Blood at the Root

by LaDarrion Williams · 2024

When Malik’s mother vanished a decade ago, he fled with his foster brother Taye, hiding the wild, uncontrollable magic that surged through his veins. Now 17 and desperate for a fresh start, a daring rescue pulls him into Caiman University—a secretive, Black‑run HBCU where sorcery is taught alongside scholarship. There, Malik discovers a lineage he never imagined: a legendary conjurer grandmother, a community of young Black magicians, and the ghost of his first love, Alexis. As he learns to harness his powers, the campus—and the world beyond—are threatened by an ancient evil resurfacing from the Haitian Revolution. Malik must choose between the safety of anonymity and the responsibility of his newfound family, confronting the truth about his mother’s disappearance and the destiny that waits at the root of his blood.