Some books hook me with a mystery. Others reel me in with complicated characters or a romance that makes an accidental touch feel like a major event. Where the Bones Took Root by Juniper Klein gave me all three, then added forbidden blood magic and a suspicious alchemy cult. Apparently, that is the recipe for making me forget whatever else I was supposed to be doing.
I gave this one five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ because I loved how its pieces worked together. Jayde’s grief drives the story, the secrets kept me questioning everyone, and her slow-burn relationship with Barrick gave me another reason to keep turning pages. There is plenty to untangle here, emotionally and magically, and I could not put the book down.
Thank you to the author/publisher and Toppling Stacks Tours for including me on the tour. All opinions are my own.
A Resurrection Plan with Dangerous Stakes
Jayde has tried four times to resurrect Soleste, the girl she loved. Each attempt has failed, but Jayde believes she knows what is missing: the life of Soleste’s murderer. That belief sends her down an increasingly dangerous path, where finding a killer and bringing someone back from the dead become tangled together.
Then Barrick, an alchemist’s son, catches her after her latest failure. He offers her a choice: face exposure for her crimes or help him infiltrate the alchemy cult she believes is hiding Soleste’s killer. Jayde agrees and binds him to her through a magical oath. Nothing says “promising partnership” quite like secrets, blackmail, and forbidden magic.
As they work their way into the cult, the questions multiply. What was Soleste hiding? What does Barrick know? How much of Jayde’s understanding of the past can she trust? I loved that the mystery reaches into her relationships as well as the circumstances surrounding Soleste’s death.
Jayde’s Grief and Complicated Choices
Jayde was one of my favorite parts of the book because she is such a complex main character. Her decision to use blood magic makes her determination impossible to dismiss. She is willing to cross frightening boundaries to bring Soleste back, and that willingness gave me a lot to think about while I followed her search.
Her grief also makes the mystery personal. She is investigating the death of someone who mattered deeply to her, so every secret has the potential to change both her plans and her memories. I enjoyed that tension between wanting answers and wanting to preserve what she believes about Soleste.
Although the synopsis describes Soleste as the girl Jayde loved, my impression of their romantic connection came primarily through Jayde’s memories. I did not feel that the book showed scenes clearly establishing a romance between them. Instead, the way Jayde remembers Soleste led me to read that bond as romantic. That distinction stayed with me: the depth of Jayde’s feelings is apparent, while their relationship is largely filtered through her recollections.
The Slow Burn Had Me Hooked
The enemies-to-lovers romance subplot between Jayde and Barrick was a highlight for me. I loved how gradually the tension builds, especially through embarrassed reactions and accidental touches. Those small moments can do so much when an author gives the relationship time to develop.
There is something wonderfully awkward about characters trying to navigate attraction when their partnership already comes with reasons to distrust each other. Jayde and Barrick have secrets, separate motivations, and a magical oath complicating matters. A little brush of contact suddenly has a lot riding on it. Very inconvenient for them. Excellent for me.
I appreciated that the romance develops alongside the mystery. Their changing feelings add another layer to the question of what binds them together. With magic already involved in their connection, the growing attraction gives Jayde something else to untangle. I kept wanting more of their interactions, which is exactly what I hope for in a slow burn.
Banter, Secrets, and Suspicious Company
I also really liked Barrick and his brother, particularly the banter between them. Their exchanges were another enjoyable part of the character dynamics, and I appreciated having that relationship alongside the tension between Barrick and Jayde.
Meanwhile, the secrets gave me plenty of reasons to stay suspicious. Jayde and Barrick both keep things hidden, and the cult adds an entire hierarchy of uncertainty. I loved following a story where the central characters themselves contribute to the mystery.
Then there is Ronan, Jayde’s orphan friend and a thief, who also struck me as suspicious. Add the mysterious Chymist, whom Jayde believes is responsible for Soleste’s death, and my mental suspect list was getting crowded. I enjoyed having so many people and possibilities to question without knowing how everything would connect.
Magic That Leaves Questions Behind
The world’s magic was another element I loved. There are numerous rules surrounding its use, along with alchemists and forbidden practices, and the world retains a sense of mystery as those components come together.
One detail that especially caught my attention was a flashback in which Soleste uses magic to help plants grow. She describes borrowing from the earth, while magic is also described as stealing. I liked that explanation because it made me think about the exchange involved: where does the power come from, and what does taking it mean?
That idea adds weight to Jayde’s blood magic and resurrection attempts. I enjoyed how the magical rules, the cult’s secrets, the character relationships, and the search for Soleste’s killer all connect. Each component gave me another reason to stay invested.
Where the Bones Took Root earned its five stars from me with a complicated heroine, an absorbing mystery, and a slow burn full of those deliciously awkward little moments. If forbidden magic, buried secrets, and enemies becoming something more are your kind of reading combination, this is one to put on your radar. My biggest problem was finding a good place to stop reading.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐5/5
About the book:
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publishing date: October 6, 2026
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound
Rep: LGBTQ+
Synopsis:
Four times, Jayde has tried to resurrect Soleste, the girl she loved, with forbidden magic. Four times, she’s failed—and she’s convinced it’s because she’s missing the secret ingredient: the life of Soleste’s murderer.
When an alchemist’s son named Barrick catches her in the wake of her latest failure, he offers her a choice: he can expose her crimes, or she can help him infiltrate the alchemy cult she’s certain is hiding Soleste’s killer. Desperate, Jayde agrees—and binds him to her side with a magical oath.
But as Jayde and Barrick deceive their way through the cult’s hierarchy, her hunt for Soleste’s killer unearths buried truths. Soleste may have been keeping secrets of her own, and Jayde’s growing feelings for Barrick can no longer be explained by the magic that binds them.
The closer Jayde gets to the truth, the more it threatens everything she believed—about Soleste, the night she died, and her enemy-turned-accomplice.
To bring Soleste back, Jayde will have to confront her grief and decide how far she’s willing to go for the girl she loved… and whether it’s worth sacrificing the boy who accepts every dark piece of her.
Meet the author:
Juniper Klein is a YA fantasy author based in Houston, Texas, where she battles the humidity and serves as a devoted butler to her White Swiss Shepherd.
A Texas A&M University graduate and a former engineer, Juniper writes emotionally driven fantasies that explore grief, memory, and the dangerous things people will do for love. Her stories blend dark magic, immersive settings, sharp banter, and lovers who were meant to be enemies.
When she’s not writing, Juniper can usually be found taking French classes, planning her next escape to somewhere wild or less humid, or pushing herself beyond her comfort zone.
She is represented by Paula Weiman at ASH Literary.