Tag Archives: Ann Aguirre

Finding Family in Unusual Places: The Only Purple House in Town and Divinity 36

12 Jul

I’m always enjoy a good “found family” story where characters find their place amongst others who often themselves have felt like misfits or outcasts. Speculative Fiction often puts a spin on this when characters don’t just feel different, but may be aliens or supernatural such as with Divinity 36 and The Only Purple House in Town.

The Only Purple House in Town
by Ann Aguire
I had previously enjoyed and written about Aguire’s novel Witch Please, the first in her Fix-It Witch Series. Although The Only Purple House in Town is set in the same world as Fix-It Witch, the central couple have other supernatural lineage. Iris Collins was raised by a family of psychic vampires, but believes she lacks any special abilities herself. Eli Reese has made a small fortune creating popular apps, but a late bloomer, most days he’d rather shift and fly free in his avian form then interact with other people. Eli and Iris met briefly in their youth before Eli moved away, but they bump into each other again as adults while Eli is fixing up his grandmother’s house for sale and Iris just inherited a purple Victorian, which she is renting to make ends meet. Sparks fly when Eli moves in; it seems Iris just might discover her hidden self and Eli might find a reason to stay in human form. They are joined in the restoring the old purple Victorian by several quirky humans and one witchy roommate. Although the core couple are straight, several LGBTQ characters are also featured and the growing suspicions and hatred towards the supernatural community seem paralleled to the rise of prejudice in our own society giving the book a timeliness. A meddlesome neighbor adds some drama and Eli and Iris have a few early misunderstandings to overcome but this low stakes cozy supernatural romance will make an enjoyable beach read. This gentle read will appeal to fans of TJ Klune’s novels. I received an early copy of The Only Purple House in Town from Netgalley and the publisher.

Divinity 36
by Gail Carriger
Gail Carriger is my favorite author; her work is unique, funny, insightful, and overall charming. She started off in the Steampunk Genre including the Adult Parasol Protectorate and the YA Finishing School series, but has recently begun crafting Science Fiction. Much like her Fantasy has mostly been confined to the interconnected Parasolverse, her individual Science Fiction is set in the larger world of Tinkered Stars. Divinity 36 is her first in the Tinkered Starsong Trilogy, about a crudrat refugee barista, Phex, who is selected to become a musical and literal “God” by an alien race who can make transcendent color from the songs and dances that the pantheons they create perform. At first Phex is unable to relate to many of his fellow contestants and feels closer to the more alien of them than the Sapiens who appear physically similar to him and yet are often repelled by the fact that he comes from a world where people are genetically engineered. Slowly though he finds friendship with others including my favorite character, the cuddly flying insectoid Berril. The novel is marketed as YA and has minimal violence and no sex so again a good choice for those looking for a gentle read for adults as well, especially those looking for new adult works. I look forward to the other books in the series that will be released later in the year (the next one, Demigod 12, comes out August 1). If you enjoy speculative fiction with a musical focus, check out my blog post on Catherynne M. Valente’s wacky Eurovision inspired Space Opera and my post on Spellsinger by Alan Dean Foster. You can also listen to another of Carriger’s YA stories set in the same universe, Crudrat, that gives more insight into the Wheel, the place where Phex grew up.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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Magical Romances: The Midnight Bargain, The Book of Magic, and Witch Please

13 Apr

Love always seems magical, but these three novels, where the protagonists are all witches, will have you spellbound.

The Midnight Bargain
C. L. Polk
The Midnight Bargain is C.L. Polk’s latest novel following their award winning Kingston Cycle Trilogy which also dealt with magic users.  The Midnight Bargain is a magical regency romance that will appeal to fans of Bridgerton series and Pride & Prejudice.  In the novel Beatrice is torn between her feelings for Ianthe, a wealthy suitor who would please her family, and her desire to pursue higher magic that is typically forbidden to women.  Magic users are able to communicate with powerful, but incorporeal spirits who sometimes can share their bodies and experiences.  Women are expected to wear a collar around their neck once they are married as a form of magical birth control that prevents spirits from entering them and taking over their children.  Ianthe’s sister Ysbeta also desires to become a powerful magic user and she and Beatrice become friends.  In contrast to Ysbeta and Beatrice, Beatrice’s own sister is obsessed with the parties and courtship rituals and looks forward to them and wants nothing more than making a good match herself.  The characters are diverse and compelling.  This was a page turner that had my nightly reading pushing past midnight!   

The Book of Magic
The Practical Magic Series, Book 4
Alice Hoffman
The Book of Magic is both chronologically and in the writing of, the fourth in the Practical Magic Series.  The first written in the series was Practical Magic followed by two prequels The Rules of Magic and Magic Lessons.  Practical Magic is one of my favorite novels from my 20’s and I’m always a fan of Hoffman’s beautiful prose and bittersweet magical realism.  She writes about sympathetic and spirited heroines who are impossible not to care about.  That said I had mixed feelings as a fan of the first novel since this one basically comes in and resets a family curse that has plagued generations of Owens women where they lose their true loves, which seemed to have been resolved.  While I liked seeing how the daughters in the original novel grew up into strong women and seeing their bond of sisterhood something that is a thread throughout the series, I wish that the novel could have been written without changing fundamentally what had happened previously.  In the end though I think it was worth the read to be able to spend more time with the Owen’s family.

Witch Please
Fix-It Witches Series, Book 1
by Ann Aguirre
Witch Please like The Book of Magic is set in current day; in fact it is described as “Practical Magic meets Gilmore Girls.”  Danica along with her cousin owns a repair shop where they are able to use their witchcraft to fix just about everything from a blender to a cash register.  In the novel, Danica’s grandmother has told her that their family line has a weakness that if the witches in the family marry a non-magical partner, it will weaken their witchcraft.  Unfortunately Danica is falling for the gorgeous baker who with his sister owns a bakery where Danica often goes to buy cinnamon buns for her book club/coven.  This novel feels much lighter and funnier than the other two.  Intimate moments are also more graphically depicted and may be a bit much for those who prefer the bedroom door be kept closed in their romances.  There is some diversity among the characters including lesbian and bisexuals being positively represented. I’m looking forward to reading the next two in the series Boss Witch which came out at the beginning of April and follows Danica’s cousin Clementine and October’s Extra Witchy.

For more books about witches you can check out some of my previous blog posts.  Love fantasy?  Check out HPL’s monthly Science Fiction and Fantasy Group!

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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