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The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
This makes for a very wholesome read that will definitely appeal to fans of T.J. Klune’s The House in the Cerulean Sea. Set in Britain, we follow Mika Moon, a witch who has learnt to live an isolated life in order to successfully hide her magic from others. Like other witches, she is an orphan…
3 STARS, 3rd pov, Adult, british indian author, cheesy, Contemporary, cozy mystery, england, FANTASY, female authors, found family, gay side characters, grumpy/sunshine dynamic, HUMOR, lgbtq+ side, light reads, m/m side, MAGIC, NORFOLK, orphans, playful style, published in 2022, queer side characters, read in 2022, ROMANCE, Sangu Mandanna, sitter/au pair/governess, teachers, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, WITCHES -
The Women Could Fly by Megan Giddings
“This is the story of the witch who refused to burn. Some people said that there was power in her blood, a gift from her ancestors that she could endure.” Megan Giddings’s sophomore novel is highly evocative of those The Handmaid’s Tale inspired dystopias where readers are presented with a near-future where women—sometimes men—live in…
1st pov, 3.25 stars, Adult, America, AMERICAN AUTHOR, ART/CREATIVITY, atmospheric, beautiful prose, BISEXUAL/PANSEXUAL, Black & Black heritage authors, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, dystopia, FANTASY, female authors, female friendships, feminism, forgiveness, GRIEF, HORROR, identity, ISLAND, lesbian side characters, lgbtq+, LITERARY FICTION, loneliness, MAGIC, Megan Giddings, Michigan, missing moms, missing persons, missing women, mothers & daughters, My reviews, MYSTERY, near future/alternate reality, PARANORMAL, published in 2022, queer, read in 2022, reading, social issues, SPECULATIVE FICTION, SUPERNATURAL, the female malaise, The Women Could Fly, trauma, witchcraft, WITCHES -
Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho
“He spoke the spell under his breath, still a little uncertain after the agonies he had endured. But magic came, ever his friend—magic answered his call.” Written in a playful pastiche style Sorcerer to the Crown will certainly appeal to fans of Susanna Clarke, Neil Gaiman, and Diana Wynne Jones. Cho’s bombastic prose, characterized by…
1800s, 1810s, 19TH CENTURY, 3rd pov, 4 STARS, academia, Adult, adventure, all girls school, alternate history, bombastic style, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, curses, DRAGONS, FAERIES, FAIRYLAND, FANTASY, FANTASY OF MANNERS, favourite authors, female authors, HISTORICAL FICTION, HUMOR, MAGIC, magic school, Malaysian author, My reviews, playful style, published in 2015, re-reads, read in 2016, read in 2021, reading, Regency era, SOCIAL COMMENTARY, Sorcerer Royal, WARLOCKS/WIZARDS, WITCHES, Zen Cho -
The Witch’s Hand by Nathan Page
The main reason why I read The Witch’s Hand was Maggie Stiefvater’s 5-star review for it (what can I say, I trust in Stiefvater). And I’m so glad I did! Way back when I had an ahem Scooby-Doo phase (not only did I watch 20+ Scooby-Doo animated films but I also ended up devouring the…
1960s, 4 STARS, America, American, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, brothers, canadian artist, canadian author, cliques, DETECTIVE, Drew Shannon, FANTASY, gay, ghosts/spirits, Graphic Novels, HISTORICAL FICTION, lgbtq+, light reads, MAGIC, male artists, male authors, MYSTERY, Nathan Page, New England, occult, PARANORMAL, published in 2020, read in 2021, SMALL TOWN, summer reads, SUPERNATURAL, The Witch's Hand, twins, uplifting reads, WITCHES, YOUNG ADULT -
All Our Hidden Gifts by Caroline O’Donoghue
Caroline O’Donoghue’s foray into YA will definitely appeal to fans of the genre. Although I do have a few criticisms I can safely say that I found All Our Hidden Gifts to be an entertaining read. Set in Ireland, our narrator and protagonist is sixteen-year old Maeve Chambers, the youngest in a big family. She…
1st pov, 3 STARS, all girls school, All Our Hidden Gifts, Caroline O’Donoghue, coming of age, Contemporary, cults, curses, Dreams, FANTASY, female authors, FOLKLORE, gender identity, IRELAND, IRISH AUTHOR, lgbtq+ side, MAGIC, missing girls, missing persons, PARANORMAL, published in 2021, queer side characters, read in 2020, ROMANCE, social issues, tarots, WITCHES, YOUNG ADULT -
The Fell of Dark by Caleb Roehrig
…and I thought that vampires were passé. The Fell of Dark is a fun take that on vampires and ‘the chosen one’ trope. Usually, I’m a nitpicking reader but with The Fell of Dark I was happy to suspend my disbelief. Is this novel perfect? Definitely not. Is it entertaining? Hell yes!Our narrator and protagonist,…
3.75 stars, adventure, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, BOOK REVIEWS, Caleb Roehrig, chosen one, Contemporary, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), drama, FANTASY, gay, HIGH SCHOOL, HUMOR, Illinois, lgbtq+, LGBTQ+ Author, m/m, m/m/m, MAGIC, male authors, PARANORMAL, published in 2020, queer, read in 2020, ROMANCE, SMALL TOWN, The Fell of Dark, URBAN FANTASY, VAMPIRES, WITCHES, YOUNG ADULT -
Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones — book review
“I’m dying of boredom,” Howl said pathetically. “Or maybe just dying.” Like many, I fell in love with Studio Ghibli’s adaptation of this novel. I consider it a personal favourite and have watched it many times. So once I learnt that it was ‘loosely’ based on a book, I was eager to get my hands…
3.5 STARS, adventure, BOOK REVIEW, Booklr, British author, british classics, CHILDHOOD, CLASSICS, curses, Diana Wynne Jones, FAIRY TALES, FANTASY, Howl’s Moving Castle, HUMOR, MAGIC, MAGICAL DOORS, modern classics, playful style, portal fantasy, published in 1986, READ IN 2019, ROMANCE, studio ghibli, Wales, WARLOCKS/WIZARDS, witchcraft, WITCHES -
THE FEVER KING: BOOK REVIEW
The Fever King by Victoria Lee ★★✰✰✰ 2.5 Although I’m no longer an avid reader of YA books The Fever King sounded really good so I had rather high hopes for this one. At first The Fever King reminded me of some of some of my favourite YA. It has a not-so-far-in-the-future setting similar to…
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The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman
“She had lost so much that she had lost herself as well. She had a secret that she carried with her, and it hurt, as if she store a stone beside her heart. It was her hatred of herself that was her burden, and it grew each day. At first it was tiny, a mere…
1950s, 1960s, 5 STARS, ALICE HOFFMAN, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, drama, FAIRY TALES, family, FAMILY SAGA, female authors, FOLKLORE, gay, HISTORICAL FICTION, lgbtq+, LITERARY FICTION, MAGIC, MAGICAL REALISM, NEW YORK, PARANORMAL, read in 2017, ROMANCE, siblings, SMALL TOWN, THE RULES OF MAGIC, war, WITCHES -
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
“They dare not follow, thought Vasya. They fear the forest after dark. And then, darkly: They are wise.” The Bear and The Nightingale is an enchanting tale imbued with Russian folklore and traditions. Arden has crafted a story that abounds with fantastical creatures and mystical prophecies that will entice the reader from the very first…
14th century, 3rd pov, 4 STARS, adventure, AMERICAN AUTHOR, DEMONS, FAIRY TALES, female authors, FOLKLORE, HISTORICAL FICTION, KATHERINE ARDEN, MAGIC, MAGICAL REALISM, myths, read in 2017, Religion, RUSSIA, series that went downhill, THE BEAR AND THE NIGHTINGALE, winter reads, Winternight Trilogy, WITCHES, YOUNG ADULT
luce [is reading] 