Bones at the Crossroads, LaDarrion Williams
Bones at the Crossroads, LaDarrion Williams
List: $27.50 | Sale: $19.25
Club: $13.75

Bones at the Crossroads

Author: LaDarrion Williams

Narrator: Jalyn Hall, LaDarrion Williams

Unabridged: 18 hr 56 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 07/29/2025


Synopsis

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In the sequel to the “unforgettable” (People), New York Times bestselling fantasy debut Blood at the Root, a Black teenager with magical powers returns to Caiman University only to find new dangers and new secrets.

It's Homecoming season at Caiman University, and all 17-year-old Malik Baron wants to do is be a regular college student…or as regular as he can get at a magical HBCU for young, Black Conjurers. He’s ready to go to parties, hang out with his new friends, choose a major, and talk to girls. Instead, he's reeling from a summer of revelations, heartbreak and betrayal, and still uncovering the truth about his powers and his legacy.

The family he only just discovered is already fractured beyond repair, and a new relative who shows up on his doorstep brings even more questions. Then there’s the mother he risked everything to find, who might be the biggest threat to the life he's trying to build. To protect his new community, Malik joins an elite secret society with roots in ancient magic.

His journey takes him even deeper into his own heritage and the history of the magical world, while bringing him closer to a classmate whose friendship might mean something more, if Malik is ready to let her in. But how can he use powers he can’t even control to defend a world he’s not sure will ever fully accept him? And as the pressure and danger builds, will he be able to confront the deepening cracks within the magical society, and those building within himself?

About The Author

Hailing from the small town of Helena, Alabama, LaDarrion Williams is a self-taught playwright, filmmaker, author, and screenwriter committed to shaping a new era of Black fantasy. His theatrical work has garnered attention at notable venues, including the Echo Theatre Playwrights Lab, the Great Plains Theatre Conference in Omaha, TSU’s Black and Latino Playwrights Festival, and the Boise Contemporary Theater BIPOC Playwrights Festival.An esteemed alum of the Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, LaDarrion’s play Hurt People was selected for the 2024 conference, further solidifying his place as a bold and necessary voice in contemporary theater. His play Coco Queens was featured in the 2019 Sundance Institute’s Playwriting Intensive, won the New Works@theWorks Playwriting Award, and celebrated its world premiere at Playhouse on the Square in July 2024.His Jeff Award-nominated play Boulevard of Bold Dreams—a poignant exploration of Hattie McDaniel’s historic Oscar win—debuted at TimeLine Theatre Company in Chicago, had its East Coast Premiere at Greater Boston Stage Company in March 2023, and was part of the Orlando Shakes Theater Signature Series in October 2023, with plans for national productions in 2024-2025.Beyond theater, LaDarrion has directed three short films featured on YouTube and made his mark as a debut author with Blood at the Root, a New York Times and USA Today Bestseller. Through storytelling across multiple mediums, he continues to craft narratives that amplify Black voices, history, and imagination.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Bethanie on May 02, 2025

Thanks you to NetGalley, Random House, and the incomparable LaDarrion Williams for this ARC copy in return for my review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Malik finds himself back at Caiman University expected to go about his every day life pretending as if his true love didn’t betray him, his m......more

Goodreads review by Myles on June 04, 2025

I could not put this book down for the life of me… Bones at the Crossroads is LIKE THAT! I am so happy to be back with these characters and Caiman U. Seeing Malik’s growth from book one to book two is absolutely awesome. He’s continuing to find himself and truly hone in to his magical abilities which......more

Goodreads review by Kara on July 17, 2025

Bones at the Crossroads is a hauntingly beautiful story that speaks to the soul of what it means to come of age as a Black boy carrying more than his share of the world. A story of legacy, but also a story of choice. Of what we do with the wounds we inherit. Of how we learn to become more than what t......more

Goodreads review by Onehellofalady on April 07, 2025

Thank you NetGalley, Randomhouse children and Ledarion Willams for this ARC. This book at me at the Authors note. The first line in the book was one that really touched me at the time. Malik is still trying to figure things out with his new magic that he’s inherited from mama Aya so he takes on a ne......more

Goodreads review by Jay on July 08, 2025

Actual Rating: 3.5......more


Quotes

“This thrilling sequel lives up to its promise....The novel's smooth integration of action and introspection keep the pages turning, and threads of romance, family, history, and personal integrity come together, well, rather magically. A great pick for fans of magic school stories.” —Common Sense Media

"A story as magically cool as it is emotionally heated." —Kirkus Reviews

"Williams emphasizes heartfelt messages about the importance of Black men’s mental health and fostering a queer-inclusive community....A cliff-hanger ending ensures that readers will return to Caiman University in a heartbeat." —Booklist