I adored this novel! I was expecting great things after reading the Dread Nation duology and this did not disappoint.

Justina Ireland starts the book with an author's note which really sets the tone of the novel. Right off the bat she states that the history of the U.S. has been filled with the exploitation of Black people in a capitalist system that mostly benefits rich, white Americans, and that this story while also being about a young Black girl chasing her dreams, will also be about those truths.

The book itself starts with a memo to the Bureau of the Arcane Main Office from Skylark stating that the following narrative is a report of the events that led to the death of her apprentice, Laura Ann Langton, our main character. Throughout the narrative there are further interjections from Skylark's report. This might not work for some, but I adore this sort of narrative framing.

I also found the book stating that the narrative ends with the death of our protagonist from page 1 added a layer of tension that really added to the story because as the reader gets to know Laura Ann and starts to root for her, there is that information in the back of their mind. Laura herself was well fleshed out and relatable. She is headstrong and brave and resourceful. I found myself laughing out loud during some of her internal monologues, especially any time she was around a beautiful woman.

My favorite part of this book was the world. I love the way Ireland blends real history with magic. The world was so rich with details and the writing was so lush and atmospheric that it was so easy to just sink into the novel. I really hope she writes more in this world because it was so fascinating and the magic system was so unique. I also loved that this included archival photos from the time period in between the chapters.

I've seen some complaints saying they wanted more explanation of the world or the magic. I don't disagree with those complaints but more so because I want more in this world rather than because I felt it was lacking here. While Ireland does sort of throw the reader in to the world, there is eventually some explanation of the magic system.

This book was so smart and layered and I cannot speak highly enough about it. This book has cemented Justina Ireland as an auto-buy author for me and I cannot wait to pick up my own copy.

Another wonderful alternate history from Justina Ireland with fun worldbuilding and interesting characters.

In 1937 Laura has big dreams for herself. She's not doing too well in the big NYC, and after she gets kicked out of her place, she takes an apprenticeship at the Bureau of the Arcane’s Conservation Corps, Through them she hopes to gain her mage's license and eventually open her own bakery.

So the basic premise of this book is history meets magic. I really enjoyed the world Ireland built, and it's evident that a lot went into it. That said, there is A LOT in this book. Sometimes the world-building stuff was too much, and it took away from character development. If you know me, you know I'm always characters over everything else. So the fact that this book suffers from its insanely detailed world made it a difficult read for me. I liked Laura and Skylark, but I felt there could just be a little more to them. The story was good, the world building was great, and the characters were likable.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

I fell in love with Justina Ireland's novels after reading her Dread Nation duology, but in my opinion, her latest novel, Rust in the Root, is her best yet. Not only does she present readers with insight into the everyday racism Black women face, but she also includes a fantastic argument against capitalism. Ms. Ireland cleverly disguises her anti-capitalist sentiment within her fascinating story of the mystical arts versus industry and technology. Plus, Laura Ann Langston is a formidable young woman, powerful in her own right but also unwilling to settle for an ordinary, quiet life not using her gifts. She is self-deprecating, unashamed, honest to a fault, and entertaining in that honesty. It is a pleasure to follow along with Laura and her fellow mages as they search for answers.

Ms. Ireland's verbal jousting is par excellence. At the same time, I appreciate any opportunity to learn more about what it is like to be a Black person in a society ruled by white supremacy and systemic racism. Rust in the Root is an easy and enjoyable way to become a little more anti-racist. However, even if that is not your thing, Ms. Ireland's newest novel is beyond clever, highly entertaining, and fascinating in its twist on the 1930s in a world torn between technology and the more earthly, natural approaches to power.

It's 1937 and Laura Langston has traveled to New York to use her magic for something other than minor magic around a small town. As the country recovers from "The Great Rust," Black mages face segregation in the type of magic they are allowed to practice. Black mages are also being sent to fight a mysterious Blight - and not coming back. When Laura becomes an apprentice she is soon sent with her mentor to the Blight to bring back the missing mages. Nothing is as it seems- most especially Laura herself.

Author Justina Ireland once again weaves U.S. history and fantasy together with magical results. I can't wait for the next book in this new series!

I think that the world itself was stunning and the way that it was presented was at times a lot but you understood the world in a great way. Overall I wished that there had been more character development, but I still really enjoyed the book and the concept of the world. I think that there is still a lot to explore with this world!

This book was brilliant. I never wanted it to end. The characters, the world, and the messages within this book will last with me. I wish there was more.

Gosh, I love how Justina Ireland weaves the fantastical into the historical. I am always, always here for it, and Rust in the Root is no exception. I quite enjoyed this one, so let's see what worked (and the one thing I struggled with)!

What I Loved:

►The writing is just so clever and entertaining. I love how funny, smart moments are infused all over the story. Yes, things are rough, but I love that the characters' personalities are able to shine through so well in their witty remarks and conversations. Makes a book so much more fun to read, frankly.

►That said, I really did enjoy Laura, and the characters she meets along the way. At times I had a bit of an issue keeping track of who was who, especially when we first meet characters, but as a whole I really enjoyed them. Laura is a great main character- she is trying to be strong and independent, but of course she has doubts, too. But she is always trying to do what she feels is right, and she was certainly someone worth rooting for.

►The atmosphere and setting were very on point. I mean, it's pre-WWII, post-depression America, so things aren't great. And in this alt-history, the term "dust bowl" is probably under explaining what the country looks like, basically. In this story, the events that have sent the country into a spiral is called the "Great Rust", and I won't pretend to wholly understand what happened, but you can certainly get the vibe from the wrecked towns left in its wake.

►I loved the photographs! They really broke up the chapters, and I just loved feeling even more immersed in the time period. Such a fun addition, and I am always here for some visuals, frankly.

►The characters had to face a lot. Look, nothing was easy for our plucky group. They had to make some awful choices, and they were basically being thwarted by society at every turn. Being a Black woman, things were extra difficult for Laura- very few people were willing to give her a chance at all, and when they finally did, it was clear that they were doing so because they found her expendable. Which is infuriating, but did not stop Laura and her cohorts from kicking ass and taking names. But because of society's absolute awfulness, this group was put into some extremely treacherous situations, which of course made for some exciting reading.

What I Struggled With:

►The world/magic system. This is my only qualm about the book, and that was that I simply didn't fully get it? Like- I don't quite understand the magic system first off, which meant that I didn't really understand how the world was broken and/or how to fix it.

Bottom Line: Phenomenal characters and writing in an atmospheric and harrowing situation, I just wish I understood the world a bit better.

I will never get over reading books that center Black kids. I wish I had books like this one when I was younger because it really is something to see yourself in an adventure.

In Justina Ireland's latest, readers are transported to 1937, a time that was not especially kind to Black people. Wait, let me not sugarcoat it: it was a terrible time. But in this version, Black people are magical and also oppressed. We've always known that Black people are magical, but in Ms. Ireland's book, we genuinely have magical abilities, known as the mystical arts. Laura Ann, which is also my favorite aunt's name, is a young mage looking to get her license. She leaves her little town and heads to New York, the place where your dreams come to live or die. Four months in and Laura Ann is ready to quit but instead gets a job with the Bureau of the Arcane Conservation Corps. She becomes the apprentice of the Skylark, a powerful mage who has her own secret. When they are assigned to assist with a disruption called a Blight, Laura Ann learns how powerful she truly is.

First off I want to say that I adore historical fiction that centers Black people. The author has created a story that takes the racism of that time and turns it on its head. Using historical events, the book focuses on a disruption to the Dynamism, an arcane force that is the source of the mystical arts, called the Great Rust. The event threw the country into chaos, creating Blights in different parts of the country, which gave those who believe in technology (Mechomancers) a reason to take over and erase the mystical arts.

It's amazing how the author created an alternative world in which racism still exists but in a different way. Because one thing we all know is that racism has a vast imagination and finds numerous ways to reinvent itself. And it has in this book. But like Black people in the real world, the ones in this book find a way to live, saving themselves which also saves the world around them. Laura Ann is such a dynamic seventeen-year-old, looking to have the life she's always wanted in the city that never sleeps. Although she lives in a world that wants to erase her and her talents, Laura Ann perseveres because she has people who understand her world. They come together to defeat an evil that is both familiar and terrifying.

I do not want to talk too much about this book because I'm afraid I'll spoil something. But I will tell readers to buy this book or borrow it from the their local library. I plan to buy a copy for myself so I can read it again.

I’ve been really wanting to read a book by Justina Ireland for a long time. I’d heard amazing things about DREAD NATION, but I haven’t had a chance to read it yet. When I got an opportunity to read RUST IN THE ROOT, I couldn’t pass it up– and I’m so glad I didn’t!

Reimagined history can be one of the coolest types of stories to read. I loved the way this book took historical figures and events and reimagined them through the lens of magic in the world. The connection between Jim Crow laws and the oppression of Black magic. The way oppression would get repackaged and repurposed. It was awful, but it fit the history.

I also loved the characters. The story is told from both Laura and the Skylark’s perspectives. The bulk of the story is from Laura’s point of view, but there are snippets of records that the Skylark would have submitted to her superiors interspersed between chapters. Usually following those snippets, we’d get a scene from the Skylark’s viewpoint. I liked getting both perspectives.

Also– the tree with “strange fruit”– I felt like that hit me right in the gut. Wow. What a powerful reference and another moment where magic and history intersected in this incredibly moving way.

On the whole, I loved the reimagined history, and I think fans of The Great Library series by Rachel Caine or THE RING AND THE CROWN by Melissa de la Cruz would love RUST IN THE ROOT. I think fans of CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE by Tomi Adeyemi or SONG BELOW WATER by Bethany C. Morrow would love this book, too.

Posted on 9/23/22

While the author is an excellent writer and does a fantastic job coming up with alternative history settings that are very thought-provoking, I struggle with immediately being thrown into a world with name dropping and term dropping of things that aren't immediately explained. Too many new things were introduced even in just the first chapter and I felt like I needed a dictionary to know what was going on. It was very distracting and took me out of the story unfortunately.

After the Great Rust the world is torn between those with magic and those without. Prohibition makes it so that those who do have magic are not supposed to access the Possibilities without a license. In order to get a license, you have to become an apprentice for at least a year. Laura dreams of getting her own license. She knows that she is decent at accessing the Possibilities, but upon arriving to New York she finds that no one is willing to hire her. As a last-ditch effort, she goes to the last place she ever wanted to work for, the Bureau of the Arcane’s Conservation Corps. Her time with the bureau forces her to learn things about herself that she never knew and go up against monsters she had only heard about.
I really enjoyed this book. I thought that it was such a unique take on Prohibition. While magical it still stayed true to lived experiences of Black citizens during this time period. The fact that these lived experiences were both described and portrayed through photos help the story jump off of the pages. I am very interested to hear though who was giving the report back to the Bureau after the blight was defeated. While I understand that was to protect Laura going forward. I feel like there might be more to the story. I am excited to see if Laura gets to continue her tale.
Thank you so much to HarperCollins Children’s Book and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

Laura Ann Langston, a young black woman from Pennsylvania, went to New York to pursue her dream---to earn her magic license and open a bakery. Finding no work and no mentor, she joins the Bureau of the Arcane's Conservation Corps. Her unit is sent to Ohio to investigate the largest blight, an enviro-magical hazard.

Magic AU of 1940s United States. Intriguing fantasy analogs to real-world events, including the Harlem Renaissance, the Great Migration, the CCC, The Great Depression, and the Dust Bowl. Deals with different types of racism - systemic, internal, and individual. Unlike other alternate histories, there are queer people.

Would definitely read another story set in this universe.

Read an ARC provided by NetGalley

I love Justina's writing. The world was unique and well-written. I loved the characters and the descriptions of everything throughout the book.

"The author of the visionary New York Times bestseller Dread Nation returns with another spellbinding historical fantasy set at the crossroads of race and power in America.

It is 1937, and Laura Ann Langston lives in an America divided - between those who work the mystical arts and those who do not. Ever since the Great Rust, a catastrophic event that blighted the arcane force called the Dynamism and threw America into disarray, the country has been rebuilding for a better future. And everyone knows the future is industry and technology - otherwise known as Mechomancy - not the traditional mystical arts.

Laura disagrees. A talented young queer mage from Pennsylvania, Laura hopped a portal to New York City on her seventeenth birthday with hopes of earning her mage’s license and becoming something more than a rootworker.

But four months later, she's got little to show for it other than an empty pocket and broken dreams. With nowhere else to turn, Laura applies for a job with the Bureau of the Arcane's Conservation Corps, a branch of the US government dedicated to repairing the Dynamism so that Mechomancy can thrive. There she meets the Skylark, a powerful mage with a mysterious past, who reluctantly takes Laura on as an apprentice.

As they're sent off on their first mission together into the heart of the country's oldest and most mysterious Blight, they discover the work of mages not encountered since the darkest period in America's past, when Black mages were killed for their power - work that could threaten Laura's and the Skylark's lives, and everything they've worked for."

The idea that even certain kinds of magic can become obsolete through automation and the industrial revolution is just facet of this book that is fascinating to me.

Dread Nation was one of the coolest, most original alt-history novels I've ever come across...so when I heard about Rust in the Root--an alt history focusing on African Americans with magic during Prohibition (of magic this time, not booze), it was an IMMEDIATE add to my TBR list.

I was excited to get an ARC, and while this one doesn't QUITE live up to Dread Nation (in my opinion), it has the same originality, humor, and heart. Oh...and plenty of badass, determined women who don't like being pushed around.

The pacing of this one is a little slow due to all the world building, and I'm not sure how much the photographs--though cool--really added to the story. And, as other reviewers have noted, the ending feels really rushed and a little anticlimactic--it definitely needed more development to tie up all the story lines (or possibly a sequel).

Despite those things, I couldn't put it down. I love that Ireland is able to beautifully weave elements of history, fantasy, and racial issues into a cohesive story.

The historical fantasy horror with social commentary of my dreams!

Wow wow wow. This book is phenomenal. Absolutely stunning. The world building is phenomenal and I wish I lived in this world so badly. I am DYING for a sequel because I absolutely need more of this world.

Justina Ireland once again proves herself the queen of historical fantasy, crafting a richly grounded world with a detailed, inventive magic system that both accentuates past evils and demands that readers recognize and analyze alarming trends in the modern world. She perfectly balances her voice with historical colloquialisms and modern sensibility and weaves a cast of nuanced secondary characters to support her heroine. This novel is a must-read for YA and NA fantasy fans! I cannot recommend it highly enough.

In 1937, America is divided in two. Those who work with the mystical arts and those that don’t. Laura Ann Langston happens to be someone who works with the mystical arts, but has been having a difficult time landing a job to get her license. Because the country believes that the future is in mechomancy, not the mystical arts.

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.

Justina Ireland is always able to create a world so similar yet so far removed from our own. As a fan of Dread Nation and Deathless Divide, I was more than excited for this book and I wasn't disappointed. A black, queer, female lead set in 1930s serving up some humorous and snarky moments was exactly what I loved about this book. World building is something that I thoroughly enjoy from Ireland and this world complex and well written. All in all this is a 5/5 for me! I can't wait to see what comes next. Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for a chance to review this amazing arc.