Blood at the Root — Books, Beauty, & Buys

By: Ladarrion Williams
Published Year: 2024
Publisher: Labyrinth Road
Pages: 432

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): A teenager on the run from his past finds the family he never knew existed and the community he never knew he needed at an HBCU for the young, Black, and magical . Enroll in this fresh fantasy debut with the emotional power of Legendborn and the redefined ancestral magic of Lovecraft Country .

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 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 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.

First Impressions

I can’t remember exactly how I heard about this book, but I remember hearing the description of it before the cover was even revealed and adding it to my to-read list. When the cover came out I was slightly underwhelmed. It kind of felt like a knock off of Legendborn to me, but I could see it being more appealing to male readers since it has the male lead rather than the female on the cover.

What I thought

Maybe I had too high of expectations of this story?

Malik is an orphan with magical powers. Once he turns 17, he decides to emancipate himself from the state so he can take his foster brother and they can run away to California. Along the way, they run into a man who delivers Malik a letter from the grandmother he didn’t know he had. When Malik shows up at his grandma’s house, he learns about a whole magical world and magical Historical Black University that he gets enrolled in. In addition to learning how to use his magic, Malik wants to find out who murdered his mom 10 years ago and whether or not it’s tied to the recent disappearance of young black boys and girls.

There was a heck of a lot going on in this book. I felt very thrown into a world that I didn’t understand but that I felt expected to understand? Malik enters the university not knowing anything about magic and he’s also slightly confused, but he seems to pick up on a lot of the terminology, magic, and history a lot quicker than the reader is allowed to. I wish that it had been explained better.

This story also felt too similar to Harry Potter and Legendborn for me to fully enjoy it. I felt a lot of the Potter inspiration from the magical university, the main character being an orphan, and the flashbacks to when his mom died with a flashing green light. With Legendborn, it felt like a lot of the root magic explanations were similar, but Legendborn’s were more fleshed out and I understood where it came from a lot more. This story would use words like Kava magic and I still don’t know what that is.

Malik also had an insta-love story with a character named Alexis that I didn’t enjoy. They had met at a foster home or an orphanage when they were 7 and then she got adopted and they never saw each other again. Until he shows up at Caiman University. This story takes place over a summer semester and before the end of the summer she and Malik are saying “I Love You?” He claims he’s been in love with her for 10 years, which just felt odd to me.

The final issue I had I know is more of a me issue. This book uses a lot of black slang/African American Vernacular that I struggled with when reading. I think if I had listened to it, it would’ve felt a lot more natural. However, I know that the author wrote this book because he never saw himself in fantasy novels, so that is why he wrote it that way. Therefore, I know that issue is not one I truly have with the book, just something I struggled with from time to time.

While I still enjoy the concept of the book, I’m on the fence as to whether or not I will continue reading this series. I am curious to see how the main villain stories play out, but I don’t know how long I can read a series where I’m confused. I liked Malik and felt he was a strong main character, even with his flaws.