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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
**i was sent an ARC by the publisher in exchange for honest review**
Definetely got some Raven Boys vibes with this book! It’s got a subtle touch of magic and creepiness. Lots of car talk too if you like cars 👌
I have a full review on my channel : https://youtu.be/wLIQHcJCLlA
Definetely got some Raven Boys vibes with this book! It’s got a subtle touch of magic and creepiness. Lots of car talk too if you like cars 👌
I have a full review on my channel : https://youtu.be/wLIQHcJCLlA
“But this is one thing I will wish with my dying breath upon all the daughters of Cottonwood Hollow who follow mine: May they depend on each other; protect each other no matter what the cost… May they be blessed with the strength to survive here.”
This wasn’t really what I was expecting and I don’t love it as much as I thought I would, but it was still an enjoyable read. TheDeepest Roots follows best friends Rome, Lux, and Mercy - three girls born in Cottonwood Hollow, a town where every girl is born with a gift or curse depending on who you ask. The Deepest Roots is really a story about the struggles of life, and power found in friendships and trust.
Things I Liked
I loved so many of the relationships in the story. The friendship between Rome, Lux, and Mercy was amazing. It was flawed, real, and powerful. Rome and Jett have the most adorable romance - it was swoon worthy. I thought Red was the best pseudo-dad ever and his mentorship/relationship with Rome was heartwarming. Lux's and her girlfriend Morgan are super sweet and adorable. There's just so many people to love.
Things I Didn’t Like
The story felt less magical realism and way more paranormal,
Spoiler
especially with Emmeline Remington’s ghost showing upI would have loved to have 3 POVs - one for Rome, Lux, and Mercy. I feel like this was really Rome’s story with Lux and Mercy in supporting roles. (I feel like I barely got to know Mercy at all). The multi povs would have expanded the story and really showcased each one’s struggles and growth and developed their relationship even further.
I loved the premise of The Deepest Roots and I will always pick up a story focused on friendship, so I would have loved for this to be a new favorite, unfortunately it’s not. I did enjoy the relationships in the story, and since that is a main focus, I still had a good time with the book. This was such a quick read, I read it in less than a day, so it was definitely a book I didn’t want to put down, but I didn’t feel an attachment to it. Or at least not to the parts of the story I was initially drawn too. If you enjoy friendship stories you won’t want to miss this one.
Trigger warnings for child abuse and mentions of sexual assault
I received a copy of the book from HarperTeen via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this! It reminded me a bit of The Raven Cycle series. The book centers on a close friendship between the main characters, there are some magical elements, and there's a car that's practically its own character. The girls, Rome, Lux, and Mercy were such amazing characters. I loved their friendship and the struggles they went through. I also loved the magical element in this world. For the most part, the setting is our own world but the girls of Cottonwood are born with special talents. I liked that they showcased that this wasn't some genetic accident it's really any girl born within the town of Cottonwood ends up with a talent. So there are parents who move in from out of town and wind up with a daughter who has a special ability. Rome, is a Fixer, she's able to pop dents out of cars, smooth out the cracks in phone screens, even pick old broken locks. Lux, is a Siren, with a smile she can charm men to do what she wants. This talent has caused her a lot of grief and she'd rather not have this ability at all and is happy with her girlfriend Morgan. Mercy is an Enough. This was one of the most interesting talents. Her presence makes sure that she and those around her end up with enough of what they need. So even when Rome's car says the gas tank is empty if Mercy is in the car it will keep running to get them to their destination. Or when Rome ends up not having money for lunch Mercy ends up with an extra slice of pizza. There are more talents but the only others we really see are a Healer, pretty self-explanatory, and a Finder, capable of locating objects. There was a bit of a mystery element to this novel. It was pretty easy to guess who was behind everything, the clues were pretty obvious. At its core, this is a book about sisterhood and friendship. Though there is also a little romance between Rome and a boy it's definitely not a major focus and doesn't take away from the bond between the girls.
2 1/2 stars
Hmmm - these kind of books are hard to rate. I read this for my bookclub and was told it was a light, easy read. That's a pretty accurate description. And Asebedo is a pretty good storyteller...but not all aspects of this YA "coming of age/growing into your own skin" story worked. And the paranormal aspect...that didn't completely work for me either, but the central story of three teens creating community and sticking together through tough times did. Overall, if you enjoy YA books with a very contemporary feel, this might be for you.
Hmmm - these kind of books are hard to rate. I read this for my bookclub and was told it was a light, easy read. That's a pretty accurate description. And Asebedo is a pretty good storyteller...but not all aspects of this YA "coming of age/growing into your own skin" story worked. And the paranormal aspect...that didn't completely work for me either, but the central story of three teens creating community and sticking together through tough times did. Overall, if you enjoy YA books with a very contemporary feel, this might be for you.
This book had been sitting on my shelf for quite a while and I can’t understand why. I didn’t really know what to expect when going into this except magical realism. What I was left with was a great book about friendship and secrets of a small town.
This book surrounds three best friends and a town full of special girls and women. See, every girl who is born is Cottonwood Hollow has a special talent. I was living for this aspect of the book friends. Seeing everyone’s talent being used in their everyday life was so interesting and really brought something to this story.
“We are bound to each other, perhaps not by our brightest moments, but by our darkest.”
The best part of this book for me was the friendship between Rome, Lux, and Mercy. It was so honest and real. Real friendships aren’t perfect. You are going to have fights and hide the bad parts from the people you care about. I really enjoyed all of our characters in different ways. They were each other's strengths and never failed to try and be there for another.
This book does have a bit of a dark undertone to it, so make sure you read the trigger warnings and keep them in mind. We do have some gross comments from older men to teenage girls, physical abuse, and attempted sexual assault.
All in all, I really enjoyed this debut and I’m excited to read the companion novel that comes out soon!
TW: sexual assault & physical abuse
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This book surrounds three best friends and a town full of special girls and women. See, every girl who is born is Cottonwood Hollow has a special talent. I was living for this aspect of the book friends. Seeing everyone’s talent being used in their everyday life was so interesting and really brought something to this story.
“We are bound to each other, perhaps not by our brightest moments, but by our darkest.”
The best part of this book for me was the friendship between Rome, Lux, and Mercy. It was so honest and real. Real friendships aren’t perfect. You are going to have fights and hide the bad parts from the people you care about. I really enjoyed all of our characters in different ways. They were each other's strengths and never failed to try and be there for another.
This book does have a bit of a dark undertone to it, so make sure you read the trigger warnings and keep them in mind. We do have some gross comments from older men to teenage girls, physical abuse, and attempted sexual assault.
All in all, I really enjoyed this debut and I’m excited to read the companion novel that comes out soon!
TW: sexual assault & physical abuse
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This is a hard one for me to review. I LOVED the setting and the whimsy, but all of the angst and unnecessary drama really took this down from what could have been a 5 to a 3. I still really enjoyed it, but I can’t ignore the hardcore eye rolls this caused me lol.
“We are bound to each other, perhaps not by our brightest moments, but by our darkest.”
Synopsis
In Cottonwood Hollow, the girls are strange. Every girl is born with a strange gift, a "burden" caused by a curse many generations ago. Rome, Mercy and Lux each have a gift, but their gifts don't help them escape their secrets and traumas. When a tornado drops the diary of the woman who cursed the girls of Cottonwood Hollow so many years ago, the three friends embark on a journey to discover a hidden treasure that will help them escape their secrets and traumas.
Prose, Voice & Dialogue
I love Asebedo's writing style and voice and felt that it matched the vibes of the story and highlighted the themes of friendship so inherent to the novel. Though not overly flowery or lyrical, the prose was well-written and did its job well. The dialogue felt natural and authentic.
Characters
Rome, Lux and Mercy were all compelling, interesting and complex characters. Not only do we get to know the girls as individuals, but we see how the friendship between the three of them functions and why it works as well as it does. I loved the three of them as individuals and I loved the friendship between the three of them anymore. There is some LGBTQ representation (Lux is lesbian) as well, though I do wish we saw more of Lux and her girlfriend together. I felt that, for the most part, we got to know each of the girls pretty well, which isn't easy to do with three main characters.
Plot & Pacing
It's been a while since I read this book, so I don't recall the exact plotline, but I was engaged by the mystery aspect and moved through the book fairly quickly. I have ADHD, so it's not always easy for me to stay engaged, but I remember hardly being able to put the book down and finishing it in a couple of days. I loved the theme of friendship present from start to finish, and the mystery was fun and engaging and kept me guessing until the end.
The Romance
There wasn't a ton of romance in this book, which was actually refreshing. There were romances going on in the background, but the main focuses of the book were the mystery at the forefront of the storyline, and the friendships happening in the background. The theme of this book is very clearly centered around friendship, teamwork, sticking together, helping your friends and allowing them to help you, etc. etc. YA novels are so heavily saturated with romance, and I do tend to enjoy romantic subplots in YA novels, but it was refreshing to read a YA book that had romantic relationships, but wasn't centered on those relationships. The relationships at the forefront of the book were all platonic relationships and I loved that.
Setting
Cottonwood Hollow is the perfect setting for this book. The small-town vibes enhanced the story so much and really made it easy to suspend my disbelief. This fictional town is located in Kansas, in an otherwise-normal world. I loved the magical realism feel of the story, and the setting definitely contributed to that. The worldbuilding was excellent, I loved how everyone in town knew that girls were born with strange, magical gifts, and it was just widely accepted and totally normalized.
Overall Thoughts & Recommendation
I love this beautiful book. The plot, the characters, the magical realism, and the fact that the friendships are at the forefront of the book while the romance takes a backseat. There are some intense things going on in each of the girls' lives, and I loved getting to see the three of them get through it all together. The writing was beautiful, and the storyline was so unique. The concept of the "gifts" is so cool and unique, but the story of Mercy, Luxe and Rome's friendship is the most beautiful part of all. This story is truly so different from anything I've ever read, and it's so special because of that. I can't wait to read more of Asebedo's work-- this novel was so engaging and beautifully written and I absolutely loved this story.
Content Warnings
Synopsis
In Cottonwood Hollow, the girls are strange. Every girl is born with a strange gift, a "burden" caused by a curse many generations ago. Rome, Mercy and Lux each have a gift, but their gifts don't help them escape their secrets and traumas. When a tornado drops the diary of the woman who cursed the girls of Cottonwood Hollow so many years ago, the three friends embark on a journey to discover a hidden treasure that will help them escape their secrets and traumas.
Prose, Voice & Dialogue
I love Asebedo's writing style and voice and felt that it matched the vibes of the story and highlighted the themes of friendship so inherent to the novel. Though not overly flowery or lyrical, the prose was well-written and did its job well. The dialogue felt natural and authentic.
Characters
Rome, Lux and Mercy were all compelling, interesting and complex characters. Not only do we get to know the girls as individuals, but we see how the friendship between the three of them functions and why it works as well as it does. I loved the three of them as individuals and I loved the friendship between the three of them anymore. There is some LGBTQ representation (Lux is lesbian) as well, though I do wish we saw more of Lux and her girlfriend together. I felt that, for the most part, we got to know each of the girls pretty well, which isn't easy to do with three main characters.
Plot & Pacing
It's been a while since I read this book, so I don't recall the exact plotline, but I was engaged by the mystery aspect and moved through the book fairly quickly. I have ADHD, so it's not always easy for me to stay engaged, but I remember hardly being able to put the book down and finishing it in a couple of days. I loved the theme of friendship present from start to finish, and the mystery was fun and engaging and kept me guessing until the end.
The Romance
There wasn't a ton of romance in this book, which was actually refreshing. There were romances going on in the background, but the main focuses of the book were the mystery at the forefront of the storyline, and the friendships happening in the background. The theme of this book is very clearly centered around friendship, teamwork, sticking together, helping your friends and allowing them to help you, etc. etc. YA novels are so heavily saturated with romance, and I do tend to enjoy romantic subplots in YA novels, but it was refreshing to read a YA book that had romantic relationships, but wasn't centered on those relationships. The relationships at the forefront of the book were all platonic relationships and I loved that.
Setting
Cottonwood Hollow is the perfect setting for this book. The small-town vibes enhanced the story so much and really made it easy to suspend my disbelief. This fictional town is located in Kansas, in an otherwise-normal world. I loved the magical realism feel of the story, and the setting definitely contributed to that. The worldbuilding was excellent, I loved how everyone in town knew that girls were born with strange, magical gifts, and it was just widely accepted and totally normalized.
Overall Thoughts & Recommendation
I love this beautiful book. The plot, the characters, the magical realism, and the fact that the friendships are at the forefront of the book while the romance takes a backseat. There are some intense things going on in each of the girls' lives, and I loved getting to see the three of them get through it all together. The writing was beautiful, and the storyline was so unique. The concept of the "gifts" is so cool and unique, but the story of Mercy, Luxe and Rome's friendship is the most beautiful part of all. This story is truly so different from anything I've ever read, and it's so special because of that. I can't wait to read more of Asebedo's work-- this novel was so engaging and beautifully written and I absolutely loved this story.
Content Warnings
Spoiler
abuse, sexual assault, sexual harassment
This was a super fun, refreshing read, about a fantasy world that isn't too deep and complex for my absolutely fried brain. Although I wish there had been multiple POVs, as it probably would have fit better, Rome was a good narrator, and it definitely could have been worse (when you're stuck in a character's head, be it in first person or third person limited, you have to like the narrator at least a little bit, otherwise you're screwed).
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Love me some magical realism! This book centers on flawed girls and their talents and most importantly sisterhood. It's also got themes of generational curses/blessings. The twists are well laid out, so if you have good reading comprehension you'll see them coming but such a great read!