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Book Review: Root Magic by Eden Royce

cover art for Root Magic by Eden Royce

Root Magic by Eden Royce

Walden Pond Media, 2021

ISBN-13 : 978-0062899576

Available:  Hardcover, Kindle edition, audiobook  ( Bookshop.org | Amazon.com )

 

 

Root Magic takes place on Wadmalaw, one of the Sea Islands off the coast of South Carolina that is home to the Gullah-Geechee nation, a unique ethnic group with a combined heritage from African and indigenous individuals with its own language and traditions. Author Eden Royce, creates a vivid picture of Gullah-Geechee culture and traditions in the setting of the Sea Islands around the time of the Kennedy assassination though her eleven-year old narrator, Jezebel.

After her grandmother dies, Jezebel’s grandfather decides it is time to teach Jezzie and her twin brother Jay the basics of root magic for the purposes of protection, such as painting their house “haint blue” so evil spirits and boo-hags can’t enter, mixing potions, and creating root bags.  The nearby marsh, previously a place the twins used to play, becomes dangerous as it tries to suck Jezzie in.  Still, the twins are fascinated by root magic and can’t wait to learn more.  Jezzie, in particular, starts to develop new powers, such as the ability to astrally project.

Things are not so easy at school. Jezzie has been jumped a year forward, and new girls from families with more money have moved to town. Jezzie, with her darker skin, mended clothes, and rumors of witchiness, becomes a target. Her only friend is Suzie, who can’t invite her over or visit her home, for reasons that become clear later.  In his grade, Jay has become friendly with the other boys, and Jezzie is worried that her connection to him is breaking.

In addition to troubles at school, there are troubles at home. A police officer has taken a particular interest in Jezzie’s family, invading their home in their absence, demanding food, threatening them, and breaking their things. He knows they are a family of root workers and his behavior towards them escalates. While Jezzie and Jay do face supernatural threats in the book, it is Jezzie’s compassion to animals and creatures in trouble (including boo-hags) that helps protect her family from this dangerous but not at all supernatural threat.

Royce’s descriptions make it feel almost like the reader could step through to the island, and she is able to set the time period effectively with just a few sentences. Jim Crow and racist policing are alive and well, and that’s built into the story. Children questioning why the school would still be segregated, the police searching Jezzie’s house without a warrant, and the effect of the Kennedy assassination on the community will get their answers without an exposition dump.  Royce’s presentation of the controversy over passing on root working practices both in the community and in the same family is also interesting, and she illustrates that root work is not a religion, but is a way of connecting with the world.

While the Gullah-Geechee nation became official in 2000, its existence is not well known, and it has a unique culture and language. Introducing Gullah-Geechee culture and language to a more mainstream audience through a middle-grade novel makes it very accessible. Eden Royce is a member of the Gullah-Geechee nation, and I think it would be very difficult to write about it from outside (in fact, there was a controversy over this not that long ago). Royce has a background as a horror writer for adults, with writing grounded in folklore and the Southern Gothic. I’m so glad she chose to use some of these same elements in this engaging historical Southern Gothic #OwnVoices novel for children. Children who enjoy this book may also enjoy Tracey Baptiste’s The Jumbies, Claribel A. Ortega’s Ghost Squad, and Marie Arnold’s The Year I Flew Away. Highly recommended for ages 8-12.

 

Contains: racism, police brutality, violence

Posted on March 19, 2021 by , Reply

The Vampirates Are Here! A Guest Reading from Justin Somper

As promised from earlier this week, not only have we published a review of the first book in the Vampirates series, Vampirates: Demons of the Ocean, but as we are participating in a blog tour for the series, we have a guest reading from the author, Justin Somper (accompanied by his dog, Bella). Justin chose to read a rather gruesome scene from the third book in the series, Vampirates: Blood Captain. This book is considerably longer and gets much deeper into characterization of the pirates– Connor is only briefly mentioned, and Grace not at all– but it is a great, suspenseful, dark scene that I’m sure will encourage you to continue on through the series past the first book.  All six are scheduled  to be reprinted this month:  #1 Demons of the Ocean, #2 Tide of Terror, #3 Blood Captain, #4 Black Heart, #5 Empire of Night and #6 Immortal War. With the completed series available, I’m sure we’ll see middle-grade and early teen readers zip right through them! Thanks very much to Justin for providing us with this great reading from Blood Captain!

Have a great weekend!

Posted on March 13, 2021 by , Reply

Book Review: Vampirates: Demons of the Ocean (Vampirates #1) by Justin Somper

cover art for Vampirates: Demons of the Ocean by Justin SomperDemons of the Ocean by

Vampirates: Demons of the Ocean (Vampirates #1) by Justin Somper

uClan Publishing, 2020 (reissue)

ISBN-13 : 978-1912979110

Available: Paperback  ( Amazon.co.uk )

 

Open the gorgeous covers of Justin Somper’s Vampirates: Demons of the Ocean and you’ll be drawn into the story of fourteen-year-old twins Grace and Connor Tempest,  whose father, the lighthouse keeper for Crescent Moon Bay, used to sing them to sleep with a sea shanty warning about the Vampirates, dangerous pirates who are also vampires. Now that he’s dead, the bank has seized his property, leaving them homeless and impoverished. Although the banker, Lachlan Busby, offers them a home, the twins refuse, stealing back their father’s boat and escaping onto the open sea. This impulsive decision turns out not to be their best decision, as they are caught in a storm and nearly drowned. Each twin is lucky enough to be rescued by a different ship, both pirate ships, and is desperate to reunite with the other. Athletic Connor is quickly embraced by the crew of the Diablo, where he is soon caught up in the politics of the benefits of the captain’s “old-school” piracy and his assistant’s “new-school” methods.  Intelligent Grace is saved by Lorcan Furey, a midshipman on the Vampirates’ ship, although she is unaware of that, and she is hidden away in a downstairs cabin for her safety, but her curiosity overcomes her good sense and she is discovered.

The kickoff to the story doesn’t make a lot of sense. Although we get an early introduction to who the Vampirates are, and why the twins aren’t afraid of them in the first chapter, the events after the funeral left a lot of questions unanswered– for instance, why is their reaction to an offer for a home from the banker so negative? It’s also confusing that the story is set in 2505, as the descriptions suggest an earlier time without modern technology. However, the target audience will likely let these things slide past. I appreciated that there were both male and female protagonists as well as strong secondary characters. Connor’s half of the story is a fast-paced adventure with plenty of intrigue that will grab readers and keep them turning the pages. Grace’s part of the story is much slower in pace (I hope it will pick up) and didn’t seem to reflect the author’s characterization of her as extremely intelligent (she’s definitely curious, but not much of a thinker) but the descriptions of the vampirates and their mysterious and threatening behavior add suspense as the ships, and Connor and Grace, get closer together. It’s interesting to see vampirates such as the captain and Lorcan so protective of Grace, as the vampirates as a group are not nearly as considerate of other humans on the ship. Why is Grace so special?

The book ends without answering many of these questions, but it is the first in a complete, previously published series, and future books are certain to address them. Additional materials in the back include a transcript of Grace’s interview with the vampirate Sidorio, a map of The Diablo, reading group questions, and reader’s advisory suggestions.  This well-paced adventure, complete with plucky orphans, vampires, pirates, action, and intrigue will appeal to both boys and girls. Recommended for ages 9+

Contains: murder, blood drinking, mention of torture

 

Reviewed by Kirsten Kowalewski

Posted on March 13, 2021 by , Reply
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