal Southern Belle, with a crooked hip, numbing her discontent with Jack Daniels first and pills second as their marriage cookie-crumbles. Diamond copes differently, rolling joints in search of an escape that evaporates at each puff. Wonderboy, the prodigal son, is charming, athletic, complex, and the devil incarnate is confronted with his ambiguous nature and his incapacity to handle his life.
The structure of the novel is interesting, with each chapter opening with a sermon that echoes, questions, or deepens the narrative. Themes of violence, drug abuse, sex, suicide, gender roles, systemic racism and identity recur throughout the story, handled with both nuance and raw intensity. The narrative alternates between Priscilla and Diamond, infrequently injected with unknown narrators who offer a grittier viewpoint. As the story progresses, the reader is introduced to the family and town dynamics. Citchens refrains from overly describing graphic violence, inviting the reader to feel its weight without sensationalism, focusing instead on the psychological and emotional toll it takes on the characters. Much is left for the reader to interpret and notice, although Citchens provides the necessary tools.
Citchens’ competent characterisation creates a multidimensional and relatable cast without dictating reasons for them to be who they are. Her prose is vivid, with true-to-life dialogue full of personality and wit. Dominion is a compelling read, with strong character development and a plot I can recommend to most readers. The use of cultural dialect rooted in Black Southern identity, enriches the reading experience, without alienating the non-Black or non-American reader. Although I can appreciate the amount of story contained inside in only 240 pages, I wished Citchens had explored Rev and his influence more.
Ultimately, Dominion is a searing exploration of how unmet expectations, societal conventions, and the suppression of self can fracture individuals and families. It is a thought-provoking novel I would recommend to many readers interested in multilayered narratives rooted in Black American culture, the crushing power of patriarchy, and fiery individual rebellion.
Rating: 4.5/5
Recommended
Thank you, Addie E. Citchens and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for this digital galley via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.
The story opens with a secular history of the Seven Seals Baptist Church, and through alternating points of view — mainly Priscilla, the First Lady, and Diamond, a troubled orphan — we piece together the complex dynamics of the Winfrey family. Reverend Sabre Winfrey Jr., beloved minister, father of four and Wonderboy, is largely voiced only through his typewritten sermons (blocking access between reader and pastor). Priscilla is the archetypal Southern Belle, with a crooked hip, numbing her discontent with Jack Daniels first and pills second as their marriage cookie-crumbles. Diamond copes differently, rolling joints in search of an escape that evaporates at each puff. Wonderboy, the prodigal son, is charming, athletic, complex, and the devil incarnate is confronted with his ambiguous nature and his incapacity to handle his life.
The structure of the novel is interesting, with each chapter opening with a sermon that echoes, questions, or deepens the narrative. Themes of violence, drug abuse, sex, suicide, gender roles, systemic racism and identity recur throughout the story, handled with both nuance and raw intensity. The narrative alternates between Priscilla and Diamond, infrequently injected with unknown narrators who offer a grittier viewpoint. As the story progresses, the reader is introduced to the family and town dynamics. Citchens refrains from overly describing graphic violence, inviting the reader to feel its weight without sensationalism, focusing instead on the psychological and emotional toll it takes on the characters. Much is left for the reader to interpret and notice, although Citchens provides the necessary tools.
Citchens’ competent characterisation creates a multidimensional and relatable cast without dictating reasons for them to be who they are. Her prose is vivid, with true-to-life dialogue full of personality and wit. Dominion is a compelling read, with strong character development and a plot I can recommend to most readers. The use of cultural dialect rooted in Black Southern identity, enriches the reading experience, without alienating the non-Black or non-American reader. Although I can appreciate the amount of story contained inside in only 240 pages, I wished Citchens had explored Rev and his influence more.
Ultimately, Dominion is a searing exploration of how unmet expectations, societal conventions, and the suppression of self can fracture individuals and families. It is a thought-provoking novel I would recommend to many readers interested in multilayered narratives rooted in Black American culture, the crushing power of patriarchy, and fiery individual rebellion.
Rating: 4.5/5
Recommended
Thank you, Addie E. Citchens and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for this digital galley via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.
June 5, 2025
A lot to recommend this novel, especially in terms of voice and setting. I hope we see more from Citchens. It wasn't until nearly the end of this novel that I understood what it was, and I wonder if I would feel differently about it if I'd gone in knowing that. This is unusual for me! I usually prefer to go in cold and have a book teach me what it is, but actually I think it could have been very interesting to start this book knowing where we were heading.
Priscilla and Diamond are two women at odds. They are pitted against each other because of their feelings for Emanuel. Priscilla, his mother, is also wife to the reverend of this small Southern town's big church. Priscilla has to be a certain kind of person, she has failed more than once, and she's struggling to keep it together when so many of her sins have been in the public eye. Diamond is a teenager who loves Emanuel and sees no one and nothing but him; he is her life, her focus, the only force she knows. Priscilla and Diamond want different futures for Emanuel. They also don't know him at all.
Because, really, these two women are not enemies. The enemy is the system they live under. The small town patriarchy that is practically a monarchy, where Emanuel and his father can do as they please but where the women are entirely under their thumb and in their sway. And what this novel is about is how these two very different women gradually figure out how to escape.
It's a dark novel, with violence and sexual assault, with characters who are deeply desperate. It's Citchens' voices for these women that kept me turning page after page, they feel fully formed and real.
What I struggled with was how little I cared for these men at the center of the story. Even though Citchens presents a believable world where they are the center of not just the story but this town, I disliked them so much and saw so few redeeming virtues in them that it was hard to get through so much of the story where they are the only thing that matters to these women. I would have liked to see more of how Priscilla and Diamond change on the page, and less of Emanuel and his father.
Priscilla and Diamond are two women at odds. They are pitted against each other because of their feelings for Emanuel. Priscilla, his mother, is also wife to the reverend of this small Southern town's big church. Priscilla has to be a certain kind of person, she has failed more than once, and she's struggling to keep it together when so many of her sins have been in the public eye. Diamond is a teenager who loves Emanuel and sees no one and nothing but him; he is her life, her focus, the only force she knows. Priscilla and Diamond want different futures for Emanuel. They also don't know him at all.
Because, really, these two women are not enemies. The enemy is the system they live under. The small town patriarchy that is practically a monarchy, where Emanuel and his father can do as they please but where the women are entirely under their thumb and in their sway. And what this novel is about is how these two very different women gradually figure out how to escape.
It's a dark novel, with violence and sexual assault, with characters who are deeply desperate. It's Citchens' voices for these women that kept me turning page after page, they feel fully formed and real.
What I struggled with was how little I cared for these men at the center of the story. Even though Citchens presents a believable world where they are the center of not just the story but this town, I disliked them so much and saw so few redeeming virtues in them that it was hard to get through so much of the story where they are the only thing that matters to these women. I would have liked to see more of how Priscilla and Diamond change on the page, and less of Emanuel and his father.
August 12, 2025
As a lover of historical fiction especially late U.S. historical fiction I was excited to read this piece that primarily takes place in the 1990's.
The character development especially of the females who's stories were key to the novel were well written and developed.
It was interesting watching the inner workings of this Southern Baptist church and how the town of Dominion was intertwined with it. Also it wasn't so surprising that the preacher set himself up to be a beacon of God's word while having sexual romps all over town despite having a beautiful and supportive wife.
Of course his behavior does not set a good example for his five sons. What kind of stamp he leaves on his boys is something I cannot share without spoiling the plot for you.
This was a short and quick read of 240 pages which I read in a day's time.
It was interesting to take a peak into the structure and hierarchy of the church and how it effected the town of Dominion.
Thank you to Addie E. Citchens and her publisher Farrar, Strauss and Giroux for allowing me to be an advance reader of this novel. As always, thank you to NetGalley for facilitating the advance reading of so many novels and books.
The character development especially of the females who's stories were key to the novel were well written and developed.
It was interesting watching the inner workings of this Southern Baptist church and how the town of Dominion was intertwined with it. Also it wasn't so surprising that the preacher set himself up to be a beacon of God's word while having sexual romps all over town despite having a beautiful and supportive wife.
Of course his behavior does not set a good example for his five sons. What kind of stamp he leaves on his boys is something I cannot share without spoiling the plot for you.
This was a short and quick read of 240 pages which I read in a day's time.
It was interesting to take a peak into the structure and hierarchy of the church and how it effected the town of Dominion.
Thank you to Addie E. Citchens and her publisher Farrar, Strauss and Giroux for allowing me to be an advance reader of this novel. As always, thank you to NetGalley for facilitating the advance reading of so many novels and books.
September 5, 2025
@fsgbooks @macmilan.audio | #partner I’m on a streak of reading books on the shorter side and I found a real winner with 𝗗𝗢𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗢𝗡 by Addie E. Citchens. Hers is the story of one of the most prominent families in Dominion, MS. At the head of the family is Sabre, pastor of the Seven Seals Baptist Church. He’s loved for his preaching, but also the subject of much well-earned gossip around town. He and his wife Priscilla have five sons, all but the youngest, nicknamed Wonderboy, are out of the house. Priscilla knows all about her husband and self medicates in order to keep looking the other way. That, and her image of perfection are on full view to others. Wonderboy isn’t quite as wonderful as his moniker may imply, though Diamond, a troubled teen, is willing to overlook just about anything to keep his attention.
𝘋𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯 is primarily told by Priscilla and Diamond, and oh do they evolve as the story progresses. The patriarchy runs deep in this church going community, and the women have just about reached the end of their ropes. The way this debut author presented the men in full light from the very start was brilliant. It was then up to the women around them to finally take their blinders off. I loved the back and forth between Priscilla and Diamond, as well as their slow realizations about their own complicity. This book had a lot to say about secrets and power, and how both can be used to destroy or to save. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
*️⃣ I listened to this and the cast of 4 narrators (including Bahni Turpin), was fantastic.
𝘋𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯 is primarily told by Priscilla and Diamond, and oh do they evolve as the story progresses. The patriarchy runs deep in this church going community, and the women have just about reached the end of their ropes. The way this debut author presented the men in full light from the very start was brilliant. It was then up to the women around them to finally take their blinders off. I loved the back and forth between Priscilla and Diamond, as well as their slow realizations about their own complicity. This book had a lot to say about secrets and power, and how both can be used to destroy or to save. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
*️⃣ I listened to this and the cast of 4 narrators (including Bahni Turpin), was fantastic.
August 14, 2025
In Dominion, Mississippi, secrets are currency, power is gospel, and the truth is ugly as sin.
4.5 stars rounded up.
In the small town of Dominion, Mississippi, Reverend Sabre Winfrey is more than the spiritual leader of Seven Seals Baptist Church - he’s a man who controls businesses, politics, and the moral temperature of his community. His youngest son, Emanuel, nicknamed Wonderboy, is beloved for his voice, his charm, and his athletic prowess. Told largely through the eyes of the women in these men's orbit - Sabre’s wife Priscilla, Seven Seal's "First Lady", and Diamond, a young woman involved with Wonderboy - "Dominion" examines the cracks in a seemingly unshakable family, the secrets a community protects, and the cost of upholding a patriarchal order.
It’s hard to believe this is author Addie E. Citchens’s debut. Her prose is layered and resonant, infused with cultural dialect rooted in Black Southern identity that deepens the story's authenticity. Each chapter contains parts of a sermon that refracts and complicates the events to follow, creating a structure that is as thematically rich as it is narratively effective.
"Dominion" is as much a family drama as it is a study of how systems of power - religious, social, and patriarchal - are maintained and excused. It interrogates the ways small communities close ranks to protect powerful men, even when their actions are morally bankrupt. The novel also explores how the weight of unspoken expectations can corrode individuals and fracture families from within. Watching the inner workings of a Black Southern Baptist church - and the way the town’s identity is intertwined with it - feels both specific and universally resonant. Citchens handles heavy themes such as violence, drug abuse, sex, gender roles, systemic racism, and identity with both nuance and raw intensity. Much is left for the reader to interpret, but the author provides all the tools needed to see the underlying dynamics at work.
A searing, multilayered debut that takes on patriarchy, faith, and identity with unflinching honesty, "Dominion" is as much about the sins we see as the ones we choose to ignore, and the cost of both. Addie E. Citchens has delivered a striking first novel, and her voice is one to watch.
I was lucky to receive both a digital copy of the book as well as a copy of the audiobook. The audiobook adaptation is exceptional, with perfect sound effects and brought to life by an outstanding full cast: Andre Giles, Angel Pean, Bahni Turpin, and Dion Graham. Each narrator embodies their characters with emotional precision, but Angel Pean’s portrayal of Priscilla is particularly memorable.
Many thanks to Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ARCs in exchange for my honest review.
"Dominion" is slated to be released on August 19, 2025.
4.5 stars rounded up.
In the small town of Dominion, Mississippi, Reverend Sabre Winfrey is more than the spiritual leader of Seven Seals Baptist Church - he’s a man who controls businesses, politics, and the moral temperature of his community. His youngest son, Emanuel, nicknamed Wonderboy, is beloved for his voice, his charm, and his athletic prowess. Told largely through the eyes of the women in these men's orbit - Sabre’s wife Priscilla, Seven Seal's "First Lady", and Diamond, a young woman involved with Wonderboy - "Dominion" examines the cracks in a seemingly unshakable family, the secrets a community protects, and the cost of upholding a patriarchal order.
It’s hard to believe this is author Addie E. Citchens’s debut. Her prose is layered and resonant, infused with cultural dialect rooted in Black Southern identity that deepens the story's authenticity. Each chapter contains parts of a sermon that refracts and complicates the events to follow, creating a structure that is as thematically rich as it is narratively effective.
"Dominion" is as much a family drama as it is a study of how systems of power - religious, social, and patriarchal - are maintained and excused. It interrogates the ways small communities close ranks to protect powerful men, even when their actions are morally bankrupt. The novel also explores how the weight of unspoken expectations can corrode individuals and fracture families from within. Watching the inner workings of a Black Southern Baptist church - and the way the town’s identity is intertwined with it - feels both specific and universally resonant. Citchens handles heavy themes such as violence, drug abuse, sex, gender roles, systemic racism, and identity with both nuance and raw intensity. Much is left for the reader to interpret, but the author provides all the tools needed to see the underlying dynamics at work.
A searing, multilayered debut that takes on patriarchy, faith, and identity with unflinching honesty, "Dominion" is as much about the sins we see as the ones we choose to ignore, and the cost of both. Addie E. Citchens has delivered a striking first novel, and her voice is one to watch.
I was lucky to receive both a digital copy of the book as well as a copy of the audiobook. The audiobook adaptation is exceptional, with perfect sound effects and brought to life by an outstanding full cast: Andre Giles, Angel Pean, Bahni Turpin, and Dion Graham. Each narrator embodies their characters with emotional precision, but Angel Pean’s portrayal of Priscilla is particularly memorable.
Many thanks to Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ARCs in exchange for my honest review.
"Dominion" is slated to be released on August 19, 2025.
August 21, 2025
Little disjointed and hard to follow at first, but once you get the flow down and work through it and some of the slang, it's really good. Loved the structure of the story. Full review to come.
September 1, 2025
SOUTHERN GOTHIC LIT at its finest!
On the surface everyone has their sh*t together but the decaying structure holding it up? Well, the cracks just get wider and deeper like a cracked vase of flowers waiting to leak all over that really nice table.
If you are waiting on Tayari Jones to write another or Tara Stringfellow look no further.
Priscilla? The mother of 5 grown or almost grown boys brings on the snark and wit of all that comes with living in an all male home. Plus being the First Lady of The Seven Seals Church. Yes, indeed! Southern religion is here all dressed up in silk and feathers.
“My man loves his hoes , but he love me too.”
Priscilla may need a little help from time to time with booze and pills and that alone is worth the cost of admission.
“I really wanted to tell her ( or anybody for that matter) that between that batty girl and my brutal boy, I had a sneaking suspicion they were birthing the Antichrist. But you just couldn’t lay that kind of thing on people.”
The cast of women characters around her? Just the perfect community of women supporting one another on their good days and speaking their full minds on their other days.
And now I will let you read how this all comes together for yourself.
And thoughts on Bob Ross:
“He had been with me all my life, and you had to believe a person who used the word thickets and could sweep a brush of titanium white and Prussian blue across a canvas and make you feel frost when it was ninety degrees outside. I even believed in his fro although mama told us it was a perm. Best of all, he had the calmest voice I had ever heard come out of a man, and it felt real, not because he was perfect but because you knew that the soft blue shirt with its rolled up sleeves had the worn in smell of cigarettes.”
On the surface everyone has their sh*t together but the decaying structure holding it up? Well, the cracks just get wider and deeper like a cracked vase of flowers waiting to leak all over that really nice table.
If you are waiting on Tayari Jones to write another or Tara Stringfellow look no further.
Priscilla? The mother of 5 grown or almost grown boys brings on the snark and wit of all that comes with living in an all male home. Plus being the First Lady of The Seven Seals Church. Yes, indeed! Southern religion is here all dressed up in silk and feathers.
“My man loves his hoes , but he love me too.”
Priscilla may need a little help from time to time with booze and pills and that alone is worth the cost of admission.
“I really wanted to tell her ( or anybody for that matter) that between that batty girl and my brutal boy, I had a sneaking suspicion they were birthing the Antichrist. But you just couldn’t lay that kind of thing on people.”
The cast of women characters around her? Just the perfect community of women supporting one another on their good days and speaking their full minds on their other days.
And now I will let you read how this all comes together for yourself.
And thoughts on Bob Ross:
“He had been with me all my life, and you had to believe a person who used the word thickets and could sweep a brush of titanium white and Prussian blue across a canvas and make you feel frost when it was ninety degrees outside. I even believed in his fro although mama told us it was a perm. Best of all, he had the calmest voice I had ever heard come out of a man, and it felt real, not because he was perfect but because you knew that the soft blue shirt with its rolled up sleeves had the worn in smell of cigarettes.”
September 8, 2025
I’m overjoyed to report that people were NOT lying about this one!!! Addie E. Citchens is a generational talent, and her phenomenal debut is exactly why my friend Michaela says that people shouldn’t be allowed to get book deals before the age of 35. This story has simmered and stewed until it’s falling off the bone!!! What a refreshing, rare joy it is to have a novel live up to its hype. Addie E. Citchens talked a big game in her Stacks Podcast episode, from putting her work in conversation with Morrison to noting her pride on cadence and sentence structure. I actually think she is more in conversation with Gloria Naylor (more on this later), but there is no denying that this is one of those books that we’re going to refer to as a standard for other literature. And then on a sentence level, the characters’ poetic turns of phrase, comedic timing, and “complimensults” are just delicious. She did exactly what she said she would, and we as readers are all the better for it!!!
⛪👪🧨 The pressure cookers of patriarchy and upward mobility
As much as I wanted to tug Diamond by the ear this entire story, she actually nails the crux of what’s going wrong here: “People rarely just snap and do crazy shit. What looked like a snap to other people was actually an erosion of the surfaces that we built up for protection, and unfortunately people would rather dwell on the snap than the wearing.” (163)
The Winfreys are a brand of first family that will be recognizable to any Black Southerner, particularly my fellow preacher’s kids (PKs). When these families say “to whom much is given, much is required”, they mean what’s required is the continuation of “legacy” through certain status and wealth markers. Of course, men are the only ones able to carry on the legacy—their success is the true pinnacle of achievement. It’s one thing for a Black well-off family to get their daughters through college, but the *real* marker of parental distinction is how the boys turn out. I wrote a bit about this in my review of, a 2025 novel that did NOT live up to the hype, but Black upward mobility is a Sisyphean project that is nearly impossible to reproduce across generations, particularly for Black men. So of course, these unachievable metrics of success create pressure that has to be released somewhere, usually through terrible “snaps.” Dominion shows us that when certain men snap, it becomes EVERYBODY’s problem.
I’m getting on a slight detour, because the interesting thing about Dominion is that we see Wonderboy at his high school peak, before he’s even stepped onto (or gotten kicked out of) a college campus. Citchens draws our focus to how no matter the end, the Winfrey family structure is set up to disincentivize the effort of accountability. It gets to the point where the sin in these sorts of families is not the father/brother’s harm of others, but someone “harming” them by bringing their deeds to light. (I am halfway through The Failures of Forgiveness by Myisha Cherry, and so far would certainly recommend as she is tearing this sort of logic apart.) First Lady’s musings on this group project of concealment is right on the money: “Was the kind of woman who made her boy accountable better and braver than me? Naw…it would definitely be easier to sweep his transgressions under the rug than allow ours to be brought to light.” (145)
🏆Black Southern cultures of concealment, or how our men became the prize
I first learned about the concept of “cultures of concealment” in Patrick Radden Keefe’s Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland. While you might think the North of Ireland and the Mississippi Delta have nothing in common, many ethnic groups have similar approaches to protecting successful men. This culture of concealment extends beyond the individual family, to the entire community. I can’t tell you how many times I have been encouraged to prop up a grown man in a professional, academic, or even political context simply because we need support the Black men who are doing “the right thing.” Tayari Jones talked about this in her interviews for An American Marriage, and I’m sure if I went through a reread of that, I would definitely find an exact quote about that in Roy’s princess treatment.
But even without the exact quote, we can see us treating men as the prize in the fact that NO MATTER HOW DOWN BAD a man might be, there’s always a woman willing to be by his side. In Dominion, everyone from Joker/Tyrone to Wonderboy to Pastor Winfrey has some lad(ies) condoning his BS! The fact that even as a teenage girl, Diamond already has internalized a sense of responsibility to keep Wonder’s secrets and defend his honor?!?!?! It’s exactly as First Lady says, we are teaching these girls to follow such a dark script: “You courted me knowing good and well you didn’t want a wife, you wanted a worshipper. My bad, you wanted worshippers.” (162)
I’m excited for more of my friends to read this book, because I think there’s no better illustration of exactly why so many of us are lesbians and/or trans. The sole function of women in this family, in my family, is subjugation to men and cleaning up your male relatives’ misdeeds. I know so many people trying to get away from those gender-defined roles BY ANY MEANS, because it is quite literally killing us!!! I appreciate Addie E. Citchens for showing the stakes in such stark relief—sometimes we need that level of clarity.
🎶Fiction in the space between: Tracy Chapman, DéLana R.A. Dameron, Addie E. Citchens, and the gift of precision
Now, to talk about why Dominion is a TOP READ OF 2025, I want to quote DéLana R. A. Dameron, the author of my other favorite Black Southern novel of 2025:
This, readers, is ALL I EVER ASK FROM MY AUTHORS. We are in a time when everybody wants to write about Black Southerners, but no one wants to focus on what Dipo Faloyin calls “extraordinary stories of the remarkably ordinary.” Everyone wants to write a middling Queen Sugar derivative about white-passing Creole people or magical Gullah farmers, when what we really need is for people to get serious about capturing the ACTUAL Southern places where their people are from!!! That is what I want…fiction based in things you can touch, understand, and feel. So yeah, whether it’s Tracy Chapman’s crisp and critical storytelling, DéLana R. A. Dameron’s insistent, reverent use of the Carolinian “won’t”, or Addie E. Citchens’ lush placemaking, I will never tire of artists who are committed to rigorously capturing their everyday worlds.
Let’s talk about that placemaking a bit, so I can get to my Gloria Naylor comparisons!!! In her Stacks episode, Citchens states that Dominion is most in conversation with Sula, but it moreso made me think of Linden Hills and The Women of Brewster Place, books *EYE* enjoyed more than Sula. Here are some of my favorite place quotes:
Like with Naylor’s larger universe, Citchens is setting the stage for some really fascinating fictional geographies—I would love to see future novels from her flesh these settings out even more. This is one thing I ADORED about Redwood Court, like you can tell that DéLana R. A. Dameron wanted her readers to smell every blade of grass in her grandparents’ yard. I think Dominion’s focus is more cerebral—Addie E. Citchens wants each hair on her reader’s arm to stand up one-by-one as she unveils the monstrous behavior this town is condoning. There’s also a difference in how they approach their novels’ time periods (late 90s/early 2000s.) Dameron has noted that she considers Redwood Court to be historical fiction, and thus has a time capsule-esque treatment that lends itself to microscopic attention to place. Meanwhile, Addie E. Citchens adopts the immersive, contemporary feel of Naylor’s Linden Hills/Brewster Place/Bailey’s Café universe—it’s a specific setting, sure, but it also could tell you some things about any time. Either way, I am obsessed with both books—and I can’t wait for more of them.
💭 Final Thoughts
This has been soooooo long, and I didn’t even talk about the other themes I really appreciated (chronic pain and addiction, disability and desirability, the failures of the “protector” and “provider” tropes.) If you couldn’t tell from the patriarchy section, this book is not one that passes the Bechdel test with flying colors, so just buckle in for that. First Lady’s fourth-quarter rebrand also calls to mind the maternal hypocrisy in How to Say Babylon. Let’s just say that when you’ve aided and enabled and exacerbated the worst of your husbands and sons for DECADES, I have a hard time buying the immediate pivot. I don’t think Addie E. Citchens is framing this character as innocent, but if your mom has pulled similar revisionist histories post-divorce, just tread lightly as it’s going to be triggering!
Finally, I just could have read 500 more pages of this book!!! I wanted to see more of the actual lessons Wonderboy gleaned from his brothers and father, not just his friends and general influences. Like what was going on in the glorified frat house, as Citchens calls it? I know those older boys had some dirt, too…how did that set the scene for what came next? Also, what did people believe at the end of the day about what happened? I wanted a bit more time or ability to unpack all of this information…not having it crammed into an epilogue. This could have gone on and on and I would’ve been SEATED. Finally, I don’t love the final message/advice to one final character, which is basically that their freedom will come from getting the fuck out of Mississippi. I get WHY that’s a narrative—it’s certainly what was sold to me coming up! But again, this is just such a rich story for that to be the conclusion.
Okay, glad I got to gush about all this!!! Everybody in the world should read this book immediately, it’s fantastic.
⛪👪🧨 The pressure cookers of patriarchy and upward mobility
As much as I wanted to tug Diamond by the ear this entire story, she actually nails the crux of what’s going wrong here: “People rarely just snap and do crazy shit. What looked like a snap to other people was actually an erosion of the surfaces that we built up for protection, and unfortunately people would rather dwell on the snap than the wearing.” (163)
The Winfreys are a brand of first family that will be recognizable to any Black Southerner, particularly my fellow preacher’s kids (PKs). When these families say “to whom much is given, much is required”, they mean what’s required is the continuation of “legacy” through certain status and wealth markers. Of course, men are the only ones able to carry on the legacy—their success is the true pinnacle of achievement. It’s one thing for a Black well-off family to get their daughters through college, but the *real* marker of parental distinction is how the boys turn out. I wrote a bit about this in my review of, a 2025 novel that did NOT live up to the hype, but Black upward mobility is a Sisyphean project that is nearly impossible to reproduce across generations, particularly for Black men. So of course, these unachievable metrics of success create pressure that has to be released somewhere, usually through terrible “snaps.” Dominion shows us that when certain men snap, it becomes EVERYBODY’s problem.
I’m getting on a slight detour, because the interesting thing about Dominion is that we see Wonderboy at his high school peak, before he’s even stepped onto (or gotten kicked out of) a college campus. Citchens draws our focus to how no matter the end, the Winfrey family structure is set up to disincentivize the effort of accountability. It gets to the point where the sin in these sorts of families is not the father/brother’s harm of others, but someone “harming” them by bringing their deeds to light. (I am halfway through The Failures of Forgiveness by Myisha Cherry, and so far would certainly recommend as she is tearing this sort of logic apart.) First Lady’s musings on this group project of concealment is right on the money: “Was the kind of woman who made her boy accountable better and braver than me? Naw…it would definitely be easier to sweep his transgressions under the rug than allow ours to be brought to light.” (145)
🏆Black Southern cultures of concealment, or how our men became the prize
I first learned about the concept of “cultures of concealment” in Patrick Radden Keefe’s Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland. While you might think the North of Ireland and the Mississippi Delta have nothing in common, many ethnic groups have similar approaches to protecting successful men. This culture of concealment extends beyond the individual family, to the entire community. I can’t tell you how many times I have been encouraged to prop up a grown man in a professional, academic, or even political context simply because we need support the Black men who are doing “the right thing.” Tayari Jones talked about this in her interviews for An American Marriage, and I’m sure if I went through a reread of that, I would definitely find an exact quote about that in Roy’s princess treatment.
But even without the exact quote, we can see us treating men as the prize in the fact that NO MATTER HOW DOWN BAD a man might be, there’s always a woman willing to be by his side. In Dominion, everyone from Joker/Tyrone to Wonderboy to Pastor Winfrey has some lad(ies) condoning his BS! The fact that even as a teenage girl, Diamond already has internalized a sense of responsibility to keep Wonder’s secrets and defend his honor?!?!?! It’s exactly as First Lady says, we are teaching these girls to follow such a dark script: “You courted me knowing good and well you didn’t want a wife, you wanted a worshipper. My bad, you wanted worshippers.” (162)
I’m excited for more of my friends to read this book, because I think there’s no better illustration of exactly why so many of us are lesbians and/or trans. The sole function of women in this family, in my family, is subjugation to men and cleaning up your male relatives’ misdeeds. I know so many people trying to get away from those gender-defined roles BY ANY MEANS, because it is quite literally killing us!!! I appreciate Addie E. Citchens for showing the stakes in such stark relief—sometimes we need that level of clarity.
🎶Fiction in the space between: Tracy Chapman, DéLana R.A. Dameron, Addie E. Citchens, and the gift of precision
Now, to talk about why Dominion is a TOP READ OF 2025, I want to quote DéLana R. A. Dameron, the author of my other favorite Black Southern novel of 2025:
I watch a lot of narrative dramas, and I don’t see what I’m doing as very different: taking real people, a real timeline, and to quote Tracy Chapman, filling in “the fiction in the space between.” Yes, the characters are very close to people in my family and my neighborhoods where I grew up…I’m interested in telling a truthful story about ordinary Black Southern folks in a very specific time frame (the ’90s) in a very specific place (Columbia, South Carolina).
This, readers, is ALL I EVER ASK FROM MY AUTHORS. We are in a time when everybody wants to write about Black Southerners, but no one wants to focus on what Dipo Faloyin calls “extraordinary stories of the remarkably ordinary.” Everyone wants to write a middling Queen Sugar derivative about white-passing Creole people or magical Gullah farmers, when what we really need is for people to get serious about capturing the ACTUAL Southern places where their people are from!!! That is what I want…fiction based in things you can touch, understand, and feel. So yeah, whether it’s Tracy Chapman’s crisp and critical storytelling, DéLana R. A. Dameron’s insistent, reverent use of the Carolinian “won’t”, or Addie E. Citchens’ lush placemaking, I will never tire of artists who are committed to rigorously capturing their everyday worlds.
Let’s talk about that placemaking a bit, so I can get to my Gloria Naylor comparisons!!! In her Stacks episode, Citchens states that Dominion is most in conversation with Sula, but it moreso made me think of Linden Hills and The Women of Brewster Place, books *EYE* enjoyed more than Sula. Here are some of my favorite place quotes:
“The Winfreys lived up on Ashton Court, the grandest street on Coon Hill, with all the rest of the fancy Black folk. It was proper from the outside, so proper I didn’t want to go in, especially not sneak in there.” (21)
“You be careful, hear? The only difference between the niggas in Coon Hill and the ones in the White House is money, so that makes them way more dangerous.” (78)
Like with Naylor’s larger universe, Citchens is setting the stage for some really fascinating fictional geographies—I would love to see future novels from her flesh these settings out even more. This is one thing I ADORED about Redwood Court, like you can tell that DéLana R. A. Dameron wanted her readers to smell every blade of grass in her grandparents’ yard. I think Dominion’s focus is more cerebral—Addie E. Citchens wants each hair on her reader’s arm to stand up one-by-one as she unveils the monstrous behavior this town is condoning. There’s also a difference in how they approach their novels’ time periods (late 90s/early 2000s.) Dameron has noted that she considers Redwood Court to be historical fiction, and thus has a time capsule-esque treatment that lends itself to microscopic attention to place. Meanwhile, Addie E. Citchens adopts the immersive, contemporary feel of Naylor’s Linden Hills/Brewster Place/Bailey’s Café universe—it’s a specific setting, sure, but it also could tell you some things about any time. Either way, I am obsessed with both books—and I can’t wait for more of them.
💭 Final Thoughts
This has been soooooo long, and I didn’t even talk about the other themes I really appreciated (chronic pain and addiction, disability and desirability, the failures of the “protector” and “provider” tropes.) If you couldn’t tell from the patriarchy section, this book is not one that passes the Bechdel test with flying colors, so just buckle in for that. First Lady’s fourth-quarter rebrand also calls to mind the maternal hypocrisy in How to Say Babylon. Let’s just say that when you’ve aided and enabled and exacerbated the worst of your husbands and sons for DECADES, I have a hard time buying the immediate pivot. I don’t think Addie E. Citchens is framing this character as innocent, but if your mom has pulled similar revisionist histories post-divorce, just tread lightly as it’s going to be triggering!
Finally, I just could have read 500 more pages of this book!!! I wanted to see more of the actual lessons Wonderboy gleaned from his brothers and father, not just his friends and general influences. Like what was going on in the glorified frat house, as Citchens calls it? I know those older boys had some dirt, too…how did that set the scene for what came next? Also, what did people believe at the end of the day about what happened? I wanted a bit more time or ability to unpack all of this information…not having it crammed into an epilogue. This could have gone on and on and I would’ve been SEATED. Finally, I don’t love the final message/advice to one final character, which is basically that their freedom will come from getting the fuck out of Mississippi. I get WHY that’s a narrative—it’s certainly what was sold to me coming up! But again, this is just such a rich story for that to be the conclusion.
Okay, glad I got to gush about all this!!! Everybody in the world should read this book immediately, it’s fantastic.
August 2, 2025
there’s some good writing here, but by and large this novel is sloppily constructed and full of troublingly simplistic implications about character psychology and motivation. we’re simply supposed to believe that this kid is a serial rapist and murderer and irredeemable monster because he’s gay and his dad beat him one time? or is the gayness because of the beating too? and diamond is blindly and sycophantically in love with him because she had a tough childhood, which caused her brain to melt out the hole in her heart her mama left behind? are you serious? is that really all you have to say about the complexities and mysteries of the human spirit? reductive, schematic, and just lazy
*arc provided by netgalley*
*arc provided by netgalley*
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 14, 2025
This book is nutsssss! Now I love a good messy book and this is indeed messy. This was a great debut but I have to bring it down one star for character development and a slight lack of plot because there were not enough trigger warnings for the boy/son (Wonder) to be terrorizing girls the way he does throughout the book. I also felt there wasn’t enough reasoning behind his actions for me to validate his behavior, but it was more so the commentary that I enjoyed the most from the women characters in regard to the church, people and happenings that were vividly discussed in their private thoughts so I can see a lot of people probably marking it down because of how limited the plot was in providing background reasoning. The book was only 200 and something pages but for it to be that short of a read and this is Addie’s first novel she did well especially because it’s hard for people to write Humor through well developed characters especially if the author is not trying to be funny and the humor is written as just a natural part of the character’s nature.
September 10, 2025
Special thanks to the author & @macmillan.audio #MacAudio2025 for my gifted ALC‼️
Dominion is a top tier debut about the Winfrey’s a Black church family from Dominion, Mississippi with a list of sins and secrets longer than the Mississippi River. To the world they were the perfect family but behind closed doors they’re far from it.
Sabre Winfrey was the local pastor who was for the community and sometimes offered a little more than prayer. He was even a smooth talker the way he convinced his wife Priscilla to eat the snake because Eve ate the apple 😂. Priscilla had a secret addiction that probably resulted from the BS her family put her through. And their teenage son Wonderboy well boy was he a wonder‼️He was talented and everybody loved him especially Diamond but he did some unspeakable things that would result in his own demise in the end. I can still hear him saying “You love me girl, you love me” and thinking this boy is crazy lmao.
We get multiple POVs mainly from Priscilla and Diamond which gives readers the perspective of a woman in love and the other who is fed up. The book was wild, full of twists and such a page-turner. One reason I loved it was the writing reminded me so much of Mary Monroe when it comes to good Southern drama. Priscilla was my favorite character I found myself laughing the most because of her.
Overall, the book was so good I had to grab a copy for my shelf. And I’m so glad I received an ALC because the narrators did an amazing job bringing this story to life and it’s honestly what made me love the book so much. Exploring themes that surround family shame, spirituality/faith, patriarchy, sex, assault, trauma, masculinity and passing judgment I highly recommend y’all give this one a read and pair it with audio‼️
Dominion is a top tier debut about the Winfrey’s a Black church family from Dominion, Mississippi with a list of sins and secrets longer than the Mississippi River. To the world they were the perfect family but behind closed doors they’re far from it.
Sabre Winfrey was the local pastor who was for the community and sometimes offered a little more than prayer. He was even a smooth talker the way he convinced his wife Priscilla to eat the snake because Eve ate the apple 😂. Priscilla had a secret addiction that probably resulted from the BS her family put her through. And their teenage son Wonderboy well boy was he a wonder‼️He was talented and everybody loved him especially Diamond but he did some unspeakable things that would result in his own demise in the end. I can still hear him saying “You love me girl, you love me” and thinking this boy is crazy lmao.
We get multiple POVs mainly from Priscilla and Diamond which gives readers the perspective of a woman in love and the other who is fed up. The book was wild, full of twists and such a page-turner. One reason I loved it was the writing reminded me so much of Mary Monroe when it comes to good Southern drama. Priscilla was my favorite character I found myself laughing the most because of her.
Overall, the book was so good I had to grab a copy for my shelf. And I’m so glad I received an ALC because the narrators did an amazing job bringing this story to life and it’s honestly what made me love the book so much. Exploring themes that surround family shame, spirituality/faith, patriarchy, sex, assault, trauma, masculinity and passing judgment I highly recommend y’all give this one a read and pair it with audio‼️
January 9, 2025
[TW: Animal death, Rape, Sexual Assault, Violence, Death, Drug Abuse]
Dominion is a stunning debut novel that weaves together drama, brutality, humor, and a profound exploration of the human condition, all while detailing the fall from grace of the Winfrey family. Dominion is told through three distinct perspectives – through Priscilla, “Wonderboy’s” mother, through Diamond – Wonderboy’s lover, and an intentionally ambiguous viewpoint.
At the heart of the narrative is Wonderboy, the perfect picture of a pastors son – handsome, intelligent, sporty, friendly, and always respectful of the women around him. His family, his friends, and both Priscilla and Diamond believe he is the definition of perfect. The majority of the school would willingly throw themselves at Wonderboy, Diamond included. However, as revealed early in the prologue, they both like each other, sneaking wistful glances at each other during the Sunday sermon.
“I had heard so many things about what that child did with them lips. Merciful father, say it aint that one. Manny was special, my baby –I couldn’t bear to have him turned out by some wordly hussy.”
Of course, Priscilla wasn’t fond of Diamond, both due to her “stripper” name and her poor upbringing. Diamond didn’t grow up with the comfort of a stable home, had to scrounge for food, and faced childhood abandonment by both parents, a sharp contrast to the affluent Winfrey family. Naturally, Diamond is drawn to him regardless.
What then is detailed is the heart wrenching drama of a woman who loses herself, her sense of identity, and her passions all to a man who may not be as flawless as he seems.
“They weren’t much younger than me, but I felt ages older, maybe light-years. Old enough that a future I wasn’t ready for was staring me in the face.”
Priscilla’s inner turmoil runs parallel to Diamond, her struggles within marriage and the actions of her husband. Watching the slow reveal and descent into both knowledge and acceptance only made the conversations she had all the more raw, touching, and uncomfortable.
“On the evening of February 14, 1976, my husband explained to me that because Eve ate the apple, I would have to eat the snake. I knew in the scheme of things, this probably wasn’t so bad a thing to do, especially since this was my husband, but try as I could, I could not get comfortable with it.”
Each women directly faced different challenges from their families and their lovers. They also watched the patriarchy play – with haunting quotes such as these, marking how subservience has dominated not only society, but religion as well.
“To woman he gave a womb, and to man he gave dominion-that’s what I teach my boys because that’s what the living Word say.”
Dominion is an unforgettable read, although something I wouldn’t typically pick up off a shelf. Citchens has a stunning debut novel that masters southern diction, where dialogue flows effortlessly. Not only is it an enjoyable read, it does excellent work analyzing the human condition and the consequences of the patriarchy.
Dominion is a stunning debut novel that weaves together drama, brutality, humor, and a profound exploration of the human condition, all while detailing the fall from grace of the Winfrey family. Dominion is told through three distinct perspectives – through Priscilla, “Wonderboy’s” mother, through Diamond – Wonderboy’s lover, and an intentionally ambiguous viewpoint.
At the heart of the narrative is Wonderboy, the perfect picture of a pastors son – handsome, intelligent, sporty, friendly, and always respectful of the women around him. His family, his friends, and both Priscilla and Diamond believe he is the definition of perfect. The majority of the school would willingly throw themselves at Wonderboy, Diamond included. However, as revealed early in the prologue, they both like each other, sneaking wistful glances at each other during the Sunday sermon.
“I had heard so many things about what that child did with them lips. Merciful father, say it aint that one. Manny was special, my baby –I couldn’t bear to have him turned out by some wordly hussy.”
Of course, Priscilla wasn’t fond of Diamond, both due to her “stripper” name and her poor upbringing. Diamond didn’t grow up with the comfort of a stable home, had to scrounge for food, and faced childhood abandonment by both parents, a sharp contrast to the affluent Winfrey family. Naturally, Diamond is drawn to him regardless.
What then is detailed is the heart wrenching drama of a woman who loses herself, her sense of identity, and her passions all to a man who may not be as flawless as he seems.
“They weren’t much younger than me, but I felt ages older, maybe light-years. Old enough that a future I wasn’t ready for was staring me in the face.”
Priscilla’s inner turmoil runs parallel to Diamond, her struggles within marriage and the actions of her husband. Watching the slow reveal and descent into both knowledge and acceptance only made the conversations she had all the more raw, touching, and uncomfortable.
“On the evening of February 14, 1976, my husband explained to me that because Eve ate the apple, I would have to eat the snake. I knew in the scheme of things, this probably wasn’t so bad a thing to do, especially since this was my husband, but try as I could, I could not get comfortable with it.”
Each women directly faced different challenges from their families and their lovers. They also watched the patriarchy play – with haunting quotes such as these, marking how subservience has dominated not only society, but religion as well.
“To woman he gave a womb, and to man he gave dominion-that’s what I teach my boys because that’s what the living Word say.”
Dominion is an unforgettable read, although something I wouldn’t typically pick up off a shelf. Citchens has a stunning debut novel that masters southern diction, where dialogue flows effortlessly. Not only is it an enjoyable read, it does excellent work analyzing the human condition and the consequences of the patriarchy.
August 24, 2025
Diamond (17) lives in Dominion, MS with her three siblings. After her momma miscarries during her fifth pregnancy, she leaves her dependents, and Maggie steps in as the kids’ guardian. Diamond starts seeing Wonderboy, a boy from high school and the youngest son of the Winfrey family.
Everyone knows and respects the Winfreys: the dad, Rev. Sabre Jr., is the leader of the prominent black church, Seven Seals Baptist Church, which continually makes a positive impact in their community. Sure, the First Lady, Priscilla, knows her husband chases tail, and if she’s honest, she may occasionally witness Wonder’s sus behavior, too. However, for some time, she reckons boys will be boys, and men likewise, so she overlooks the hypocrisy. She’s a proud mom after all, for Wonder is her golden child: he serves God in the church through music and teaching Sunday school and achieves great feats in school, both academically and athletically.
Yet, when Wonderboy’s alleged problematic behavior accumulates—Wonder steals his mother’s earrings, a girl from school accuses Wonder of assault, Wonder possesses the notebook of a boy who was murdered, and Diamond’s brother goes missing—Priscilla and Diamond begin to reassess their relationship with Wonder. Priscilla urges Wonder to receive professional help; Diamond wants to sever ties completely and terminate her pregnancy. In the end, Wonder lies lifeless in a casket.
I welcomed Citchens transporting me to the hot humid south where the praise team bellows, football plays endlessly on the telly, everyone readily pulls up their sleeves to change your flat, and folks take the Word of God out of context to bolster the wildest notions: “To woman, he gave a womb, and to man, he gave dominion. That’s what I teach my boys because that’s what the living word say” (N.B.: I say this with tongue in cheek—I certainly don’t think all church leaders in the deep south abuse their authority). The author critiques an equivocation between the male and the divine. As Elizabeth A. Johnson warns, “Religious patriarchy is one of the strongest forms of [the patriarchy] . . . for it understands itself to be divinely established” (Johnson, She Who Is, 23).
Dominion may be strengthened if Citchens developed Priscilla and Diamond’s shifts toward Wonder. Their change upon realizing something is amiss was abrupt, and I endured some whiplash in the second half of the book. The insertion of Kateisha’s story, told from her dad’s perspective, came across as awkwardly placed in the last quarter. Still, I appreciated the dynamics Citchens manufactures in her story: the small town life featuring an abundance of believable characters and the potentially stifling, your-neighbors-know-your-business atmosphere is like coming home, mess and all.
My thanks to Farrar, Straus and Giroux and NetGalley for an ARC.
Everyone knows and respects the Winfreys: the dad, Rev. Sabre Jr., is the leader of the prominent black church, Seven Seals Baptist Church, which continually makes a positive impact in their community. Sure, the First Lady, Priscilla, knows her husband chases tail, and if she’s honest, she may occasionally witness Wonder’s sus behavior, too. However, for some time, she reckons boys will be boys, and men likewise, so she overlooks the hypocrisy. She’s a proud mom after all, for Wonder is her golden child: he serves God in the church through music and teaching Sunday school and achieves great feats in school, both academically and athletically.
Yet, when Wonderboy’s alleged problematic behavior accumulates—Wonder steals his mother’s earrings, a girl from school accuses Wonder of assault, Wonder possesses the notebook of a boy who was murdered, and Diamond’s brother goes missing—Priscilla and Diamond begin to reassess their relationship with Wonder. Priscilla urges Wonder to receive professional help; Diamond wants to sever ties completely and terminate her pregnancy. In the end, Wonder lies lifeless in a casket.
I welcomed Citchens transporting me to the hot humid south where the praise team bellows, football plays endlessly on the telly, everyone readily pulls up their sleeves to change your flat, and folks take the Word of God out of context to bolster the wildest notions: “To woman, he gave a womb, and to man, he gave dominion. That’s what I teach my boys because that’s what the living word say” (N.B.: I say this with tongue in cheek—I certainly don’t think all church leaders in the deep south abuse their authority). The author critiques an equivocation between the male and the divine. As Elizabeth A. Johnson warns, “Religious patriarchy is one of the strongest forms of [the patriarchy] . . . for it understands itself to be divinely established” (Johnson, She Who Is, 23).
Dominion may be strengthened if Citchens developed Priscilla and Diamond’s shifts toward Wonder. Their change upon realizing something is amiss was abrupt, and I endured some whiplash in the second half of the book. The insertion of Kateisha’s story, told from her dad’s perspective, came across as awkwardly placed in the last quarter. Still, I appreciated the dynamics Citchens manufactures in her story: the small town life featuring an abundance of believable characters and the potentially stifling, your-neighbors-know-your-business atmosphere is like coming home, mess and all.
My thanks to Farrar, Straus and Giroux and NetGalley for an ARC.
August 29, 2025
This really did live up to the hype—a rare book that kept me wanting to keep reading to find out what would happen next.
September 10, 2025
Narration/Audiobook: 3.5/5
Overall Story: 3/5
It’s not very often I feel that a book needs to be longer, but in this case Dominion could’ve used another 100 pages. The prose is captivating and the story has lot of weight and potential, but I never felt as connected to the characters as I should have. Especially with this being a story focused on the expectations and fallout of southern black family, community, and church! This a theme/topic I’ll always be interested in. In Dominion we experience this more specifically in discussing the extent to which the role misogyny plays in those environments.
While the book does this, there was still something missing. For instance, Diamond being one of the main voices we hear from felt strange. I definitely understood the purpose of her character juxtapose Manny’s mother, as he is positioned similarly to his father. But I never felt the connection between the two of them was established enough. While she has her own traumatic background and scarring encounters with men, it sadly seemed as though she was just an obsessed lover of Manny’s. Too much of her story was implied and didn’t deeply hit the way I desired.
This is partially why I think the story would’ve been better told from primarily the male characters’ perspectives. I too often see authors shy away from making their male “villains” extremely unlikeable and terrible unless the story is told via the victim, or most often, the women that encounter or protect them. Because we’ve seen this theme done before through that lens, it would’ve been interesting to predominantly hear from the psyche of Manny and his father. As is, there’s too many moments of the story that don’t contribute to its end, ultimately making the shift and reveal feel abrupt and unfinished.
With this being such a short read, I’d still recommend it! The concept and premise is one worth discussing and this could make a really strong book club pick. Initially, it was engrossing hearing the mom talk about all the gossip and behind the scenes of being the First Lady of the church. It felt like getting all the tea from my godmother and hooked me. It just lost me a little along the way, but I look forward to more from this author.
Also**The audiobook was enjoyable and added a texture and presence to the story that I would’ve missed just reading it. While overall it didn’t knock me off my feet, it was still executed beautifully.
Huge thanks to Netgalley and the publisher FSG for this ALC. All thoughts are my own.
Overall Story: 3/5
It’s not very often I feel that a book needs to be longer, but in this case Dominion could’ve used another 100 pages. The prose is captivating and the story has lot of weight and potential, but I never felt as connected to the characters as I should have. Especially with this being a story focused on the expectations and fallout of southern black family, community, and church! This a theme/topic I’ll always be interested in. In Dominion we experience this more specifically in discussing the extent to which the role misogyny plays in those environments.
While the book does this, there was still something missing. For instance, Diamond being one of the main voices we hear from felt strange. I definitely understood the purpose of her character juxtapose Manny’s mother, as he is positioned similarly to his father. But I never felt the connection between the two of them was established enough. While she has her own traumatic background and scarring encounters with men, it sadly seemed as though she was just an obsessed lover of Manny’s. Too much of her story was implied and didn’t deeply hit the way I desired.
This is partially why I think the story would’ve been better told from primarily the male characters’ perspectives. I too often see authors shy away from making their male “villains” extremely unlikeable and terrible unless the story is told via the victim, or most often, the women that encounter or protect them. Because we’ve seen this theme done before through that lens, it would’ve been interesting to predominantly hear from the psyche of Manny and his father. As is, there’s too many moments of the story that don’t contribute to its end, ultimately making the shift and reveal feel abrupt and unfinished.
With this being such a short read, I’d still recommend it! The concept and premise is one worth discussing and this could make a really strong book club pick. Initially, it was engrossing hearing the mom talk about all the gossip and behind the scenes of being the First Lady of the church. It felt like getting all the tea from my godmother and hooked me. It just lost me a little along the way, but I look forward to more from this author.
Also**The audiobook was enjoyable and added a texture and presence to the story that I would’ve missed just reading it. While overall it didn’t knock me off my feet, it was still executed beautifully.
Huge thanks to Netgalley and the publisher FSG for this ALC. All thoughts are my own.
September 5, 2025
this book was so messy in the best way—full of drama, secrets, and complicated relationships that had me hooked from page one. i literally couldn’t put it down and ended up finishing it in a single day (yes, the same day the buddy read started 😅).
the characters were complex, the tension never let up, and the storytelling had me fully invested. addie e. citchens made a fan out of me because it was a page-turner that kept me guessing and gasping.
⭐️ 4.5 stars!!
the characters were complex, the tension never let up, and the storytelling had me fully invested. addie e. citchens made a fan out of me because it was a page-turner that kept me guessing and gasping.
⭐️ 4.5 stars!!
August 21, 2025
Addie E. Citchens delivers a devastating debut novel that excavates the rotting foundations beneath the glossy veneer of small-town Southern respectability. Dominion unfolds in the fictional town of Dominion, Mississippi, where Reverend Sabre Winfrey commands both pulpit and community with an iron fist wrapped in holy rhetoric. This is not merely another coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of the American South—it's a surgical examination of how patriarchal power structures enable and protect predators, even when they wear the masks of beloved sons and men of God.
The narrative orbits around Emanuel "Wonderboy" Winfrey, the golden child whose athletic prowess, musical talent, and cherubic appearance make him the pride of his family and community. Yet beneath this carefully constructed image lurks something far more sinister. Citchens employs a multi-perspective narrative that primarily follows three women: Priscilla, Emanuel's conflicted mother; Diamond, a vulnerable teenage girl caught in Emanuel's orbit; and various voices that reveal the true cost of maintaining silence in the face of evil.
A Study in Complicity and Willful Blindness
What makes Dominion particularly unsettling is Citchens' unflinching examination of how communities protect their golden boys at the expense of their most vulnerable members. The novel's strength lies not in its revelation of Emanuel's true nature—Citchens telegraphs his darkness early and deliberately—but in its meticulous documentation of how those around him choose blindness over accountability.
Priscilla Winfrey emerges as perhaps the most complex character in the novel. Trapped in a loveless marriage to a philandering pastor, she medicates herself with pills and alcohol while struggling to maintain the facade of the perfect First Lady. When confronted with evidence of her son's violent tendencies, she faces an impossible choice between protecting future victims and preserving her family's status. Citchens renders Priscilla's internal conflict with devastating psychological realism, showing how even well-meaning people can become complicit in systems of abuse.
The character of Diamond provides a heartbreaking counterpoint to the Winfrey family's privilege. An orphaned teenager living with her adoptive mother Maggie, Diamond represents the kind of vulnerable young woman that predators like Emanuel target. Her desperate need for love and belonging makes her easy prey, and Citchens captures the particular vulnerability of girls who have already experienced abandonment and loss.
Narrative Structure and Literary Technique
Citchens employs a fragmented narrative structure that mirrors the fractured nature of truth in small communities. The story unfolds through multiple perspectives, with chapters alternating between different characters' viewpoints. This technique serves multiple purposes: it prevents readers from becoming too comfortable with any single perspective, and it demonstrates how the same events can be interpreted differently depending on one's position within the community's power structure.
The author's prose style is particularly noteworthy for its ability to capture the rhythms and cadences of Southern speech without falling into caricature. Citchens has a keen ear for dialogue, and each character's voice feels distinct and authentic. The novel's language shifts seamlessly between lyrical passages describing the Mississippi landscape and stark, unflinching descriptions of violence and trauma.
One of the novel's most effective literary devices is its use of dramatic irony. Readers understand Emanuel's true nature long before most characters do, creating a sense of mounting dread as we watch him manipulate those around him. This technique makes the novel's climax feel both inevitable and shocking.
Historical and Social Context
While Dominion is set in the year 2000, it grapples with issues that feel painfully contemporary. The novel's exploration of how privilege and respectability can shield abusers from consequences resonates strongly in our current cultural moment. Citchens doesn't make explicit connections to movements like #MeToo, but the parallels are clear and powerful.
The setting of small-town Mississippi is crucial to the novel's impact. Citchens captures the suffocating nature of communities where everyone knows everyone else's business, yet certain truths remain unspoken. The geographic isolation contributes to the sense that escape is impossible for characters like Diamond, who lack the resources and connections that might allow them to build lives elsewhere.
The novel also functions as a critique of certain strains of Christianity that prioritize image over substance. Reverend Sabre Winfrey embodies a particular type of religious leader who uses his position to accumulate power and satisfy his appetites while preaching moral purity to his congregation. The hypocrisy is so blatant that it becomes almost satirical, yet Citchens grounds it in psychological realism that makes it believable rather than cartoonish.
Strengths and Minor Limitations
Dominion succeeds brilliantly as both a psychological thriller and a social critique. Citchens demonstrates remarkable skill in creating atmosphere and building tension. The novel's exploration of complicity and willful blindness feels both timely and timeless. The author's ability to render complex female characters with empathy and nuance is particularly impressive for a debut novel.
If there's a weakness in Dominion, it might be that some plot elements feel slightly too convenient. The novel's climax, while emotionally satisfying, relies on coincidences that strain credibility. Additionally, some readers might find the relentless darkness of the subject matter challenging to process, though this intensity serves the novel's thematic purposes.
The pacing occasionally feels uneven, with some sections moving at breakneck speed while others linger perhaps too long on character introspection. However, these are minor quibbles with what is overall a remarkably accomplished debut.
Final Assessment
Dominion is a powerful and necessary novel that refuses to offer easy answers or comfortable resolutions. Citchens has crafted a work that functions simultaneously as compelling fiction and urgent social commentary. While the subject matter is undeniably dark, the novel's ultimate message—that silence in the face of evil is its own form of complicity—feels essential for our current moment.
This is a debut that announces Citchens as a significant new voice in American literature. Her ability to combine psychological insight with social critique suggests a bright future for whatever she chooses to tackle next. Dominion is not an easy read, but it's an important one—a novel that will linger in readers' minds long after the final page is turned.
The narrative orbits around Emanuel "Wonderboy" Winfrey, the golden child whose athletic prowess, musical talent, and cherubic appearance make him the pride of his family and community. Yet beneath this carefully constructed image lurks something far more sinister. Citchens employs a multi-perspective narrative that primarily follows three women: Priscilla, Emanuel's conflicted mother; Diamond, a vulnerable teenage girl caught in Emanuel's orbit; and various voices that reveal the true cost of maintaining silence in the face of evil.
A Study in Complicity and Willful Blindness
What makes Dominion particularly unsettling is Citchens' unflinching examination of how communities protect their golden boys at the expense of their most vulnerable members. The novel's strength lies not in its revelation of Emanuel's true nature—Citchens telegraphs his darkness early and deliberately—but in its meticulous documentation of how those around him choose blindness over accountability.
Priscilla Winfrey emerges as perhaps the most complex character in the novel. Trapped in a loveless marriage to a philandering pastor, she medicates herself with pills and alcohol while struggling to maintain the facade of the perfect First Lady. When confronted with evidence of her son's violent tendencies, she faces an impossible choice between protecting future victims and preserving her family's status. Citchens renders Priscilla's internal conflict with devastating psychological realism, showing how even well-meaning people can become complicit in systems of abuse.
The character of Diamond provides a heartbreaking counterpoint to the Winfrey family's privilege. An orphaned teenager living with her adoptive mother Maggie, Diamond represents the kind of vulnerable young woman that predators like Emanuel target. Her desperate need for love and belonging makes her easy prey, and Citchens captures the particular vulnerability of girls who have already experienced abandonment and loss.
Narrative Structure and Literary Technique
Citchens employs a fragmented narrative structure that mirrors the fractured nature of truth in small communities. The story unfolds through multiple perspectives, with chapters alternating between different characters' viewpoints. This technique serves multiple purposes: it prevents readers from becoming too comfortable with any single perspective, and it demonstrates how the same events can be interpreted differently depending on one's position within the community's power structure.
The author's prose style is particularly noteworthy for its ability to capture the rhythms and cadences of Southern speech without falling into caricature. Citchens has a keen ear for dialogue, and each character's voice feels distinct and authentic. The novel's language shifts seamlessly between lyrical passages describing the Mississippi landscape and stark, unflinching descriptions of violence and trauma.
One of the novel's most effective literary devices is its use of dramatic irony. Readers understand Emanuel's true nature long before most characters do, creating a sense of mounting dread as we watch him manipulate those around him. This technique makes the novel's climax feel both inevitable and shocking.
Historical and Social Context
While Dominion is set in the year 2000, it grapples with issues that feel painfully contemporary. The novel's exploration of how privilege and respectability can shield abusers from consequences resonates strongly in our current cultural moment. Citchens doesn't make explicit connections to movements like #MeToo, but the parallels are clear and powerful.
The setting of small-town Mississippi is crucial to the novel's impact. Citchens captures the suffocating nature of communities where everyone knows everyone else's business, yet certain truths remain unspoken. The geographic isolation contributes to the sense that escape is impossible for characters like Diamond, who lack the resources and connections that might allow them to build lives elsewhere.
The novel also functions as a critique of certain strains of Christianity that prioritize image over substance. Reverend Sabre Winfrey embodies a particular type of religious leader who uses his position to accumulate power and satisfy his appetites while preaching moral purity to his congregation. The hypocrisy is so blatant that it becomes almost satirical, yet Citchens grounds it in psychological realism that makes it believable rather than cartoonish.
Strengths and Minor Limitations
Dominion succeeds brilliantly as both a psychological thriller and a social critique. Citchens demonstrates remarkable skill in creating atmosphere and building tension. The novel's exploration of complicity and willful blindness feels both timely and timeless. The author's ability to render complex female characters with empathy and nuance is particularly impressive for a debut novel.
If there's a weakness in Dominion, it might be that some plot elements feel slightly too convenient. The novel's climax, while emotionally satisfying, relies on coincidences that strain credibility. Additionally, some readers might find the relentless darkness of the subject matter challenging to process, though this intensity serves the novel's thematic purposes.
The pacing occasionally feels uneven, with some sections moving at breakneck speed while others linger perhaps too long on character introspection. However, these are minor quibbles with what is overall a remarkably accomplished debut.
Final Assessment
Dominion is a powerful and necessary novel that refuses to offer easy answers or comfortable resolutions. Citchens has crafted a work that functions simultaneously as compelling fiction and urgent social commentary. While the subject matter is undeniably dark, the novel's ultimate message—that silence in the face of evil is its own form of complicity—feels essential for our current moment.
This is a debut that announces Citchens as a significant new voice in American literature. Her ability to combine psychological insight with social critique suggests a bright future for whatever she chooses to tackle next. Dominion is not an easy read, but it's an important one—a novel that will linger in readers' minds long after the final page is turned.
May 15, 2025
This is a story of a church family in 2000 in Dominion, Mississippi, Manny, called Wonderboy by everyone because he's good at everything and admired by everyone, is the youngest son of a preacher and his wife, Priscilla. His adoring girlfriend, although she's never really called that, Diamond, comes from a scattered family and has known mainly loss in her life. Wonderboy is her hope for family and love and permanence. The book is told from Priscilla and Diamond's perspectives, and it's slowly revealed that Wonderboy and his father are not the paragons that the community believes: they're unfaithful, violent, selfish, etc, although it takes a long time before people stop making excuses for them. The plot just gets darker from there.
The story was addictive - the multi povs and slow drips of information kept me reading, and I kept waiting to see who would find out what next. Some readers might want a trigger warning - violence, sexual violence, racial and homophobic slurs, and so on - but it feels in keeping with the characters and setting and is not gratuitous. The book doesn't linger on the misdeeds, it just observes them. Lots of patriarchy to reflect on; I'll probably be thinking about this for a while.
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the arc!
The story was addictive - the multi povs and slow drips of information kept me reading, and I kept waiting to see who would find out what next. Some readers might want a trigger warning - violence, sexual violence, racial and homophobic slurs, and so on - but it feels in keeping with the characters and setting and is not gratuitous. The book doesn't linger on the misdeeds, it just observes them. Lots of patriarchy to reflect on; I'll probably be thinking about this for a while.
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the arc!
August 18, 2025
perfection. utter perfection. addie did a phenomenal job packing a PUNCH into a short book; one of my favorite tropes is the hypocrisy of ultra religious/wealthy communities and families and she sure did deliver. also if i can hate every character and not hate the book, than that is a feat within itself.
thank you macmillan audio/net galley for an advanced audio copy in exchange for an honest review. i loved the audio experience and loved having multiple narrators to distinguish the chapters and characters. although i will be re-reading the physical copy of this book (already on hold at my local library!).
thank you macmillan audio/net galley for an advanced audio copy in exchange for an honest review. i loved the audio experience and loved having multiple narrators to distinguish the chapters and characters. although i will be re-reading the physical copy of this book (already on hold at my local library!).
September 5, 2025
What a story! I loved this. The messiness of the inner workings of a southern church family clinging to their cover stories. The strong writing and great characters with flaws and frills and some of the human mystery. All this layered on an eerie story about the families beloved sons and what just may have gone so wrong.
(Lord please don’t let Tyler Perry get his hands on this)
(Lord please don’t let Tyler Perry get his hands on this)
September 1, 2025
I picked this up on the recommendation of three friends who all rated it five stars. Well add me into the bunch.
An excellent read that I devoured in two afternoons.
An excellent read that I devoured in two afternoons.
September 1, 2025
This audiobook is narrated by Andre Giles, Angel Pean, Bahni Turpin, and Dion Graham. I love, love, love when a book with multiple POV's is narrated by multiple narrators. The narration on this story is top notch. The narration enhances the experience of this deeply engrossing story.
I loved everything about this. Whew! Once I started this, the story held me and would not let me go. I canceled my afternoon plans because nothing was getting done until I knew how this ended. This was juicy, absorbing, and the story just sucks the reader right in. This is a family saga about The Winfrey family. Priscilla & Sabre are Pastor & First Lady at the Seven Seals Missionary Baptist Church. So this is chock full of church drama🙌🏽.
That said this novel doesn't just focus on the surface character flaws, it looks deep at how our pain and disappointments shape how we move in and through the world. This is beautiful in so many ways but absolutely is painful and doesn't negate the ugliness of life.
This review is stilted because I am struggling to gush about this without giving away the key elements of the story. In about 6 months I'll add my thoughts to this that include a few spoilers. I want to review how specific elements of the plot impacted me but also don't want to spoil this novel for others.
I read this novel in a single day and advance ordered it on audio and ebook about halfway through reading it. I loved this novel and can already tell it will be a story I return to.
Please excuse my tardy review. My mom's health declined sharply before she passed and this was unfortunately due during that difficult period. I stopped requesting new books but still fell behind in my already requested reviews.
Thank you to authors Addie E. Citchens, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own.
I loved everything about this. Whew! Once I started this, the story held me and would not let me go. I canceled my afternoon plans because nothing was getting done until I knew how this ended. This was juicy, absorbing, and the story just sucks the reader right in. This is a family saga about The Winfrey family. Priscilla & Sabre are Pastor & First Lady at the Seven Seals Missionary Baptist Church. So this is chock full of church drama🙌🏽.
That said this novel doesn't just focus on the surface character flaws, it looks deep at how our pain and disappointments shape how we move in and through the world. This is beautiful in so many ways but absolutely is painful and doesn't negate the ugliness of life.
This review is stilted because I am struggling to gush about this without giving away the key elements of the story. In about 6 months I'll add my thoughts to this that include a few spoilers. I want to review how specific elements of the plot impacted me but also don't want to spoil this novel for others.
I read this novel in a single day and advance ordered it on audio and ebook about halfway through reading it. I loved this novel and can already tell it will be a story I return to.
Please excuse my tardy review. My mom's health declined sharply before she passed and this was unfortunately due during that difficult period. I stopped requesting new books but still fell behind in my already requested reviews.
Thank you to authors Addie E. Citchens, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own.
September 4, 2025
One of my favorite reads so far this year . This book was everything I didn’t know I needed and more . I loved the character development, the way she wrote exactly how most black men are these days , I also loved how all the characters felt so familiar and relatable, like we all know people like Priscilla, Rev , Diamond , etc .
This book is a 10/5 and I would and WILL recommend to everyone with eyes, ears and fingers. Thank you to the author for blessing us with this crazy tail family , you did your thang !!!!
Possible Spoilers:
Maaaan I can’t stand Rev , he’s one of those characters that will get under your skin and he didn’t even do much. He’s the definition of an old fashion Christian black man in the south . No accountability, think everything is gay & don’t think his sh** stank.
Priscilla reminded me of so many women , not just black women but women period . That’s all ima say about her …
Diamond diamond diamond , girl I’m glad you finally got some sense at the end of the book but girl the signs were there but aren’t they always, she was such the definition of how most of us were as a young naive gal in love .
& not so WONDERBOY , you deserve everything you got at the end plus more . Too bad it couldn’t have been diamond who ended you or Mr. Wooten.
This book is a 10/5 and I would and WILL recommend to everyone with eyes, ears and fingers. Thank you to the author for blessing us with this crazy tail family , you did your thang !!!!
Possible Spoilers:
Maaaan I can’t stand Rev , he’s one of those characters that will get under your skin and he didn’t even do much. He’s the definition of an old fashion Christian black man in the south . No accountability, think everything is gay & don’t think his sh** stank.
Priscilla reminded me of so many women , not just black women but women period . That’s all ima say about her …
Diamond diamond diamond , girl I’m glad you finally got some sense at the end of the book but girl the signs were there but aren’t they always, she was such the definition of how most of us were as a young naive gal in love .
& not so WONDERBOY , you deserve everything you got at the end plus more . Too bad it couldn’t have been diamond who ended you or Mr. Wooten.
September 9, 2025
Whew. This book right here? Spectacular.
Dominion is set in present-day Mississippi, right in the Delta, and Citchens really nailed that “frozen in time” vibe. The outside world keeps moving, but in the Delta, some things just never change, especially when it comes to culture and power dynamics. She captured that feeling so well, it gave me chills.
The characters? Multi-layered, messy, real. Nothing about them felt fake or overdone. It’s like you could see them, hear them, even argue with them. I loved how the story unfolded through different perspectives too — it added so much depth without ever feeling forced.
And the prose? Beautiful. Just beautiful. Citchens has a way of writing that makes everything vivid without over-explaining. I kept stopping to just sit with certain lines.
This is one of those books that sticks with you. It’s got so much to unpack…family, secrets, silence, patriarchy, the way communities protect and betray all at once. Definitely the kind of story you want to sit and discuss over coffee or a glass of wine.
Five stars, no question. I’ll recommend it to everybody, and honestly? I already know I’ll be re-reading it. This was phenomenal. I can’t wait to see what Addie Citchens does next.
Dominion is set in present-day Mississippi, right in the Delta, and Citchens really nailed that “frozen in time” vibe. The outside world keeps moving, but in the Delta, some things just never change, especially when it comes to culture and power dynamics. She captured that feeling so well, it gave me chills.
The characters? Multi-layered, messy, real. Nothing about them felt fake or overdone. It’s like you could see them, hear them, even argue with them. I loved how the story unfolded through different perspectives too — it added so much depth without ever feeling forced.
And the prose? Beautiful. Just beautiful. Citchens has a way of writing that makes everything vivid without over-explaining. I kept stopping to just sit with certain lines.
This is one of those books that sticks with you. It’s got so much to unpack…family, secrets, silence, patriarchy, the way communities protect and betray all at once. Definitely the kind of story you want to sit and discuss over coffee or a glass of wine.
Five stars, no question. I’ll recommend it to everybody, and honestly? I already know I’ll be re-reading it. This was phenomenal. I can’t wait to see what Addie Citchens does next.
August 23, 2025
4.5/5
I'm not sure of the best way to describe Dominion, except to say I loved every heartbreaking word of it.
In this tragic southern family drama, we see how those we love the most can also be the ones who break us. I think many women will be able to see themselves in Priscilla and maybe even a little of themselves in Diamond. Love is complicated and never more so than in Doninion.
What's Inside:
Arrogance
Yearning
Shame
Tragedy
First love
Broken homes
Sibling bonds
Bristling under control
Secrets, so many secrets!
Read this if you like:
Sleepy southern stories
Heartbreaking tales
Books set in Mississippi
The downfall of a family that had it all
Many thanks to @fsgbooks for the complimentary copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own and provided voluntarily.
I'm not sure of the best way to describe Dominion, except to say I loved every heartbreaking word of it.
In this tragic southern family drama, we see how those we love the most can also be the ones who break us. I think many women will be able to see themselves in Priscilla and maybe even a little of themselves in Diamond. Love is complicated and never more so than in Doninion.
What's Inside:
Arrogance
Yearning
Shame
Tragedy
First love
Broken homes
Sibling bonds
Bristling under control
Secrets, so many secrets!
Read this if you like:
Sleepy southern stories
Heartbreaking tales
Books set in Mississippi
The downfall of a family that had it all
Many thanks to @fsgbooks for the complimentary copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own and provided voluntarily.
August 29, 2025
4.5, but giving 5 because I must support my MS authors. This was fast-paced, gripping, gut wrenching, and a fresh look at an all too familiar tale. One of the most stunning debut novels I have read!
September 4, 2025
Wow... I don't even know how to describe this book but it's a must must must read, or in my case a must listen. I actually think I need fo buy a copy of this book. One of the best books I've read this year. I could've taken a few more chapters but I think the author did this on purpose so we could feel in the blanks with our thoughts, feelings, reasons. I DO wish we understood the WHY behind Wonder's actions. I actually want a whole entire book just about The First Lady
Displaying 1 - 30 of 172 reviews