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Review: Rust in the Root by Justina Ireland

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Rust in the Root by Justina Ireland

Rust in the Root
Justina Ireland
Balzer + Bray
Published September 20, 2022

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About Rust in the Root

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 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 six 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.

My Review

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.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Major characters are Black. Laura is attracted to women. Two boys (minor characters) are in a secret romantic relationship.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Laura discusses how the existence of magic played a role in religion– namely that magic was responsible for resurrections in different faiths.

Violent Content
References to murder. Situations of peril. Some battle scenes.

Drug Content
Laura mentions a time as a little girl that she drank alcohol as an illustration for feeling drunk when she encounters a type of magic.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of RUST IN THE ROOT in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Killing Code by Ellie Marney

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The Killing Code
Ellie Marney
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published September 20, 2022

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About The Killing Code

A historical mystery about a girl who risks everything to track down a vicious serial killer, for fans of THE ENIGMA GAME and A GOOD GIRL’S GUIDE TO MURDER.

Virginia, 1943: World War II is raging in Europe and on the Pacific front when Kit Sutherland is recruited to help the war effort as a codebreaker at Arlington Hall, a former girls’ college now serving as the site of a secret US Signals Intelligence facility in Virginia. But Kit is soon involved in another kind of fight: Government girls are being brutally murdered in Washington DC, and when Kit stumbles onto a bloody homicide scene, she is drawn into the hunt for the killer.

To find the man responsible for the gruesome murders and bring him to justice, Kit joins forces with other female codebreakers at Arlington Hall—gossip queen Dottie Crockford, sharp-tongued intelligence maven Moya Kershaw, and cleverly resourceful Violet DuLac from the segregated codebreaking unit. But as the girls begin to work together and develop friendships—and romance—that they never expected, two things begin to come clear: the murderer they’re hunting is closing in on them…and Kit is hiding a dangerous secret.

My Review

Every time I read a great historical novel, I feel like I end up saying I need to read more historical books. I loved that THE KILLING CODE explores another part of World War II and specifically what was happening in the United States during the war. I also loved that it focuses on the relationships between women.

Moya and Kit alternate telling us the story. A few scenes kind of zoom out and give us a more omniscient view, setting up the scene before returning to that close third-person viewpoint. I really liked both Kit and Moya, so I loved getting to see both their perspectives. The transitions heightened tension and some romantic suspense, too.

THE KILLING CODE is the first book I’ve ever read by Ellie Marney, and after reading it, I definitely want to read more. The historical setting felt immersive without being distracting, and the murder mystery had me hooked from that early chapter where Kit finds the girl’s body.

I loved that the girls use their codebreaking strategies as their approach to solving the murder. That connected both their identities as codebreakers as well as the historical and murder mystery story elements.

Also, each chapter of THE KILLING CODE begins with a quote about solving puzzles or codebreaking. Some of the quotes are from real codebreakers like Elizebeth Friedman. I thought the author cleverly used those quotes both in connecting the story to history and giving some teasing hints about the upcoming chapter.

All in all, I enjoyed this book a lot. I definitely got caught up in the mystery and the high stakes race to find the serial killer before he strikes again.

Content Notes

Content warning for mentions of rape and attempted assault. Characters smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol.

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Point-of-view characters are white. Both are women who’ve had romantic relationships with women.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used somewhat infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Mentions of rape. When Kit sees the body of a murdered girl, she realizes the girl has also been raped. No details. Some scenes show kissing between two girls. In one scene, a murdered threatens women, clearly intending to rape and kill them.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
A man attacks women, using a knife to threaten and harm them. A serial killer has been murdering women in the DC area. One murder scene is described.

Drug Content
Moya smokes cigarettes. The girls drink alcohol together in Moya’s room and at a club and hotel party.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of THE KILLING CODE in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Defend the Dawn by Brigid Kemmerer

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Defend the Dawn (Deft the Night #2)
Brigid Kemmerer
Bloomsbury USA Children’s
Published September 20, 2022

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About Defend the Dawn

To save their kingdom, they must embark on a dangerous journey…

The kingdom of Kandala narrowly avoided catastrophe, but the embers of revolution still simmer. While King Harristan seeks a new way to lead, Tessa and Prince Corrick attempt to foster unity between rebels and royals.

But the consuls who control the Moonflower will not back down, and Corrick realizes he must find a new source for the lifesaving Elixir.

When an emissary from the neighboring kingdom of Ostriary arrives with an intriguing offer, Tessa and Corrick set out on an uncertain journey as they attempt to mend their own fractured relationship.

This could be their only chance to keep the peace and bring relief to the people of Kandala, but danger strikes during the journey to Ostriary, and no one is who they seemed to be. . .

My Review

I love this series, but I don’t know that I would truly classify it as young adult. The issues that Tessa and Corrick deal with are more adult– figuring out your career path and relationships– rather that the more figuring out who you are and what you believe about the world stuff typical of YA.

That said, I’d probably also call it a crossover because Brigid Kemmerer has written other young adult novels and has a pretty significant (well-deserved) following among YA readers.

Okay, so onto the book itself. The story of DEFEND THE DAWN is divided into three points of view: Tessa, Corrick, and an Outlaw. Tessa and Corrick face challenges to their relationship and doubts about each other’s feelings and values. The Outlaw has to navigate his dual roles as a masked helper to the poor by night and a powerful man by day. I found it easy to invest in all three characters, and some of the side characters kind of stole the scene a few times, too. Lochlan, the rebel leader, Quint, the king’s right-hand man, and Rian, the captain of the ship all had some great moments. I’m really excited to see what happens with each of them in the next book.

In terms of the plot, I felt like the pacing moved really nicely. I felt like there was a bit of a lull around the middle where Corrick and Tessa kind of rehash the same conflict they’d been having, while I was ready to move on.

I really liked the directions that DEFEND THE DAWN flowed in, though. We learn so many new things about the kingdom and the politics between the crown and the consuls. We also learn some things connecting events of the past, when Corrick and Harristan’s father was king, to issues in the present. I felt like that painted a much bigger picture of what was going on and why some things had happened earlier on in the book and series.

Reading the next book will be easy– I really want to know what happens next! Waiting for it to come out will be a little harder.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
The Outlaw character (a man) is attracted to men.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Some derisive comments insinuating that a girl is only useful because she sleeps with a powerful boy. Kissing between boy and girl. Flirting between two boys. In one scene, a boy opens a girl’s top and touches her. In another, a couple spend a night in his bed, just sleeping.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
References to torture and execution. Situations of peril. Some battle scenes in which characters receive injuries.

Drug Content
Some discussion of which plants are used to poison and which to heal.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of DEFEND THE DAWN in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Reign Returned by Katie Keridan

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Reign Returned
Katie Keridan
Sparkpress
Published September 13, 2022

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About Reign Returned

Kyra Valorian is the most gifted Astral healer the golden-blooded realm of Aeles has seen in ages. When tragedy strikes, Kyra discovers she possesses a life-changing gift: she’s a Recovrancer, able to enter the realm of the dead and recover those who’ve died before their time. Unfortunately, recovrancy is outlawed in her realm. Desperate for answers, Kyra will do anything to get them . . . even partner with a dangerous enemy.

Sebastian Sayre is the most sought-after Daeval assassin in all of Nocens. A silver-blooded Pyromancer, he wields fire and dreams of finding Rhannu, a legendary sword that makes its holder invincible. Since the sword was long ago stolen from Nocens and hidden where no Daeval can retrieve it, however, such a dream seems impossible . . . until he encounters the one Astral who might be both able and willing to help him.

As Kyra and Sebastian work together to uncover the secrets of their realms, they also uncover secrets within their own pasts–pasts that are far more intertwined than they ever imagined. Ultimately, in this tale of discovery, destiny, and a love strong enough to outlast time, remembering the past just may prove to be the only way to change the future.

My Review

I have some mixed feelings about this book.

The thing that drew me to REIGN RETURNED was the enemies to lovers trope, which I love. I also love the fact that Kyra and Sebastian have this shared secret history they’re rediscovering. That was more than enough to make me want to read the book.

I don’t know if I’ve gotten spoiled by contemporary books or if this would have always been my preference, but I am discovering that I tend to like books with shorter paragraphs and at least some shorter sentences. REIGN RETURNED has longer paragraphs and most of the sentences are long, even in the action scenes. I think that’s a recognized fantasy style, so I’m not saying it’s wrong or badly written. Just that it’s not my preferred style, so that was a bit of a challenge for me as a reader.

I liked Kyra’s character a lot. Her loyalty to her family and her consistent desire to help others definitely won me over and kept me rooting for her. Sebastian was a bit of a harder sell.

The cover copy describes Sebastian as an assassin, and he calls himself that in the book. I think I expected something more along the lines of GRACELING or THRONE OF GLASS. In both of those I believe assassination is kind of the role the character was thrust into or where they are ordered by law to take out certain enemies.

Sebastian works for two powerful merchants who are maybe more like mob bosses? They use Sebastian to punish their enemies, usually people who’ve stolen from them. In one scene, Sebastian murders the wife of the offender because, as he puts it, he’s learned that’s more effective in making people regret their choices. He’s pretty cold-blooded.

In that same scene, after he has murdered a woman in her kitchen, he sees a kitten on the floor and worries that it hasn’t been fed yet and might be hungry. That seemed strange to me– to be heartless one minute and then, “Oooh, kitty!”

There’s some backstory that reveals his own past trauma which impacts our view of his behavior as an assassin. I felt like no one addresses that behavior satisfactorily in the book. Kyra doesn’t like what he does, but she kind of just shrugs and moves past it because she promised to help him.

That was probably the hardest part of the book for me to get past. I would have enjoyed the story a lot more if Sebastian had come to feel some guilt or remorse for what he’d done, especially to potentially innocent people.

Aside from that, I thought the story world was interesting and unique. I liked the idea that these two kingdoms believe they’ve always been separate, but their true shared history has been hidden from them. I loved Laycus, who ferries someone’s spirit to the afterlife. He was a great minor character. I hope that he has more involvement in the next book.

On the whole, I think readers who enjoy enemies to lovers stories and descriptive fantasy should check this one out.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Kyra is described as having brown skin. Sebastian is blonde. There are minor characters in same-gender relationships.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
Kyra has the ability to visit the place where someone’s spirit goes before they journey to the afterlife. If a person dies before their time, she can bring them back to life. Other characters have individual magical abilities. Kyra can also heal. Sebastian is able to create portals and fire.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. In one scene, someone dies in an earthquake. References to torture. Several scenes show or reference Sebastian murdering someone.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of REIGN RETURNED in exchange for my honest review.

Review: I’m the Girl by Courtney Summers

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , ,

I’m the Girl
Courtney Summers
Wednesday Books
Published September 13, 2022

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About I’m the Girl

The new groundbreaking queer thriller from New York Times bestselling and Edgar-award Winning author Courtney Summers.

When sixteen-year-old Georgia Avis discovers the dead body of thirteen-year-old Ashley James, she teams up with Ashley’s older sister, Nora, to find and bring the killer to justice before he strikes again. But their investigation throws Georgia into a world of unimaginable privilege and wealth, without conscience or consequence, and as Ashley’s killer closes in, Georgia will discover when money, power and beauty rule, it might not be a matter of who is guilty—but who is guiltiest.

A spiritual successor to the 2018 breakout hit, SADIE, I’M THE GIRL is a masterfully written, bold, and unflinching account of how one young woman feels in her body as she struggles to navigate a deadly and predatory power structure while asking readers one question: if this is the way the world is, do you accept it?

My Review

Books by Courtney Summers always take me a little time to sift through because I feel like she brings so much to the page for us to unpack. The story challenges its readers to dive deep into a girl who doesn’t have it all figured out. Georgia is a dreamer, and she doesn’t understand the price she’s being asked to pay until it’s being taken from her, and even then, she works really hard to rationalize what’s happened.

Georgia is the kind of character I wanted to stop from making the choices she’s making. I totally got why she did what she did. I knew she couldn’t see the danger signs. She was caught up in some other place, seeing stars and the recognition she felt she’d always been denied. It’s like those horror movies where the bad guy is hiding behind a door with an axe and you’re watching the main character opening doors without a clue what’s coming.

There was one moment toward the end, which I don’t think I can explain well without spoilers, but I’ll do my best. Georgia discovers a connection between a murdered girl and another crime operation, but the connection seemed weird to me. I think I wanted more explanation to understand what made that connection plausible. Otherwise it seemed like an unnecessary risk to the crime operation, if that makes sense?

Other than that, I feel like this is a book that grabbed my heart with both hands and squeezed, and I kind of held my breath until the end, hoping that Georgia would be okay, would learn what she needed to learn, and that she would answer the question about whether to accept a predatory power structure for herself.

It feels a little weird to refer to this book as a successor to SADIE when I feel like the whole premise of SADIE was that Sadie wholeheartedly rejects that predatory power structure, but there’s definitely a connection thematically between the two books. And both contain sisters seeking justice at any price.

I’M THE GIRL is another powerful story by an incredible author. It delves into some difficult content (listed below), so be aware of that.

Content Notes

Contains scenes depicting sexual assault, child pornography (from the victim’s perspective), references to human trafficking, assault and murder.

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Representation
Georgia and Nora are lesbians.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between two girls. Sex between two girls. References to masturbation.

Before the story begins, a man approached Georgia with a modeling scam. He tells her he wants to represent her as a model but she needs to be photographed. The photographer takes nude photos of her. Georgia thinks the photos are professional and make her look beautiful. Others in the book confront her with the truth of what these men did to her.

Two scenes depict graphic sexual assault. In one scene, Georgia finds the body of a girl who was murdered and obviously raped.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
See sexual content. A man threatens Georgia. A man attacks Georgia. Police find a man’s body after his death in an apparent suicide.

Drug Content
In one scene, Georgia’s new employer gives her a drink that he says is “virgin” but which contains alcohol. In another scene, a client coerces Georgia into drinking alcohol with him.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of I’M THE GIRL in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Shades of Rust and Ruin by A. G. Howard

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Shades of Rust and Ruin
A. G. Howard
Bloomsbury
Published September 6, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Shades of Rust and Ruin

Embrace the mysterious. Invoke the magical. Enter the Mystiquiel…

Phoenix “Nix” Loring knows her family is under a Halloween curse. When she was three, her parents tragically died on October 31st. Eleven years later, her twin sister Lark suffered a similar fate.

Ever since, Nix has battled survivor guilt. She can’t even find comfort in Clarey, Lark’s boyfriend and the one person who understands her pain, because Nix’s hidden feelings for him go far beyond friendship. All that remains are her sketches, where she finds solace among the goblins and faeries in her imaginary world of Mystiquel. When her depression starts affecting her ability to see color, Nix all but gives up on her art, until her uncle goes missing on Halloween day. Hot on his trail, Nix and Clarey step through a portal, becoming trapped inside a decaying version of their town filled with Nix’s own sketches come to life.

As Nix and Clarey search for her uncle within the sinister and dangerous world of Mystiquel, Nix discovers there’s more to her family curse and otherworldly artwork than she ever imagined—and unless she can solve the Goblin King’s maze before the clock strikes midnight, her life won’t be the only one the curse claims next.

Set in a gritty, steampunk-inspired fantasy world, New York Times bestselling author A.G. Howard launches a thrilling new duology full of romance, twists, and betrayals.

My Review

SHADES OF RUST AND RUIN is the first book by A. G. Howard that I’ve ever read. I have ROSEBLOOD, and I really want to read it, but haven’t managed to yet. All that to say, I went into this book without really knowing what to expect other than the information in the cover copy.

I liked the writing a lot. It’s emotive and dark– more spooky than creepy. The story world was pretty immersive. I definitely found myself getting lost in Mystiquiel. SHADES OF RUST AND RUIN is a retelling of “The Goblin Market” by Christina Rosetti, and I loved the references to the poem and the way the goblin market lore was used in the book.

If you know me at all, you know I absolutely adore sister books. The cover copy kind of undersells this part of the book because it makes it sound like Nix’s guilt and grief are spread over all her losses. But Lark wasn’t just Nix’s sister, she was her twin. Nix was the one who found her after she’d died. That’s the loss that has destroyed her. She spends a lot of the book still struggling to orient herself after her sister’s loss. I thought that was one of the most powerful parts of the story.

From what it says in the cover copy, I thought there would be more of a blossoming romance between Nix and Clarey. There’s a bit of a story there, but I thought it was a lot more understated than the cover copy led me to believe it would be. The last chapter of the book makes it seem like the second book in the duology is going to involve the romance a lot more, though.

I think readers who enjoyed DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE by Laini Taylor or SEA WITCH by Sarah Henning will enjoy this book.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Characters are white. Nix and her sister are said to be part albino. Clarey has panic attacks and trouble with spaces with a lot of people. His dog has a mechanical leg.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Brief kiss between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
The story contains goblin and fairy-like creatures who have some magic abilities. In their world, Nix has some magic herself.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Brief battle violence. Descriptions of Lark’s death.

Drug Content
The story references fruit from the goblin market and its affect on humans. It’s supposed to be very addicting. In the story of “The Goblin Market” one sister nearly dies after consuming fruit from the market because she can’t stop craving it.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of SHADES OF RUST AND RUIN in exchange for my honest review.