Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - Root Magic

Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Root Magic by Eden Royce

14 reviews

2treads's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Stunning in the richness of culture, practices, and family it depicts with a simplicity that draws from a well of ancestry and stirs memories in this reader of similar wonders and rituals that are shared and the connections that can be made even to those that differ.

Jez and Jay have to navigate a time that is roiling with changes that may usher in opportunities for them but at a cost. The atmosphere churns with emotion and reality as our characters exist in a time and place where they can so easily be violated and harmed, yet the palpablity of their lives vibrates on every page.

Whether it is from the loss of loved ones, the harassment by law enforcement or the recognition of a history that is sustained and nurtured through rootwork and language. Fostering a love for and appreciation of our histories and culture is the foundation from which our children and us will be able to build up our self-love and truly understand what magic we hope and are.

Root Magic is another stellar addition to the beauty of a canon made up of writers who are members of a community and have intimate experiences which only they can relate in a voice that immerses the reader in their world. It is the result of a voice weaving a story that is inherently theirs.

Growing up we were exposed to the healing power of herbs and roots, to the ever present connectivity between spirits and the living (our mother has told us of encounters with siblings, a nephew, and the infamous ol' higue). Reading about the Gullah Geechee and their practices has just imprinted upon us, even more, the depth of the bonds we share as we strive to keep what our ancestors fought to keep, centuries later.

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allison_reads's review

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Ugh this is such a sweet book. I know it's marketed towards children but, it didn't feel like a children's book at all! It's whimsical and fantastical while touching on very real issues that African-American's faced during the Civil Rights Movement in the US. I would recommend anyway read this novel!

Content Warnings

ceallaighsbooks's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

“All of that is what makes us Gullah Geechee people who we are. If no one tells the stories anymore, if no one learns the magic anymore, our ways will disappear from the world. Then all we’ll have is what the people think of us.” He bent his head to look both me and Jay in the eyes. “And how important is what other people think of us?”

I don’t read a lot of Middle Grade novels but I couldn’t resist reading this one for its Gullah Geechee rep and exploration of the root magic tradition.

This was such a precious, warm story full of a nuanced exploration of the difficulties of childhood, especially in regards to the effects of systemic racism and a lack of appreciation for the “old ways”. The values expressed through this book were those of community, family, loyalty, and a pride in ones self and ones traditions in the face of outside pressure to forget such things or dismiss them as unmodern and therefore unimportant or even ignorant.

The themes of bullying, police brutality, and racism were treated with great intention and yet also with such subtlety that I think Royce really captured the way children experience such issues and why approaching these conversations openly and honestly with children at a young age will help them build the tools and strength needed to be able to thrive in spite of these outside forces throughout their lives.

“History, Thomas, is the story of who we are. And sometimes, Negro history is told by people who don’t think we’re important. People who don’t think we make a difference in the world.” She gazed around the class then, like she was making a point to look at each one of us. “But we do matter. What we think matters. Our voices matter. And our stories matter too much to let someone else tell them. People need to know that.”

The character development was also very strong and I thought the adult characters in particular were a lot more complex and felt a lot more like real people than I usually find them to be represented in MG books.

There were some pretty scary parts, one of a supernatural nature, another of a police brutality nature, and the bullying episodes were pretty intense, but they were all perfectly handled and important to the story overall.

The philosophy of this book was also incredibly excellent. The profound respect and appreciation that Gullah Geechee traditions have for the natural world was very apparent in this book but I also loved how both Doc and Jezebel had their own views and values and were able to interpret and change their sacred practices according to their own personal codes. (Jezebel’s point blank refusal to harm any animals gor any reason in her magic was 😚👌🏻. And I loved that she even considered that “but we eat animals” and she acknowledges that that’s ok but for her and her magic, she wants to find another way. 🥰❤️🥰❤️🥰

I was also particularly in love with the choices made surrounding the character of Susie—I can’t say more about it without giving some major spoilers—but her involvement with Jez’s life was my favorite part of the story.

And the foodddd. All I wanted to eat for a week after finishing this book was different rice dishes. 😋😋 Might need to track down a Gullah Geechee cookbook soon… 🥰

“I walked up to the marsh, a place that had held such fascination and fun and fear for me, and placed my feet at the edge of the water. Here was where I had almost lost everything, even my life, but it was also the place where I found that I was connected to the people who loved me. And it didn’t matter that some of them might be gone for now. I was here, and I would remember them, always.”

Content Warnings

lettuce_read's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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