Art Imitates Life. The Final Revival of Opal & Nev is wrapped around a fictional 1970’s musical duo: Nev, a white British songwriter, and Opal, a Detroit-based artist, who at times appears to be ahead of her time with her Afro-punk stylings and progressive views. An editor (S. Sunny Sheldon) of a modern-day magazine opts to write an expose about the couple, their music, and their experiences in the music business. The reader quickly learns that Sunny has a vested interest in Opal which fuels a sort of mystery-solving vibe which propels the story.
The first third of the book moves a bit slowly; however, it's necessary - the main characters are fleshed out with backgrounds that feel organic, we see their insecurities, vulnerabilities, and it is easy to forget these are fictional characters. While I enjoyed the rise to stardom, there was a sense of dread (for me) knowing it would crash at some point -- especially when it is shaded by the politics and business practices of the day -- the overt racism, misogyny, and greed within the entertainment industry forces the reader to question how far we’ve evolved since that era.
There were quite a few characters to keep up with and the pacing was a bit slow in parts; however, I think a patient reader will be rewarded with this offering. This is a solid debut that left me with anticipation for the author’s next release.