Rust in the Root

By: Justina Ireland

Narrated by: Jordan Cobb

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 queer 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 four 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.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

Delightful!

For fans of HMRC or those looking for a less heavy version of the Parable books. Excellent read!

Very Creatively written!

I love the creative sc-fi twists and links to Black history. The story is very intricate so I had to pay close attention to follow it. Love it!

great story, nice weaving of history and magic

great introduction to a world full of magic that might actually have been (still us?) a thing, here. Narrator sounded like she had a stuffy nose, but ... things like that happen. worth the purchase

Another winner.

Engaging story with beautiful narration. This is my third book by this author and I love them all.

Overall a great tale

I love the tale and the use of actual root-working constructs. However, the author does not have a sophisticated vocabulary. She uses too many tired cliches.