Set in the years before the Civil War, Annis is sold south by the white enslaver who fathered her. As she struggles through the miles-long march trekking from the rice fields of the Carolinas to the sugar plantation in Louisiana, Annis turns to memories of her mother and stories of her African warrior grandmother for strength.

LUD is a haunting read that reimagines slavery through the story of a girl in bondage. Narrated by Ward herself, I enjoyed the lyrical writing and a more distant narrative voice, allowing me to appreciate Ward's prose while not being overwhelmed by the amount of graphic elements.

Ward spares no one in detailing the gruesome experience of marching through the south in chains and working on a plantation. LUD is an extremely dark read; please check TW before picking it up