Reviews - Blood at the Root

935 reviews for:

Blood at the Root

LaDarrion Williams

4.1 AVERAGE

dragoncrystal's review

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: N/A

I admit I was shocked at some of the choice words in the writing and the dialogue at the beginning. I felt a bit uncomfortable and wasn't sure whether or not to DNF or continue. This really had me self evaluate my exact reasoning, only to realize my discomfort was due to being close minded to different upbringings and holding on to what I was taught to believe from a young age. I decided to keep going...

and I'm SOOOOO glad I did!! I can't believe the amount of plot twists! Each relationship (family and otherwise) had me emotionally invested and even tearing up with the simplest gestures. The author had me believing I was surrounded by my own family as I watched the story unfold. The magic system, the magic school, I absolutely loved every bit of it! I learned so much with this book and can honestly say it left an unforgettable impact.

"We all grow up in different environments, and not everybody can get certain types of life lessons at home. So if kids meet a character who is like them and who’s going through the same things, they can follow that character. It shows them that a different outcome is possible." - LaDarrion Williams, 2024

chefboyhardee's review

4.0

adventurous challenging dark inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

People had issues with the author using a lot of AAVE, for good reason, but I think he's writing to a specific audience. In the end it does land in my opinion. It's about inspiring the young, black generation, especially those growing up in the hood, to get creative and see ourselves overcoming challenges in the world. I think this is one of those books that's actually better in audio format. I found it kind of inspiring. Reminds me of when I saw Static Shock on my little TV screen.

fsams456's review

5.0

adventurous funny mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

As someone who used to be a huge Harry Potter fan, I let those books go a long time ago due to the author. I’ll admit I had been looking for something to scratch a similar itch to HP and my favorite series of all time, Percy Jackson and the Olympians. And I can honestly say I may have found it. I’ll admit, when I started this book, I was thinking it might be a DNF initially but I was totally wrong. The things I loved about this book was how fleshed out the characters felt. To me, Malik felt like a real person and the description was so good you felt like you were standing there with him. The magic is described beautifully and the southern culture was intertwined perfectly. And the ending?? It’s gave me whiplash but in a good way. If you’re a Black southerner and fantasy enjoyer like myself, then this book feels very welcoming and relatable.

apeaceofjazzi's review

5.0

adventurous

fourojos's review

4.0

Black boy magic, history, family, community, commitment, trust issues, early adulthood adventures. All in modern vernacular that made all the feels hit harder.

abranina's review

4.25

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

theunhigedfro's review

3.5

adventurous inspiring mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

LaDarrion Williams has created an intriguing, fantastical world but certain aspects are only lightly touched on in moments where they should be fully fleshed out. Specifically when it comes to the magic, the definitions we are given are so broad and loose that it feels like characters can do whatever they need to in the moment, making the magic feel more plot convenient then anything.

Despite this the descriptions of magic throughout the book are incredibly poetic and really help you imagine the effects like they’re right in-front of you and the characters feel like real, complex people rather than fitting into specific tropes.

Overall the book was a good experience but their is potential for so much more and I will most likely read the sequel just to see if that potential is realized.

ppengelley's review

I simply couldn't get past the language. I like reading books about black people by black authors but this was just too much AAVE. I think if it was written in 3rd-person with the AAVE sprinkled in with the dialogue, it would have been more digestible than how it's currently written in the 1st-person. The author did a good job of illustrating the blackness/southern culture through the world-building and characters but it could have stopped there. The language was too overt ("wayment", "incognegro", etc). I honestly wouldn't be surprised if it was later revealed that AI was used to write the majority of this.