Tag Archives: fantasy

Enchanting New Releases: Perilous Enchantment and Enchanted Village

20 Oct
Cover of Perilous Enchantment: The True History of Faeries by Sarah Clegg. Illustrations depicts a group of men in robes and women in dresses some of whom have wings and one wearing a crown is riding a horse. It is night and above them fly birds and in two trees sit a figure in a red cap with pointed ears and a woman with an apron and a broom.
Cover of Enchanted Village by Lily Starling. Illustration of snow covered village with a castle in the background on a steep hill. The buildings are decorated for Christmas. Two small dragons fly overhead.

Perilous Enchantment: The True History of Faeries
by Sarah Clegg
Perilous Enchantment: The True History of Faeries is Sarah Clegg’s intriguing new nonfiction work about faeries and how their stories have evolved throughout European history. She also looks at various figures like elves and nymphs whose legends merged with those of fairies. Clegg visits various fairy related sights throughout the world and recounts legends and myths related to them. This brings alive what otherwise could have been a more dry scholarly account. It was a bit like reading the actual Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries if it were a nonfiction and not a fantasy work. Fans of Heather Fawcett’s novel and other fairy fantasy works will definitely want to check this out, but be warned Clegg looks at some of the darker aspects of faerie legends that can be intense. It gave me a greater appreciation of contemporary faerie fantasy novels such as urban fantasies and romantasies, and how they are a part of a larger storytelling history of faeries. A must read for Faerie fans!

Enchanted Village
by Lily Starling
Enchanted Village is the fun new grumpy/sunshine romance from Lily Starling. Margaret is from a magical family, but has no magical abilities herself, yet she continues to run the family’s tavern The Toasty Owl in the charming village of Hex Hollow. Margaret has a prickly disposition, but is still well thought of by her neighbors and can charm any magical creature and create the perfect cup of hot chocolate. When a new handsome Science teacher arrives from the non-magical world to teach at the nearby wizarding school, he attempts to help save Margaret’s business from the new competition, but he also might be the perfect match for her. The story alternates between the two love interests’ perspectives, something I enjoy since it gives a richer picture of their relationship. This is perfect if you were a Harry Potter fan as a child and as an adult now wonder what it would be like to teach at Hogswarts or live in the Hogsmeade. Fans of Travis Baldree’s Legends and Lattes and Sarah Beth Durst’s The Spellshop will enjoy this story. Hoboken Library Card Holders can borrow Enchanted Village from eLibraryNJ’s ebook collection on Libby.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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New Fantasy Fiction: The Lost Spectacular, Spellstruck, The Haunted Librarian and Vengefully Matched

1 Oct
The cover for The Lost Spectacular by Zoe Duhaime. Include a drawing of a cat over the words You're Invited to... The Lost Spectacular. A large umbrella forms the top of a circus tent. There also drawings of a young woman and man as well as two houses, paper airplanes, books, a fountain pen, and old fashioned lanterns along the covers edges.
Cover for Spellstruck: A Novel by Martha Waters, author of Then There was One. Features a brown haired man wearing a suit standing next to a blond woman with a curly bob in a beaded flapper dress holding a smoking martini. They are standing in front of a bar surrounded by blue curtains; beaded chains hang in front of them.
Cover of The Haunted Librarian by National Bestselling Author of The Late-Night Witches, Aurallee Wallace. Includes drawing of a chair surrounded by stacks of books. A table next to the chair has a Tiffany style lamp with a teapot and a teacup which has steam rising from it in the shape of a ghost. Text above the title says, "It's time for a new chapter."

The Lost Spectacular
by Zoe Duhaime
The Lost Spectacular by Zoe Duhaime is a charming whimsical fantasy set in a City Not-Unlike-Montreal and a City That-Could-Have-Been-New York. Having a fondness for both cities, I enjoyed how she captured their essences even with a few tweaks here and there. Two childhood friends are now rivals, one, Munro Forrest a curator seeking to preserve, the other, Noon Bonaventure, a former bookstore proprietress steals forgotten bits from stories and art for her own use and that of the Spectacular, a marvelous metafiction dream carnival. The story is sure to delight fans of Erin Morgenstern’s Night Circus and the works of Jeanette Winterson. The Lost Spectacular is a deeply moving bittersweet nostalgic journey through classic works that explores the process of loss, letting go, and reconciliation. You’ll long to visit The Spectacular yourself; Duhaime’s novel is one you won’t soon forget!

Spellstruck
by Martha Waters
Spellstruck is a fun historic fantasy set in 1920’s Britain where alcohol is legal, but potions and spellcasting are not. The novel is populated with charming characters including the whimsical flapper, Vesper Holloway. Vesper is the proprietor of a private club that mixes cocktails with spell ingredients activated by her family’s word of power. When odd incidents start happening at magic speakeasies in London, Vesper gets involved with an old family friend who is now part of FLEA, the agency enforcing the ban on magic. Magic is fading in the spellcasting families so spells tend more about making someone more glamourous or food taste better rather than having dramatic effects so this story will appeal to those looking for fantasy that is light on violence and gore. This is a delightful novel that will appeal to fans of cozy mysteries, fantasy and romances with quirky and compelling characters. Fans of this story can also check out the romances Christmas is All Around You and Regency Vows series also by Waters.

The Haunted Librarian
Auralee Wallace
The Haunted Librarian is Auralee Wallace’s new cozy fantasy romance about an introverted bookworm, Amelia, who is cursed with the ability to see ghosts. When she is hired to be the night librarian at a charming library branch with a handsome head librarian, she thinks it is her dream job despite the warnings of the ghosts she sees along the way. I found this to be a fast paced and fun read. It was enjoyable to see how prickly Amelia learned to open herself to others and not hide behind lies to find friendship and a sense of belonging. Working in a library, myself, I found some of those story details did not always ring true, but the emotional heart of the story shone through and I’d highly recommend this one. If you enjoy this story you can also checkout more magical reading from Wallace including In the Company of Witches and The Late-Night Witches.

Vengefully Matched
by Audrey Goldberg Ruoff
Vengefully Matched is the new novel by Audrey Goldberg Ruoff and is about the sister of one of the love interests, Azrael, in her previous romance Hopelessly Teavoted. Pricilla Hart fled her wedding on her way to the alter when she realized she and her ex weren’t compatible, embarrassing herself in front of the witch community. But standing in her way from restoring her reputation is Agatha Vanderbilt Voisin the pink loving witch council president and frequent victim of Pricilla’s pranks. I did wish there had been a bit more character development beyond often characters sharing didactic view points and I felt the plot felt a bit jumbled, but there is a lot going on in the novel to keep one interested including mysterious attacks on Agatha. This will appeal to those who enjoy spicy enemies to lovers romance stories and fast-paced cotemporary fantasies that bring in modern language and social issues. Fans of Ann Acguire’s Fix-It Witches series may also enjoy this series.

Cover of Vengefully Matched: A Novel by Audrey Goldberg Ruoff, author of Hopelessly Teavoted. Includes a drawing of a tall black haired woman in a black dress facing a shorter blonde woman in a pink dress suit. Behind them is a table with a computer monitor, flowers in beakers, and a mug. Shelves on the wall contain books, candles, and a skull. A large window shows leafless tree branches, a full moon, and a shimmering trail of purple sparkles.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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