local-boy-wife

[curlyhairedbibliophile]

Cover Art | Blood at the Root by LaDarrion Williams

A teenager on the run from his past finds the family he never knew existed and the community he never knew he needed at an HBCU for the young, Black, and magical. Enroll in this fresh fantasy debut with the emotional power of Legendborn and the redefined ancestral magic of Lovecraft Country. Ten years ago, Malik’s life changed forever the night his mother mysteriously vanished and he discovered he had uncontrollable powers. Since then, he has kept his abilities hidden, looking out for himself and his younger foster brother, Taye. Now, at 17, Malik is finally ready to start a new life for both of them, far from the trauma of his past. However, a daring act to rescue Taye reveals an unexpected connection with his long-lost grandmother: a legendary conjurer with ties to a hidden magical university that Malik’s mother attended. At Caiman University, Malik’s eyes are opened to a future he never could have envisioned for himself— one that includes the reappearance of his first love, Alexis. His search for answers about his heritage, his powers, and what really happened to his mother exposes the cracks in their magical community as it faces a reawakened evil dating back to the Haitian Revolution. Together with Alexis, Malik discovers a lot beneath the surface at Caiman: feuding covens and magical politics, forbidden knowledge and buried mysteries.  In a wholly unique saga of family, history and community, Malik must embrace his legacy to save what’s left of his old family as well as his new one. Exploring the roots and secrets that connect us in an unforgettable contemporary setting, this heart-pounding fantasy series opener is a rich tapestry of atmosphere, intrigue, and emotion.

Artwork by Hillary D. Wilson

Release date | May 7, 2024 Storygraph

[bookaddict24-7]

NEW YOUNG ADULT RELEASES! (MAY 7TH, 2024)

___

HAVE I MISSED ANY NEW YOUNG ADULT RELEASES? HAVE YOU ADDED ANY OF THESE BOOKS TO YOUR TBR? LET ME KNOW!

___

NEW STANDALONES/FIRST IN A SERIES:

Bite Me, Royce Taslim by Lauren Ho

The Summer Love Strategy by Ray Stoeve

Perfect Little Monsters by Cindy R.X. He

Better Must Come by Desmond Hall

Fifteenth Summer by Michelle Dalton

Sixteenth Summer by Michelle Dalton

Spin of Fate by A.A. Vora

The Unboxing of a Black Girl by Angela Shanté

Blood at the Root by LaDarrion Williams

This Book Won't Burn by Samira Ahmed

The Dare by Natasha Preston

Lie Until It's True by Jessie Weaver

Hot Boy Summer by Joe Jiménez

Dispatches from Parts Unknown by Bryan Bliss

Sunhead by Alex Assan

Eyes Open by Lyn Miller-Lachmann

Breathe: Journeys to Healthy Binding by Maia Kobabe & Dr. Sarah Peitzmeier

Malicia by Steven dos Santos

The Ballad of Darcy and Russell by Morgan Matson

Queerceañera by Alex Crespo

Death's Country by R.M. Romero

Beastly Beauty by Jennifer Donnelly

Sweet Nightmare by Tracy Wolff

NEW SEQUELS:

More Than This (The Davenports #2) by Krystal Marquis

Pulled Under (Sixteenth Summer #2) by Michelle Dalton

Swept Away (Sixteenth Summer #3) by Michelle Dalton

Burning Crowns (Twin Crowns #3) by Catherine Doyle & Katherine Webber

___

Happy reading!

[histhoughtslately]

This here is something I have been waiting for and believe it or not, with all respect, it’s about time!

Playwright, author, filmmaker and screenwriter, LaDarrion Williams is sharing his magic with his much anticipated book, “Blood at the Root”. To have a book with a young black man as the protagonist in the world of magic and metaphysics is something I’m excited to read. I’m looking forward to getting to know how the character and his surroundings in this realm.

Blood at the Root: A teenager on the run from his past finds the family he never knew existed and the community he never knew he needed at an HBCU for the young, Black, and magical. Enroll in this fresh fantasy debut unlike anything you've seen before.

Ten years ago, Malik's life changed forever the night his mother mysteriously vanished and he discovered he had uncontrollable powers. Since then, he has kept his abilities hidden, looking out for himself and his younger foster brother, Taye. Now, at 17, Malik is finally ready to start a new life for both of them, far from the trauma of his past. However, a daring act to rescue Taye reveals an unexpected connection with his long-lost grandmother: a legendary conjurer with ties to a hidden magical university that Malik’s mother attended.

At Caiman University, Malik’s eyes are opened to a future he never could have envisioned for himself— one that includes the reappearance of his first love, Alexis. His search for answers about his heritage, his powers, and what really happened to his mother exposes the cracks in their magical community as it faces a reawakened evil dating back to the Haitian Revolution. Together with Alexis, Malik discovers a lot beneath the surface at Caiman: feuding covens and magical politics, forbidden knowledge and buried mysteries.

In a wholly unique saga of family, history and community, Malik must embrace his legacy to save what's left of his old family as well as his new one. Exploring the roots and secrets that connect us in an unforgettable contemporary setting, this heart-pounding fantasy series opener is a rich tapestry of atmosphere, intrigue, and emotion.

You can pre-order the book now. It debuts May 7th, 2024. Support indie book shops and you’ll get a signed copy.

[tanyasreading]

Blood at the Root by LaDarrion Williams

[bookcoversonly]

Title: Blood at the Root | Author: LaDarrion Williams | Publisher: Labyrinth Road (2024)

[bookish-black-girl]

Hmm so Blood at the Root? Let's review:

Apologies if this becomes less review and more stream of thoughts as they come to me. I just finished this book last night and I don't want to forget things in my quest to wait a few days like I do for other reads. Getting on with it...

BAtR starts us off with what I'd categorize as the most if not one of the most traumatic events of main character Malik Baron's life. The day his magic (majik??) manifests is the day his mom dies and leaves him an orphan. The jury is out as to whether Malik killed her or not, but talk to any adult and it's obvious, isn't it??? ~sarcasm~

Fast-forward ten years and 17 year old Malik is emancipated and has one goal to rescue his foster brother Taye from the younger boy's abusive and neglectful foster parents. (If I reread this book in preparation for the sequel, I plan to skip the first 3 chapters because I'm not interested in reading about that depth of pain, hurt, and trauma again even if it sets up the rest of the book.)

A grand auto theft and nasty altercation with Taye's foster parents--also previously Malik's--Taye and Malik are on their way to California for a better life. But plans change and Malik ends up finding out he has a grandmother in Louisiana and a chance to attend a magical HBCU, Caiman University, and a chance to find out what really happened to his mama all those years ago.

What I intended as a hybrid read (physical copy + audiobook) morphed into a mostly physical read because my eyes needed to be on some paper to better keep up and retain EVERYTHING 🫡 not at all a complaint, but more a fun fact because many people suggested the audiobook as the best way to experience the book!

BAtR did some cool, unique, and important things IMO. Reminiscent of the Witchlings series by Claribel A. Ortega where the spells and magic are unapologetically in Spanish, this world leans heavily on Kreyol, sometimes translating for the reader and others time not. I quite enjoyed that! This story was also entrenched in Black Excellence, Power, and Resilience; Caiman U wasn't just there to look pretty and at my big age I'd love to have magic abilities and get to attend an HBCU.

I really appreciated the intentional diversity of Black queerness, with special attention to some of the Black guys in the book. Biphobia (and transphobia) continue to have my people by their THROATS and I like that Williams said hush that noise, Black people don't fit into a neat box so don't try and shove 'em in there!

This is getting long and I still have to get to the critique part of this review, so let's add some commas to the mix! The action scenes were stressful but flowed in such a way I couldn't stop reading, the use of AAVE was a treat and didn't need any explanation, Taye and Malik's relationship had me choked up more than a few times and it made my heart happy to know that Malik would burn down the world for him (and be completely justified IMO, just saying), and while I didn't mind the pop culture references, some choices had me worried if the target demographic would even recognize them.

That all being said, it's time to delve into some of the things that didn't work for me in this read.

SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS okay y'all gone yet?? 😂

There are 3 prominent Black female characters in this book that have as much an impact on the story as they do on Malik's growth and development as a character. Maya Aye, Malik's badass and powerful grandmother who isn't to be trifled with, Malik's mama, who I assumed hadn't actually died and was proved to be right, and Alexis, Malik's crush from the foster system turned first love. Their fates by the end of the book wouldn't bother me so much if the other Black girls and women didn't feel so one note (with the exception of Empress Bonclair, that bougie ass woman is gonna be trouble later and I'm so here for it LOL).

I'll preface by saying that Malik has trust issues that are 100% justified. In fact, most of the decisions Malik made didn't seem outside of the realm of possibility (abandonment, betrayal, general neglect, and being a Black boy in America will accomplish that!) With the exception of a repeated sexist belief that Alexis must be sleeping with his rival Donja for her to be on his side, Malik's actions and reactions felt reasonable and sometimes justified.

On Alexis: I'm so sorry but the romance or attempt at romance was never believable to me as a reader. There was a lot of telling over showing, and she felt a lot like a plot device just so Malik could be betrayed by her towards the end of the book. But because I didn't feel any particular attachment to her, I didn't feel the proper rage needed when she's punished by being expelled from the college and having her powers and memories stripped. I did however get a bitter taste in my mouth at having the Black girl who was going hard for other Black girls going missing and turning up dead, magic abilities or not, paying this heavy price. The more i think about it, it really feels as if Alexis' character was created to be punished at the expense of the Black boy she loves. Again...icky feelings there.

On Lorraine (Malik's mom): I'll come out the gate and say that this woman is evil. She purposefully got into some bad shit and in her quest for power she was rightfully imprisoned. Malik's loving, good memories of her? Completely self-fabricated in what I interpreted as a trauma response. I think this plot twist would have been fine in my book, maybe amazing if not for the fact that Lorraine is presented as this bright, talented young woman revered years after she left Caiman U. Again, I have this bitter taste in my mouth about an intelligent, promising young Black woman who comes off as plot fodder for Malik's character growth. When the only other Black women are set dressing with no true prominent role in the story besides how they connect to Malik, all I can do is shake my head in annoyance.

On Mama Aya: I think that this one isn't so egregious as the above examples. Mama Aya in her attempts to find her grandson sacrificed her life and the magic came to collect on that agreement. She loved and protected Malik with everything in her, and even if I empathize with Malik for feeling some type of way for the years he thought he was alone in the world with nothing and no one, I do think Mama Aye was a victim of circumstances too when it came to the decisions of her daughter and the butterfly effect that caused. Still, with Alexis expelled and his evil mama out in the world planning to cause some real destruction and damage, losing his grandmother felt like when I sat in the theater for Spider-Man: No Way Home and the narrative decided that we needed to kill Aunt May for reasons I still don't understand. It's wasteful. It's unnecessarily traumatic. It screams shock-value when it needs to shut the hell up. That emotional beat could have come from anywhere else, like??

To wrap up these thoughts, I conclude by saying that I'm unsure what to rate this read. I was engaged and locked-in, giving the energy of a 4 star minimum rating. But the way the narrative treats the female characters puts it in the 3 star range. On the other hand, I 100% plan to continue this series if only to see how things shake out for Malik and the rest.

For now, we'll leave this unrated and maybe I'll feel differently when I've read the anticipated sequel.

[kelly-clarksons]

kellyclarksonshow: The competition is heating up ahead of #ParisOlympics with @ harryconnickjr! ➡️ PLUS @ gracieabrams performs in studio, @ lawrencezarian trains with @ teamusa fencers @ gerekmeinhardt and @ leetothekiefer, and @ itsladarrion previews his new book!

[rosepetals1984]

Review: "Blood at the Root" by LaDarrion Williams

Initial reaction: 4-4.5 stars. There’s many layers to Blood at the Root that I really enjoyed, writing, character attention and detail, magic system and display. I’m still thinking about certain aspects of it long after reading it, though there are some aspects that I’m critical of that can be seen as flaws of the main character, not the narrative itself. Full review: All right, everyone. I’m…

[nfinitefreetime]

#REVIEW: Blood at the Root, by Ladarrion Williams

This is another one of those “See that cover? Go buy this book” types of reviews. Because … damn. They say that authors nowadays need a social media presence in order to sell any books, and, well, I’m only aware of Blood at the Root because the TikTok algorithm put Ladarrion Williams in front of my face over and over again until I caved and ordered his book. And Williams is refreshingly direct…

[thenerdsofcolor]

LaDarrion Williams on the Themes of ‘Blood at the Root’ and Making a Difference in Fantasy

NOC Interview: LaDarrion Williams on the Themes of ‘Blood at the Root’ and Making a Difference in Fantasy @ItsLaDarrion #BloodattheRoot @penguinrandom

Screenwriter, director and playwright LaDarrion Williams is making his novel debut with Blood at the Root, which releases on May 7. You can hear the author speak all about his new fantasy story at his upcoming 92NY event. Continue reading LaDarrion Williams on the Themes of ‘Blood at the Root’ and Making a Difference in Fantasy

[finnstansonly]

sorry to everyone who just sees me randomly say that ladarrion Williams is my arch nemesis and leave bc I really talk all my shit on Twitter and all my actual analysis of why he should be sent to prison is in discord so you just have to trust me and I know I’m known for hating but I need you to know I have perhaps never felt more hate in my life than I do towards this man

[sistahscifi]

Happy Juneteenth, everyone! We’re celebrating by spotlighting incredible Black authors and Black-owned bookstores.

Check out these amazing bookstores: 📖 @MahoganyBooks 📖 @BaldwinandCompany 📖 @marcus.books

And for some must-read books, we highly recommend:

📚 Wake by Rebecca Hall

📚 Blood At the Root by LaDarrion Williams

📚 The Reformatory by @Tananarive Due

📚 Kindred Graphic Novel by Damian Duffy

These powerful titles delve into freedom through the lenses of gender, sexuality, race, and class. Which book would you recommend and why? Drop your favorites in the comments! ⬇️❤️

#Juneteenth #juneteenth2024 #happyjuneteenth #happyjuneteenth2024 #celebrateblackculture #blackpower #blackexcellence #blackauthors #blackculture #blackhistory #unapologeticallyblack #blackandproud #sistahscifi #sistahscifibookstore

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

Young Adult Book Releases: May 2024

🦇 Good morning, my bookish bats. I hope you have a good book, hit cuppa, and sweet snack within reach! No TBR is complete without a few young adult novels, and plenty were released in May! Here are a few YA releases to consider adding to your shelves.

🩷 May 7 🩷 ✨ The Summer Love Strategy by Ray Stoeve ✨ Hot Boy Summer by Joe Jiménez ✨ The Ballad of Darcy & Russell - Morgan Matson ✨ Pulled Under - Michelle Dalton ✨ Bite Me, Royce Taslim - Lauren Ho ✨ The Unboxing of a Black Girl - Angela Shanté ✨ Dispatches from Parts Unknown - Bryan Bliss ✨ Beastly Beauty - Jennifer Donnelly ✨ This Book Won't Burn - Samira Ahmed ✨ Perfect Little Monsters - Cindy R.X. He ✨ Sunhead - Alex Assan ✨ Lie Until It's True - Jessie Weaver ✨ Malicia by Steven dos Santos ✨ Blood at the Root - LaDarrion Williams ✨ Spin of Fate - A.A. Vora ✨ Death's Country - R. M. Romero ✨ Queerceañera by Alex Crespo ✨ Eyes Open - Lyn Miller-Lachmann ✨ Breathe: Journeys to Healthy Binding - Maia Kobabe, Dr. Sarah Peitzmeier

🩷 May 14 🩷 ✨ The Girl in Question by Tess Sharpe ✨ A Crane Among Wolves - June Hur ✨ 10 Things I Hate About Prom - Elle Gonzalez Rose ✨ Blood & Fury - Tessa Gratton & Justina Ireland ✨ The Dangerous Ones - Lauren Blackwood ✨ Beach Cute - Beth Reekles ✨ The Worst Perfect Moment by Shivaun Plozza ✨ True Love and Other Impossible Odds by Christina Li ✨ Flyboy by Kasey Leblanc ✨ Thirsty by Jas Hammonds ✨ It Waits in the Forest - Sarah Dass

🩷 May 21 🩷 ✨ Keeper of the Stones and Stars by Michael Barakiva ✨ We Mostly Come Out at Night ed. by Rob Costello ✨ Attached at the Hip - Christine Riccio ✨ The Quince Project - Jessica Parra ✨ I Wish You Would - Eva Des Lauriers ✨ Have You Seen This Girl by Nita Tyndall ✨ In the Shallows by Tanya Byrne ✨ Liar's Test - Ambelin Kwaymullina ✨ The Worst Ronin - Maggie Tokuda-Hall, Faith Schaffer ✨ Wild About You - Kaitlyn Hill ✨ Summer Nights and Meteorites - Hannah Reynolds ✨ The Word - Mary G. Thompson

🩷 May 28 🩷 ✨ Flawless Girls by Anna-Marie McLemore ✨ Another First Chance by Robbie Couch ✨ Don’t Be a Drag by Skye Quinlan ✨ Stay Dead - April Henry ✨ The Redemption of Daya Keane by Gia Gordon ✨ The Only Light Left Burning by Erik J. Brown

[theladyofshalott1989]

Book Festival ~Gleanings~

Despite some parking difficulties (LOL), I somehow managed to attend 3 out of 4 of the Queer Lit panels at my local book festival today (yay, me!).

Here are some tidbits I thought I'd share with you all, my lovely moots. 1. Sarah Gailey, author of Magic for Liars, asked everyone to check out (and, if you are so inclined, JOIN) Authors Against Book Bans.

There have been an unprecedented number of book bans lately (deep sigh), and this organization "pledge[s] to protect the rights of all young people to access the books they need and deserve." 2. For all you writers out there that have dual- or multi-POV stories, Erik J. Brown, author of All That’s Left in the World, had some advice that I'm definitely going to try in the future:

When writing in a different character's perspective, change up your physical location (e.g., your dining room vs. your office). You'll be astonished by how much easier it is to delve into another character's voice.

3. The festival itself advertised an organization called Unite Against Book Bans, which anyone can join!

From the website:

"If you believe individuals should be trusted to make their own decisions about what to read, young people deserve to see themselves reflected in a library's books, and parents should not be making decisions about what to read for other parents' children, then join us to Unite Against Book Bans.

Help us defend the freedom to read in your community by signing up to receive updates, action alerts, and tools from the campaign."

4. If you want a good mythological scare, LaDarrion Williams, author of Blood at the Root, recommended we all look up the Rougarou. (Give it a Google... if you dare.)

Last, but certainly, not least, if you enjoy Queer Lit and ever have the pleasure of attending a book festival (they're spectacular, btw), please don't hesitate to go to a queer panel! They are frequented by some of the nicest, most insanely talented authors, who more often than not do not get the recognition they deserve. While I was pleasantly surprised by the turn-out, it was still much lower than some of the other more "mainstream" panels I attended. Queer Lit is still vastly underrated. If you haven't read it, give it a try! You may be thoroughly surprised.

Here are all the books I picked up :)

[winningthesweepstakes]

Blood at the Root by LaDarrion Williams

Blood at the Root by LaDarrion Williams. Labyrinth Road, 2024. 9780593711927 Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 5 Format: Hardcover Genre:  Urban fantasy What did you like about the book? Imagine that you – a young, Black teen – discovered a hidden magic inside you, passed down from your ancestors, and that a whole college existed to teach gifted students like you to hone…

[thebroccoligoblin]

You should read Blood at the Root by LaDarrion Williams. The audio book is a great listen

I’ll give it a shot. Thanks for the suggestion 🖤