In 2035, fifteen-year-old Rae, an orphan, has chosen silence. After the sudden death of her father, she has lost her ability to speak. But that is the least of her problems. An elusive genius known as the Keeper has created an advanced AI program—Spirit Era—that predicts the world will end in two years without massive human intervention. The solution? Seven teenage volunteers must work together to prevent this doomsday. Despite her reluctance to apply, Rae is selected, along with six other teens from the four corners of the world, to save humanity.
Plot
Root has a great premise that is sure to pull in any fans of YA Science Fiction or Fantasy with a passional for environmental activism. And I was excited to find that, for the most part, the book stayed true to its hook and offered a great take on the genre. However, I did find the pacing of the story to be a bit slow. We didn’t have all the “chosen ones” together until close to a fifth of the way through the book. I also found that much of the backstory and some essential parts of plot development were revealed through dialogue, which made it harder for me to connect to the story.
Characters
Rae is the main character and narrator of the book. She’s recently lost her father and was sent to a boarding school by her not-evil-but-overwhelmed stepmother. Many of the characters around her seem to find Rae extraordinary but other than her supernatural ability to listen in on the thoughts of others, I didn’t learn much about her personality. Much of the narration was focused on the other six chosen teens and their stories. However, the other characters were dynamic and fun to watch with unique backstories of their own, which I appreciated.
Setting
I found the world of Root to be the most engaging element of the story. The world mirrors our own but with some exceptional advances in science that made the science fiction lover in me giddy with excitement. It was interesting to see the unexpected ways this technology played a part in the plot. And the science fiction elements are uniquely ballanced with the tranquil and rural setting of the farm where Rae spends much of the book and completes her training as a chosen one.
My Recommendation
Root is the first book in the Spirit Era saga and is the English debut novel of Moroccan author Aurélie Benattar. This book is translated from the author’s native language which I feel is important to disclose as part of my recommendation, as it can affect the story-telling for some readers, however, I don’t feel that it affected my enjoyment of the story. The world and plot of Root are fun takes on the usual YA Science Fiction genre and while I enjoyed the secondary characters, I did struggle to feel connected to the protagonist, Rae. I’d recommend this book to lovers of unique Science Fiction and “Chosen Ones” stories with large casts.
