Tag Archives: book-reviews

Artful Fantasy: A Portrait of a Witch Undone and The Art of Charming a Changeling

25 Aug


A Portrait of a Witch Undone
by Kate Shay
Dark fantasy fans will want to check out Portrait of a Witch Undone, the new novel by Kate Shay, a suspenseful tale of a young witch who must discover her true power in order to save her best friend and the coven that has rejected her.  Shay has created an intriguing alternate Boston, along with the surrounding marshes, that are painted with great verisimilitude with details such as the Gardner Museum and its artwork. Having lived there for two years and recently revisited on my last summer vacation I loved seeing all the details that make Boston unique. For those of you in the Hoboken area, the marshes will also remind you of those in the nearby meadowlands. Warning: you’ll be looking for mysterious witch lights there when you pass by after reading this since these real world details are infused with magical unique moments that set this apart from other witch fictions. If you enjoyed A Discovery of Witches, Practical Magic, and Kim Harrison’s Shadow Age series, then Portrait of a Witch Undone will have you spellbound.

The Art of Charming a Changeling
by Sylvie Cathral
The Art of Charming a Changeling is a sweet cozy fantasy set in a magical and more diverse Regency world where fairies are real and live in a world revolving around art. Florrie Hyverfell is a conservator, who on her first day working for a prince realizes that not only is a famous portrait a fake, but there is a trapped fairy, Vern, inside the painting. She has to find the original to keep her job and rescue Vern from captivity. Fans of The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels will enjoy the clever humor and fantastic spin on historic fiction. This is also a great pick if you are looking for a fun, light fantasy romance beach read this summer. I was truly charmed by the world Cathral created which had as much whimsy of Alice in Wonderland including a giant butterfly who survives by sipping colors, which may be my new favorite animal sidekick. If you also enjoy The Art of Charming a Changeling, you can also check out Cathral’s Sunken Archives series.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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City of Others and other Singapore Inspired Fantasies

21 Jan

City of Others
by Jared Poon
Though it is only January, the new urban fantasy, City of Others may already be one of my favorite books of the year. The story follows Benjamin Toh, a middle manager for the Division of Engagement of Unusual Stakeholders in Singapore, which oversees the nonhuman members of the city. He himself is a Gardner, who has the supernatural power to look inside himself and reshape his soul to not only be braver but to be physically stronger as well. This story has a sweet mm romance, an adorable set of workplace found family members, and a parade of intriguing Southeast Asian mythic creatures and humanoids to discover. The storyline about a housing complex which is periodically glitching out of our reality and Benjamin’s attempts to stop it and the entirety of Singapore from permanently vanishing was enjoyable, but I hope this isn’t the end of Benjamin’s adventures since the world Poon has created is so intriguing that I was left wanting more of it. If you are a fan of Men in Black or The Dresden Files then I highly recommend checking out City of Others.

Looking for more Singaporean Fantasies? Check out these other works:
Black Tides of Heaven
by Neon Yang
Black Tides of Heaven is the first, LGBTQ Asian inspired fantasy novella in the Tensorate Series by Singaporean author Neon Yang. The series was one of the 100 best fantasy books of all time, according to Time Magazine and a Finalist for the Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Awards for Best Novella.

Sister Snake
by Amanda Lee Koe
Sister Snake is a modern spin on the Chinese folktale “The Legend of the White Snake” which follows two sisters, one in Singapore and one in New York City.

The Wicked and the Willing
by Lianyu Tan
The Wicked and the Willing is the 2023 Lambda Literary Award Winner for LGBTQ+ Speculative Fiction. It is a sapphic gothic horror vampire novel set in 1927 Singapore.

Have a fantasy recommendation to share; let us know in the comments!

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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