fantasy

The Keeper of Magical Things

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The Keeper of Magical Things by Julie Leong

The second cozy fantasy by the author of The Teller of Small Fortunes is not a sequel, but is set in the same world. Certainty Bulrush has been living in the city of Margrave for six years, as a novice in the Guild of Mages. Her only magical talent is to communicate with objects, especially magical objects such as a talking teapot. If she becomes a mage, her family, who have a pear orchard, can afford an apprenticeship for her brother.

Certainty is sent on an assignment with Mage Aurelia Mirella, a farspeaker. Their task is to take two wagons of minor magical artifacts to a remote and unmagical village. Their housing and storage for the artifacts have been pre-arranged, supposedly. The pair are to inventory, organize, store, and ward the collection. Too many magical items at the Guild have created an overflow of magic, leading to some humorous magical incidents. Aurelia has a reputation for being standoffish, and is from a wealthy family in the city. She also has a big secret, which is soon revealed to Certainty. Aurelia has high standards, and neither their housing, storage, or meals meet her approval. Cert has to show by example how to fit in to the village. With assistance from some of the minor magical items, they help the village’s apple orchards, water supply, and help create very tasty pasta. There’s also some romance, and a small catdragon.

When their assignment ends badly, Cert is unfairly blamed and goes home in disgrace to her family, where she is shown … kindness and love. Back to the city she goes, to explain her motives and actions. An enjoyable read, though different in setting and tone from her first book.

Brenda

The Testimony of Mute Things

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The Testimony of Mute Things: A Penric & Desdemona novella by Lois McMaster Bujold

This fantasy novella is set fourth chronologically, after Penric’s Fox and before Masquerade in Lodi, which I am now rereading. Desdemona is Penric’s demon, who retains the memories of ten women, along with their languages and medical knowledge. Penric is secretary, translator and personal physician to Princess-Archdivine Llewen, and is several decades her junior. They have just travelled by mule over mountains to attend a several day temple conclave in Carpagamo.  Two areas both claim the border town of Occo, and three archdivines will decide the matter.

Penric turns detective when an accountant dies in her boarding house before an appointment with Llewen and he tracks her account books to an orphanage. This is a very nice blend of fantasy and mystery with a teenaged orphan thief added in. Penric and Llewen’s working relationship is greatly developed here, and we learn more about Desdemona, and her former host, Ruchia. The first novella is Penric’s Demon, which is also in a collection called Penric’s Progress. Bujold has won multiple Nebula and Hugo awards.

Brenda

Brigands & Breadknives

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Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree

Fans of Legends & Lattes, your wait for a sequel is almost over. Brigands will be published November 11. I was lucky enough to read a digital review copy. The title confused me for quite a while; I thought there’d be more of a bakery setting with Breadknives as part of the title. I am happy that the author didn’t want to write another book too similar to Legends or the prequel Bookshops & Bonedust. Not really a cozy fantasy, this is still a very satisfying read.

Fern, a ratkin, instead of running a bookshop, finds herself on an adventure with Astryx One-Ear, the famous elf oathmaiden, along with Nigel, an Elder Blade, Bucket the horse, and Zyll, a gnome who is definitely serious trouble. Fern isn’t brave, doesn’t have a plan or a clue, and swears a lot, including in gnomish. She also feels guilty for going on an adventure without telling her friends first. Enjoy!

Brenda

The Enchanted Greenhouse

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The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst

A fantasy novel as cozy as a warm hug, this is connected to The Spellshop. Terlu awakens on a cold, snowy island, alone. She is stunned, because her last memories are in the Great Library of Allysium, where she’s been a wooden statue. Before that, Terlu was a lonely Fourth Librarian who cast a spell from a library book on a spider plant, and later ended up a statue.

An unlocked door on Belde Island reveals an amazing greenhouse, leading to more and different greenhouses. One has singing plants; another has a sunflower maze protected and pollinated by tiny dragons. There is a greenhouse dedicated to garlic, others to roses, even one with a sea turtle! These are enchanted, and are cared for by Yarrow, the single remaining gardener, who grew up on Belde. Yarrow is mostly silent, very busy, grumpy, and an excellent cook and baker. A winged cat and a talking rose plant are the only other island residents. Yarrow was hoping for someone to help the greenhouses that fail, going cold and dark with broken glass, and is very disappointed to get a talkative librarian instead of a sorcerer.

The greenhouses are simply amazing, and Terlu, Yarrow, and Lotti (the sentient rose plant) are very good company. More people arrive on the island, with startling news from Allysium, and Yarrow and Terlu look for ways to repair the broken greenhouses. This story would make lovely reading in a warm, bright room on a cold, wintry night. Fans of The Spellshop will be pleased, and look forward to more cozy fantasy from Durst.

Brenda

The Adventure of the Demonic Ox

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The Adventure of the Demonic Ox by Lois McMaster Bujold

This is a Penric and Desdemona fantasy novella. The first novella is Penric’s Demon, the most recent title is Penric and the Bandit.

Penric goes on an adventure with his children who are 8, 9, and 12, and are starting to think about their futures. Wyn is spending the summer as an errand boy with an engineer uncle, who’s rebuilding a nearby bridge. Wyn comes home with an incredible story about a white ox, who may have a demon. Penric travels back to the work site with Wynn, Rina, and his adopted daughter Otta while Penric’s wife Nikys and her mother Idrene stay behind, for a very good reason. Rina, 12, knows that she doesn’t want to teach small children. She is already talented at weaving and being a scribe, but is looking for a more exciting career. Otta has a lot of schooling ahead of her, as does her companion Atto. Wynn might want to be an engineer, too.

Penric is a scholar, a sorcerer, and a physician. Desdemona is his demon. There is quite the adventure with the possessed ox, even turning a bit scary, but with a lovey, cozy ending. Some humor and memorable characters make these fantasy novellas a treat to read.

Brenda

A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping

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A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna

Mandanna’s first book for adults, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, has been very popular with cozy fantasy readers since it was published in 2022. Fans will rejoice with this new book, not a sequel, but set in the same version of England. The British Guild of Sorcery in Northumberland has a council packed with conservative white witches from the top ten British witch families. They run a school for young witches, but fortunately also offers a homeschooling option.

We learn more about magic and witches, including some from Iceland. Witches have varying amounts of power, curses may backfire, and magic can be lost. Some old books of spells are in a restricted section of the Guild’s library, and Sera Swan has lost access to it.

Sera and her formerly late great-aunt Jasmine run the Batty Hole Inn, and the inn is largely held together with Sera’s magic. A recent spell lets only those who need the inn find it. Currently lodging with Sera and Jasmine are two non-magical guests: Matilda, who is obsessed with mushrooms and Nicholas, who works as a Knight at the nearby Medieval Faire. Theo, a young relative, is living there while homeschooling. Luke, a witch scholar, unexpectedly arrives with his young sister Posey, who has magic and autism. Roo-Roo, a zombie rooster, and Clemmy, a fox, also live at the inn. Found family is a major theme, and Sera tries to make the inn as welcoming as possible when apple tea may rain down on any given Sunday.

There are two possible romances developing, an ex-friend seeking forgiveness, a power-hungry wizard who will do anything to thwart Sera’s plans, and some adventure and danger in store. A delightfully creaky old house and a charming cast of characters greatly add to the story’s appeal.

Brenda

The Witch Roads

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The Witch Roads by Kate Elliott

Elen is a deputy courier, delivering messages to small towns and settlements along the same route each month. For part of the month, she’s back home in Orledder Halt, with her teen nephew Kem. Elen can detect and root out new irruptions of Spore. This time Kem is accompanying her on the route, to see if he also wants to be a courier. His Declaration Day is just around the corner. Kem’s mother Aoving died two years ago during an avalanche, while working as a midwife at the Heart Temple. The avalanche has cut Orledder Halt off from travel to the north, except for a secret pathway through the hills and across a canyon.

Two groups of important travelers arrive in Orledder Halt. From one, Kem learns that his father is a lord. The second group includes Prince Gevulin, who’s heading north. Kem, considering being a Warden, joins Prince Gevulin’s group, as does Elen, who knows the hazardous route. Kem is angry with Elen for keeping secrets from him, even after his mother’s death. A guardian statue’s spirit, or haunt, secretly joins the group. Elen has the lowest status of the group and often has to sleep and eat separately from the others. But a simple bed and a full belly remind Elen of the hungry years when Ao and El, orphaned child atoners, were always in danger of the Spore until their daring escape.

This is a memorable journey through an amazing world with many dangers, wonders, and not-quite-human beings. The land is so ancient that much of its history has become myth. Elen and the haunt have some very interesting conversations. I eagerly await Elen and Kem’s further adventures. Epic fantasy readers will likely enjoy this duology, to be concluded this November with The Nameless Roads. The author has two dozen other fantasy works, which I don’t think I’ve read, but look forward to sampling.

Brenda

The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association

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The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association by Caitlin Rozakis

Hard to put down, this contemporary fantasy novel is full of drama, humor, suspense, and guilt. Vivian has felt guilty since she couldn’t prevent her daughter Aria becoming a werewolf. Vivian and Daniel have relocated to a mostly magical town in New England, where Aria is starting kindergarten at a private school. Daniel is still commuting to New York City by train while accountant Vivian is helping Aria adjust to her new surroundings and trying to fit in as a non-magical parent. Of course, Vivian ends up on the PTA board, trying to sort out the accounts from last year’s gala.

While Aria was granted a scholarship for kindergarten, Vivian is dismayed to learn that Aria must participate in three events to determine if she will qualify for first grade: a talent show, a sports day, and a research project. It is rather ridiculous to have a kindergartner be expected to do anything except learn to stay in her human form more often and not to be too hard on her clothes. Vivian is told that a consultant can help, if needed. Then there’s Daniel, who is ready to move the family somewhere more welcoming, if they can find the right place. Oh, and there’s an ominous prophecy that might involve Aria or Vivian. Aria is adorable, the community is quite interesting, and the reader hopes that Vivian will learn which parents can be trusted and welcoming.

An excellent, immersive read. I’m not sure if it would be quite as enjoyable for a PTA parent in a new town, but they might find it hilarious. I haven’t even described the over-the-top kids’ birthday parties, or the magical gala. And why have I never seen a book set at a magical school from the point of view of an ordinary parent, or even a magical parent?

Brenda

Swordheart

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Swordheart by T. Kingfisher

I’ve read a few other books by T. Kingfisher, but Swordheart, first published in 2018 and recently rereleased, was new to me. I listened to the audiobook, with an excellent narration by Jesse Vilinsky. The genre is fantasy, with humor, adventure, and a slow-burn romance.

Halla, a respectable widow, has been taking care of Uncle Silas for years until his recent death. Silas was her husband’s uncle, so it’s quite a surprise when Halla inherits the large house and its contents. Nasty Malva wants Halla to marry her son Alver so they can regain the inheritance, and won’t take no for an answer. Alver has clammy hands and won’t stand up to his mother’s demands, so Halla looks for another way out. When Halla draws a sword that’s been hanging on the wall for years, Sarkis appears. He is an immortal warrior, sworn to protect the sword’s owner.

To claim Halla’s inheritance, Halla and Sarkis travel from Rutger’s Howe to a temple where they employ Zale, a nonbinary lawyer priest. They travel back to the village in a wagon, driven by Brindle, a gnole, and his ox. Along the way, they have many adventures. Sarkis is grumpy and hiding secrets about his lengthy past, the ox is extremely slow, and Halla is very curious and asks innumerable questions. Readers of Kingfisher’s Nettle & Bone are sure to enjoy. Daggerbound, featuring the Dervish mentioned in Swordheart, is expected to be published in 2026.

Brenda

The Tomb of Dragons

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The Tomb of Dragons: The Cemeteries of Amalo, Book 3 by Katherine Addison

Sometimes a novel is so satisfying to read that I don’t want it to end. Reading books by Addison is like that for me, and it’s a real treat to have such a good story to enjoy and savor. Katherine Addison is the pen name for Sarah Monette, and her Addison books are set in the world of Osreth, which has steampunk and fantasy elements. It’s a dark world, but full of ordinary people who are clever, kind, and sometimes heroic.

This is the last book in a trilogy featuring Thara Celehar, an elven cleric who is a Witness for the Dead. He investigates crimes, occasionally quiets ghouls, problem solves on special assignments, and, rarely, officiates at funerals. Unfortunately, his magic was damaged in the last book, so he is currently working special assignments. Thara feeds cats near his apartment, drinks a lot of tea and visits the opera house where his friend works. In his last book, his good black coat of office was damaged, and there’s a minor subplot to get him looking respectable (but not gaudy) again. He is mentoring a new Witness, a woman named Tomasaro, and also helping a cemetery administrator deal with a mountain of old paperwork. There is winter travel with a caravan, a scary dragon encounter in a mine, the acquiring of an intriguing guard, and a couple of encounters with the local prince and even the emperor. I wish there was a glossary, though I did find one on a fan wiki online. More books in this world, please, even if other characters take center stage.   

Brenda