What could be more stressful than a five-day practical final exam on which all of your future plans and job prospects depend? Try throwing a dead body into the mix! Five students at a magical school for healing must put their minds together to both solve a murder and pass their finals in Bodies of Magic, Freya Marske’s new standalone, which came out on September 15. Freya Marske has shown herself to be a master at blending genres with both her sexily spooky novella Cinder House and her epic Last Binding trilogy, but she really knocks it out of the park with this one, which will appeal equally to lovers of murder mysteries and fantasy set in uniquely crafted worlds. Plus, a splash of romance! Continue reading Bodies of Magic—Fantasy Does Murder Mystery
Tag: fantasy
Review of Evocation—Faustian Bargains and Found Family
What if the only person who might be able to break your family curse was the ex-boyfriend you’ve been trying so hard not to text? S. T. Gibson explores demon bargains and complicated relationship dynamics in Evocation, the first book in her Summoner’s Circle series. I attended one of Gibson’s book tour events back when the book first came out in 2024, and then lost all control over my TBR (oops). But having loved Robbergirl, Gibson’s reimagining of classic fairytale “The Snow Queen,” and A Dowry of Blood, her (anti-)love letter to Dracula, I was excited to see this author tackle a fantasy world entirely of her own making. Continue reading Review of Evocation—Faustian Bargains and Found Family
Review of A Dark and Drowning Tide—Jewish Romantasy
Looking for some sapphic Jewish romantasy with a historical- and folklore-inspired setting and an edge of dark academia? A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft has it all! Somehow I missed reading this one back when it first came out in 2024, but a friend recommended that I bump it up my TBR pile and I’m very glad I did. A Dark and Drowning Tide scratched an itch that no book has since I last read some Naomi Novik. Continue reading Review of A Dark and Drowning Tide—Jewish Romantasy
Review of The Red Winter—Werewolves in Revolutionary France
A man-eating beast stalks the impoverished countryside of Gévaudan, France. Only Professor Sebastian Grave, who defeated it once before, knows the beast’s true nature and why it seems to have returned. Cameron Sullivan crafts a brilliant reimagining of the historical legend of the Beast of Gévaudan, inspiration for many a modern werewolf tale, in his impressive debut fantasy, The Red Winter, out tomorrow from Tor! Continue reading Review of The Red Winter—Werewolves in Revolutionary France
Review of Cinder House—A Haunting Fairy Tale
“A ghost was how a building held a grudge.” What if Cinderella was a ghost, murdered by her stepmother and only able to interact with the world outside the home she haunts for the three precious nights of the prince’s ball? Freya Markse (whose The Last Binding series I absolutely loved) puts a delightful, eerie spin on this classic fairy tale in her bite-size novella Cinder House, which came out earlier this fall. Continue reading Review of Cinder House—A Haunting Fairy Tale
Review of The River Has Roots—Magic and Murder Ballads
If you’re into folk music or murder ballads at all, you have probably heard at least one version of the classic ballad sometimes known as “The Two Sisters” or “The Bonny Swans.” The song has many variations, but the lyrics generally tell the story of one sister who drowns the other out of romantic jealousy. The body of the dead sister is then made into a musical instrument and sings out her accusation of murder. Amal El-Mohtar takes this ballad as inspiration for fantasy novella The River Has Roots, but flips the story to explore both sisterly and romantic love in a bite-sized tale with beautifully lyrical prose and a fascinating magic system. The book comes out next Wednesday, March 4. Continue reading Review of The River Has Roots—Magic and Murder Ballads
Review of The Familiar—Fantasy and the Spanish Inquisition
Ladino magic goes up against the Spanish Inquisition in Leigh Bardugo’s brilliant historical fantasy novel The Familiar, which came out in April. I’m always eager to find more Jewish representation in fantasy and gothic/horror fiction, and ever since reading Rose Lerner’s The Wife in the Attic, I’ve been particularly interested in the plight of conversos in Inquisition-controlled Spain or Portugal—a subject I’ve rarely seen tackled in these genres. The Familiar proves that this slice of history makes a compelling backdrop for Gothic stories. Continue reading Review of The Familiar—Fantasy and the Spanish Inquisition
Review of Someone You Can Build a Nest In—Monster Romance
What better to read during Pride Month than a sapphic monster romance? A man-eating shapeshifter falls in love with the daughter of a powerful monster hunting family in Someone You Can Build a Nest In, a delightful fantasy romance debut by John Wiswell that came out earlier this year. Continue reading Review of Someone You Can Build a Nest In—Monster Romance
Review of Vampires of El Norte—Monsters and Mexican History
Books like this convince me that the vampire genre will never be dead. You think you’ve seen everything that could possibly be written about vampires already, and then someone comes up with something completely new and unique. Isabel Cañas (who made a big splash with her Gothic debut The Hacienda, which I still need to read) does just this in her second novel Vampires of El Norte, which came out last year. The novel weaves both supernatural/horror elements and a romance that pulls at your heartstrings into a historical tale about the Mexican–American War. Continue reading Review of Vampires of El Norte—Monsters and Mexican History
Review of A Deadly Education—Monsters and Dark Magic
Going through high school as a social outcast is hard enough when the school itself isn’t trying to kill you. At the Scholomance, being a loner can be deadly…. I’ve finally read A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik, a young adult fantasy novel which came out back in 2020. I’ve been a fan of Novik since first stumbling upon Uprooted in 2015, but even more so ever since I read her Slavic fairy story Spinning Silver. I’ve been hearing great things about the Scholomance series for years, and now that all three books in the trilogy are out, I figured it would be the perfect time to pick up Book 1. Continue reading Review of A Deadly Education—Monsters and Dark Magic