“This debut is a testament to the strength of light in dark times, and the necessity of hope. Well-developed characters and a strong sense of place throughout history draw the reader in to the very end.” —Booklist, starred review
“The Wondrous Lives and Loves of Nella Carter is unlike any novel I’ve ever read—and I say that with the utmost praise. Brionni Nwosu is a truly gifted storyteller and I can’t wait to read what she writes next.” —Camille Pagán, bestselling author of Good for You
“A deft tale of love, loss, and reinvention, Nella Carter will have readers eagerly turning pages to the very end. A stunningly lovely debut!” —Nicole Glover, author of The Conductors
An unforgettable novel about eternal life, epic love, and the impossible hope that we’re still worth saving.
In THE WONDROUS LIFE AND LOVES OF NELLA CARTER (Lake Union Publishing; December 1, 2025), debut novelist Brionni Nwosu has penned an exquisite portrait of a young woman at the crossroads of life and death who embarks on an extraordinary journey across time.
Nwosu, a writer, educator and creative who lives in Nashville, poses the question: if Death gave you forever, would you still find reasons to believe in humanity? “This book gave me the opportunity to explore history through the eyes of a formerly enslaved woman—not through her trauma, but through her triumphs, her travels, and her unyielding hope, explains Nwosu. “I’ve always loved speculative stories that cross time and space, but rarely saw a Black woman like Nella at the center. With this book, I wanted to change that.”
Born enslaved in eighteenth-century Georgia, Nella Carter still believes in the will to survive amid the most untenable of conditions, in the glory of life, and in the ultimate goodness of the human race. When Nella strikes a deal with Death to prove humanity’s worth, she’s granted immortality – but across continents, centuries, lovers, and lifetimes, she must decide whether the human heart is resilient enough to be worth saving, or too fragile to survive.
With each new incarnation, Nella records the joys and losses, and the friendships and heartbreaks, throughout her lifetimes. When she meets handsome and passionate professor Sebastian Moore―the first man to whom she has ever revealed her secrets―Nella yearns for the mortality that escapes her. She can’t bear to leave this love behind.
As Death keeps watch, has Nella’s journey come to an end? Or is a new one just beginning?
With hauntingly breathtaking travels from Savannah, New Orleans, Paris, and London to New York, Montgomery, and Buenos Aires, combined with spellbinding prose, Brionni Nwosu weaves a dazzling tale about beauty, hope, endurance, and endless loves. Fans of Tia Williams’ A Love Song for Ricki Wilde, V.E. Schwab’s The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, Esi Edugyan’s Washington Black, and Erin Crosby Eckstine’s Junie will delight in THE WONDROUS LIFE AND LOVES OF NELLA CARTER.
Monday, November 24 – STACY 40 PAGES
Monday, December 1 – THE READING BLACK GIRLS & SUBAKKA BOOKSTUFF
Tuesday, December 2 – KERA’S ALWAYS READING & DIVE INTO A GOOD BOOK
Wednesday, December 3 – THE BOOK COVER LOVER & CASSIE’S BOOKS REVIEWS
Thursday, December 4 – BOOKS AND BIEWERS & CANDICE READS
Friday, December 5 – WE BREAK FOR BOOKS & BOOKIN IT WITH AHTIYA
Saturday, December 6 – PURRFECT PAGES
Sunday, December 7 – STOREYBOOK REVIEWS & BLACK BIRACIAL AND BOOKISH
Monday, December 8 – MARY MARY LIBRARY & MEOWSKINS BOOKSKINS
Tuesday, December 9 – LOVE MY DANE DOLLY & SARAH’S BOOKISH REVIEWS
Wednesday, December 10 – NURSE BOOKIE & A NOVEL ACCOUNT
Thursday, December 11 – DANISH MUSTARD READS & SECRET READING LIFE
Friday, December 12 – ENJOYING BOOKS AGAIN & RED REVIEWS 4 YOU
Monday, December 15 – DEA’S BOOKSHELF & BELLE BOOK CORNER
Tuesday, December 16 – BOOKS AND COFFEE MX
Wednesday, December 17 – THE UNWINED
Thursday, December 18 – LIBRARY OF BOOKISH
Friday, December 19 – JEN’S TOWERING TBR & A BLUE BOX FULL OF BOOKS
Monday, December 29 – SAM KWIATOWSKI
Tuesday, December 30 – TAMMY READS 62
Wednesday, December 31 – NISSA THE BOOKWORM
Monday, January 5 – JOURNAL OF JAIDA
Tuesday, January 6 – KIM READS AND READS & LEXIJAVA
Wednesday, January 7 – BOOK DRAGON 217 & CAROL DOSCHER READER
Thursday, January 8 – BOOKS, WRITING AND MORE & READING ON THE BRINK
Friday, January 9 – REBEKAH DOLMAT & MELANN ROSENTHAL
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