Tag: Fantasy
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Witchlore by Emma Hinds: Complex Queer Story
At Demdike College of Witchcraft, Orlando is an outcast. Not just for being the only shapeshifter in a college of witches. Not just for being a really bad shapeshifter, with no control over their magic or when their body switches between male and female forms. But because their girlfriend Elizabeth died―and it was Lando’s fault.…
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The Keeper of Magical Things by Julie Leong: Cozy and Sweet
Certainty Bulrush wants to be useful—to the Guild of Mages that took her in as a novice, to the little brother who depends on her, and to anyone else she can help. Unfortunately, her tepid magic hasn’t proven much use to anyone. When Certainty has the chance to earn her magehood via a seemingly straightforward…
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The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow: Evocative and Sweeping
Sir Una Everlasting was Dominion’s greatest hero: the orphaned girl who became a knight, who died for queen and country. Her legend lives on in songs and stories, in children’s books and recruiting posters―but her life as it truly happened has been forgotten. Centuries later, Owen Mallory―failed soldier, struggling scholar―falls in love with the tale…
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Wicked For Good: Magical Performances
I was absolutely looking forward to Wicked: For Good. After seeing the first film, I already knew that Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are excellent performers but I couldn’t wait to see the conclusion, see how the story was resolved. After watching, I found the film had magical performances from everyone, stellar harmony between Cynthia…
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Extraordinary Quests for Amateur Witches by Kayla Cottingham: Charming and Magical
After accidentally cursing his ex-boyfriend, a reluctant hero must complete a dangerous quest to undo his spell . . . all while falling for a brooding new crewmate with dark secrets. Kieran has never had much luck in love or magic. Other than being freed from a family curse that would have killed him and…
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Uncharmed by Lucy Jane Wood: Cozy and Loving
Andromeda “Annie” Wildwood is the perfect witch. She is sugar, spice, and everything nice, each element of her life finely curated and polished to irresistibility by her nightly hex-laced potion routine. She loves to please and nothing makes her happier than when everyone else around her is completely happy. When Annie’s coven tasks her with…
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Cinder House by Freya Marske: Unique Cinderella
Ella is a haunting. Murdered at sixteen, her ghost is furiously trapped in her father’s house, invisible to everyone except her stepmother and stepsisters. Even when she discovers how to untether herself from her prison, there are limits. She cannot be seen or heard by the living people who surround her. Her family must never…
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Honeyeater by Kathleen Jennings: Dark and Rich
Sub-tropical Bellworth is founded on floodplains and root-bound secrets. And Charlie, remarkable only for vanished friends and a successful sister, plans to leave for good, just as soon as he deals with his dead aunt’s house. Then Grace arrives, desperate, with roses pressing up through her skin, and drags Charlie into the ghost-choked mysteries of…
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The Dragon Wakes with Thunder by K.X.Song: Complex and Bittersweet
The war may be over, but Hai Meilin is still paying a heavy toll. In spite of securing victory for the kingdom of Anlai, she is imprisoned upon her return. Her crime? Wielding a sword as a woman. In the palace, Meilin is an outcast and a social pariah. But beyond the imperial walls, the…
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Lessons in Magic and Disaster by Charlie Jane Anders: Emotional and Healing
A young witch teaches her mother how to do magic–with very unexpected results–in this relatable, resonant novel about family, identity, and the power of love. Jamie is the average New England academic in-training–she has a strong queer relationship, generational trauma, and an esoteric dissertation proposal. But she has one extraordinary secret: she’s also a powerful…
