infinitefreetime's review against another edition
2.0
DNF after 100 pages or so. Promising story but comma splices and other errors on literally every page. Very poorly edited; the mistakes in this book should have been fixable.
mxsunny's review against another edition
5.0
LOVED this book! Find me in person and I'll tell you all about why.
readalert's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book so much! The world is so unique and exciting, it draws you in so much. So many wonderful characters, with a great amount of diversity! Definitely one of my favorite books I've ever read!
indalauryn's review against another edition
5.0
As usual, I'll put a more detailed review on my blog but for now I'll say this: I can't wait until we get the film trilogy, mini-series, or TV show we deserve out of this.
coolcurrybooks's review against another edition
4.0
The Root is an intriguing blend of urban and portal fantasy with a wonderfully diverse cast.
Erik’s a former teen star living in San Francisco. He thought his life was complicated enough, but now he’s finding out that he’s Blooded – descended from gods and gifted with powers he doesn’t understand. He also finds himself in the middle of a secret battle, between Blooded and a government organization kidnapping them and trading them off to an alternate dimension.
Lil’s an apprentice archivist in said alternate dimension, where humans are subservient to demonic beings. Yet a strange and powerful darkness is taking over her city, and the rulers are turning to the human archivists to look for answers. Lil’s life will soon become a tightrope walk between her demonic rulers and her power hungry fellow archivists.
The Root has some of the usual urban fantasy tropes, but the portal fantasy aspect and the alternate world really helped it feel fresh. I loved the inventiveness of the demonic world! Organic buildings and insect-like transportation… It actually reminded me a bit of the work of Max Gladstone, which is high praise indeed.
Erik is eighteen years old, and I think Lil is around the same age. While reading it, I didn’t think of The Root as being YA, but it might make for a good cross over. It just didn’t fit into the structure or tropes I typically expect from YA literature. I did like that Erik’s parents were actually alive, present, and played a role in the narrative. It’s a more interesting decision than having them be mysteriously dead or vanished. Plus, those are already over used in fantasy fiction.
Most of the cast are people of color and queer characters. Erik’s gay and his career dissolved due to a scandal involving his ex-boyfriend. We don’t learn the details until later into the book, and it made for a nice personal mystery. I think Lil may be bisexual? She hasn’t had any confirmed romantic interest of yet. The supporting cast includes plenty of other queer characters, including a trans boy and a f/f couple. If you’re looking for inclusive urban fantasy, The Root would be a good bet.
However, I do think The Root would have benefited from narrowing its use of POVs. Practically every significant character has at least one POV section. It’s a bit overwhelming at times. Off the top of my head, I can remember at least fourteen, but there’s probably some I’m missing. I felt like so many POV sections cluttered the narrative.
The only other criticism I have regarding structure is that I expected more out of the climax. I guess I assumed that Lil and Erik’s sections would intertwine by then? It looks like that’s not going to happen until the next book. Other than those two criticisms, I found The Root to be generally well executed, especially for a debut novel. It’s a strong start, and I’m looking forward to the rest of the series.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
Erik’s a former teen star living in San Francisco. He thought his life was complicated enough, but now he’s finding out that he’s Blooded – descended from gods and gifted with powers he doesn’t understand. He also finds himself in the middle of a secret battle, between Blooded and a government organization kidnapping them and trading them off to an alternate dimension.
Lil’s an apprentice archivist in said alternate dimension, where humans are subservient to demonic beings. Yet a strange and powerful darkness is taking over her city, and the rulers are turning to the human archivists to look for answers. Lil’s life will soon become a tightrope walk between her demonic rulers and her power hungry fellow archivists.
The Root has some of the usual urban fantasy tropes, but the portal fantasy aspect and the alternate world really helped it feel fresh. I loved the inventiveness of the demonic world! Organic buildings and insect-like transportation… It actually reminded me a bit of the work of Max Gladstone, which is high praise indeed.
Erik is eighteen years old, and I think Lil is around the same age. While reading it, I didn’t think of The Root as being YA, but it might make for a good cross over. It just didn’t fit into the structure or tropes I typically expect from YA literature. I did like that Erik’s parents were actually alive, present, and played a role in the narrative. It’s a more interesting decision than having them be mysteriously dead or vanished. Plus, those are already over used in fantasy fiction.
Most of the cast are people of color and queer characters. Erik’s gay and his career dissolved due to a scandal involving his ex-boyfriend. We don’t learn the details until later into the book, and it made for a nice personal mystery. I think Lil may be bisexual? She hasn’t had any confirmed romantic interest of yet. The supporting cast includes plenty of other queer characters, including a trans boy and a f/f couple. If you’re looking for inclusive urban fantasy, The Root would be a good bet.
However, I do think The Root would have benefited from narrowing its use of POVs. Practically every significant character has at least one POV section. It’s a bit overwhelming at times. Off the top of my head, I can remember at least fourteen, but there’s probably some I’m missing. I felt like so many POV sections cluttered the narrative.
The only other criticism I have regarding structure is that I expected more out of the climax. I guess I assumed that Lil and Erik’s sections would intertwine by then? It looks like that’s not going to happen until the next book. Other than those two criticisms, I found The Root to be generally well executed, especially for a debut novel. It’s a strong start, and I’m looking forward to the rest of the series.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
leutheuser's review against another edition
2.0
DNF at 20%
Too many POV characters and the story moved forward at a crawl. You barely get a feel for a character before the POV switches to a new one. The writing is okay, functional though clumsy at times. The world building confused me rather than enthralled me, which is too bad because it has some creative ideas. Maybe because the reader is thrown into a new world before we even get a strong grounding in the first one.
I want to like this book. There's a lot going on. I love the diverse set of characters (YES!) and basic world building concepts. The actual story telling just didn't grab me. Before giving up, I thumbed through the rest of the book and skimmed here and there to see if I wanted to hang in there, and I saw more and more new POV characters. TOO MANY!
Too many POV characters and the story moved forward at a crawl. You barely get a feel for a character before the POV switches to a new one. The writing is okay, functional though clumsy at times. The world building confused me rather than enthralled me, which is too bad because it has some creative ideas. Maybe because the reader is thrown into a new world before we even get a strong grounding in the first one.
I want to like this book. There's a lot going on. I love the diverse set of characters (YES!) and basic world building concepts. The actual story telling just didn't grab me. Before giving up, I thumbed through the rest of the book and skimmed here and there to see if I wanted to hang in there, and I saw more and more new POV characters. TOO MANY!
cyanide_latte's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
I gotta say, I wasn't sure what to expect going into this, and it didn't hook me right away, but once it did, it was totally worth it! I think for once I'm glad that I took longer to read through a book. In addition to switching between two different dimensional settings, we have multiple perspective switches within each dimension, and I think the fact it took me close to two months to read through this benefited that. It might have been a bit too much to really absorb all at once if I'd tried reading through it faster than I did.
Presently, I'm not going to add any more to this review, because I feel like anything I might cover in here is going to be spoilers. The summary given for the book is a very excellent groundwork to have going into it, and I think you should be flying blind past that point. Otherwise it might overwhelm most readers before they even get started. But I do promise you, this book is 100% worth it!
Presently, I'm not going to add any more to this review, because I feel like anything I might cover in here is going to be spoilers. The summary given for the book is a very excellent groundwork to have going into it, and I think you should be flying blind past that point. Otherwise it might overwhelm most readers before they even get started. But I do promise you, this book is 100% worth it!
readermonica's review against another edition
3.0
Tilahun has created a unique world that features diverse characters and fantastical otherworldly beings that are so out there that I had trouble visualizing what they looked like. There were creatures that were translucent blobs and even beings that are covered in eyes. These creatures also had unique ways of communicating which encompassed everything from grunting to wind currents. I found those characteristics a bit much, but that is purely personal preference.
I absolutely loved that the main characters are ethnically, racially, and sexually diverse. Gender, race, and sexuality do not define the characters and there are no stereotypical characterizations to be found here. The diversity is simply part of more realistic reflection of the diversity of the world we live in. Erik's problems do not all stem from the fact that he's gay, but rather from the fact that his father wanted to control the trajectory of his career and didn't put any emphasis on what Erik wanted for himself. Erik's family dynamics and his heritage are part of the background in book one, but it is clear that they will become more significant as his powers continue to manifest and strengthen as the series progresses.
San Francisco's parallel city is Zebub and I enjoyed the corresponding storyline that is developing there. Lil is thrust into the role of sole caregiver for her younger siblings after a horrific incident. Lil is left struggling to juggle her responsibilities to her Holder mentor while having to become the adult and provider for her family. Lil is also manifesting powers and abilities that are surprising to her mentor as well as herself, which causes her problems with many people around her. There's a darkness that is slowly consuming her world and Lil is caught up in the fight to stop it.
Although I really enjoyed the plot of this story, my inability to fully visualize the alternate world and the creatures that inhabit it made it difficult for me to fully immerse myself into the story. I had to pause several times and reread descriptions in order to picture the beings being described and I'm still not sure that I have it right. However, I enjoyed the plot enough that I will grab book two when it is released. I just hope that I will be able to get a better grip on the world being built by Tilahun because the overall story is very good!
You can find more from me at
•(♥).•*Monlatable Book Reviews*•.(♥)•
http://www.monlatablereviews.com/
I absolutely loved that the main characters are ethnically, racially, and sexually diverse. Gender, race, and sexuality do not define the characters and there are no stereotypical characterizations to be found here. The diversity is simply part of more realistic reflection of the diversity of the world we live in. Erik's problems do not all stem from the fact that he's gay, but rather from the fact that his father wanted to control the trajectory of his career and didn't put any emphasis on what Erik wanted for himself. Erik's family dynamics and his heritage are part of the background in book one, but it is clear that they will become more significant as his powers continue to manifest and strengthen as the series progresses.
San Francisco's parallel city is Zebub and I enjoyed the corresponding storyline that is developing there. Lil is thrust into the role of sole caregiver for her younger siblings after a horrific incident. Lil is left struggling to juggle her responsibilities to her Holder mentor while having to become the adult and provider for her family. Lil is also manifesting powers and abilities that are surprising to her mentor as well as herself, which causes her problems with many people around her. There's a darkness that is slowly consuming her world and Lil is caught up in the fight to stop it.
Although I really enjoyed the plot of this story, my inability to fully visualize the alternate world and the creatures that inhabit it made it difficult for me to fully immerse myself into the story. I had to pause several times and reread descriptions in order to picture the beings being described and I'm still not sure that I have it right. However, I enjoyed the plot enough that I will grab book two when it is released. I just hope that I will be able to get a better grip on the world being built by Tilahun because the overall story is very good!
You can find more from me at
•(♥).•*Monlatable Book Reviews*•.(♥)•
http://www.monlatablereviews.com/
silentchill's review against another edition
5.0
This book was incredible. It held unique fantasy aspects while also bringing in representation for identities typically left out of mainstream media, let alone fantasy. I could not put the book down, except to take moments to revel on how beautiful it was to read. I was drawn into the worlds and abilities of these characters that were connected into our own common mythos and religions. The characters are relatable and most other series would be lucky to have even one of them. I'm excited to see where the story goes as San Fransisco and Zebub finally start to collide.
ghostyreader's review against another edition
5.0
Oh man oh man, I wish there were more books already.
First of all, there's a mysterious, complex threat (or network of threats) to not only our world but an alternate universe that is somehow connected--and the threat is partly (but maybe not entirely) magical. Second, there are secret agencies (one of which is part of the government) working against each other around the mysteries of the Angelics (alien-beings) and Blooded (humans-ish, with powers). Third, there's no neat little explanation for *anything*--there are the complex half-explanations that come from not really knowing the full reasons behind how the Blooded came to be, what the things are that are attacking Zebub, or any number of other magical elements. But not so much that it's frustrating, just so that it's real. Fourth, all the main characters are queer, basically--and most of them are POC. And their sexualities and gender identities are acknowledged and referenced and accepted, not ignored or the main focus--Erik and Matthias' relationship is complicated by the fact that they're kind of into each other, but Erik's bf's ghost comes and hangs around them; all of which is made more interesting by the conflicts and fights and alliances they're facing. Lil has a passing interest in people of various genders, but isn't in a place to develop any kind of relationship beyond trusting her sibs' caregivers.
Fifth, the plot! The narrative alternates between universes, coyly following one until you're fully caught up, can't wait to find out what happens next--then switching back to the action you were desperate to know about in the other. I couldn't put it down for the last 150 pages, at least. Lil's and Erik's universes come closer and closer together as it's gradually revealed just how closely tangled together different parts of them are. The cross-over I was expecting to happen at like 2/3 of the way through still hasn't happened by the end of the book--though it's planned. This book is about Erik and Lil coming into their powers and strengths, and coming to understand new things about their worlds. It ends with each facing new challenges with new circumstances, and with Erik poised to enter Lil's world.
First of all, there's a mysterious, complex threat (or network of threats) to not only our world but an alternate universe that is somehow connected--and the threat is partly (but maybe not entirely) magical. Second, there are secret agencies (one of which is part of the government) working against each other around the mysteries of the Angelics (alien-beings) and Blooded (humans-ish, with powers). Third, there's no neat little explanation for *anything*--there are the complex half-explanations that come from not really knowing the full reasons behind how the Blooded came to be, what the things are that are attacking Zebub, or any number of other magical elements. But not so much that it's frustrating, just so that it's real. Fourth, all the main characters are queer, basically--and most of them are POC. And their sexualities and gender identities are acknowledged and referenced and accepted, not ignored or the main focus--Erik and Matthias' relationship is complicated by the fact that they're kind of into each other, but Erik's bf's ghost comes and hangs around them; all of which is made more interesting by the conflicts and fights and alliances they're facing. Lil has a passing interest in people of various genders, but isn't in a place to develop any kind of relationship beyond trusting her sibs' caregivers.
Fifth, the plot! The narrative alternates between universes, coyly following one until you're fully caught up, can't wait to find out what happens next--then switching back to the action you were desperate to know about in the other. I couldn't put it down for the last 150 pages, at least. Lil's and Erik's universes come closer and closer together as it's gradually revealed just how closely tangled together different parts of them are. The cross-over I was expecting to happen at like 2/3 of the way through still hasn't happened by the end of the book--though it's planned. This book is about Erik and Lil coming into their powers and strengths, and coming to understand new things about their worlds. It ends with each facing new challenges with new circumstances, and with Erik poised to enter Lil's world.