When the daughter of a renowned scholar of Black literature is forced to move into a plantation the last thing she expects is to discover is to be investigating the morbid history of her small town and discovering a secret. This book just missed the mark for me. I was hoping for an engrossing small town mystery vibe but just kind of found myself bored and skimming the pages. This one just didn't really work out for me and I just couldn't get into it despite trying over and over. I managed to finish it just to prove that I did read it to the end, but it just didn't really catch my attention. If you like small town mysteries, I'd say give it a go, maybe you'll have a better time with it than I did.

Release Date: October 15,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group | Feiwel & Friends for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan for this advanced copy of Tangleroot. I really liked a lot about this book. I wish it had a family tree to reference, because as the story unfolded, it kept getting more and more intertwined. The main character, Noni, is great! She is talented, she’s flawed and makes mistakes, she works really hard to find out all the stories from the past. All the support characters were diverse and interesting and really kept the plot going. The only thing I didn’t like was her parents. Her dad is spineless and doesn’t put his daughter first. And Radiance is awful to Noni.

While I thought that this book was well-written with a lot of compelling characters and storylines, I could not enjoy this book because I could not get past the way Noni's mother treated her. I know that one of the central conflicts of the book was Noni butting heads with her mother, but it was completely baffling to me that every other person and adult in Noni's life was okay with it all. And at the end of the book, there was the most lackluster apology ever by her mom and then Noni ended up doing what her mom wanted for her and I couldn't believe that it was treated as if it was a normal "mother knows best" type of thing instead of incredibly controlling. I can't imagine ruining your daughter's future goals just because you don't agree with them, and while Noni was out of line with her comment, that was not even remotely an equal punishment for that. Other than that, my only complaint was that this book was a little disjointed sometimes, with random skips in time that made it a little wonky and hard to follow. I really almost enjoyed this book, but I could not get past how awful Radiance was.

Complicated mother/daughter dynamics grounded in an even more complex family history drive the decisions of Noni and her mother Radiance in Tangleroot. An uncomfortable and rather bland beginning, where 18 year old Noni is forced to set aside her dreams by her mother’s decisions for her, develops into a well-told tale of the search for ancestral identity. As Noni discovers early on, Radiance’s southern Virginia hometown has more than scars rooted in antebellum slavery, but raw wounds from lingering racism and resentment as the power balance finally starts shifting more toward equality. Through her own historical research, Williams uses Noni to confront the abhorrent ideas some cling to today to defend slavery and inequality. At the same time, she explores the difficulties of trying to find and corroborate evidence from people who were prevented from leaving behind much more than an oral history. Similar to Jas Hammonds’ We Deserve Monuments, this is a story that peels back the layers of the past to help forge a way forward.


Thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Feiwel & Friends, Netgalley, and the author for early access to this novel.

This book was half modern day storytelling half historical fiction. One of the best parts of this book were the diaries and stories from the past. They were an unflinching look at the horrors of the past that we never need to forget. Mimi was a complicate character who I just felt for. Even though she could be rude and annoying at times I could understand how an 18 year old going through the trauma of the move and parents divorce could be this way. What I did not understand was why Radiance was so cruel to Noni. And I felt that was never truly addressed or resolved.

Tangleroot was built by slaves in Virginia. Noni’s mother has bought it – one her ancestors built it and she believes he was also the founder of Stonepost College, where she now works. Noni is not interested in all the tangled roots of her family tree and those who also live in this town, but she cannot escape them. The multiple ancestors’ stories could get a little confusing in the e format, but I just could not put this book down. Don’t forget to read the author’s not at the end!
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for this DRC.
#Tangleroot #NetGalley

I initially was drawn to Tangleroot because of the beautiful cover design. The story itself delves into the topic of racism--past and present iterations of it--as the reader gets to see the complexities of Noni's life, her relationship with her mother, conflicts in the parent-child relationship, and this deep exploration of her roots. Overall, it was a really good book.

Content warning: racism, descriptions of enslavement, physical abuse, domestic abuse, sexual assault, hate crimes, murder, microaggressions

So, Dr. Radiance Castine is a piece of work, right? While I understand why she is the way she is (especially by the end of the novel when Noni learns the ugly truth of her mom's time in rural Virginia), I had a really hard time getting over how horrible she was to Noni. It seemed like she was doing everything possible to kill Noni's dreams and career opportunities all because it wasn't a path she understood or respected.

With that being said, I thought Noni's journey at Tangleroot while she explored her family history was really interesting. I didn't see all the twists coming either, which was exciting. Overall, this is not an easy book to read as Noni faces a lot of tough situations from everyone from family, to friends, to coworkers, to townsfolk. Williams does a really good job of illustrating how complicated the past can be and how people may be more connected than they thought.

I think this will do well with older teens who may want to explore the tough topics that are covered in this book and might open a conversation about identity and legacy.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, and Feiwel & Friends in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Macmillan Kids for the ARC! For the most part I really enjoyed it - I think I guessed one of the twists but definitely not all of them. Some of the time jumps were confusing as the orienting details weren’t brought in until a couple paragraphs in, but overall I liked the book.

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. Tangleroot gathered my interest when I first saw the cover, but the story was SO good. It was an amazing coming-of-age with a complex MC that's coming to terms with her roots. This was a great novel, and I honestly didn't realize this was even a debut until looking into the author more! Highly recommend. A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads.

I'll be honest, I requested this book because I love the cover. But I listened to the audiobook and found it to be absolutely captivating. Tangleroot is a YA coming-of-age novel that is largely about what it's like to do genealogical research as an African American.

Noni has grown up in her mothers shadow and feels kind of suffocated by the expectation that she follow in her footsteps. Her mom is a well-respected scholar of African-American history & literature and has just taken over as the head of a small liberal arts college in her hometown. So the summer before Noni is set to begin college, she is dragged away from her home in Boston and a desirable internship in costuming to live in the plantation house where her ancestors were enslaved. And she hates it. But as time goes on, she begins to do her own research into her family history and the history of the people who owned the plantation. Along the way she uncovers long held, sometimes painful secrets, but also finds her place in the world as a young woman.

Noni is a complex and well-drawn character. She's not perfect, but you viscerally feel her anger and frustration at her moms control of her life. And yet, there's a lot she doesn't know and lot she needs to learn. This book tackles racism of varying degrees both historically and in the modern day. It lays out a lot of important history that is sometimes glossed over because it's painful or difficult. And it pushes back on false narratives of enslaved people being treated kindly or like "family". And the messiness of family trees when you look at too common occurrence of sexual assault and unequal relationships.

This is an incredibly impressive debut novel and I could not put it down. I hope it gets into the hands of many young people! The audio narration is excellent and engrossing. I received an audio review copy via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

Thank You to Netgalley and Feiwel & Friends for the Arc
Tangleroot is as loving as it is heartbreaking; Kalela Williams tells the story of the African Diaspora and what it means to piece together your history from scraps. In her desire to escape, Nani is a vibrant protagonist who begins to uncover her connection to the Tangleroot plantation and the College that sits on its land. Williams writes a world and history that sucks you into the story while still leaving more mystery to uncover.

I absolutely loved this book and cannot wait to recommend it to my teens who love historical fiction/fantasy. This story is one I think a lot of teens can relate to (i.e. Noni growing up in her mom's shadow & handling race relations). Fans of Kindred will also fall in love with Tangleroot and I can't wait to read more of Kalela Williams' work!

Noni has dreams for her life, sewing and costume designing is what her future holds. She is well known in her hometown for her amazing and talented costumes. So much so that she is offered a once in a lifetime internship. Eager to take it she tries to discuss it with her mother Radience but she is quickly shot down. Radience see's a different future for her daughter. One that will take her back to her roots at Tangleroot. Radience is working hard to bring to light that their ancestor is the reason that the school located in her hometown even exists.
Noni wants none of it, she doesn't care about where her family's roots came from or what her ancesters endured at the hands of the plantation owners. That is until she begins to unravel the story of a white gir whos room she now stays in, at the home that her mother has reclaimed for themselves.
Sometimes the parts of ourselves that we hate, those around us that we strongly dislike are more apart of us than we even realize. Our past and our histories are tanged in unimaginable ways as Noni soon will find out. Can she uncover all the secerets that Tangleroot has to offer?

I want to thank #Netgalley for the chance to read #Tangleroot by #KalelaWilliams in return for a fair and honest review

Unfortunately, this was a read i couldn’t really tap into at this time. I’ve come back to it and tried to push through, but I found myself struggling with it. I do love the idea of the book but something was really stopping me from truly enjoying it fully and keeping me 100% interested. I think anyone who loves this type of genre, will definitely like this book and how this story all unfolds. It just wasn’t for me and that’s okay.
3 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers of this book for giving me a chance to read this early. I’m very thankful!

This was such an interesting book. Having a move from the north to the south is daunting for anyone, but especially so if the person is a black girl moving onto a plantation. There is so much nuance to this story and it was interesting to see Noni's journey with her move.

Character development is a strong suit here; the protagonist’s journey is both personal and epic, filled with challenges that test their resolve and character. The interplay between various characters adds layers of complexity and richness to the plot.

Tangleroot stands out for its atmospheric prose and its ability to evoke a sense of wonder and unease. It’s a captivating read, offering a story that’s as haunting as it is enthralling.

This book was pretty mid for me. There were a ton of things I liked, including the MC being very relatable. As a POC from a colonized country I understand where the MC came from, considering her roots and trying to find where she came from. But this aspect of the plot made the story go haywire in my opinion and I wasn't as interested anymore. What intrigued me was Noni's relationship with her mother, their dynamic and conversations. But again, this isn't my go-to genre or type of book, so others may have different understandings.

Tangleroot follows Noni a talented and upcoming fashion designer. She is planning on staying in Boston and attend BU and getting a dream job. Her parents are just divorced and her mom has just accepted a fabulous new job as president of a small private college in Virginia which was founded by one of their enslaved ancestors. Meanwhile her dad doesn't know where he's going to end up. Instead of getting to do what she's planned Noni is guilted/forced to go to Virginia with her mom for the summer--COMPLETELY what she doesn't want to do. There is a lot of tension between she and her mom as she resists making friends and just doesn't care about her mom's historical research on their family.

But then she gets drawn into a mystery of a tombstone that has her own first name and birthdate on it...but in a white graveyard! There is a lot of mystery and diving into history and it's many ripples to future generations in this book.

While the writing was done well, I just didn't care for the book myself.

DNF. I gave this book six chapters worth of time. I kept hoping that something creative and unique would happen. Alas, it did not. Perhaps after six chapters things magically cease to be absolutely stereotypical. Perhaps all the tropes we’ve seen a thousand times before in young adult literature in the last five years disappear. Before people come at me for reviewing a book I didn’t finish, remember that I’m a teacher. There’s no way my students would give this book six chapters worth of time. They recognize shallow and tired plots and characters much faster than I do. In the interest of time…I am moving along.

From reading the blurb about the book, I expected a more straightforward trajectory for the story. However, this was not straightforward at all! It had all the dips, twists, and turns of a rollercoaster. And yes that is a good thing. I really enjoyed Noni as a character. She was very well developed.