fantasy

Thistlemarsh

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Thistlemarsh by Moorea Corrigan

Most of the fantasy novels I read are cozy or traditional epic fantasy. This absorbing first novel is a little darker, set in England after the first World War and one of the main characters is High Fae. Mouse (a nickname) was a nurse in France during the war. She lost a cousin and her brother Roger has not yet recovered. Mouse’s uncle has died, and she is to inherit Thistlemarsh manor house and gardens if some conditions are met. She has a short time to restore the dilapidated interior of the house, or she could marry. Otherwise, she receives no inheritance. Thornwood, the faerie, bargains with her and is willing to help, although older, dangerous magic is resisting his work. Thornwood and Mouse must search together for the root of the old magic in order to free the house.

Very imaginative storytelling, set in a house and gardens that used to be lush and opulent; the time period works well with the faerie story. Romantic without going the steamy tragic romantasy route, it’s more like The Secret Garden was written for adults and with real magic. I enjoyed this more than Emily Wilde’s Encylopaedia of Fairies series by Heather Fawcett. The secondary characters are well drawn and adds appeal, as does a most unusual pet named Smudge.

Brenda

Sea of Charms

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Sea of Charms: A Spellshop Novel by Sarah Beth Durst

The gorgeous cover of this mostly cozy fantasy novel invites you into the richly detailed world of the Crescent Islands. Set in the world of The Spellshop and The Enchanted Greenhouse, this book is a companion novel rather than a sequel. Durst has an amazing imagination and it’s shown in the variety of islands, people, and creatures encountered here. Her books are written for readers needing an escape, if just for a while. Here the themes are sailing, music, finding yourself, and found family.

Marin is a supply runner on her ship Silver, ferrying supplies and messages from island to island. Infrequently and reluctantly, she will take a few passengers. Marin’s goal is to repay the fee her parents paid to build and outfit the ship. Her father bakes delicious peach pies whenever she sails home for a quick visit. Perri, a sea serpent, swims alongside and they are soon joined by Ree, a sentient plant who loves the sea. A winged cat (cats here fly but do not speak) joins the trio, and for a while, the young musician and composer Dax. Marin is silver while Dax has purple hair and crystal horns. Some of their travels inspire new music for Dax and Ree, while other ports of call are a bit dangerous, as is a magical storm. I won’t reveal any of the story’s details, just invite readers of cozy fantasy to come aboard the Silver with Marin and her crew.

The Spellshop is the first book set in the Crescent Islands. The next book, The Magical Cheese Emporium, will be published in January. Enjoy!

Brenda

The Reimagining of Thornwood House

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The Reimagining of Thornwood House by Jaleigh Johnson

This is a cozy (though not too cozy) fantasy worth settling down to read and savor. Thornwood House needs a new caretaker as it’s grieving longtime caretaker Amelia, but is picky about who it will accept. The house is sentient, though it doesn’t exactly talk, mostly expressing its moods. And despite the feet shown on the book jacket, the house very rarely travels. This is definitely not Baba Yaga’s hut.

Evie Sharpe is a land witch used to dealing with natural disasters for ECRA. She wants to adopt her foster daughter Ruby, now 11, and needs a less dangerous job. Rub also has a magical talent and ECRA doesn’t want to let them relocate. Evie and Ruby take the train to Iskendra. The caretaker job also includes caring for the villagers of Iskendra. Evie is like an apothecary with magical plants. The house, which is not an inn, is in bad shape, especially after some recent traveling. A helpful neighbor, hard work, and a little magic all help Evie and Ruby settle in, though Evie hasn’t yet bonded with Thornwood House. The house won’t let her into Amelia’s study, either. Some villagers, including one or two with magical talents, aren’t very welcoming, though others are.

Evie and Ruby bike around the town and walk through the Thornwood. Evie’s not much of a cook, but delicious meals are still enjoyed. There are secrets and wonders to be found, as well as great dangers. Ruby makes friends with two kids her age, as well as a neighbor’s dog.

There are many cozy fantasy novels currently available that are just middling in quality and rather forgettable. This book is in the top tier. While their stories are not very similar, Sarah Beth Durst is among several authors to write blurbs for this book. I haven’t read anything else by Jaleigh Johnson but look forward to reading more.

Brenda

The Tainted Cup

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The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

High-ranking Investigator Ana Dolabra needs a new assistant, and is matched with Apprentice Engraver Dinios Koll. Din has a big secret; he’s dyslexic and has trouble writing as well as reading. He’s been magically altered to capture memories of scenes and conversations, triggering his recordings with vials of various scents. Other talents become apparent later, including lockpicking. A death from dappleglass is his first crime scene to inspect and record. Ana prefers to stay in her apartment, often wearing a blindfold to reduce visual stimuli. She has learned to read a sort of Braille. The pair are later sent to Talagray, near the seawall, which is dangerous territory during the wet season when immense leviathans try to breach the seawall. I thought of whales, but leviathans are much, much bigger and quite dangerous. Several civil engineers who maintain the seawall have recently died in a similar manner. Wealthy or well-connected people live further from the sea, protected by other ring walls, and Din sends money home to his family in hopes that they can relocate.

Dangerously modified plants, poison, and fire are other elements in a very clever fantasy mystery. Ana and her young sidekick Din were inspired by fictional detective Nero Wolfe and his assistant Archie Goodwin, created in the 1930s by Rex Stout. The Tainted Cup won the Hugo Award in 2025, and sequels in the Ana & Din series include A Drop of Corruption, and A Trade of Blood, coming out this August. The series, confusingly, is also known as The Shadow of the Leviathan. A little dark, but very compelling reading, and Din is an appealing main character. I read this for my book group, and probably wouldn’t have read it otherwise, but found it quite a pageturner.

Brenda

Magic & Mischief at the Wayside Hotel

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Magic & Mischief at the Wayside Hotel by Elizabeth Everett

Josie LaChiusa is a single mom who works in the financial aid department at a college. Her boss likes to have lots of meetings, and even pre-meetings. Josie’s son Amos is 4 and has had significant health issues in the past. Spoiler: no health issues for Amos in this story! His grandmother Gloria is critical of Josie’s parenting while Grandpa Al is quiet. They both love Amos and miss their son Dan. Josie doesn’t have any other family since her grandmother died.

An apartment opens up near her job, and it’s partly furnished. Building superintendent Pax Nomen interviews Josie after rejecting another prospective resident. The other building employee is Maddy, who loves to make rules for the residents. She always wears a turban, because she’s secretly a Medusan. There are gargoyles, fairy cheerleaders, a grumpy gnome, a handsome vampire and other interesting residents, but they must all pretend to be human for Josie and Amos. The building is Wayside Hotel #5 and it’s been stuck on Earth with an empty fuel tank. The lack of magic on Earth seems to be part of the problem, and the Hotel seems to like Josie and Amos.

The apartment is great, and the other residents study up at the public library to learn about children’s books and Spider-Man, while the fairies love Taylor Swift’s music. Pax and Josie have awkward yet charming encounters, and the residents are peaceful, at least for a while. Maddy over organizes a garden committee after it’s decided that Amos needs somewhere to play. A snowball fight is cute, a magical accident nearby is colorful, and Josie and even Pax become a little worried for Amos’s safety, and also begin a sweet romance. Amos is always happy at the Wayside Hotel and feels safe, even though this cozy fantasy can be a little bit scary. The cozy vibe, cute kid, outspoken residents and found family theme remind me of The House in the Cerulean Sea, even though the residents and plot are not that similar.

Brenda

The Book Witch

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The Book Witch by Meg Shaffer

This portal fantasy was a bit of a slow start for me, partly because I was reminded of other similar books, like the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde and The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman. But soon enough I was hooked by the story, possibly by a black umbrella, which is the tool Rainy March uses to move in and out of stories. And yes, Rainy knows what a cliché her name is. Her cat Koshka travels with her and does a little investigating, but does not speak. Rainy’s grandfather is a book witch, as was her late mother, Ellery.

Rainy takes a big risk when she falls in love with the Duke of Chicago, a fictional private eye.  While the Duke is Shaffer’s creation, other familiar characters are also present, including Nancy Drew, Elizabeth Bennett, and Alice from Wonderland. Bookstores, libraries, readers and authors are also featured. There is adventure, romance, magic, mystery, and even a bit of horror in a fantasy designed to tug on your heartstrings. A good, memorable read. In readalike news, the 8th Thursday Next novel, Dark Reading Matter, will be published this October. The first Thursday Next story was The Eyre Affair. Shaffer’s first book was The Wishing Game, which I thought was terrific, followed by The Lost Story, which was pretty good.

Brenda

Darksight Dare

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Darksight Dare: a Penric & Desdemona Novella by Lois McMaster Bujold

Another Penric and Desdemona fantasy novella is always a treat to read. Following The Adventure of the Demonic Ox, Penric’s brother-in-law, General Arisaydia, has sent him a new challenge. Young Captain Cinar Camurat, a cavalry officer, sails with his brother from Cedonia to seek help from Learned Penric, a Temple Sorcerer and physician with a demon named Desdemona. Cinar was blinded recently, and hopes that Penric can help him regain his sight, as he once helped Arisaydia. At first meeting, Penric knows that he can’t, but perhaps there is another way to help Cinar.

In a village about two days away, there is a woman named Iva, who is dying young. She also has a demon, and is afraid the Temple will kill the demon when she dies. Instead, Penric reassures her that her demon can move to another host, in this case, and not exactly as planned, to Cinar. Demons give their hosts a sort of dark sight. Still worried about the Temple, Cinar and his demon flee, but in a moving and funny way, choose to help rather than hide as Iva did. Another reader pointed out that one of the appeals of this novella is that there is no villain, which is refreshing. There is adventure and plenty of humor in the Penric and Desdemona novellas, and they are also heartwarming. I plan to reread some more of the novellas, which begin with Penric’s Demon, which is also in a 3-novella collection, Penric’s Progress.

Brenda

Hemlock & Silver

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Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher

This novel is inspired by the fairytale Snow White and has hints of Alice Through the Looking Glass, but isn’t too similar to either. Fantasy with some romance and a little horror, there is also a talking cat in Hemlock & Silver. Well, Grayling is probably a cat.

Anja is a healer who specializes in researching antidotes to poisons. Anja is summoned by the King to diagnose and treat Snow, the King’s 12-year-old daughter. Snow is frequently ill, and may have been poisoned. Very reluctantly, Anja travels with the King’s retinue and guards Javier and Aaron across the desert to the King’s country home.

Snow’s mother and sister have died, so the King will do anything to save her. Anja eventually discovers silvered apples that Snow has eaten, and learns that they come from the other side of the mirror. Anja, Grayling the Cat, and handsome guard Javier have adventures in the beautiful and creepy mirror world. Reflections there do not always behave as predicted, and Snow has an unexpected reason for eating the silvered apples. Some humor along with the adventure, plus a romance, make for an enchantingly good read.

Brenda

The Astral Library

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The Astral Library by Kate Quinn

Known for her historical fiction including The Rose Code, the author now turns to magical realism. This novel has been highly publicized, and Quinn has the storytelling chops to lure a reader into The Astral Library and make them not want to leave.

This is definitely not a cozy fantasy, but compelling settings, a fast-paced and twisty plot, and memorable characters make this a book to cheer for. Alix Watson is desperate, and her past as a foster child and her present as a twenty-something working three part-time jobs are both rather bleak. Where Alix feels most at home is in the library, re-reading a favorite book.

Then she gets invited into a very special library, where she can finally say yes to the question: “Have you ever wanted to live inside a book?” Only the Astral Library and its Patrons are threatened, and it’s up to the Librarian, Alix, and struggling costume designer Beau to save the day, along with the Library itself.

While the opening is reminiscent of early 20th century novels by Grace Livingston Hill in which a young, poor heroine does a good deed and then gets a good job and meets a gentleman, Alix is not exactly sweet and kind, and swears rather a lot. Once Alix enters the Library, I was reminded of the Thursday Next novels by Jasper Fforde, beginning with The Eyre Affair, set in Book World, and also of humorous fantasy novels by Terry Pratchett set in the Unseen University’s library, with a librarian turned orangutan.

Daughter of a librarian, Quinn has created a magical library for book lovers and library fans to dream about. More, please!

Brenda

Nine Goblins

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Nine Goblins: A Tale of Low Fantasy and High Mischief by T. Kingfisher

A perfect novella for readers of Travis Baldree. Self-published in 2013, this was Kingfisher’s first book for adults. Under the pen name of Ursula Vernon, she’s published wonderful fantasies for children that are a bit on the dark side but still charming, including Minor Mage and A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking. As T. Kingfisher, she’s now known for dark fantasy/horror novels including Swordheart and Nettle & Bone. I’ve enjoyed all four of these works, so I was delighted to find Nine Goblins.

Goblins don’t usually star in books. They are not much to look at, complain a lot, some are not that bright, and they tend to be smelly. But in Kingfisher’s world, they are not evil or cruel. They are, frankly, great fun to read about. Nessilka is the sergeant of the Nineteenth Infantry. She doesn’t like being in charge, though she’s very good at it, having experience as the oldest of six goblin siblings. The Nineteenth is known as the Whinin’ Niners, and includes Corporal Murray, a technical genius who likes to invent things, and Corporal Algol who is tall (59 inches!) and likes animals. The Niners are on the march, ready for battle, when they’re not complaining about the terrain or their food. A battlefield encounter with a human wizard has Nessilka, the wizard, and eight other Niners transported to the edge of a forest, near farms and a village.

In the forest lives Sings-to-Trees, a handsome elf who cares for every ill or injured animal for miles around. He is currently helping an ungrateful unicorn give birth, when not petting a coyote, feeding a gargoyle, or raising a baby raccoon. Not a big fan of unicorns, Sings-to-Trees really prefers trolls. When the goblins meet up with the elf, they find something terribly wrong in the village, and have to deal with an even more frightening wizard. This part does get rather dark, though the tragedy has already happened before the goblins arrive.

A colorful cast of goblins, the untidy elf, a clever teddy bear, a kitten, and a magical deer skeleton make for a memorable story, as the goblins seek a way to get home again. Funny, sad, dangerous, and poignant, readers will root for Sergeant Nessilka, the Niners and the elf. Some illustrations are included.

Brenda