I was first put on LaDarrion Williams "Blood at the Root" via X (formerly Twitter) when I saw a tweet about it. It had to show up on my algorithm as a fan of the supernatural. Anyone that knows me, knows I am a huge Harry Potter fan (I mean I have a tattoo) and love fantasy stories. This story is described as Harry Potter meets an HBCU.
I had the pleasure of interviewing the author LaDarrion Williams during my time over at SpoilerTV and I will link that interview below for you to watch. At the time of the interview, I was halfway thru the book and recently finished it. Everything I said during the interview about what I loved about the book was of course true and now that I have finished it, I can give a complete review and lay out my thoughts.
I've seen other reviews saying that the book is too much like Harry Potter. As I consider myself somewhat of a Harry Potter expert, I have to address this criticism. JK Rowling did not invent the idea of witches and magical folk attending school to learn about their craft and history; that isn't new she just offered a fresh take, her take and LaDarrion does that here.
When you are telling the story of a young person with powers attending school, of course you can expect to have mysterious professors, love interests and bullies. It comes with any young adult story that features a teenager. That concept does not change because of Harry Potter.
LaDarrion tells the story of a young black boy with magic attending an all black school in the deep south. It is unique and different than and welcoming. This leads me into my next criticism I would like to address: the story is too black.
I am not sure how any content can be too black as this story is a representation of us. Can a person be too black? I do not understand those that felt that way. If you felt the book had language that was too strong or language you do not use then I would be able to understand that, but too black? No, there is no such thing.
Malik, the main character is like many black boys from the South. He grew up playing outside, eating soul food and enjoying being a kid until he life was changed with the discovery of his magical abilities and what he believes to be the murder of his mother. Growing up in the system is hard and the book explores what that is like for a black child honestly. I love how Malik looks after his little foster brother, their relationship is one of my favorites.
There is also the relationship with his love interest Alexis that brings teenage drama but also adult drama at the same time. Malik's group of friends he makes at the school are so important and so real and they definitely bring the comic relief. Malik's relationship with is grandmother reminds me so much of my aunties growing up.
The magic rooted in hoodoo and creole is a brilliant touch. The pacing of the story flowed really well and each character made sense. There is a twist of course that I won't spoil but it had my mouth on the floor and feeling so bad for Malik.
This book is a love letter to the black community. Don't take my word for it, pick up a copy and check out my interview with author LaDarrion Williams for SpoilerTV below:
What did you think of the book? Drop a comment.
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