Scan barcode
jenwestpfahl's review against another edition
It was slow and boring and I didn’t really care what happened next (since 1/3 in nothing has happened yet).
tamyaslibrary's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror
fantastical_deonna's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
The story moved too slow. This book is only a little over 100pages and nothing happened until the last 10% of the book and that’s it. The book was very character driven and I couldn’t care less about them. Even with all the dialogue there was nothing in the book that made you feel for the characters.
fearnerd's review
5.0
This was an excellent debut from author Tracy Cross. Rootwork is the first story of her Conjure Series, and she creates a rich atmosphere with endearing characters that invest you immediately. The book's setting during 1889 in the Louisiana swampland is just as much a character as our series three sibling rootwork apprentices. Pee Wee, in particular, stands out with her childlike innocence balanced with her strength and gumption. At times, Rootwork feels like the prologue for HER story rather than all three sisters, so I'm excited to see where Cross takes the story.
While the girls learn hoodoo from their aunt Teddy, there are hints of potential threats from voodoo practitioners. I'm interested to see if that plays out in future books or if any of the girls are drawn to it versus what their Aunt Teddy is teaching them. Rootwork is plenty fleshed out, but you get the sense of a bigger story waiting to unravel.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
While the girls learn hoodoo from their aunt Teddy, there are hints of potential threats from voodoo practitioners. I'm interested to see if that plays out in future books or if any of the girls are drawn to it versus what their Aunt Teddy is teaching them. Rootwork is plenty fleshed out, but you get the sense of a bigger story waiting to unravel.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
cmasterson's review
5.0
I went into this 100% blind. I did the same with "All These Subtle Deceits" from the same publisher, and figured that would leave me open for a good surprise. This is, evidentially, a practice I should keep at, as it has yet to fail me. Dark Hart book publishes "horror with heart," and I think this especially applies to "Rootwork." Tracy Cross tells the touching story of three sisters as they learn hoodoo from their aunt one summer. There is a lot in this book about family, tradition, and love. Each sister has their own perspective and path that adds its own layer to the story.
This story is a great example of the versatility of horror. Many people assume horror is all guts and scares. In reality, horror deals with the most human emotions, along with common issues and societal problems, and presents them in ways that move us (even if it is for a jump, or with an 'ew') in order to help us learn to better relate to the horrors of reality. This is at the root of this story.
This story is a great example of the versatility of horror. Many people assume horror is all guts and scares. In reality, horror deals with the most human emotions, along with common issues and societal problems, and presents them in ways that move us (even if it is for a jump, or with an 'ew') in order to help us learn to better relate to the horrors of reality. This is at the root of this story.
jessitron3000's review
4.0
Love this short novella for the characters and atmosphere, it does so much with so little words. I can't wait for Conjure #2!
ellislawreads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I enjoyed the story and getting to know each character, but I was waiting for more to happen. I appreciated the way hoodoo, which is so richly engrained in Black culture, was not villified in this story.
I have a full, more in-depth, review of this book on my instagram @EllisLawWrites
I have a full, more in-depth, review of this book on my instagram @EllisLawWrites
jalaines_book_nook's review
5.0
A coming of age story about 3 sisters in Louisiana who visit their Aunt Teddy during the summer, and she teaches them about Rootwork and hoodoo magic. I immediately fell in love with this family and the strength of these three sisters, the magic that each of them contain and cannot wait for the next book in the series!
twilliamson's review
5.0
The bildungsroman is not a genre that is infrequently paired with horror, but rarely does it feel authentic when it's done. Figures like Stephen King have often incorporated children in their stories as protagonists, and while these books often make valiant attempts at representing a coming-of-age through horror and trauma, they frequently fail to represent these children through anything other than the lens of an adult long since out of touch with childhood.
The same cannot be said of Rootwork, the first novel from Tracy Cross. Cross's characters ring with authenticity, whether it be through their dialogue, their unique points of view, or their actions throughout the book. Her commitment to verisimilitude especially shows up in her use of dialect for each of the characters' voices, and Cross anchors her characterization in the small, in-between sequences of the book as well as the major, horrific events that loom over the overarching narrative.
What stands out is just how genuinely everything seems to work together. Her novel feels lived-in, as if we're really peering into the lives of three young girls in late 19th-century Louisiana, her novel's voice ringing with the authenticity of its swampland setting. Her characters are lush, their problems meaningful and profoundly felt, and the book speaks to a modern-day relevance as her characters face many of the persistent issues of the black experience in America. It's easy to be swept up in its pages, and even easier to identify with the various struggles her child protagonists face.
Rootwork isn't a book concerned with scaring us with its horror, but instead assisting us in coping with the horrors still facing us as a society--but uses its bildungsroman foundation to deliver powerful messages about the need for agency and autonomy, the danger of prejudice and anger, and the longing for a better, brighter future. It's a relevant piece of fiction that delivers a much greater depth than its length suggests, and I cannot wait for a sequel.
The same cannot be said of Rootwork, the first novel from Tracy Cross. Cross's characters ring with authenticity, whether it be through their dialogue, their unique points of view, or their actions throughout the book. Her commitment to verisimilitude especially shows up in her use of dialect for each of the characters' voices, and Cross anchors her characterization in the small, in-between sequences of the book as well as the major, horrific events that loom over the overarching narrative.
What stands out is just how genuinely everything seems to work together. Her novel feels lived-in, as if we're really peering into the lives of three young girls in late 19th-century Louisiana, her novel's voice ringing with the authenticity of its swampland setting. Her characters are lush, their problems meaningful and profoundly felt, and the book speaks to a modern-day relevance as her characters face many of the persistent issues of the black experience in America. It's easy to be swept up in its pages, and even easier to identify with the various struggles her child protagonists face.
Rootwork isn't a book concerned with scaring us with its horror, but instead assisting us in coping with the horrors still facing us as a society--but uses its bildungsroman foundation to deliver powerful messages about the need for agency and autonomy, the danger of prejudice and anger, and the longing for a better, brighter future. It's a relevant piece of fiction that delivers a much greater depth than its length suggests, and I cannot wait for a sequel.
doomluz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Loved the setting, atmosphere, and characters.