Earlier this year, I wrote an article where I shared my thoughts on some of my recent reads, specifically ones featuring magic and fae. Since I’m a greedy little reader when it comes to this genre, I figured I’d share five more reviews for books along these lines. As with last time, expect some minor spoilers, and I hope you enjoy my thoughts on these magical reads!

Homegrown Magic – Jamie Pacton and Rebecca Podos – 3 Stars

In this book, we follow two characters: Yael, the child of a prodigious noble family who wants them to join the family business of filling their coffers, and Margot, a plant witch who is burdened with the need to save her hometown from the greedy clutches of Yael’s family. When Yael runs away from home and stumbles into his childhood friend Margot, the two begin to work together, growing closer as time grows on. Most of this book was cozy and welcoming, as Yael and Margot kindle their relationship and work to aid the other in accomplishing their goals.

I enjoyed Yael’s plot to gain independence from their family’s complicated and powerful name, as they desire to be their own person. I liked their struggle to discover what they wanted to be, and what about their actions in the past was their own choice, versus a choice made for them by their family name. Due to their upbringing, they are spoiled and incompetent when it comes to basic things in a slightly endearing way. I do wish that there was a little bit more magic on Yael’s end of the plot. as their family has a magical patron, but it makes sense plot-wise why they don’t use too much of their magic.

Margot’s character I maybe liked a little less, but she was still fine. Her quest to save her grandma’s legacy and her hometown was intriguing, though I did have some mixed feelings about the stakes and the way that she didn’t seem to make any progress on her own toward her goals, despite running herself ragged. She’s the kind of character determined to do everything on her own, which is a little tiring as a reader. How many of her problems could have been solved with some aid, either magically or legally (because yes, the plot is solved via a legal loophole).

There is also the inclusion of one of the most overplayed tropes, with secrets being revealed, lies made to ‘help’ the other character, and a conflict that didn’t really amount to much in the end. It was predictable, and while it did play a small part in discovering the way to save the day, I think we could have gotten a conclusion with a better conflict (like, you know, against the actual villains (Yael’s parents) instead of against the only person who’s ever given a real damn about you). But like I said, I didn’t pick this book for it’s magnificent plot, I picked it because of the cozy fun it offered.

A small note here at the end: Upon doing some research for writing this article, some reviews have stated that there are anti-Semitic stereotypes within (the antagonists are bankers with Hebrew names who have a pact with a demon who serves as their patron), so take that into consideration when it comes to choosing this book to read. I personally wasn’t aware of the stereotypes while reading but am sure that they’d be much clearer now that I’m aware of them.

The Teller of Small Fortunes – Julie Leong – 4 Stars

The plot follows Tao, a Shinn fortune teller who only tells her patrons small fortunes, as big ones tend to be too daunting to give to everyone she meets. These fortunes are bring her to forming a sort of travelling party around her, despite her preference to travel alone. She befriends Mash, a mercenary looking for his lost daughter, Silt, a ‘retired’ thief looking for love, and Kina, an apprentice baker who’s confections are delicious but messy. It was fun to see this party come together and travel around, which each new location feeling like a new session in their DnD campaign.

The characters weren’t incredibly complex, but they were fun. They each had little arcs of their own, and I didn’t have any major issues with any of them. Like I said, the plot was decently simple, but there could have been a bit higher stakes present. There’s a threat of an impending war that Tao is hesitant to accept she could aid in, and there feels like there should be much more urgency to look for Mash’s daughter, but these weren’t too glaring. Again, it was simple and fun.

The end of the book felt a bit disjointed from the beginning, as Tao is taken away from the party and forced to give a big prophecy about the potential of war. Here she also confronts her mother and step-father, which she ran away from, due to her mother’s grief and the fact that she is leaving behind their Shinn heritage. It wasn’t all bad, just a bit rushed and unconnected.

Some reviews on line have commented that this book feels a little too cozy and not enough fantasy, which I can get behind. Other than the small fortunes and occasional magical creatures, there isn’t too much going on. I would have loved to see more of how magic is present in the world, like when it’s hinted that Kira may have magic baked into her pastries.

While this book wasn’t the most life-changing read of the last few months, it was enjoyable and a fun adventure. I could see this being a sort of world to roleplay and travel in for a TTRPG. It sounds like the author is writing another book within the same world, so I’m curious to see what this one delves into and how they may be related. Overall, a good read.

Wooing the Witch Queen – Stephanie Burgis – 4 Stars

Meanwhile, Saskia is facing the growing threat of war against Archduke Felix’s kingdom, believing Felix to be the greatest threat to the safety of the kingdom she’s creating. Saskia is one of the three witch queens, an alliance of monarchs who are trying to carve out safe spaces for magical creatures who are shunned by much of the world. Her position as queen is at risk due to her Uncle, who desires to regain the throne and continue his reign allied with the empire.

This book had a little bit of everything. Cozy library vibes, a quality romance, a well written twist about Felix’s past, and a political mystery and reveal that refreshingly did NOT lead to the couple having a dramatic conflict/break-up that was overly drawn out. Plus, this series is the first of all three witch queens finding their own unexpected romance, so I’m excited to see where it goes. For fans of good romantasy, check this one out!

Wings of Starlight – Allison Saft – 3 Stars

So I was really excited for this book. I was a HUGE fan of the Pixie Hollow movies as a kid, with Secret of the Wings being my favorite. So when I found out there was a whole backstory book for Milori and Clarion, I was so hyped. I’ve had issues with Allison Saft’s writing before, but I was determined to go into this book with an open mind.

As hinted in The Secret of the Wings, the story of Clarion and Milori mirrors Tinkerbell and Periwinkle’s. Clarion has a fascination with the winter season, and despite being told to stay away, she begins to sneak over. Her curiosity is piqued when the warm seasons are attacked by a creature referred to as a nightmare, which begins to put fairies in a permanent sleep. Clarion and Milori agree that they need to investigate the Winter Woods, where the nightmares are supposed to be sealed away. But oh no! The seal is failing, and only Clarion can fix it with her magic she can barely control. In the end, the power of love saves and dooms them, as Milori risks his wings to bring an unconscious and freezing Clarion back to the warm seasons.

The romance was mediocre. I liked the relationship between the side characters much more. Their chemistry was fine, but I just couldn’t find myself invested in them. It might be because I couldn’t get behind Clarion’s character, which felt so different from her character in the movies. She was very self-centered and I couldn’t get behind her. The relationship felt very rushed and was prioritized weirdly.

There just wasn’t much depth to this book. It all felt shallow and like a first draft of what I was really wanting. I don’t know. I feel like I had a lot more to say when I first read this book a few weeks ago, but this book had such little impact on me that I’m struggling to remember the details. It was fine, but if you were a fan of the movies like me, you’re probably better off just re-watching them and imagining the forbidden romance between Clarion and Milori instead.

The Thirteenth Child – Erin A. Craig – 3.5 Stars

Hazel soon learns that, as the daughter of the god of death, she also has a great burden. There are some people that she cannot save, and for the good of the world around her, she needs to snuff out their candles manifestations of their life and longevity, before they burn up everyone around them. She learns this truth at 18, when she has to kill her sweetheart and fiancé after he suffers a brain injury.

Soon the whole plot is turned around as she’s summoned to the castle to cure the king, who has gained a mysterious and confusing sickness that’s plaguing much of the northern world. There, she’s reunited with Prince Leo. who was a jerk to her the one time he interacted with her as a child. And he’s the love interest now! No surprise there.

Hazel is determined to find a cure to the disease and save the king, but she finds out that he has one of the death masks that marks him as someone she needs to kill. For some reason, she’s very conflicted by this, even though he’s not a great person and she’ll get in hella trouble with Merrick if she disobeys. She waffles over this for waaaay too long before she decides to give up one of her candles, of which she was given three by Merrick, the give the king another chance at life. Then we get an eleven month time skip, wherein jerky pants Leo goes off to war to become a hero, and Hazel struggles to find the real cure for the same sickness the king had.

Blah blah blah prince returns, he’s a gentleman now, there’s some mystery with the servants of the other gods, the king is about to start a war and kill a ton of people, Hazel makes some good and bad decisions. The pacing felt off kilter, which is probably why I’m struggling to remember some of the specific plot details. Hazel felt a bit wishy-washy with her decision making. She’s loyal to Merrick, but disobeys him all the time. The romance was forgetful. There was some sort of plot twist but I barely remember it. In the end, Hazel gives up another one of her candles to save another life (I think the king’s daughter?) and goes on to live a normal quiet life with Leo, who renounces his royal title.

This book was alright. I read it while waiting for another one of my books to get delivered so it wasn’t one I specifically sought out, but it wasn’t bad. Nothing outright criminal about it, but not spectacular. It sounds like there may be more books set in this world, so maybe I’ll tune in for those.

In short…

I fear I was maybe too critical once again with some of these, but for the most part they were all good. Part of reading within your favorite genre means that you’ll get some flops, some bangers, and some okays. I’ve enjoyed writing this and my previous set of reviews, so expect another addition in this series soon! Thanks for tagging along!

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