In this enthralling historical fantasy by Justina Ireland (Dread Nation; Ophie's Ghosts), a young woman in 1937 New York City learns she is a powerful mage capable of defeating a god intent on destruction.
Seventeen-year-old Laura is down to her last little bit of money when she decides to join the Bureau of the Arcane, Colored Auxiliary to earn a mage's license. The Great Rust has passed and, as Americans watch Blight zones and their "troubling phenomena" appear all over the country, Prohibition blocks mages of color from practicing magic without a license. Laura, a Floramancer (magic based in the usage of seeds and pods), is hoping to become a baker. But Laura meets the Skylark, head of the Northeast branch Floramancy division, and is invited to work as the Skylark's apprentice helping to investigate a spreading Blight in Ohio. However, this is unlike any other Blight. While helping to fix it, Laura discovers she is able to use more than Floramancy. She awakens horrifying monsters who lead her to the terrifying Baldur, an ancient Norse god--and her unexpected fate.
Ireland develops a multifaceted setting by mixing historic events (real pictures included) with complex worldbuilding. Through dual points of view--Laura's genuine, lively voice and the Skylark's formal, official notes and watchful eyes--the author develops intriguing, rounded characters and shows the effects of racism and a corrupt government on them. Readers should be entranced by this alternate United States where magic and science intertwine. --Kharissa Kenner, children's librarian, Bank Street School for Children