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nightmarebees 's review for:
Rust in the Root
by Justina Ireland
medium-paced
there is a LOT going on in this novel, but the majority of it works. justina ireland once again excels at blending magic into historical fiction for an alternate universe that feels plausible.
- the magic system—the Possibilites, raveling, mechomancy, etc—both played on familiar ideas and felt totally new
- laura ann is a believable teenager and her narration goes from sarcastic to heartbreaking within pages
- queer rep was organic and accurate
- racialization of magic hurt but was an accurate depiction of U.S. history
there were a few things that left me wishing this were either adult rather than YA, or feeling like it should’ve been a duology/trilogy.
- we get a LOT of exposition in the last 20% of the book, and then the big problem is resolved really quickly for how long the characters spent fighting it
- i would’ve liked more time on the other ensemble characters (nell, sam, malik, crystal) bc we get such excellent characterization of laura ann and the skylark
- the world of this book is fascinating, but there’s also a lot that gets briefly mentioned and then doesn’t come up again
- the magic system—the Possibilites, raveling, mechomancy, etc—both played on familiar ideas and felt totally new
- laura ann is a believable teenager and her narration goes from sarcastic to heartbreaking within pages
- queer rep was organic and accurate
- racialization of magic hurt but was an accurate depiction of U.S. history
there were a few things that left me wishing this were either adult rather than YA, or feeling like it should’ve been a duology/trilogy.
- we get a LOT of exposition in the last 20% of the book, and then the big problem is resolved really quickly for how long the characters spent fighting it
- i would’ve liked more time on the other ensemble characters (nell, sam, malik, crystal) bc we get such excellent characterization of laura ann and the skylark
- the world of this book is fascinating, but there’s also a lot that gets briefly mentioned and then doesn’t come up again