I don’t remember how I found out about The Root. I think it was on one of those collages of books about fantasy books that have representation or fantasy worlds that aren’t the standard Lord of the Rings style worlds or something. And I have developed a problem with impulse buys.

The Root follows the story of Erik as he discovers that he is a Blooded, a person descended from ancient beings that has powers that he can use to defeat the Angelics that are invading the world and kidnapping people. In a mirror dimension, Lil is an apprentice to her Holder, dealing with her parents death and taking care of her sibs as she’s pulled into a world of politics and intrigue.

The two stories are told interspersed throughout the book, but I would highly recommend readings one storyline, and then the other. They are both interesting stories, but learning two different set of universe rules at the same time is a lot all at once. On top of that, Erik and Lil don’t share any scenes together, don’t communicate with one another, and don’t really interact directly, so you aren’t missing anything by doing it one arc at a time.

Lil’s universe in particular threw me quite a bit. This might be a me thing, since I was reading the start of this while dealing with the commination wildfire smoke and creosote fumes, but I don’t think I ever really understood Lil’s universe outside of the broad strokes. It didn’t get in the way of the story, but I was always aware that I didn’t ever quite know what happened.

I did enjoy both of the stories, though! Erik’s is much more about the action and adventure, where Lil’s follows the intrigue of the people who hold a lot of power trying to keep things from falling apart. There’s a large, diverse cast of characters with varying perspectives and information that all compete with one another so you need them all for a fuller picture, which is exactly what I like. I would absolutely recommend the book, though maybe read it when you aren’t dealing with smoke inhalation.

First and foremost, you can get Halfsoul for free if you want to check it out! It’s a comic on Tapas! So if anything I say in here sounds interesting, then do go check it out.

The second in the series follows Nalia, the member of the party who does not talk a lot and communicates primarily in sign language as they go after another Halfsoul that the organizations wants to eliminate. What we discover for the majority of it, however, is Nalia’s backstory and perspective on how she came to not speak and how her interactions with the world have made her who she is.

The story as a whole uses the backdrop of a fantasy setting to explore mental health and I really do enjoy it. There are a lot of very interesting concepts and visuals paired with these characters who are having trouble moving on from their past and what happens when you let yourself live in that.

I really enjoyed this installment. Nalia is an interesting character and I found myself relating to her and her struggles quite a bit. You don’t need to read the previous story about Tale to understand what’s going on, but I would suggest it for a better introduction to the universe. Definitely check it out!

I should probably start with a disclosure here. I do know Aiden personally and have been waiting for this before it was officially announced. And I knew before I got it that I was going to enjoy it.

The story follows Yadriel, a trans boy wanting to prove he’s a brujo to his family and does this in part by summoning a ghost to release to the other side. This goes wrong almost immediately upon summoning Julian and he has to uncover what happened to him.

The book is deeply rooted in Latinx culture, which is a welcome change given what I normally read. The book doesn’t so much explain the world to you as display it as is, making you feel more like this is the way things always were rather than like you’re stepping into something other worldly that might make it feel foreign and strange. It’s all presented like typical daily life, which was great. ((Even if the scene with the Vicks was not at all what happens in an Asian household and threw me))

It’s also great to see the central narrative of a what’s been branded as a romance novel be about self-actualization instead of the pursuit of romance.

It is kinda a little romance-y in parts, but it’s mostly done in the service of character exposition and doesn’t overtake the more interesting parts of the story. Also, there’s a bunch of Spanish in this book which, while I don’t speak it, I was able to understand most of it from context cues. ((I’ve grown up listening to Mom speak Thai with her friends about me, you learn))

Overall, you should read it. It’s a fun book with a lot of things that I haven’t seen in any other books. Also, I want their book to be successful, so go check it out.