[How it Works](https://ronnicareads.binderybooks.com/how-it-works/) [Bookshop](https://ronnicareads.binderybooks.com/books/bindery/) [Publishing](https://ronnicareads.binderybooks.com/publishing/) [Team](https://ronnicareads.binderybooks.com/team/) [Contact](https://ronnicareads.binderybooks.com/contact/) Log in or Sign up Blood at the Root LaDarrion Williams Save to Your Books [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/a/120746/9780593711927) [Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0593711920?tag=ronnicareads-20) 100% of affiliate revenue supports Ronnica Reads 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. Show more Get the Bindery app * * * Posts about this title from Ronnica Reads [Ronnica Reads\\ \\ Ronnica Fatt\\ \\ • Feb 5](https://ronnicareads.binderybooks.com/) [Dark academia books by Black authors](https://ronnicareads.binderybooks.com/item/AOVnsxsxFC1eoFG14yV8/) Dark academia books by Black authors #darkacademia #bookrecommendations #blackauthors #diversebooks #booktok * * * 5 books Posts about this book from across Bindery [Ronnica Reads\\ \\ Ronnica Fatt\\ \\ • Feb 5](https://ronnicareads.binderybooks.com/) [Dark academia books by Black authors](https://ronnicareads.binderybooks.com/item/AOVnsxsxFC1eoFG14yV8/) Dark academia books by Black authors #darkacademia #bookrecommendations #blackauthors #diversebooks #booktok * * * 5 books [Bookish AfroLatina's Library\\ \\ Gabby\\ \\ • Oct 22 2025](https://bookish-afrolatina.binderybooks.com/) Join for free \\ \\ I'm currently reading _Blood Slaves_ by Marcus Redmond and it got me thinking about the numerous books out there with "blood" in the title. So I pulled together 12 BIPOC books with "blood" in their titles that I thought would be fitting reads for spooky season!\\ \\ Let's get into them:\\ \\ **_Blood Slaves_ by Markus Redmond** \\ \\ For fans of Ryan Coogler’s Sinners and readers of Victor LaValle, Tananarive Due, Stephen Graham Jones, and Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad, this ingenious reimagining of the vampire origin story set during the early days of American slavery blends alternate history with supernatural horror, as the last surviving member of an ancient African vampire tribe meets a slave desperate for freedom, and together, they lead an army of enslaved people in a cinematically blood-soaked battle for freedom and revenge.\\ \\ -Penguin Random House\\ \\ **_The Last Bloodcarver_ by Vanessa Le** \\ \\ **Nhika is a bloodcarver. A coldhearted, ruthless being who can alter human biology with just a touch.**\\ \\ In the industrial city of Theumas, Nhika is seen not as a healer, but a monster that kills for pleasure. And in the city's criminal underbelly, the rarest of monsters are traded for gold. When Nhika is finally caught by the infamous Butchers, she's forced to heal the last witness to a high-profile murder.\\ \\ As Nhika delves into the investigation, all signs point to Ven Kochin, an alluring yet entitled physician's aide. Despite his relentless attempts to push her out of his opulent world, something inexplicable draws Nhika to him. But when she discovers Kochin is not who he claims to be, Nhika will be faced with a greater, more terrifying evil lurking in the city's center...\\ \\ Her only chance to survive lies in a terrible choice—become the dreaded monster the city fears, or risk jeopardizing the future of her kind.\\ \\ -Macmillan\\ \\ **_Children of Blood and Bone_ by Tomi Adeyemi** \\ \\ _They killed my mother._\\ \\ _They took our magic._\\ \\ _They tried to bury us._\\ \\ _Now we rise._\\ \\ Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.\\ \\ But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.\\ \\ Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.\\ \\ Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers and her growing feelings for an enemy.\\ \\ -Bookshop.org\\ \\ **_Forged by Blood_ by Ehigbor Okosun** \\ \\ A brilliant new voice brings us a brilliant new epic fantasy novel: Ehigbor Okosun’s first book in an action-packed, poignant duology inspired by Nigerian mythology—full of magic and emotion and set in a highly atmospheric, complex world in which a young woman fights to survive a tyrannical society, having everything stripped away from her, and seeks vengeance for her mother’s murder and the spilled blood of her people.\\ \\ -Harper Collins\\ \\ **Blood Like Magic by Liselle Sambury** \\ \\ A rich, dark urban fantasy debut following a teen witch who is given a horrifying task: sacrificing her first love to save her family’s magic. The problem is, she’s never been in love—she’ll have to find the perfect guy before she can kill him.\\ \\ -Simon & Schuster\\ \\ **_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 the debut of a fresh fantasy series unlike anything you’ve seen before.\\ \\ -Penguin Random House\\ \\ **_The Blood Trials_ by N.E. Davenport** \\ \\ Blending fantasy and science fiction, N. E. Davenport’s fast-paced, action-packed debut kicks off a duology of loyalty and rebellion, in which a young Black woman must survive deadly trials in a racist and misogynistic society to become an elite warrior.\\ \\ -Harper Collins\\ \\ **_Blood & Brujas: An Elements of Iteria Novel_ by Mikayla D Hornedo** \\ \\ From the moment Dayanara could wield a blade, she's been used as a weapon for Caldera, a kingdom of fierce brujas. Whenever her mother, the all-powerful Acna, points her in the direction to kill, Dayanara follows.\\ \\ After centuries of war against the vampire kingdom at their border, her mother offers their king Dayanara's hand in marriage as a truce. Their agreement is bound by magic, and Dayanara must decide if she wants to kill the king, seduce the king, or embrace the union.\\ \\ On the bright side, the marriage is set to make her the next Acna, granting her all the power that comes with the role. Depending on how much the Goddess Naom gifts her, it could be enough to regain control of her life. Or maybe everything will crumble beyond repair.\\ \\ -Bookshop.org\\ \\ **_Blood Moon_ by Britney S. Lewis** \\ \\ Legendborn meets The Vampire Diaries, in which an 18-year-old girl is mysteriously accepted into a university in a midwestern town known for its legends about werewolves and vampires...\\ \\ BLOOD MOON is a dark and thrilling, intensely romantic ride, a fresh take on a werewolf love story for a new generation of paranormal romance readers, and is the first book in a series. It is set against a high-stakes paranormal backdrop—a world ripe with secret identities, rich supernatural lore, and a forbidden romance... that comes with a deadly bite.\\ \\ https://www.britneyslewis.com/bloodmoon\\ \\ \\ \\ **_Bloodmarked_ by Tracy Deonn** \\ \\ _Book 2 of the Legendborn Cycle_\\ \\ _The shadows have risen, and the line is law._\\ \\ All Bree wanted was to uncover the truth behind her mother’s death. So she infiltrated the Legendborn Order, a secret society descended from King Arthur’s knights—only to discover her own ancestral power. Now, Bree has become someone new:\\ \\ A Medium. A Bloodcrafter. A Scion.\\ \\ But the ancient war between demons and the Order is rising to a deadly peak. And Nick, the Legendborn boy Bree fell in love with, has been kidnapped.\\ \\ Bree wants to fight, but the Regents who rule the Order won’t let her. To them, she is an unknown girl with unheard-of power, and as the living anchor for the spell that preserves the Legendborn cycle, she must be protected.\\ \\ When the Regents reveal they will do _whatever_ it takes to hide the war, Bree and her friends must go on the run to rescue Nick themselves. But enemies are everywhere, Bree’s powers are unpredictable and dangerous, and she can’t escape her growing attraction to Selwyn, the mage sworn to protect Nick until death.\\ \\ If Bree has any hope of saving herself and the people she loves, she must learn to control her powers from the ancestors who wielded them first—without losing herself in the process.\\ \\ -Simon & Schuster\\ \\ **_Blood Scion_ by Deborah Falaye** \\ \\ Following one girl’s journey of magic, injustice, power, and revenge, Deborah Falaye’s debut novel, inspired by Yoruba-Nigerian mythology, is a magnetic combination of _Children of Blood and Bone and An Ember in the Ashes._\\ \\ This is what they deserve.\\ \\ They wanted me to be a monster.\\ \\ I will be the worst monster they ever created.\\ \\ Fifteen-year-old Sloane can incinerate an enemy at will—she is a Scion, a descendant of the ancient Orisha gods.\\ \\ Under the Lucis’ brutal rule, her identity means her death if her powers are discovered. But when she is forcibly conscripted into the Lucis army on her fifteenth birthday, Sloane sees a new opportunity: to overcome the bloody challenges of Lucis training, and destroy them from within.\\ \\ -Harper Collins\\ \\ **_Blood Debts_ by Terry J. Benton-Walker** \\ \\ Thirty years ago, a young woman was murdered, a family was lynched, and New Orleans saw the greatest magical massacre in its history. In the days that followed, a throne was stolen from a queen.\\ \\ On the anniversary of these brutal events, Clement and Cristina Trudeau—the sixteen-year-old twin heirs to the powerful, magical, dethroned family—are mourning their father and caring for their sick mother. Until, by chance, they discover their mother isn’t sick—she’s cursed. Cursed by someone on the very magic council their family used to rule. Someone who will come for them next.\\ \\ Cristina, once a talented and dedicated practitioner of Generational magic, has given up magic for good. An ancient spell is what killed their father and she was the one who cast it. For Clement, magic is his lifeline. A distraction from his anger and pain. Even better than the random guys he hooks up with.\\ \\ Cristina and Clement used to be each other’s most trusted confidant and friend, now they barely speak. But if they have any hope of discovering who is coming after their family, they’ll have to find a way to trust each other and their family's magic, all while solving the decades-old murder that sparked the still-rising tensions between the city’s magical and non-magical communities. And if they don't succeed, New Orleans may see another massacre. Or worse.\\ \\ https://tjbentonwalker.com/blood-debts](https://bookish-afrolatina.binderybooks.com/item/CQj2mSuPhTXp7uyXlZni/) [Books by the Blood: BIPOC Books for Spooky Season](https://bookish-afrolatina.binderybooks.com/item/CQj2mSuPhTXp7uyXlZni/) * * * 12 books 1 [Children of Diaspora\\ \\ Rae the Reviewer\\ \\ • Jul 19 2025](https://children-of-diaspora.binderybooks.com/) Join for free [yapping about my 2025 reads \| Midyear Freakout Tag](https://children-of-diaspora.binderybooks.com/item/0nSHbfXJM41C8amBFzQj/) Since recording this, I've finished 3 more books (if that's any indication of how long this took to edit). Check me out on: Bindery: https://children-of-diaspora.binderybooks.com/ Bookshop Affiliate: https://bookshop.org/shop/raethereviewer Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raethereviewer/ Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@raethereviewer Storygraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile/raethereviewer Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/20898931-rae-the-reviewer My Website: https://raethereviewer.com/ and services (sensitivity reading, freelance writing, copywriting, case studies) https://raethereviewer.com/services/ Tags: books, 2025 reads, physical tbr, reader, bookstagram, booktube, booktok, influencer, diverse books, young adult, adult books, middle grade, fiction, literary fiction, science fiction, poetry, black reader, book recommendations, reading recommendations, book nerd 00:00 Intro 00:16 Best read of 2025 (so far) 01:36 Favorite sequel 02:11 2025 release that you're excited to read 03:05 Most anticipated release for the second half of 2025 04:37 Biggest disappointment 05:34 Biggest surprise 06:49 New favorite author 08:31 Fave new (book) crush 09:21 Fave new character 09:51 Book that made you cry 11:54 Prettiest books you've bought this year 12:32 Book that made you happy 14:15 TBR for the rest of the year 17:38 Outro * * * 25 books 2 [Children of Diaspora\\ \\ Rae the Reviewer\\ \\ • Jul 16 2025](https://children-of-diaspora.binderybooks.com/) Join for free \\ \\ Upgrade for $5 or login](https://children-of-diaspora.binderybooks.com/item/4B1iymDxPyw7P40cWA5T/) [\*Early Access\* yapping about my 2025 reads \| Midyear Freakout Tag](https://children-of-diaspora.binderybooks.com/item/4B1iymDxPyw7P40cWA5T/) Since recording this, I've finished 3 more books (if that's any indication of how long this took to edit). Check me out on: * * * 21 books 1 [Tattooed Bibliophiles\\ \\ Zee\\ \\ • May 13 2025](https://tattooedbibliophile.binderybooks.com/) Join for free \\ \\ Before you scroll past thinking this is one of those _“sorry I haven’t posted”_ guilt-trip TikToks—pause. It’s not that. I promise. (Unless you _are_ mad at me… in which case… 😅 okay valid.)\\ \\ Here’s the deal: my serotonin has gone _poof_. My social feed is 97% longform political doomsday content and the rest is Aaron Parnas saying “BREAKING NEWS” in a deceptively calm voice about things that should be behind a trigger warning but are actually just real life. I didn’t take a break from caring (still calling my reps, still donating, still fighting), but I _did_ take a break from trying to make content when everything feels like it's on fire.\\ \\ But here’s what I _did_ do:\\ \\ I read. A lot.\\ \\ And not just for escapism—but for truth. For clarity. For change.\\ \\ Because once you’ve read enough “hot fae assassin” fantasy and "funny AI ship" sci-fi, you start craving stories that _say something._ Books that don’t just entertain, but provoke. That make you stop, whisper “holy sh\*t,” and stare at the ceiling for an hour, but you know, in a good way. \\ \\ So below, I’ve paired fiction and nonfiction reads by theme—books I kept on my shelves, because I want my kids to read them one day and feel their brains light up like mine did. Read one, read both, read what works for your style.\\ \\ Let’s go.\\ \\ - SYSTEMIC RACISM\\ \\ - Fiction\\ \\ - Legendborn by Tracy Deonn, an Arthurian YA fantasy that has those magic school vibes, and taught me what microagressions FEEL like. But you've probably already read that so I'll also recommend\\ \\ - Blood at the Root by LaDarrion Williams, a book about a 17 year old child who finds his roots after removing himself and his brother from abusive foster parents. This tells of an organization of magical black people who have remained cloistered to keep safe, and very much has those Wakanda vibes.\\ - Non-Fiction\\ \\ - Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, written in the format of a letter to his son, Coates speaks in gorgeous prose about what it's like to be a black man in America. This book didn't tell me anything I didn't already know, but it connected those things with these little electric sentences that made me FEEL the neurons in my brain connect and go "PING" like a little light bulb. Coates is a genius of our generation.\\ \\ - Letter from Birmingham Jail by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I know, seems obvious, but I don't see people talking about it much. He's writing to people who disagree with his methods, speaking of his willingness to sit in a jail cell to forward civil rights. Only 54 pages. Required reading. Especially for white folks who quote MLK without context.\\ - IMMIGRATION\\ \\ - Fiction\\ \\ - Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz is a sci-fi book about robots trying to start their own noodle shop. It tells a story of a post civil war California where robots have been given rights, but only some, only the ones that benefit capitalism. And it shows how different people react to them having those few rights. It's a beautiful story about creating your own community after you've lost everything.\\ - Non-Fiction\\ \\ - They Called Us Enemy by George Takei is a graphic novel memoir of Takei's firsthand account of the detention centers Roosevelt imprisoned Japanese Americans in in 1942. I plan to read this and discuss it with my kids this summer.\\ - COLONIZATION\\ \\ - Fiction\\ \\ - Cry, Voidbringer by Elaine Ho is a story of oppression from 2 POV's, one is a little girl who has been kidnapped into slavery, and the other is an older character who has been working her way up the ranks to the side of the queen, and tries to fight oppression from within a broken system.\\ \\ - This Place: 150 Years Retold is an indigenous graphic novel anthology of dystopian stories about surviving a post-apocalyptic world since Contact. It comes with an accompanying teacher guide with lesson plans, so this one is another I plan to read and study with my kids this summer.\\ - NonFiction\\ \\ - Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States: A Graphic Interpretation by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz is, well, what it says it is. I've never been a huge nonfic fan so graphic novels are a great way for me to get some nonfic reading in. This is a book you need on your shelf!\\ - LGBTQIA+ EXPERIENCE\\ \\ - Fiction\\ \\ - No Gods, No Monsters by Cadwell Turnbull is a sci-fi/fantasy X-men type story about the coming out of monsters (vampires, werewolves, etc,) the world's reaction, and the monsters fight for human rights. It's multi-POV that works because you get to see so many perspectives. I cannot WAIT for my hold to come in from Libby for the sequel.\\ \\ - Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White is a dystopian horror about a group of fanatic Christians causing the apocalypse to bring about the second coming of Christ. And their chosen is of course a closeted gay kid. I'm not a body horror person, but this book is INSANELY good and my preteen who loves horror is going to freaking love it when he finally gets off his Fortnite and reads it.\\ - Nonfiction\\ \\ - A Little Queer Natural History by Josh L. Davis discusses biodiversity in nature and is essentially an entire book in response to the "male and female is basic biology" argument we sometimes hear from people with absolutely zero knowledge in the subject of biology. I love reading books that are a middle finger to bigots.\\ \\ - Before We Were Trans: A New History of Gender by Kit Heyam chronicles expressions of trans experience that are often left out of the historical record. Trans people exist and HAVE existed for all of human history, and it's important to acknowledge that.\\ - PRISON ABOLITION (a note: this may be a controversial topic for many, but I truly think that if people truly understood the prison abolition movement's goals, they would agree with them, and I think that if we solved this issue, many many other social issues would be solved as a result. If you don't agree, I beg you to read these books.)\\ \\ - Fiction\\ \\ - Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, I know, I know, I won't shut up about this one, but it's for good reason! Everyone is off reading Silver Elite because of it's purported (but I have on good authority unfounded) Hunger Games vibes, when Chain-Gang All-Stars has been published since 2023! Take prisons and make them privatized. Someone gets a brilliant idea to put it on reality TV (it's already been done, see 60 Days In) and make them fight each other to the death for sport. That's this book.\\ - Nonfiction\\ \\ - Abolitionist Intimacies by El Jones is written like an anthology, but by one person. Jones has been an advocate for years and tells the stories of people whom society has taken away their voice, taken away their humanity. This book doesn't discuss how to solve the problem, but I recommend starting here because to solve the problem, you first need to see prisoners as full human beings, and while you may think you already do, this will show you that no, you don't.\\ - DISABILITY\\ \\ - Fiction\\ \\ - Cinder by Marissa Meyer was assigned to my 7th grader for summer reading, so we listened to it together, and WOW! How did I sleep on this one? Cinder is a cyborg, a human who has had parts replaced and is considered now to be less than human because of it, including all of her rights being directed by her guardian, her stepmother. Not only did we get to discuss how society treats disabled people as less deserving of human rights, but we also got to see the Lunars, moon dwelling people who their society is hugely biased against, a great metaphor for xenophobia and racism. So many good topics in this book to discuss with your younger reader while still getting to enjoy a hella good book.\\ - Nonfiction\\ \\ - Grievers by adrienne marie brown is admittedly not quite nonfiction, but adrienne marie brown is a nonfiction writer who delved into dystopian literature to further our understanding of the pandemic and how it affected and will continue to affect the world. It delves into the socioeconomics and inherent racism of the pandemic in such an insightful way. It has a sequel, thank adreinne, because the first one destroyed me.\\ \\ For other recommendations sorted by social justice topic I highly recommend going to https://www.akpress.org/books.html an independent publishing house that specializes in radical books. \\ \\ What other subjects would you like recommendations for? Feel free to leave me some recs in the comments too! I love a good read that cracks a brain open. Let’s build a shelf full of them.](https://tattooedbibliophile.binderybooks.com/item/XAGHabsTOQHTD7phEAbk/) [UUUUGGGGGHHHHH and other lamentations: Fiction and Non-Fiction books on the same topics](https://tattooedbibliophile.binderybooks.com/item/XAGHabsTOQHTD7phEAbk/) * * * 17 books 2 [Not So Well Read\\ \\ Courtney\\ \\ • Mar 14 2025](https://notsowellread.binderybooks.com/) Join for free [Did you fly through your read of Oathbound? Do you now have a Bree-shaped hole in your heart? Do you need some way to fill the void in your soul? Well, luckily, there are so many other wonderful YA Urban/Contemporary Fantasy books out there that you can dive into next!\\ \\ Here are 10 recommendations for books I don't see on the book internet nearly as often as I should and why you should read them:\\ \\ ****Wings of Ebony by J. Elle**** \\ \\ **Read if you want:** Explorations of grief, God-inherited-power, and timely social commentary \\ \\ Similar to Legendborn, Wing of Ebony features a young Black protagonist who has recently lost her mother and inherited an ancestral power. Through this she discovers a hidden world of magic wielders and an evil specifically targeting the neighborhood and community she loves.\\ \\ ****Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas**** \\ \\ **Read if you want:** More convening with ghosts, culturally diverse magic systems, and complex look at the "bad boy" trope\\ \\ If you love Sel and want another story with a "bad boy" that approaches their character with nuance and heart then Cemetery Boys is your book. Thomas allows Julian to fully defy the labels put on him in a way that will pull at your heartstrings.\\ \\ ****Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia**** \\ \\ **Read if you want:** Explorations of grief and family legacy steeped in monster-based mythology\\ \\ Okay, this is actually a middle grade novel, but that doesn't actually matter, so moving on. Like Bree, Tristan is also struggling to cope with grief after the loss of his best friend in a tragic accident. When he accidentally opens a rift between worlds allowing monsters into the human world–hello, Shadowborn Gates–he must become the hero he was always meant to be.\\ \\ ****Tangleroot by Kalela Williams**** \\ \\ **Read if you want:** Explorations of legacy, history, and generational trauma within a southern universtiy setting\\ \\ Tangleroot is not really fantasy, but I wanted to include it anyway, because it feels connected to the Legendborn Cycle in a lot of different ways. First major similarity is the university setting and the way it confronts institutionalized racism. Moreover, the way that Williams weaves together the historical mysteries with the present day reminds me a lot of Volition and Bloodwalks.\\ \\ ****Blood at the Root by LaDarrion Williams**** \\ \\ **Read if you want:** Secret magical societies, mysterious power, and a university setting\\ \\ Okay, the publisher literally comps Legendborn in the description... But truly, Blood at the Root is very similar on a lot of levels, but takes place at a magical HBCU. Without spoilers, this book also has a very similar mystery to the one Bree is wrapped up in in Oathbound with the missing rootcrafters.\\ \\ ****Alex Wise vs. the End of the World by Terry J. Benton-Walker**** \\ \\ **Read if you want:** Possession-based magic systems, mythology, and Black kids saving the world\\ \\ This is another incredible middle grade novel that everyone should read. Have you picked up that I love middle grade yet? Alex draws his power from a god, but like Bree, that possession can come with both good and bad. Also like Legendborn, this one plays into well-known lore–the four horsemen of the apocalypse. Oh, and the friendships in this book are top tier.\\ \\ ****Blood Debts by Terry J. Benton-Walker**** \\ \\ **Read if you want:** Generational magic systems and secret magical societies hiding in the real world\\ \\ I love this one for Legendborn because the main characters have to go through the same journey of uncovering their family's secrets that Bree encounters with her own mother. There's also a lot of emphasis on the way the magical and non-magical worlds interact (i.e. onceborns). Also, don't let the cover fool you, this is NOT a historical novel.\\ \\ ****I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast is Me by Jamison Shea**** \\ \\ **Read if you want:** Demon possessions and claiming what you're owed\\ \\ This one is a crossover into the YA-horror genre, but I think it still has appeal to fantasy lovers. In this novel, Laure, a young Black ballerina decides to make a deal with a powerful demon in order to claim her rightful spot in the prestigious Parisian ballet world. Oh, and she also maybe falls in love with a demon, for those who ship Bree and Sel.\\ \\ ****Zodiac Rising by Katie Zhao**** \\ \\ **Read if you want:** Mythology-based story, academic setting, and generational magic systems \\ \\ Zodiac Rising is almost one-to-one in the way the magic system works, but centers on the Chinese zodiacs rather than Arthurian Lore. The descendants of the original zodiacs attend a secret elite boarding school, but when something goes wrong, they have to break a curse.\\ \\ ****Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston**** \\ \\ **Read if you want:** An incredible young heroine claiming her place in a world that wants to exclude her\\ \\ Ending with one last middle-grade suggestion! When Amari's brother goes missing, she takes his spot in tryouts for an secretive paranormal investigative unit to get answers. Amari goes up against the children of some of the world's wealthiest people and encounters a lot of the same things that Bree does during her own Kingsmage tryouts. Also, like Bree, Amari has a secret that might disrupt the entire system.](https://notsowellread.binderybooks.com/item/F44QR3O05fw5uWz6fxPG/) [10 Diverse YA Fantasy Books to Read after Legendborn](https://notsowellread.binderybooks.com/item/F44QR3O05fw5uWz6fxPG/) * * * 10 books [Left Unread Books\\ \\ Michael LaBorn\\ \\ • Nov 14 2024](https://leftunreadbooks.binderybooks.com/) Join for free [Black Boys in Fantasy](https://leftunreadbooks.binderybooks.com/item/1P0rY3KDDSzjQXZYOS00/) There is a large conversation happening about the lack of representation for boys in YA, and I want to offer my thoughts on why that problem exists, and on how to fix it! Enjoy!!! * * * 11 books 12 [1](https://leftunreadbooks.binderybooks.com/item/1P0rY3KDDSzjQXZYOS00/#comments) [Left Unread Books\\ \\ Michael LaBorn\\ \\ • Jun 25 2024](https://leftunreadbooks.binderybooks.com/) Join for free \\ \\ Upgrade for $12 or login](https://leftunreadbooks.binderybooks.com/item/Hp2epCWwEWGmIZmanpGd/) [Book Review: Blood at the Root](https://leftunreadbooks.binderybooks.com/item/Hp2epCWwEWGmIZmanpGd/) Review of Blood at the Root! And make sure you give my YouTube a subscribe while you're there. I am CONSIDERING making more longform content if people show interest in it!!! * * * 1 book 1 [Boozhoo Books\\ \\ Naomi\\ \\ • Jun 7 2024](https://boozhoo.binderybooks.com/) Join for free [Ladarrion Williams, author of Blood At the Root! Tonight! 630 CST on Zoom, You’re Invited](https://boozhoo.binderybooks.com/item/KwAYz9vszXYa1hgIX7z5/) Click photo for Zoom with Ladarrion Williams author of Blood at The Root * * * 1 book 2 [Barakah Books\\ \\ Azanta and Basma\\ \\ • Jun 6 2024](https://barakah.binderybooks.com/) Join for free [What we're reading/watching/listening to this week!](https://barakah.binderybooks.com/item/93fY5SeGp8wfpI2tdFJx/) It's been a busy start to the month but we have been making a lot of progress on our Goodreads goal and have been consuming so many amazing stories. Here's what we've been up to this week! * * * 3 books 2 [Boozhoo Books\\ \\ Naomi\\ \\ • Jun 3 2024](https://boozhoo.binderybooks.com/) Join for free [Hello Everyone,\\ \\ This Friday at 430pm PST/ 7:30EST, I will be cohosting an author chat with Ladarrion Williams, author of Blood At The Root.\\ \\ I finished the book last week and was blown away. If you are craving for a magical school fix, this is the book for you!\\ \\ This event will be on Zoom and I will be posting the link here early Friday. This event will be open to members of all tiers.\\ \\ I hope you can join us.](https://boozhoo.binderybooks.com/item/jCmyhhzl1yuZCKLG8mGn/) [Author Chat- LaDarrion Williams- Blood At The Root with Michael Laborn](https://boozhoo.binderybooks.com/item/jCmyhhzl1yuZCKLG8mGn/) * * * 1 book 1 [1](https://boozhoo.binderybooks.com/item/jCmyhhzl1yuZCKLG8mGn/#comments) [Left Unread Books\\ \\ Michael LaBorn\\ \\ • Jun 1 2024](https://leftunreadbooks.binderybooks.com/) Join for free [Come meet LaDarrion Williams! Author of Blood at the Root.](https://leftunreadbooks.binderybooks.com/item/Pk4y8Ht6h0i2vy99ik6j/) You've heard of Blood at the Root. Everyone has! This book is taking bookish spaces by storm... well... he has agreed to come hang out with US this Friday. Check down below for details! * * * 1 book 5 [1](https://leftunreadbooks.binderybooks.com/item/Pk4y8Ht6h0i2vy99ik6j/#comments) [Left Unread Books\\ \\ Michael LaBorn\\ \\ • May 31 2024](https://leftunreadbooks.binderybooks.com/) Join for free [We are meeting via zoom. Here is the link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87376109257?pwd=hkA71pZc7GpPWX6c7w4Y21icXIcckz.1\\ \\ Meeting ID: 873 7610 9257\\ \\ Passcode: 543648](https://leftunreadbooks.binderybooks.com/item/DrYvn8AINCx1pP5Q2Vyu/) [Bookclub TONIGHT!](https://leftunreadbooks.binderybooks.com/item/DrYvn8AINCx1pP5Q2Vyu/) Bookclub meets tonight at 6:30 CST to discuss Blood at the Root! Look below for login info! * * * 1 book 1 [Left Unread Books\\ \\ Michael LaBorn\\ \\ • May 20 2024](https://leftunreadbooks.binderybooks.com/) Join for free [I will be going live at 6:30 pm CST tonight to talk about Black fantasy and discuss our enjoyment of the first half of Blood at the Root by Ladarrion Williams, which is our bookclub pick for this month! But don't worry, if you haven't read it yet, you'll be able to keep up just fine and we will be talking about the THEMES, not giving massive spoilers!\\ \\ I hope to see you all there!\\ \\ * * *\\ \\ LINK: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83011093817?pwd=vBgW9K4gPsT96UMxZaW2ybhpDvVPCV.1\\ \\ Meeting ID: 830 1109 3817\\ \\ Passcode: 324801](https://leftunreadbooks.binderybooks.com/item/NqdzS6yeAt0yCTbFZFVJ/) [Come talk Blood at the Root and the magic of Black fantasy with @shebereadinthembooks!](https://leftunreadbooks.binderybooks.com/item/NqdzS6yeAt0yCTbFZFVJ/) I will be going live at 6:30 pm CST tonight to talk about Black fantasy and discuss our enjoyment of the first half of Blood at the Root by Ladarrion Williams, which is our bookclub pick for this month! But don't worry, if you haven't read it yet, you'll be able to keep up just fine and we will be talking about the THEMES, not giving massive spoilers! * * * 1 book 1 [Ezeekat Press\\ \\ Jaysen\\ \\ • May 15 2024](https://ezeekat.binderybooks.com/) Join for free [Let’s do a Book Haul!](https://ezeekat.binderybooks.com/item/8wuv7zNTQpk5LcYnLoJL/) * * * 4 books [Paws, Pages and Brews\\ \\ Sammie\\ \\ • May 15 2024](https://pawspagesandbrews.binderybooks.com/) Join for free [Worrkin!](https://pawspagesandbrews.binderybooks.com/item/ac2ZhRpIYcnl4RJi908O/) Today I did a book talk IRL! I got to talk to a few students from a local middle school where some are going into 8th grade and other heading to high school. Here are the books I featured to talk a... * * * 9 books 2 [Not So Well Read\\ \\ Courtney\\ \\ • May 2 2024](https://notsowellread.binderybooks.com/) Join for free [May Anticipated Releases](https://notsowellread.binderybooks.com/item/AH7NPf0gGrUb3e42a81n/) A not-at-all comprehensive list of some of the amazing books coming out in May 2024! * * * 17 books 1 [Left Unread Books\\ \\ Michael LaBorn\\ \\ • May 2 2024](https://leftunreadbooks.binderybooks.com/) Join for free [May Book Pick!](https://leftunreadbooks.binderybooks.com/item/uL49PYWANeBSSNnMReuY/) Join us for bookclub this month as we read Blood at the Root, a debut fantasy by Ladarrion Williams. * * * 1 book 5 [Left Unread Books\\ \\ Michael LaBorn\\ \\ • May 1 2024](https://leftunreadbooks.binderybooks.com/) Join for free [I will be picking a book at noon today, and I want to know what you guys think! Here are the book's I'm looking at!\\ \\ _**No One's Gonna Take Her Soul Away by Amanda Weaver**_: This book follows a Black woman who is unjustly sent to the seventh level of hell and must fight her way through all seven levels in order to confront the goddess who condemned her and the man who took her life. This book tackless things like misogynoir, being your own hero, domestic violence, etc.\\ \_\*\*Chain-Gang All-Stars: \*\*\_Imagine the prison industrial complex without any effort to conceil it's true nature. Prisoners have been pitted against one another in a gladiator-type competition where one can hypothetically earn their freedom by winning a certain number of death matches. This book is a dystopian commentary on America as a prison state and will challenge everything you ever understood about abolition and the need to tear down the systems that kill us all.\\ \_\*\*Blood at the Root: \*\*\_This book won't be released until May 7th, but it is such an incredible book. It follows a young Black boy who has been accepted to a magical HBCU after spending his life thinking he was responsible for his mother's death. But upon finding out she may be alive, he must throw himself into a new world and find the person responsible for her disapearance. This book is about Black boys, in all of our complexity.](https://leftunreadbooks.binderybooks.com/item/3ZAomo94ryTnwL0HGc7s/) [Vote for May's Bookclub Pick!](https://leftunreadbooks.binderybooks.com/item/3ZAomo94ryTnwL0HGc7s/) Which book would you rather read this month? * * * 3 books 4 [2](https://leftunreadbooks.binderybooks.com/item/3ZAomo94ryTnwL0HGc7s/#comments) [Not So Well Read\\ \\ Courtney\\ \\ • Mar 9 2024](https://notsowellread.binderybooks.com/) Join for free [Blood at the Root](https://notsowellread.binderybooks.com/item/TnB3ng57q8UQHDI7vbpX/) Just started this one today and I am so excited for this new magic school series. I’m prepared to cry ugly tears because found family books have a tendency to hit me in the gut and this one doesn’t seem like it’s going to be any different. This one comes out 5.7.24! * * * 1 book [Left Unread Books\\ \\ Michael LaBorn\\ \\ • Mar 5 2024](https://leftunreadbooks.binderybooks.com/) Join for free [Blood at the Root: Black Boy Magic](https://leftunreadbooks.binderybooks.com/item/LWdwmgOOEx0skXLPdOuQ/) How many Black boys do you see in Fantasy? This moment is important, and I can't wait to talk about every single page of this book with you! * * * 1 book 3 [Left Unread Books\\ \\ Michael LaBorn\\ \\ • Feb 25 2024](https://leftunreadbooks.binderybooks.com/) Join for free [Y'all know I love an unapologetically Black book. Some of the books I have been most vocal about orginally stole my heart because of the way they prioritized Blackness at the core of the story. And Ladarrion Williams \_\*\*Blood at the Root \*\*\_certainly fits that bill.\\ \\ Within a few sentences I knew this was a book that was written for Black people. It employs language, imagery, and community that is so central to the Black experience. And I'm in love. I am only a few chapters in, but I cannot wait to finish it. It remembers me of stories like \_\*\*Wings of Ebony **\_and \_** The Blood Gift \*\*\_duologies.\\ \\ Keep your eyes peeled, because I'm sure you'll be hearing more from me about this book as I read!](https://leftunreadbooks.binderybooks.com/item/bmRANbfk8DMT5CXoHfcr/) [Blood at the Root: Unapologetically BLACK!](https://leftunreadbooks.binderybooks.com/item/bmRANbfk8DMT5CXoHfcr/) I just started reading Blood at the Root by Ladarrion Williams and here is my initial reaction! * * * 5 books 7