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New Fantasy Romance Duologies: The Geomagicians and This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me

31 Mar

The Geomagicians
by Jennifer Mandula
The Geomagicians is an intriguing debut novel by Jennifer Mandula. In the novel, Mary Anning isn’t any regular paleontologist, she is a geogmagician. In this historic fantasy world, magic can be stored and drawn from artifacts, the most powerful of which are fossils. Because of sexism she faces she struggles to support herself, even though she is responsible for many spectacular finds. Sometimes in period fantasies the prejudices at the time have been wiped away and though this can provide a sense of cozy escape to our current woes, it sometimes takes me out of the story to see something so far from what the reality would have been that the societal interactions seem less believable than the magic. I liked that this book actually explores how a woman during the era would have to overcome issues of prejudice and thus it makes her successes feel more earned. It also weaves in views on religion with magic in a very unique way. Mary Anning who the character was based on was a real life fossil collector in Lyme Regis who lived from 1799-1847; I think she would have been pleased with Mandula’s charming account. This story will appeal to those who enjoy rivals to romances and those looking for a unique new take on period Fantasy.

This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me
by Ilona Andrews
This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me is the intriguing new novel by Ilona Andrews. One day Maggie wakes up to find that she has been magically transported into Kair Toren, a city that she believed existed only in her favorite (but unfinished) fantasy series. Unfortunately for Maggie this fantasy world is not a cozy one, imagine being dropped into one of the city’s from Game of Thrones and its grimdark conniving politics. Maggie must use her knowledge from the books to make her way in the dangerous and yet magical world. I liked that Maggie is aware of portal fantasies and even mentions truck kun, the notorious delivery truck in isekai anime’s that sends so many unsuspecting teens to magical lands. Her self awareness adds another interesting element to the story. Learning about Kair Toren from the book makes this feel like a story within a story. This book will appeal to fans of The Magicians and those who have wondered what they would do if they were dropped in their favorite story. This is the first in a duology and after finishing this one which ends on a cliffhanger, I’m eagerly awaiting the sequel.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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Bee’s Knee’s Fantasies: Wolf Worm and Butterfly Effects

17 Mar

Wolf Worm
by T. Kingfisher
Wolf Worm is the latest by T. Kingfisher. Sonia Wilson grew up assisting her botanist father with his research and as a talented illustrator, enjoyed creating beautiful art out of what many people would simply consider weeds. But after her father’s death she struggles to find work as a scientific illustrator until she is hired to paint a collection of parasitic insects for a reclusive entomologist. The strange happenings in the nearby woods filled with odd wildlife and rumors of “blood thieves” has her both fearful and curious.

This is an entrancing dark historic fantasy/gothic horror story that gave me the creeps in the best possible way. As someone who grew up with a biology teacher for a father who enjoyed photographing our backyard bugs, I appreciated the detailed way that Kingfisher handled the topic. Even predisposed to finding insects intriguing, Kingfisher’s description’s still were at times horrifying and I can only imagine how much dread they would inspire in entomophobics. The 1899 time period felt well researched including social issues of the time. Kingfisher’s experience as an artist, herself, brings Sonia’s passion to life. She masterfully builds dread and includes several unexpected twists. If you enjoy this story, also check out her excellent spin on Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher, What Moves the Dead, and its sequel, What Feasts at Night.

Butterfly Effects
by Seanan McGuire
Butterfly Effects is the latest in Seanan McGuire’s InCryptid series, which follows several generations of the Price family (both biological and found) on their adventures. Sarah Zellaby is one of the more unusual members of the family who was adopted as a young child. Sarah isn’t human, she is a Johrlac, a species that look like pale humans with dark hair, but are actually evolved from a species of psychic wasps on a world in another dimension. By those who are aware of them, her species is typically feared and reviled on earth for their powers and tendency to cause chaos. Despite all of her best efforts at being a good person, she has been kidnapped and brought to the Johrlac home world for crimes she did not even know existed.

McGuire gives enough of the backstory at the start so that you do not need to read the other books in the series to understand this one; this books follows events most closely with the stories in Imaginary Numbers and Calculated Risk which also focused on Sarah. Butterfly Effects is told from both Sarah’s perspective and that of one of her adopted cousins. Sarah is an interesting and complex character and I think readers who are neurodiverse will especially feel a kinship with her. The Johrlac world is vividly described from its giant bugs and beautiful flowers to its unique buildings; this story will appeal to Science Fiction as well as the series’s usual Fantasy fans.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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