Rust in the Root by Justina Ireland

Rust in the Root Reviews

• 
  ☀️Carden☀️

  I loved
  Dread Nation. If Justina Ireland can keep pumping out historical fantasy books with badass black queens, I will read just about anything she writes.
• 
  Jamie (TheRebelliousReader)

  3 stars. This was a really busy novel. Too many ideas and not enough follow through on any of those ideas. It lacks focus. I get what Ireland was going for and it is a really cool plot but this had too much going on. I liked the writing and the main character Laura but the world building, magic system, and execution left so much to be desired. I don’t know if this is going to stay a stand alone but I personally think it would benefit from at least one more book to really flesh everything out. Overall, it wasn’t terrible but it left me wanting more from it.
• 
  *mk*

  Really cool world building, though I wish this book had been longer and the characters more fleshed out. I almost wish this was an adult fantasy, I think there was a lot of really interesting stuff in here that I wanted to read more about.
• 
  laurel [the suspected bibliophile]

  This was so damn good.
  
  Good alternate history is surprisingly hard to do well, and Ireland is a master of the craft. There's the Great Rust (like the great depression, but with magic), the African Genocide (Black people were enslaved and murdered so their souls could power machinery), and Prohibition (the ban of magical use without a license), and so many other little tweaks that work perfectly within this imagined world.
  
  The magic system is also fascinating, as is the concept of the blighted areas.
  
  I loved the adventure (no spoilers), the mentor/mentee relationship between Laura and Skylark, and the band of misfit family that emerges during the course to figure out what the hell is happening in Ohio.
  
  It's a little bit
  Ring Shout, a little bit
  Thirteenth Child, and entirely its own creation.
• 
  Marje

  Read this book! Read this book! Read this book!
  
  Especially if you love magic and social issues and Depression era stories and dragons.
  
  
• 
  Katie Hanna

  Fantasy monsters in the Great Depression. Fascinating concepts, but weirdly paced and too much talking rather than adventure. Also, I don't care much for Justina Ireland's tendency (demonstrated over several books) to be like "my MC is queer!" and then give us Not One Single Jot of Queer Romance from the first page to the last--
• 
  Charmaine Morgan

  4.5 another banger from Justina Ireland. It has stronger horror-esque moments than Dread Nation did and got quite eerie at times, which was surprising to me. But the plot was too good for my scaredy-cat self to abandon ship.
• 
  Lata

  Justina Ireland returns to Earth, from the High Republic, and gives us a new, terrific story about a young woman determined to make her way in New York City, the different magical systems at work in the country (Dynamism and Mechomancy (on the rise with technological advancements)), and frightening Rust blight and beasts held at bay by the combined efforts of a magical organization.
  
  Laura's frank, tough, and desperate when we first meet her. She wants to open a bakery and use her magic (Floramancy, a form of Dynamism) to create beautiful and tasty confections. She's having no luck finding an apprenticeship, and ends up unwillingly joining the Bureau of the Arcane's Conservation Corps, Coloured Auxiliary, which fights the blight. Before Laura can even catch her breath, she and the division head, Agent Skylark, are off to deal with a serious rust problem. The two are soon coopted into dealing with an even bigger Rust outbreak with other magic workers (e.g. Floramancers, Sanamancers, Faunomancers, etc.) The whole team is walloped and on the run in no time, and Laura begins discovering new abilities, and has an enigmatic old woman intruding into her thoughts.
  
  Laura is magnificent. Justina Ireland is fantastic at making me care for Laura and want her to somehow end up running that bakery. And if that doesn't happen, become adept at wielding her new powers with her new friends, the survivors of the deadly situation the auxiliary was sent to deal with. Ireland successfully melds New York City of 1936 together with her magic systems and practitioners of the mystical arts. I tore through this book and dearly hope Ireland returns to this world again.
  
• 
  Madison

  The first 200 pages of this book were a long, slow slog for me, but the second half was a much more engaging reading experience. I don't really love alternate history, especially stories like this where every single historical event--Prohibition, the Great Depression, The New Deal, etcetc--is rewritten to be entirely about magic/steampunk stuff. I also felt a little weird about some of the real-life Depression-era photos of people that the author labeled with fictional character names and magical backstories--I don't think there's anything inherently unethical about it, but I just didn't love it.
  
  I did like Laura's voice a lot, though, as well as how dark/intense this book got toward the end.
• 
  Jennifer

  After reading reviews I was very scared I wouldn't enjoy this book. Butttttt. I loved it. Yes there is A LOT to take in and I do believe this book could do with a prequel and a sequel and I found some things to be lacking but overall, the author gave us a really solid foundation. Fingers crossed for more books in this world.
• 
  Ashley Hart

  This was such a cool concept. Sometimes there was a lot of world building, but once you understood the dynamics, it moved at a fun pace. If there was a sequel, I believe more of this would make sense.
  
  I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own
• 
  Katie

  Everything about this book is phenomenal. I absolutely love Justina Ireland. This is now one of my favorite books. The world and characters and plot are all perfection. I want more.
• 
  Patty (IheartYA311)

  Originality, seamless character development, spectacular world building, and flawless writing, as expected from Ireland in this entertaining historical fiction fantasy. While I liked Rust in the Root, Dread Nation still holds the top spot. One of my favorite authors!
• 
  Dini - dinipandareads

  Special thanks to Grace Fell at Spark Point Studio and Balzer + Bray for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
  
  TL;DR: Rust in the Root is an exciting and engaging historical fantasy set in a reimagined 1930s America, specifically the events of the Great Depression, Jim Crow, and slavery, with a magical and fantastical twist. I found Ireland's writing to be entertaining, and I loved the characters and the magic, which I found fascinating and wanted entirely more of! This had a darkness to it that I surprisingly really enjoyed and the social commentary felt very timely. I think you would enjoy this if you've read books by this author before and if you like your history with a bit of a magical twist!
  
  Despite a somewhat confusing first few chapters, I quickly found myself absorbed in the story and eagerly pressed on to see how the action would unfold. The story is told through alternating perspectives and in a mixed media format that I wasn't sure about at first but came to really enjoy the more I read—we get letters, newspaper clippings, report extracts and photographs that added to the realistic historical aspect. Ireland's writing was engaging and entertaining, with a good dose of dry/witty humour that had me laughing out loud at the most unexpected of times, but it was also incredibly atmospheric. America is in throes of recovery from the "Great Rust" and there's a sense of bleakness that permeates the writing, which shifts into a dogged sense of foreboding as the story progresses. The social/historical commentary was also great and I appreciated how the author doesn't shy away from showing how even though it's New York, racism and prejudice still made life for Black people incredibly difficult, and some of the scenes had me wanting to rage so badly! I felt completely immersed in the time period.
  
  Once the details of the world start to make a bit more sense around the 10-15% mark, the story took off and kept a pretty steadily fast pace until the end. That said, one of the main issues I had was with the world-building. Ireland tries to do a lot here and although I loved the whole concept and found it fascinating, I felt that the world-building, particularly the magical system, suffered for it. What made the beginning confusing is that we're thrown into this world in such a way that it felt like we should've already understood what was happening when we didn't. The magical concept was very cool and I loved the different ways it manifested through flora, fauna, elemental and healing, but it was explained in such a haphazard and clunky way that we're still learning new things about how the magic works at the very end. At times it kind of felt like reading something while explicitly only knowing half of what you need to so that the picture never really clears up. Having so much packed into this story made the ending also feel a little rushed and at times I felt like Ireland was setting us up for a second book, only for the book to end and have everything be very neatly wrapped up.
  
  Though the world-building left me a little wanting, I do think the main characters made up for it. I loved our main characters Laura and Skylark and it was equally enjoyable to read from both their perspectives! Laura was a fantastic character who has grand dreams when she moves to New York to earn her mage's license and it's by a stroke of unicorn luck that she winds up interviewing at the Bureau of the Arcane's Conservation Corps. I loved her confidence in the face of so much uncertainty and I admired how she wasn't afraid to put herself out there and try new things even when it scared her. She was so easy to root for and I loved seeing how she grew more confident in her abilities and into her own skin as the story progressed. As Laura's mentor, Skylark was definitely more reserved and there was a coldness to her perspective that I wasn't sure about at first but eventually made sense the more we learn about her—it really fit her character and everything she has been through! We're also introduced to quite a few supporting characters, such as the apprentices, Louise and the Grimalk, who I found really interesting but we don't really get to know them aside from their magical talent and the mere surface of their personalities, which made them feel quite flat. I did enjoy their group dynamic though and how a sort of 'found family' was created between them, I just wished they had been better fleshed out.
  
  Overall, despite some minor issues I had with world-building and character development, I still managed to really enjoy this book and sped through almost 70% of it in one sitting cos I didn't want to put it down. I definitely wouldn't mind if we got more of this historical setting and these characters in another book because they were so fun to read about!
• 
  Sandra

  Check out my full video review:
  https://youtu.be/Q7HdY4Y04mU
  
  This is a really cool historical fiction that follows our main character Laura, she is a mage and takes a job at the government to survive! In this job they need to fight The Blight, which is causing havoc in America in 1937.
  
  I think this story reminds me of Annhilation meets Miss Peregrine Home for Peculiar Children, but it it is not white! The way the mission is set up is veeery much like Annhilation, and there are eerie black and white photos throughout the book. I loved the snealy foreshadowing, the queer relationship and the complex relations our main character goes through in this time because she is not white (basically people are racist ok). I found however the world building and plot a bit lacking for me to fully and completely love the story. Don't get me wrong, it was an enjoyable and interesting book I just wish it had expanded more on the cool parts (like the magic!). 3.75/5 stars.
• 
  Haunna

  I feel like the exposition in this book was a little long. It felt like we were still building the world and the points of the plot until the end almost. I just wish there had been a little bit better of an introduction into the story, because I think the bones were good. I can tell this is a well researched book. It is interesting to read. I'm just not sure if the person to recommend it to anyone mostly because it wasn't a stand out fantasy for me.
  
  Representation: lesbian, main character, gender fluid side character, Achillean side relationship
• 
  KaylaTRBG

  Fantastic intro to Justina Ireland! I love alternative histories (I don’t read enough) and this was so creative and well researched! So excited for what’s to come 🫶🏾
• 
  Katie.dorny

  I will always enjoy queer poc historical fantasy.
  
  I just personally didn’t love this as much as her first duology.
• 
  Christabel

  3.75 stars
  Really slow to start off and hard to get into? but once things started actually happening in the second half it was fun.
• 
  Simon

  Fascinating concept, felt very "but of course". Liked the characters, I believe there is another volume planned and I very much hope so.
• 
  Jay

  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.
• 
  Laura

  DNF. Could be format (audio) but am still not feeling it at 40% through. I loved the Dread Nation books, so this saddens me.
• 
  Renata

  OOh this was cool! For me, I've been a fan of Justina Ireland's online presence and activism for a long time but her books haven't always hit for me. I thought
  Dread Nation sounded like an amazing concept but the book itself didn't quite live up to my hopes for it. But the premise for this one sounded so cool I had to check it out and I'm glad I did! There's a lot of world building to set up and it's a liiil clunky at times but overall really cool shit, great characters, great social/historical commentary.
• 
  Sara (A Gingerly Review)

  This book had a fantastic premise and I was all for it, but it felt like it moved too slow.
• 
  Diana-christie Biancardi

  Kind of hard to get into. I keep reading them for the covers and magic! I loved Dread Nation.
• 
  ivana

  This was brilliant! From the intricacy of the plot to the characters. 4.5!
• 
  Diana

  Dnfed at page 261
  
  I have been pushing myself to keep on reading but reading shouldn't feel like a forced chore... I loved Dread Nation, but I just couldn't enter the world of this book (and not for lack of trying)
• 
  Damon

  Ireland did it again!
  
  I love the alternative history with a focus on Black people and how they face and overcome the same and wildly different adversities. I know a number of her readers probably are unaware how much of those adversities are based on our actual history but hopefully they'll be inspired to look deeper.
  
  A masterful novel with well-crafted characters and a fascinating premise. I highly recommend it.
• 
  Cheyenne

  4 ⭐ CW: violence, death, animal death, blood, racism, racial slurs
  
  Rust in the Root by Justina Ireland is a historical fantasy based on the Great Depression/Dust Bowl era. Just like her Dread Nation duology, Ireland has killed it (pun intended)! I'm loving the historical revisionism with a fantasy/horror element. Like her previous duology, this book tackles institutional racism, but also confronts the very real fact that some black folks also help to uphold these structures.
  
  We follow Laura, a lesbian mage who just wants her mage license so she can become a great baker, raveling wonderful and tasty treats for important people. In order to do this she has to apprentice under a licensed mage, and joins the Bureau of the Arcane's Conservation Corps, Black Auxiliary. This government group of mages are treated like an expendable clean up crew, since black folks practicing the mystic arts are considered to be less important than Mechomancy, the type of magic white people wield to power mechanical constructs.
  
  Joining the Auxiliary turns out to be more than Laura bargained for when she and a group of mages are sent to Ohio to fix the Ohio Deep Blight, an area the Great Rust has made difficult to live in and difficult to ravel in. What they find is that Ohio is no ordinary Blight, and that something they thought had disappeared in history is back and killing black mages for power.
  
  I loved Laura's character. She's snarky and smart, and hopelessly attracted to pretty ladies. She turns out to be way more powerful than she knew she could be. The magic system is very cool. It's based on African root working, and has different disciplines for working the Dynamism: Cerebromancy, Faunomancy, Floramancy, Illusion, Pavomancy, Petramancy, Sanamancy, Figuramancy, Necromancy, and Wytchcraft (the use of all the disciplines together). In this story, the Klan used Necromancy to control, kill, and exploit enslaved Africans.
  
  I love having more historical fiction following Black people that isn't about slavery. We also get a couple of gay male side characters, but romance is not really part of the plot. I kind of wish we had a second book to follow up with Laura after everything happened. I don't want to spoil things, so just go read this book!