A Fellowship of Librarians and Dragons
by J. Penner
A Fellowship of Librarians and Dragons is the second in J. Penner’s cozy romantasy series set in Adenashire, a quaint fantasy town. Poison Pen Press is republishing the novels in deluxe editions. You can read my review of the previous novel, A Fellowship of Bakers and Magic, here. This novel focuses on Doli Butterbuckle, a dwarf with a sunny personality, who has struckout on her own leaving her wealthy family behind to work in a book store. Doli has the unusual ability to create any sort of tea with accompaniments for herself or her friends, which seems a small and unimpressive form of magic so she is surprised when a relative gifts her a dragon egg which hatches when she touches it, which means she is the dragons guardian till it is ready to join the other dragons. Doli and her baby dragon are both delightful and her relationship with a shy gargoyle hiding some secrets is also very sweet. With a low heat level and themes of believing in oneself, finding one’s own path, and not pressuring oneself to always be cheerful this would appeal and be a good read for both teen as well as adult readers looking for a lighter gentle read. Doli learns her magic and inner strength is greater than she ever imagined, an important lesson for any age.
My Lady Jane
by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows
We read My Lady Jane for our April Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Discussion based on the recommendation of one of the discussion members who had also enjoyed the Prime Video adaptation of the novel. The series takes the story of Lady Jane Grey and gives her a happy ending. Also the authors give the ability of some of the historical figures populating the story, dubbed Eðians, to transform into a variety of animals including skunks, foxes, and horses. Although marketed as a Young Adult novel, it still held a lot of appeal to our adult book club members especially those who enjoyed a little history and romance with their fantasy stories. Some members felt that the story was bit longer than needed, but most enjoyed the humor including fourth wall breaking metacommentary provided by the book’s narrator. One member noted that the audiobook was particularly enjoyable for this selection. If you enjoy this novel the author’s have several other retellings of famous heroines with added fantasy elements including My Contrary Mary about Mary Queen of Scotland, who appears briefly in My Lady Jane. You can see other past reads from the HPL Science Fiction and Fantasy book group here. We hope you will join us for a future discussion!
Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager
Hoboken Library Staff Picks 