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queer_bookwyrm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Rust in the Root by Justina Ireland is a historical fantasy based on the Great Depression/Dust Bowl era. Just like her Dread Nation duology, Ireland has killed it (pun intended)! I'm loving the historical revisionism with a fantasy/horror element. Like her previous duology, this book tackles institutional racism, but also confronts the very real fact that some black folks also help to uphold these structures.
We follow Laura, a lesbian mage who just wants her mage license so she can become a great baker, raveling wonderful and tasty treats for important people. In order to do this she has to apprentice under a licensed mage, and joins the Bureau of the Arcane's Conservation Corps, Black Auxiliary. This government group of mages are treated like an expendable clean up crew, since black folks practicing the mystic arts are considered to be less important than Mechomancy, the type of magic white people wield to power mechanical constructs.
Joining the Auxiliary turns out to be more than Laura bargained for when she and a group of mages are sent to Ohio to fix the Ohio Deep Blight, an area the Great Rust has made difficult to live in and difficult to ravel in. What they find is that Ohio is no ordinary Blight, and that something they thought had disappeared in history is back and killing black mages for power.
I loved Laura's character. She's snarky and smart, and hopelessly attracted to pretty ladies. She turns out to be way more powerful than she knew she could be. The magic system is very cool. It's based on African root working, and has different disciplines for working the Dynamism: Cerebromancy, Faunomancy, Floramancy, Illusion, Pavomancy, Petramancy, Sanamancy, Figuramancy, Necromancy, and Wytchcraft (the use of all the disciplines together). In this story, the Klan used Necromancy to control, kill, and exploit enslaved Africans.
I love having more historical fiction following Black people that isn't about slavery. We also get a couple of gay male side characters, but romance is not really part of the plot. I kind of wish we had a second book to follow up with Laura after everything happened. I don't want to spoil things, so just go read this book!
Graphic: Racism, Death, Blood, Animal death, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Violence
carlyoc's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Another amazing fantasy alternative history by Justina Ireland. The premise: what if the great depression was caused not by a stock market crash, but by the clash between science and magic. In Rust in the Root, the Prohibition refers to a ban on unlicensed magic rather than alcohol. Many of the unlicensed mages are Black people practicing the root work and folk magic of their ancestors. Laura is one such mage, who dreams of revealing up decadent desserts for celebrities with the okra and jacaranda seeds that she transforms into magical workings. Unfortunately, her only path to a license is to work for the government to help fix the blight (aka the 1930s dust bowl) caused by magical imbalance in the world. But the real cause of the blights is more sinister than she has been told.
I particularly appreciated the allusions to the poem/song "Strange Fruit" by Abel Meeropol and famously performed by the likes of Nina Simone and Billie Holiday, whose imagery was creatively re-interpreted in the climax of the book.
Moderate: Death, Racism, Violence, and Racial slurs
honuzbubbles's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Violence, Racism, and Death
astropova's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Racism, Death, Violence, and Animal death
Moderate: Blood, Sexism, and Hate crime
Minor: Slavery, Homophobia, and Genocide
professor_jango's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Classism, Genocide, Slavery, Xenophobia, Colonisation, and Racism
Moderate: Animal death, Violence, Blood, Grief, Hate crime, Sexism, Body horror, and Homophobia
booksthatburn's review against another edition
Moderate: Alcohol, Racism, Blood, Violence, Police brutality, and Death
Minor: Racial slurs
purplepenning's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Body horror and Racism
Moderate: Racial slurs, Vomit, Classism, Death, Gaslighting, Grief, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, Animal cruelty, Cannibalism, Colonisation, Animal death, Blood, Sexism, and Gore
Minor: Genocide, Cursing, and Slavery
betweentheshelves's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
At her wits end, Laura applies for a position at the Bureau of the Arcane’s Conservation Corps. A Corps dedicated to everything Laura is against. A mage named Skylark takes Laura on as an apprentice, as a last resort. They embark on their first mission: fixing a dangerous Blight in Ohio. Little do they know that this mission will change the future forever.
Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an advanced copy of Rust in the Root to review! Justina Ireland is the queen of writing alternate history with a little bit of fantasy, and this book is no different! If you’re looking to add a little bit of magic to your history, this book is for you.
Ireland has created a very intricate world of magic for this book, and I found it fascinating. There are so many different layers, and they are revealed slowly throughout the book. There are also photos and pieces of reports included throughout the book, which give it a kind of documentary kind of feel. The overall structure and world building was spot on, and I wouldn’t expect anything less from Justina Ireland.
The pacing does lag a bit in parts of the book. It feels like there could be potential for Ireland continuing this as a series in the future. Unfortunately, it makes the end feel a little rushed in comparison to the rest of the book. Besides that, I loved everything else. The characters, especially Skylark and Laura. Their dynamic was great and really helped to make an interesting world even better.
All in all, you’ll definitely want to dive into Ireland’s latest book if you love history, magic, and maybe a little breaking the rules.
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Ireland's fantasy re-imaginings of the past are always so well done. You get hints of US history filled with magic and mythical creatures, at least in this one. Stay tuned for a full review to come!
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Violence and Death
Minor: Slavery