C UUU!!! How can I enroll?
I love LaDarrion's writing. It just feels comfortable to me.
I like how he continues to bring Black folklore into the story.
I like how he touches topics that are brushed aside in the Black community- homophobia, mental health, etc.
I can't wait to send this to my God kids.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this book at 38% (at the start of chapter 17). I'm still giving it two stars (rounded up from 1.5)

I was so excited for this book! I loved Blood at the Root and the characters we met in it! I couldn't wait to see how they'd grow, and specifically how the author LaDarrion would grow as he honed his craft for blending brilliant cinematic establishing shots with the close inner turmoil of a boy trying to find his place in a new world. Instead, I got something that felt like it still needed several more passes from an editor and full rewrite to bring the storytelling into one consistent voice.

At nearly 40% in, the biggest issues with this book were plot progression and repetition. The first book ended with a huge battle that confirmed once and for all the big bad Bokors truly were back to steal the lives and magick of young people. The start of this book... opens up with them still being a boogeyman myth? We're right back where we spent the majority of the first book, with only Malik and friends knowing about the Bokors while the rest of the campus and their families wait passively to be picked off by them? And then when both the Bokors and the existence of magick is revealed in a large scale attack, the only consequences are? No more homecoming? The students are more upset about the cancelled social plans than the attack, and the administration of the school is more concerned with punishing the students for defending themselves. This is the central plot of the book and the narrative seems almost allergic to interacting with it, to the point that it'll muddy the waters of character motivations just to give Malik some manufactured conflict. As if there isn't plenty to choose from!

The reposition though, oh good lord. The only things Malik ever thought about was wanting to find his evil mom and not being allowed to tell anyone about his evil mom. Every time he talked to someone outside his key friend group, he would remind us that he isn't allowed to tell them The Truth. I think this might have been done ad nauseam to remind us of the stakes of the plot, but it only really served so show just how very little we were actually interacting with that plot. There were even whole decisions and contemplation around that decision that Malik just... kept having! How many times did he decide to join that club? Too many. Worse, there were SEVERAL moments when the same information would be relayed both through character dialogue and in Malik's internal thoughts, such as when Professor Atwell tells the class about their sister school and Malik immediately "remembers" that the name sounds familiar because Taron told him about it before. Sometimes, there's even inconsistency in the repetition, such as when Malik tells us a campus wide email was sent out notifying the students of something and then Savon on the very next page said they heard the information through a rumor.

There's more I could say about the shallow depictions and use of magick, despite the emphasis on magick being a sacred gift from the ancestors. Or about how despite Malik attending a magic school, we never actually see him taught magick (even a moment that is expressly stated as being a divination lesson only involved viewing an old memory and reading a book). Or the inconsistency of Malik telling us in chapter one that the scroll has helped him figure out his magick better, only for us to see him repeatedly struggle to use it. Or how the cop character from the last book, who could surely be an asset to the investigation into finding his mom, was suddenly sidelined without any real reason. But since I didn't complete the book to see how these story lines pan out, I can't disparage them too much.

I was so excited for this book, but I've just been let down. I'm not sure how the editing became so lack luster so fast after an otherwise brilliant debut, but it's incredibly disheartening.

I loved the first book and felt the sequel was even better - the world building and magic system really came together for me in this one, and the characters are all so enjoyable. The stakes are higher and the pacing is great. Need more!

I love this world and enjoy the world building that was expanded on in this novel. I really enjoy learning more about the family and the interconnectedness of the magic/lore/history. I think this book took longer than the first to pull me in, but the depth added to the characters was absolutely worth it. Ultimately, I am locked in and excited for where these books go. I am super appreciative of the representation LaDarrion includes in his novels and am super grateful to the author and publisher for the advanced copy!

A great follow up. Heavy on black culture and melanin magic! There's family, friendship, danger and mega adventure. I stayed up all night finishing this book and it was well worth it. It was great visiting Caiman U again.

Bones at the Crossroads offers a richly imagined magical-HBCU experience, blending ancestral lore, college life, and personal growth in a sequel that many found more immersive and emotionally impactful than the first installment. While Malik’s character development and the found‑family dynamics deepen this world beautifully, some readers noted that pacing falters and the world‑building and magic felt underdeveloped in places. The writing can feel dense, repetitive, and occasionally convoluted, which detracts from the momentum. Yet the novel resonates with powerful themes of grief, identity, and resilience—rooted in Black and queer representation—that give it real emotional weight. Despite its flaws, this is a compelling and heartfelt continuation that will leave readers eager for the next installment.

I am leaving my honest opinion voluntarily.

I must say, I enjoyed this installment so much more than the first book. The world-building remains top-tier, but in Bones at the Crossroads, we see a deeper maturity in Malik and gain a more intimate understanding of the family conflict that shapes him. The folklore was rich and seamlessly woven in, and every character felt necessary and well-developed. Reading this, I felt like a student on the yard at Caimian University—each scene played out vividly in my mind. With the right director, this story has serious potential to be an incredible movie.

The pacing of the book was perfect, and the soft love triangle was genuinely sweet. I especially appreciated the maturity of Dom as she gave Malik the space to navigate his relationship with Alexis. The storyline felt organic, age-appropriate, and beautifully messy in a way that rings true to real life. It’s timid, complicated, and emotionally thick—from a voice we don’t often hear: the young Black man.

This book doesn’t shy away from hard truths. It provides us with a bird’s-eye view of what happens when parents make poor decisions and how children bear the consequences. We witness the effort to break generational curses in real time.

While the first book was a bit of a challenge for me due to its heavy use of slang, this one struck a more mature tone. Although some of that slang remains, it’s used more sparingly and with greater meaning. Overall, this was a powerful, emotional, and deeply engaging read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children's | Labyrinth Road, and LaDarrion Williams for the advance reader’s copy of Bones at the Crossroads. This was an easy 5-star read for me.

When I say I love this series!! The representation is incredible! It’s not just a teenage romance about kids not knowing how to express themselves. This series deals with mental health, grief, depression, social norms, family dynamics and so much more! I felt for Malik and his friends on so many levels throughout both books. I just want to hug him and tell him everything is going to be alright.

Bones at the Crossroads was a great follow up and I cannot wait for more from LaDarrion Williams. At sometimes I felt like it was a bit long but overall it is a fantastic book that I know my students will love. I will certainly be picking up a copy for my classroom to go with book 1. Thank you!

For the writing, I gave that a 6 out of 10. The writing was, unfortunately, extremely inconsistent in its quality. There were a number of typos and spelling errors. Many of the dialogue indicators were missing or in the wrong places, so we’d get lost within the sentence for whether or not someone was still speaking. Additionally, we have specific instances where we are told one thing but then later it’s something else. When homecoming is cancelled, it’s first noted that the students found out via email but later in the page, Savon says they found out through rumor. During specific scenes, it’s stated they are in the yard but in the next paragraph, the characters are leaving the living room. When did we get in the living room? One less important but funny item a friend pointed out is that, when we meet John Henry, he’s not wearing clothes, but we’re never told later if he ever ends up putting clothes on. I could pass the typos off as being an ARC and perhaps they were fixed in the printed version, but I do expect better editing for the inconsistencies from such a large publisher.

For the plot, I gave that a 6 out of 10. The plot was incredibly slow with little substance. I would be fine with a slow plot if we could say we were learning the greater details of the magic system or uncovering more of the mystery of his mom, but we don’t get any of that. The plot is overtaken by homecoming, for the most part. Other than giving Malik a normal college experience, it did nothing to further the plot. I would have been fine with the homecoming stuff if there were other things happening alongside it, but there weren’t. At the end, everything comes to a head with Malik on trial for something he didn’t do. The trial plot point made no sense to begin with, but towards the end of it, it’s pretty clear Malik will be absolved. Rather than waiting it out and then leaving Caiman, he decides to make a huge spectacle and it seems like a forced plot point to show Malik as being overpowered.

For the characters, I gave that a 6 out of 10. Malik has always been a complex and flawed character, but he seems to have regressed from book one. Any development he had seems to have been swept away. One could argue that, because he finally started going to therapy in this book, it makes sense he would regress a bit. I agree that regressing does happen. However, he mentions therapy twice and then it’s never brought up again.
Leading up to the homecoming event, he specifically states that he isn’t really interested in participating but wants to support Savon and D Low to be the first queer royals. But the minute Malik is nominated, he betrays his friends and decides that he does actually want to participate because he should get to experience these things. As someone who has done a lot of soul searching and reliving things I didn’t get to do as a kid, that shouldn’t come at the expense of your friends. Malik knew how important this was to Savon and the queer community he is a supposed an ally of and he chose to put himself first anyway. They do end up reconciling, but that entire plot point was dragged out for so long.
That seemed to be the main theme of the book. Malik consistently was selfish but all the characters constantly kept staying by his side and forgiving him. Malik doesn’t seem to suffer real consequences for his actions.
Additionally, when we run into his mom again, there seems to be an underlying theme of “family is family no matter what they’ve done,” and I cannot agree with that. Malik’s mom, despite the plot twist at the end, was terrible and it doesn’t mean she should automatically be forgiven. Same with his dad. His dad knew where he was the entire time and never even tried to get him out of terrible situations.
Just because they are your blood does not mean they deserve your forgiveness.
We also know Malik has enough trauma but now we’re adding more labels that don’t actually apply to him. When his parents are arguing, he says it’s exhausting to parent your parents. As someone who actually did have to parent their parents throughout childhood, this is not the same. His parents were not in his life the entire time. He had to parent himself, which is its own issue. He did not parent his parents.
Later, when Malik is trying to understand his mom, she says that a lot of her issues stem from the trauma of being a first born daughter. Malik’s mom is an only child. This is not the same experience as a first born daughter. We also never learn what that trauma really looked like other than having to live up to the expectations of being in a prominent family. While that is its own issue, we seem to be throwing around trauma for the sake of character depth.

For the world-building, I gave that a 6 out of 10. We never expanded on how the magic system worked at all. We could get away with the mechanics being vague in book 1 because Malik didn’t understand it. Now, we’re in book 2 at a magical university, so it’s expected that we would learn the mechanics in more detail but we don’t. We know the magic comes from the ancestors but we never learn what makes Malik more powerful than other people. We never learn what other spells are so special within the Scroll of Idan. Malik somehow gains more control but he also still loses control when it’s plot specific.

Overall, I gave this 3 stars. It was incredibly disappointing in comparison to book 1.

📖 Title: Bones at the Crossroads-Blood at the Road #2

✍🏾 Author: LaDarrion Williams-I read Blood at the Root and gave it 4⭐

📅Publication date: 7-29-25 | Read 7-25-25

📃 Format: eBook 544 pgs.

Genre:
*YA
*AA Interests
*Fantasy/Sci Fi
*LGBTQIA+

Tropes:
*found family
*magic/conjurers/witches
*college-HBCU
*AA history/folklore
*mental health

👆🏾POV: 1st person single

⚠️TW: homophobia, biphobia, racism, murder, foster care

🌎 Setting: Caiman University, LA

Summary: Malik is at Caiman having the black college experience while learning to control his magic. His mother is hijacking magic and killing people in an attempt to get to Malik at CU.

👨🏾 Hero: Malik Baron-17

🎭 Other Characters:

*Dominique Matherson- a student @ CU/befriends Malik
* Taye-12, Malik's foster brother
*Mama Aya-Malik's grandmother-transitioned
*John Henry-Mama Aya's twin brother
*Miriam + Ephriam-Mama Aya and John Henry's parents
*Aunt Brigitte + Uncle Sam/Baron Samedi (Loa of the Dead)
*Lorraine Baron-Malik's mother
*Chancellor Taron Bonclair
*Dr. Davidson-a clinical psychiatrist at CU
*Madame Empress Bonclair-Taron's mother
*Professor Tituba Atwell-Malik's mentor
*Savon+ Elijah-19, twin brothers/Malik's friends
*D Low/ D'Angelo-Malik's roommate/BFF
*Alexis Williams-Malik's BFF in foster care as children

🤔 My Thoughts: I loved the nostalgia of HBCU life with a fantasy swing. I understood being "other." I didn't pledge or go to an HBCU, but enjoyed the found family, history, folklore, and peek at fraternity/sorority life. The Homecoming stuff with Malik's friends was epic and I just loved Savon.

Rating: 5/5 ✨
Spice level 2/5 🌶️

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, Random House Children's| Labyrinth Road, and LaDarrion Williams for this ARC! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions are my own.

As much as I loved BATR, I love this one even more!!! The world building; beautiful, the writing; chefs kiss. There was no second book slump found at all. LaDarrion is quickly becoming an auto read author for me. If he writes it, add to TBR immediately.

Blood at the Root was an instant 5-star read for me, and Bones at the Crossroads took EVERYTHING I loved and turned it all the way up. I absolutely ate this book up—finished it in no time and was on the edge of my seat the entire time. Year 2 at Caiman University? Say less. Just go ahead and enroll me, because this magikal HBCU has me in a full-blown book hangover.

Malik’s growth in this sequel is so powerful as he continues to navigate grief, legacy, and his place in the magical world tied to his ancestry. But what really stood out to me in this book was getting to learn more about two new intriguing characters, Dominique and Tituba. Tituba was first introduced near the end of BATR and boyyy--did they get the spotlight they deserved. Their backstories added depth, heart, and a whole new layer of complexity to the story. I loved how their journeys intertwined with Malik’s and added richness to the found family dynamic that makes this series so special.

And listen—I was quietly holding out hope we might see Mama Aya again… but I’ll let you read to find out if that wish comes true 👀.

The worldbuilding has leveled up since BATR. It’s more immersive, more emotional, and even more magical. Ladarrion Williams’ writing is sharp, vivid, and soulful. He blends ancestral magic, HBCU culture, queer identity, and family legacy into a story that feels fresh, urgent, and full of heart.

In this book, you can expect:
✨ A magikal HBCU setting
🕯️ Ancestral magic rooted in Black history
💔 Grief, healing, and identity
👊🏾 Found family bonds
🧬 Deep family secrets and legacy
🌈 LGBTQ+ representation woven into the story

Bones at the Crossroads is everything I hoped it would be and more. Malik’s journey continues to inspire, and I’m fully invested in whatever comes next. If you haven’t started this series yet, grab Blood at the Root and get ready—you’re in for something powerful. See y'all at the crossroads (cue Bone Thugs & Harmony).

Thanks to Random House Children's, Labyrinth Road, and NetGalley for the ARC.

All 17-year-old Malik Baron wants to accomplish during Caiman University's homecoming season is to be a typical college student. Perhaps at a magical HBCU for young Black Conjurers, as normal as he can get. He's prepared to pick a major, go out to parties, spend time with his new pals, and approach girls. Rather, he is still learning the truth about his lineage and his abilities while reeling from a summer filled with treachery, heartache, and discovery.

We're back to Caiman University with Malik Baron and his friends as he tries to navigate heartbreak and healing i have to say this book was in my opnion better then the first and believe me that is a feat because Blood At The Root was amazing I love that the author address not only the struggles of being a young black boy but also tackles themes of homophobia and classism i loved that we get to see more of Savion and D Lows reltionship and see them maneuver the hate from people and there closed off vows on who gets to love who. I loved the aauthor paying homage to our anscestors and also the queer activist who praved the way for change for the LGBTQIA community. Theres so much action in this book it was like being in the middle of a movie. All of the chacthers are so gray its is to see them as real people to connect them on such a level that you can't help but be invested in whats going on. i'm going be on pens and needles till the next installment .

As always, this Alabama girl loves a book set in the south when it’s written by an author from the south. It feels like we’re in on a secret together.

Just like the first book, an incredible premise! A secret magical college for the black community. This book is inclusive and I can tell the author really thought about how the MMCs experiences from the first book would impact him in this book. The friendships/chosen family is beautiful. The positive encouragement for black men to talk about the hard things and go to therapy is soul giving (as a therapist I can confirm that BIPOC men are the least likely to get therapy).

Overall, if you read the first one and want to continue with the second one, I think you’ll enjoy this one even more.

I did dislike how some of the words are written, but thats a personal thing.

Thanks you to NetGalley, Random House, and the incomparable LaDarrion Williams for this ARC copy in return for my review. I was waiting for this follow up to the first book and it did not disappoint. I was captivated from the beginning and was ready to dive back into Malik's story. The characters are absolutely incredible. Malik and every character had so much growth. I love how LaDarrion writes. This was such a strong second book in the series and THAT ENDING!!

📖 Bookish Thoughts
I really enjoyed Bones at the Crossroads. The magic system detailed, and I loved how it was tied to ancestral history and power. The HBCU setting was so well done and added a very modern vibe. The worldbuilding was immersive and helped lock you in.

Malik’s growth really stood out. He’s navigating grief, family expectations, betrayal, and trying to figure out who he is while everything around him keeps shifting. The story shows how heavy that can feel but still leaves room for hope and connection. And at the end of the day, Malik is still a teen trying to survive school, from the dorm drama to the weight of legacy expectations.

This is exactly the kind of fantasy I want more of. I am looking forward to listening to the audiobook when it releases!

✨ What to Expect
• HBCU magic school
• Ancestral magic
• Family legacy
• Grief
• Found family

📖 Final Score: 4.5 stars
📅 Pub Date: July 29, 2025
Thank you to Random House Children’s Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

𝙴𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠
🌟🌟🌟.5
Bones at the Crossroads: While I loved and enjoyed the vibe of book 1, this book kinda felt like filler to me and was used to build up a bigger fight scene that might happen in book three, if it's a book three.
I still enjoyed the HBCU | HP vibes from this book. Malik's character development was good, because he worked my nerves a little in this book. But it was just okay to me. Lol, I will continue with this series.

Thank you, NetGalley, and Random House Children's for the ebook in exchange for my honest review.

I’m even more into this world than I was after Book 1.

It took me a minute to remember where we left off, but once I got back into it, this one really pulled everything together… and then took it up a notch. The pacing, the stakes, the character growth… it all hit harder.

Let’s talk Malik. He tested my patience several times (the miscommunication era he’s living in?? Painful 😅), but he finally got it together. He stopped sulking, stopped being the victim, got some control and started stepping into his power, and I’m glad we got to see that shift. Now I’m seriously counting down to Book 3.

The crew… whew. SAVON. I have so many feelings. You’re lucky you’re loyal because the number of times I wanted to throw my Kindle? Alarming. But that’s what makes them a real one.

And the reveals?

Malik’s mom – enjoyed her storyline and still hated her at the same time 🥴.

Chancellor Taron – slow start but came through in the end. He actually grew a pair!!

Taron’s mom – respectfully, no thank you forever.

All in all, I really enjoyed this one. The magic system, the world-building, the Black fantasy excellence—it’s everything I want in this genre. If you’re into fantasy and looking for something fresh, I highly recommend picking this series up.