They’re standing right in that weird intersection of life where you’re still a child, but a lot of very adult things are starting to be hurled at you. The story is centered on twins, Jezzie and Jay, with the primary focus being on Jezebel.

I felt safe with Eden’s words and knew she was going to carry me to a beautiful ending. In so many ways, reading this book felt like being warmly invited into someone’s home. From the mouthwatering descriptions of Gullah Geechee food to the many tender moments exchanged between the main character, Jezebel Turner, and her family members throughout the story, it’s hard not to see Eden’s mastery of using words to evoke deep emotions. It is obvious that Eden is a writer that traffics in the beauty and poetic precision of language. You can feel that its every word was crafted with love and respect. If you enjoy stories that feel like eating a decadent slice of cake, then ROOT MAGIC is the book for you. I’ve been reading her work for years now and the rich cultural voice embedded in it is something that permeates all her work. A confession: I expected nothing less from Eden. It’s a historical fantasy Middle Grade set in the 60s and the atmosphere comes off the text so thick, you feel like you’ve time traveled to South Carolina and can breathe the humid marsh air. Eden Royce gives us a radiant example of this needed phenomena in ROOT MAGIC. There is power in allowing people to tell their own stories and not only power, but nuances that could never be captured by an outsider. But the biggest change comes when Jez and Jay turn eleven- and their uncle, Doc, tells them he’s going to train them in rootwork.… With school integration arriving in South Carolina, Jez and her twin brother, Jay, are about to begin the school year with a bunch of new kids. The local police deputy won’t stop harassing her family.

Her beloved grandmother has just passed away. It’s 1963, and things are changing for Jezebel Turner.

Root magic book