Written by LaDarrion Williams
Published by Labyrinth Road, May 2024
432 pages
Completed July 20, 2024
Ten years ago, Malik’s life changed forever the night his mother mysteriously vanished and he discovered he had uncontrollable powers. Since then, he has kept his abilities hidden, looking out for himself and his younger foster brother, Taye. Now, at 17, Malik is finally ready to start a new life for both of them, far from the trauma of his past. However, a daring act to rescue Taye reveals an unexpected connection with his long-lost grandmother: a legendary conjurer with ties to a hidden magical university that Malik’s mother attended.
At Caiman University, Malik’s eyes are opened to a future he never could have envisioned for himself— one that includes the reappearance of his first love, Alexis. His search for answers about his heritage, his powers, and what really happened to his mother exposes the cracks in their magical community as it faces a reawakened evil dating back to the Haitian Revolution. Together with Alexis, Malik discovers a lot beneath the surface at Caiman: feuding covens and magical politics, forbidden knowledge and buried mysteries.
In a wholly unique saga of family, history and community, Malik must embrace his legacy to save what’s left of his old family as well as his new one. Exploring the roots and secrets that connect us in an unforgettable contemporary setting, this heart-pounding fantasy series opener is a rich tapestry of atmosphere, intrigue, and emotion.
I really enjoyed this book! The characters are all great and there are a lot of interesting things going on. I liked the way Malik tried to look out for his brother while still dealing with going to the university and figuring out what happened with his mom. I liked the way history was described and how Malik was able to learn a lot of things through dreams and visions thanks to magic. There were some confusing parts and I felt like some things could have been explained better, such as how the magic works and what kind of things people can do. Everything felt a little random regarding the magic. There’s definitely a mix of different cultures being used in the book and I’m not sure how well the author does it with (this is something to check other reviews for). I also wasn’t sure if some other issues I did notice were related to the writing or Malik being a teenager with teenage reactions to things. I do think some things could have been improved with a bit more editing and thoughts about how things could be perceived. As to the language and AAVE use I’ve seen some reviews (all from Black people) that say “no one talks like this” and others saying “yes they do” and it probably comes down to where people live and the ages of the people talking. All that said I did enjoy the book and I’m looking forward to where the story goes next.
See the StoryGraph page for “Blood at the Root” for more reviews and content warnings.