Rooted in Silence: Some Roots Grow Deeper in the Dark (Root & Vein Trilogy -Part I)
Author: A.M. Walker
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Format: eARC
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (3 stars)
Synopsis
Emily Byrd appears to have it all: a beautiful home, a loving fiance, and the wedding of her dreams just around the corner.
But behind the perfect facade, she's carefully planning something no one sees coming.
She intends to kill the man she's about to marry.
As the wedding day draws closer, Emily finds an unexpected ally in her enigmatic neighbor, Miss Volkova, whose knowledge of plants and herbal remedies opens the door to a far more sinister education. Meanwhile, Remmy's best friend, Matt, begins noticing cracks in Emily's carefully constructed image and starts asking questions she would rather leave unanswered.
With suspicion growing and secrets piling up, Emily's perfect plan may not stay hidden for much longer.
My Thoughts
I have to admit, this started off really strong.
Emily appears to have the perfect life: a beautiful home, a devoted fiancé, and a wedding just days away.
The catch?
She's secretly planning to murder him.
Needless to say, I was immediately intrigued.
One aspect I really enjoyed was watching Emily prepare for what she believed would be the perfect crime. After befriending her mysterious neighbor, Miss Volkova, she becomes fascinated by poisonous plants, gardening, and herbal concoctions. She throws herself into research, consults experts, and meticulously plans every detail.
Those sections were easily my favorite part of the book because they highlighted just how methodical Emily wanted to be.
I also enjoyed the contrast between Remmy and his best friend, Matt.
While Remmy trusts Emily completely and always seems to see the best in people, Matt quickly senses that something isn't right. His growing suspicions added more tension to the story and made me eager to see whether he'd uncover the truth before it was too late.
My biggest struggle, however, was Emily herself.
I never fully connected with her, largely because I found her motivation difficult to believe. For me, the reasoning behind everything she was planning felt surprisingly weak, making it harder to become fully invested in her journey.
I wasn't looking for Emily to be likable, psychological thrillers often have morally questionable protagonists, but I did want to better understand the psychological drive behind such an extreme decision.
Without that stronger motivation, some of her choices felt less impactful than I hoped.
Final Thoughts
Rooted in Silence is an intriguing start to the series with a compelling premise, an unsettling atmosphere, and some fascinating details about poisonous plants and meticulous planning.
While I wasn't entirely convinced by Emily's motivations, the writing kept me engaged, and I was curious enough to see where the story would go next.
I'll definitely be continuing with Part II.
⭐️ 3 stars
ARC Disclaimer
Thank you to A.M. Walker for the opportunity to read and review this book. All opinions are my own.
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