Rust in the Root
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.
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Community Reviews
A thrilling reinvention of history, Rust in the Root takes readers back to the 1930s to tell a story about race and power.
Honestly, it’s such a fantastic book. Rust in the Root follows one Laura Ann Langston, a queer – and colored – mage who embarks on a journey to make a name for herself but ends up biting off more than she can chew with a discovery of a plot that threatens everyone.
Amazing Storytelling
Justina Ireland can write; let’s start by saying that. I’ve always wanted to read her Dread Nation duology, but I’ve never gotten around to it. The problem is if I can’t get the book from the library or own the book, the likelihood of reading said book falls through the cracks.
Luckily, Rust in the Root was given to me by the publisher. And I am so very thankful for that.
Rust in the Root takes readers back to Depression-era America to follow Laura as she tries to make a life for herself as more than just a root worker. Ireland’s storytelling is immersive, blending natural history with an alternative version. This book felt so real that I sometimes forgot it was just a work of fiction, not actual history. It feels like historical fiction, and the way the magic works, the way the Blight represents the depression, works to create this fantastic story.
What also makes the story feel so real are the photos that Ireland got from the Library of Congress. These are actual photos she has included to tell her story, using them to break up the pace and give the story this added realism. I absolutely loved this touch, the way it added to the story and gave a bit more depth without breaking up the novel’s pacing.
Now, by the time Rust in the Root takes place, the story’s events have already happened. We know this because there are only page-long segments detailing the investigation into these events and Laura’s actions. These interludes add some mystery to the plot, which is already steeped in uneasiness.
I love it when the author adds more without saying more. These segments do that without breaking the story’s pace, adding to the sense of urgency.
Final Thoughts
Overall, Rust in the Root is an absolutely brilliant novel. I loved the pacing of it. I loved Laura as a character and the way she never backed down. She is snarky, clever, and resourceful. With the added tension of the story’s realism, this novel is worth reading repeatedly.
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