magic

Hemlock & Silver

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by T. Kingfisher
First sentence: “I had just taken poison when the king arrived to inform me that he had murdered his wife.”
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Release date: August 19, 2025
Review copy provided by the publisher.
Content: There is some violence, and swearing, including a few f-bombs. It will be in the Science Fiction/Fantasy section of the bookstore.

All Anja wanted was a quiet (enough) life to study poisions and to attempt to find antidotes and cures for as many as she could. Unfortunately, that means she is very good at what she does, and that catches the notice of the king, who comes and “asks” (do kings really ask?) her to save his daughter, Snow, who is slowly wasting away, probably being poisoned. Anja doesn’t want to do this – if she fails, it will be the ruin of her and her father – but she doesn’t have a choice. Once she sees Snow, however, things become more complicated: this is not any ordinary poison.

It’s a very loose, and very clever, retelling of Snow White, one that doesn’t focus on the princess, but rather in which you see the story unfold completely outside of it. It’s incredibly clever (even though it does take nearly 100 pages for the story to really get going – but Kingfisher’s writing is good enough that I didn’t mind that) in both its use of magic and the way in which the fairy tale is interpreted. But, mostly I liked it for what I have come to like about Kingfisher’s books: Anja is not your typical heroine. She’s older, she’s grumpy, she’s single-minded, she’s frumpy, she’s stubborn, and I adored her. I love that Kingfisher gives us main characters that aren’t what you usually think of when you say “fairy tale retelling”, and I am here for pretty much anything that she writes.

This is no exception: it’s truly a delight to read.

Audiobook: The Raven Boys

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by Maggie Stiefvater
Read by Will Patton
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Or listen at Libro.fm
Content: There is swearing, including a couple of f-bombs, talk of teenage drinking, and a murder. It’s in the Teen Bestsellers section of the bookstore.

I wasn’t going to write a post about this one, since I don’t have much new to say from my first review 13 years ago. Then I realized that even though I have reread this a couple of times, I finally experienced it in a different format, and that warranted mentioning. I’ve heard that Patton – who narrates the whole series – is a good narrator and that the audiobook is a good experience, but I haven’t felt the need. Until this year. I decided I needed Maggie’s stories in my life, and I was feeling a gravitational pull towards the Raven Cycle, so I decided to do the audio. And they’re right: Patton is an excellent narrator for this book (and I’m assuming the series – I’ve got Dream Thieves on hold already) and it’s an excellent way to experience Henrietta and Blue and the boys. I plowed through it because I didn’t want to stop listening (because good story + good narrator = a remarkable experience).

I’m glad I finally got around to listening to this one!

Audiobok: The Honey Witch

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by Sydney J. Sheilds
Read by Mia Hutchinson Shaw
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Or listen at Libro.fm
Content: There is some swearing, including a couple f-bombs, and some attempts at on-page sex (long story). It’s in the Romance section of the bookstore.

Marigold Claude has never fit in in her early 19th-century upper class home. She doesn’t really have talents, she has no interest in marrying, and after a botched relationship with George, she’s convinced she’s never even going to fall in love. She’s convinced she has no purpose. That is, until her grandmother comes and tells her that she’s actually a Honey Witch and she’s destined to take over the isle of Innisfree. Once there, she re-meets her childhood friend, August, and his best friend, Lottie, whom she’s attracted to. Except there’s a problem: as the Honey Witch of Innisfree, she’s been cursed to never fall in love.

That’s basically a plot – I told someone earlier that it’s a sapphic love story where they’re battling against an evil witch (which they do, but not until the last 5 chapters of the book). There is no historical accuracy – if it’s not the magic that gives it away, no one seems to have any issue with queer romance and there’s even queer marriage. Go figure. That said, I really enjoyed this one. I think a lot of it was the narrator. Shaw was fantastic. I adored her accents, and she kept me interested and engaged the whole way through. I did feel that the end dragged out a bit, but other than that, it was good fun.

The Hedgewitch of Foxhall

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by Anna Bright
First sentence: “I was seven years old when I met wild magic.”
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Content: There is some violence, including talk of violence done to women. And there is a slight romance. It’s in the Teen (grades 9+) section of the bookstore.

Ffion is a hedgewitch in a remote village in Wales; she lives off the earth and people’s goodness, because she shuns the ways of the Foxhall coven, which she thinks has gotten too big and powerful, and neglects the needs of the poor and downtrodden. And when her familiar, Cadno the fox, gets caught in one of the Foxhall’s sacrifices for a spell, Ffion is livid. Livid enough to team up with Prince Tal, who arrived at the coven asking for their help to do his father’s bidding – destroy the wall that they believe is hindering Welsh magic. Tal has his own reasons to be there: he and his half-brother Dafydd, are in a competition to win the throne after their father, the king, is foretold his death by his court magician. Whoever can bring magic back will be the next king.

It’s obviously not quite as simple as all that, but that’s the basic gist. What I kept thinking though, is that it felt so much like Diana Wynne Jones’s early work, full of lore and mythology and Welsh magic and grounded in nature and the mystical. This one has an elegance about it that pulled me in and kept me reading. I loved Ffion as a character, and I liked the way Bright wove magic and folklore through the book. I liked the tension between Tal and Dafydd, and have to admit that Bright surprised me with the direction the book takes. It’s not what I expected at all.

And I simply loved it.

Sourcery

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by Terry Pratchett
First sentence: “There was a man and he had eight sons.”
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Content: It’s a Pratchett novel, so there’s really nothing, except that it’s a bit long. It’s in the Science Fiction/Fantasy section of the bookstore.

I picked this one up because for #ReadICT I needed a book published the year I turned 16, which was 1988. I looked at lists of the best sellers and top books, and nothing spoke to me until I stumbled across this one. Ah, I thought I could always read another Discworld book that I hadn’t read. I haven’t dabbled in the Rincewind books at all – I’ve never been much interested – but I figured why not. It’s a Terry Pratchett book.

This one is simple in plot: wizards aren’t supposed to have kids because there is a chance of sorcerers, and those are Bad. Except one wizard did have kid – the eighth son of an eighth son, which I find hilarious – and eventually he came to take over the Unseen University. Rincewind – and friends he picked up along the way – are sent to keep the Archmage hat safe (or as safe as possible, which, of course, doesn’t work very well) from the sorcerer, and so that the Apocalypse can be (narrowly) avoided.

But Pratchett’s books are not about the plot. They’re about the journey, and the little asides, and the footnotes, and the humor that you find. And, while this one isn’t my favorite (and it’s not even as good as Hogfather, which I read at the beginning of the year), it was still fun. It made me laugh, I was entertained, and I read it much quicker than I’ve been reading pretty much anything else these days.

Then again, it’s Sir Terry. I don’t think he ever wrote a bad book. Just more good and less good. And maybe this one was less good for me, but it’s still a delight.

The Pumpkin Princess and the Forever Night

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by Steven Banbury
First sentence: “She ran.”
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Content: It’s a little long, and mildly scary at moments. It’s in the Middle Grade (grades 3-5) section of the bookstore.

Eve was in an orphanage, but she was incredibly unhappy. She had several failed escape attempts, but one Hallows Eve night, she ran away and straight into the path of the Pumpkin King. He was impressed with her spirit, and adopted her on the spot: he needed an heir, she needed a home. It was perfect. Except that she’s living and Hallowell Valley is a haven for the undead – witches, ghosts, gouls, vampires, and werewolves, and the like. She stubbornly makes her home there, and even makes a couple of friends. That is, until things go sideways, and it looks like someone it trying to take the Pumpkin King’s kingdom away. Can Eve and her friends figure out what’s going on before it’s too late?

To be honest: I thought this was a graphic novel when I picked it up. It’s not – just in case you were wondering. But it is a very cozy, very sweet little story of found family and learning to love and making good change where you’re at. I thought it was cute and charming, but I’m not entirely sure it’s going to be one that kids will gravitate to. Maybe certain kids, and I’m sure it would be a very fun Halloween read-aloud. But, I am not sure that it’s one of those books that kids are going to love. I might be wrong. At any rate, I thought it was a clever idea, well-executed, and very sweet in the end.

Audiobook: Assistant to the Villain

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by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
Read by Em Eldridge
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Or listen at Libro.fm
Content: There are descriptions of murder and mayhem, as well as a depiction of sexual assault. There are swear words, including a few f-bombs. It’s in the Romance section of the bookstore.

Evie Sage is on the run after quitting her less-than-desirable job at the town blacksmith when she encounters none other than The Villain. He’s the guy who’s been terrorizing the kingdom for years, the guy whom everyone is supposed to be afraid of. And he offers her a job? As his assistant?

Which she’s actually enjoying? (That’s not even bringing up the fact that her boss is actually hot. And a decent human being.)

So, when it looks like there’s a traitor in their midst, it’s up to Evie and The Villain to figure out what’s going on and stop them before they put too many (more) lives at stake.

I felt about this one much like I felt about Fourth Wing: was it good? Probably not. Was it a lot of fun? Yes.
Yes, it is. I like the magic system that Maehrer created, and it was highly amusing the way she superimposed a modern office space on this fantasy world. (There’s an HR Director!) I liked the push and pull between Evie and The Villain (though awkward power dynamic much there?). I really liked the narrator; I think she’s what made it really fun for me. I did have quibbles with the way the ending twists happened (the fake-out was the one that really bothered me), but in the end (even though it ended on a cliffhanger), I immediately picked up the second one.

You can’t get a higher recommendation than that, can you?

Audiobook: A Sorceress Comes to Call

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by T. Kingfisher
Read by Eliza Foss & Jennifer Pickens
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Or listen at Libro.fm
Content: There is some mild swearing, and instances of child abuse. It’s in the Science Fiction/Fantasy section of the bookstore.

Cordelia’s mother is… not great. She’s a sorceress who has always gotten everything she wanted by any means possible. When Cordelia did anything her mother didn’t like, she just made Cordelia “obedient” – basically taking over her body and controlling it. Now that Cordelia is 14, though, her mother has decided they need to move on to bigger and better things – and has her sights set on a squire to marry.

Hester is that squire’s brother, and she sees Cordelia’s mother as Doom, and is going to do everything she can to stop it.

That’s the plot in a nutshell, but like other of Kingfisher’s books, the beauty of it is not in the plot. It’s in the characters and in the little things that just make her books wonderful. It’s in the portrayals of the women in all their complexity – Hester is insecure about being older and having a cranky knee (I can relate!); Cordelia is traumatized and unsure of herself but grows immensely throughout the book. It’s in the sly asides (Penelope! Imogene!), and in the way the magic is used throughout the book. Additionally, the narrators were just perfect for the characters – it alternates between Cordelia and Hester – and I found myself not wanting to stop listening.

In short, this book stole my heart, and I love that it did.

The Prisoner’s Throne

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by Holly Black
First sentence: “
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Others in the series: The Cruel Prince, The Wicked King, The Queen of Nothing, The Stolen Heir
Content: There is some violence, including torture, and mild swearing. It’s in the YA section (grades 6-8) of the bookstore.

Spoilers for all the rest of the series, obviously.

Oak and Wren have successfully overthrown the Court of Teeth, but the problem is that even though Wren is queen, Oak has been thrown in prison. It’s not fun, being a prisoner in ice, and watching Wren use her magic to unmake things. It’s not until Oak’s sister, Jude, decides to rescue him that he makes his move: ask Wren to marry him. But, that creates a whole other level of conflict: there are attempts on Jude and Cardan’s lives, and there’s a hag witch that has Wren under her spell. The question is: can Oak play his cards right to stop everything.

I’m not sure if Black is going to keep writing books set in Elfhame, but honestly, I’d read them if she does. I love this world, I love these characters, and Black spins such a good tale. It’s been too long since I’ve visited the world, and yet I found myself slipping back into the rhythms and the magic of the stories that Black spins. I appreciate that the danger feels real, that nothing is safe, and that the stakes are high. It makes for an unputdownable book.

Another excellent addition to the Elfhame series.

Amulet: Waverider

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by Kazu Kibuishi
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Others in the series: The Stonekeeper, The Stonekeeper’s Curse, The Cloud Searchers, The Last Council, Prince of the Elves, Escape from Lucien, Firelight, Supernova
Content: There is some fighting and other intense moments. It’s in the Middle Grade Graphic Novel section of the bookstore. 

This is the last installment in the Amulet series. The overarching conflict is resolved (mostly), and most of the loose threads are wrapped up. It’s the culmination of 16 years of story. 

I went back and reread the entire series — it’s been nearly 6 years since the last one came out — and I was struck by how much the series changed throughout the story. What starts as an adventure story ends up more introspective, exploring ideas of control, free will, and choice. I wonder how much the events of the world affected the story – if it had been written faster would it have been a different story?

The art is still remarkable, with pages that take your breath away. And I think it’s a good ending for this series. It’s such a monumental graphic novel series, that I’m a little sad that it’s over. I hope there are more stories to tell in this world.