The first in Juliet Blackwell’s Witchcraft Mystery series, Secondhand Spirits reminded me a lot of a cluttered antique shop–appropriate since the main character runs a vintage clothing store in San Francisco. There were a few quality pieces, a couple of unexpected treasures, and a whole lot of random crap that it made it difficult to find what I was looking for. What’s it about? Lily Ivory (I just can’t with that name) is a powerful witch with a troubled and lonely past. After years of […]
Pride and Prejudice and Practical Magic
When I first discovered historical fantasy (or mannerpunk, or whatever you want to call it), I felt the way I imagine a person does when stumbling upon a hitherto unknown sexual kink. Oh wow, I did not know this was a thing, but I LIKE it! Marissa Doyle’s debut novel, Bewitching Season, is a light and frothy confection that (if I’m being honest) wasn’t quite as good as I remember it. This book and its sequel, both published in 2009, follow the stories of the […]
Witches and Hackers and Robots. Oh My!
Dark Magic – Witches, Hackers, & Robots – A Short Story Anthology edited by Emma Nelson and Hannah Smith, 2016 This anthology truly gives you your money’s worth. At over 26 stories, it provides exactly what it promises – stories about Witches, Hackers, and Robots. The strange juxtaposition of these categories is intriguing and delightful to read. I won’t review every story but I will say a few words about most of them. When I originally wrote the individual summaries and reviews, I found myself […]
The one where Rachel embraces her dark side
Black Magic Sanction has Rachel Morgan once again up to her pretty ears in trouble for the eighth go round. This time her deadbeat thief ex-boyfriend, Nick, has ratted her out to the witch council. They now want to sterilize her or imprison her to prevent her demon blood seeping back into the witch population. Rachel is minding her own business in the grocery store when a deadly agent from the council attempts to take her in with no explanation. Needless to say, she is […]
Something wicked this way comes
I need to seek out more writing by Jo Walton. Among Others wasn’t what I thought it would be. It’s fantasy, but only with the lightest touch. It’s magical realism without the overwhelming weirdness that usually comes along with that genre. Among Others centers on Morwenna who grew up in Wales among the fairies, her twin sister, and her batshit crazy mother. After a horrible accident she seeks out her long lost father. He and his three sisters set her up at a boarding school […]
The witches deserved a better story
Is it just me or are mediocre books the hardest to review? This book was a perfectly fine way to spend a few evenings, but it didn’t leave a lasting impression. I guess based on the premise I expected it to be darker and more sinister. Instead, I got a bit of witch fluff. Connie Goodwin is a grad student at Harvard studying history. She’s especially interested in the Salem witch trials. Plot machinations make it so she has to go stay at her family’s […]
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