I read this book for my online book club, and while I may or may not have picked up this title on my own, many members seemed turned off by it immediately, which of course made me feel a bit hesitant. 
 That's really a shame. The writing, while gritty at times, is nonetheless well done. Feminism, gender roles, class, slavery, and black identity are all explored unflinchingly. As a white reader, some of this was uncomfortable (understatement of the year? Perhaps). And despite the ugliness of the worlds that the three different POV characters inhabit (a slave on a Haitian sugar plantation, a kept woman in 19th century Paris, and a prostitute in Egypt at the onset of the Christian era) their tales are bound together at the end in a manner that is powerful, leaving the reader feeling hopeful after reading of the injustice, racism, and abuse suffered by these characters simply because they existed in black, female bodies. 
 This is most definitely not a book for everyone. Aspects of the human body, and the waste products produced by said bodies, are in your face. Sex scenes between men and women are not acts of love but power and/or survival. There are lesbians and butt stuff. Characters suffer physical and mental abuse. Devout Catholics will probably be offended by Meritet's tale. If you're looking for a happy escape, this isn't it. If you're looking for a traditional fantasy book, this isn't that either. 
 In defense of the some of the ick factor above: I don't think this novel is gratuitous for the sake of offending the reader. The worldview held by many of the men in this story is, in my opinion, ugly. Women are treated as objects. How better to make you experience that than through those base descriptions? Also, that which is gross provides a stark contrast to moments of spiritual transcendence, making them even sweeter and heartfelt. 
 For me, I feel that reading this book makes me more aware of what is it feel like the other, to be an outsider. It was done in a manner that wasn't preachy but engaging, and so I would recommend this book to those who are mature enough to handle its uncomfortable aspects.