Review – Rust in the Root by Justina Ireland (4.5/5 stars)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Length: 440 pages
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Release Date: September 20, 2022
ASIN: B09NW53T31
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Borrowed eBook from Library
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
“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.”
Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I borrowed this on ebook from my library.
Thoughts: This is a unique and well done historical fantasy. I enjoyed it a lot and would love to see more books set in this world.
The story follows Laura, who has traveled to New York with dreams of building her own magical bakery. Unfortunately, she’s having a tough time making a go of it and ends up applying for a job with the Bureau of the Arcane’s Conservation Corps and is reluctantly taken on as an apprentice there by Skylark. Skylark, Laura, and some other mage/apprentice pairs are quickly sent off to the Ohio Blight, a horrible area that needs to be gotten under control before it destroys the whole nation.
This book builds an amazing world in a short page space. The America after The Great Rust is a nation divided between those who practice Mechomancy and those who practice traditional magic. I loved the complex magic system here and the intricate history in this unique and creative alternate historical fantasy set in the 1930’s. This whole world is just very nicely put together and very intriguing to read about.
I enjoyed Laura as a character and really enjoyed her fellow mages as well. Laura grows a lot throughout the story and it was fun to watch her explore her own magical powers. I was completely engaged in the story the whole time, it was easy to read and I really loved it.
I do have a couple of small complaints. The complexity of this world and the complexity of the magic system makes it a lot of absorb very quickly and the information dumping gets a bit heavy. Things were pretty confusing for the first few chapters and it would have been nice to have the world and magic system rolled out a bit more smoothly. I also felt like the story was rushed, there is just so much that happens in this book. However, these complaints are completely outweighed by the general awesomeness of this world, it is truly unique and very well done. I really hope there are more books set in this world; this book felt a rushed intro to this world and magic system and I would love to delve deeper.
My Summary (5/5): Overall I really loved this story. The world-building is top-notch and the magical system is complex and fascinating. The characters were easy to engage with and well done and I really enjoyed the adventure and magic. I would love to see more books set in this world in the future and hope that there are some companion books released at some point. I would recommend to those who enjoy alternate historical fantasies; especially those set in American in the 1930’s with a lot of intriguing magic.
