Tag Archives: magic

Magic Academia: The Entanglement of Rival Wizards and Lessons in Magic and Disaster

27 Aug

The Entanglement of Rival Wizards
by Sara Raasch
If you are a fan of STEM Romance novels and Fantasy set at Wizarding Schools then The Entanglement of Rival Wizards, that merges the two should be a delight. This is the first in the Magic and Romance Series. The story follows two wizards, a human-Sebastian and a half-elf Thio. Sebastian has trained in Evocation magic which creates new objects from spell components. Thio on the other hand does Conjuration magic which brings forth already existing objects. Both think their brand of magic is superior so are displeased when the Mageus Research Grant is announced as not going to one of them but both of them to work on a joint project. Although not as whimsical as Raasch previous adult series there is still humor derived from both the academic field and magic world (I loved the fun little between chapter announcements about magic chaos going on around the campus like an escaped basilisk on magical creature adoption day). The rivals to lover romance between Sebastian and Thio is steamy, but what I really enjoyed is how they helped each other work through previous traumas; love can’t heal all but a loving partner can help you navigate healing. Also notable is the strong friendship between Sebastian and his best friend Orok and how they negotiate supporting each other without fostering a level of codependency that would stop their own personal growth. I’m already looking forward to the next novel in the series which follows Orok’s love story and merges sports romance with fantasy.

Lessons in Magic and Disaster
by Charlie Jane Anders
I enjoyed Charlie Jane Anders adult novel, All the Birds in the Sky, and Unstoppable, her Young Adult Space Opera Series, so was excited to read her newly released novel, Lessons in Magic and Disaster. In this novel Jamie is not studying magic, but literature, but she uses magic to help her with her research and teaching her classes in subtle ways by making offerings of food at places where the human and the natural world have met such as a former road being overtaken by grass. In this way much of the story has less a fantasy and more a magical realism feel to it since it is not completely clear how much is real and how much is the characters perception of reality towards the beginning of the novel. Those who enjoy Sarah Addison Allen and Alice Hoffman will enjoy both the magical realism elements as well as the strong female characters depicted in the novel. When Jamie attempts to teach her mother, despite her mother seeming to have a natural talent for magic, things unfortunately do not always go as planned when her mother’s desires are often cloudy and unconcise leading to unexpected consequences. As with The Entanglement of Wizards there is strong LGBTQ representation in Lessons in Magic and Disaster with Jamie’s moms being lesbians, her partner is nonbinary, and she herself is a transwoman. It explores the complex and sometimes heartbreaking relationship between both married partners and mothers and their children.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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Should She Stay or Should She Go?: The Baker’s Man and Payback’s a Witch

22 Feb

These two terrific paranormal romances both have a pinch of magic and also heroines who share a dilemma of whether they will build a life in their hometowns or whether they will forge a life further afield. No spoilers though on which path each witchy woman takes.

The Baker’s Man
by Jennifer Moorman
If you are a fan of magical realism with a hint of southern charm like Sarah Addison Allen’s writes, than you will delight in The Baker’s Man by Jennifer Moorman. This novel is being newly republished along with other’s in Moorman’s Mystic Water series. Although this is the first in the series and include some overlap in characters the author designed them to be read in any order. I was new to Moorman with this title, but look forward to checking out more of her work in the future. In Baker’s Man, Anna O’Brien inherits not only her grandmother’s bakery, but also some magical sugar that can be used to create anything. After her boyfriend breaks up with her, she and one of her best friends use it to bake the perfect man, not expecting it to work, but when Eli is there the next day, he is much more than she expected. I liked that the novel deals with Eli becoming his own person outside of Anna’s creation which adds more substance to their relationship and also gives a bit more depth to what is a fairly light hearted romance; the novel portrays how we idealize and manage our expectations of our loved ones. This also come in to play with Anna’s mother’s hopes that Anna will stay in town and run her grandmother’s bakery while Anna secretly dreams of opening a bakery near the beach. Will Anna choose to move into the beautiful old Victorian and continue the family’s business or will the siren song of the seashore win out? I also liked how the issue of friendships and the complexity of friends’ shared interests in potential romantic partners is handled. When tragedy happens, it brings Anna and her friends closer instead of tearing them apart. The next book in the series The Necessity of Lavender Tea (previously titled Little Blackbird) is set in the 1950’s and will be out next month. I received a complimentary early copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher; opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.



Payback’s a Witch
by Lana Harper
Payback’s a Witch is the first in Lana Harper’s The Witches of Thistle Grove Series. I had written previously about Back in a Spell, which was released this winter, which I enjoyed so much I couldn’t resist checking out more of the series. One of my favorite characters Marty from Back in a Spell appears briefly in this story as well. A new novel is due out at the end of August. This novel focuses on Emmy Harlow who left Thistle Grove for nine years, after graduating high school, when Gareth Blackmoore had broken her heart. Besides leaving Gareth, Emmy also had to leave her magic behind since Thistle Grove is a source of the founding family’s power. Talia Avramov and Emmy’s close friend Linden Thorne have also been wronged by Gareth and now they are out for revenge. But the more time Emmy spends with Talia the less she is focused on vengeance and the more she is drawn to a possible new romance with the dark spellcaster, a supposed descendent of the formidable Slavic witch of fairytales, Baba Yaga. Talia and Emmy’s romance is the central focus of the story, but themes of friendship, family, and finding ones inner power also form an intriguing mix and elevate the story from just another paranormal romance. Emmy must decide whether she wants to return to a big city life in Chicago working for a company which creates monthly bespoke “magic” themed gift boxes or embrace true magic back in her hometown.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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