lim's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, and Death
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Suicide and Vomit
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
pagelikebooks'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: Racism and Death
Minor: 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