A review by adoras
Root Magic by Eden Royce

adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense 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

4.5

Wow. I am so impressed with this novel. It has such a beautiful sense of time and place, set in South Carolina in 1963, and has so many little details that really put me in the characters' shoes, particularly talk about language and a lot of descriptions of food. The world building is fantastic, especially in the natural way we learn about magic (root work) as Jezebel and Jay learn about it. Also, for a middle grade novel, it's genuinely creepy and upsetting and scary at points. There were parts where I really felt chilled or worried for the characters' safety. I'm bumping this up to 4.5 stars because of how well it stuck the landing. While I find that many fantasy and/or middle grade books have a great set-up, this had a solid set up and then kept ramping up, really delivering in the third act.
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