Fall into this Cozy Fantasy Mystery about a Reluctant Magical Librarian and her Possibly Sentient Magical Book

 

Image copied from Goodread

I"m loving the popularity of cozy fantasy books, lately. For that reason, I was thrilled when I was given permission to read a digital ARC of Witches of Dubious Origin by author Jenn McKinlay by NetGalley and Berkley Publishing. Unlike some others in the genre that take place in epic fantasy-based realms, this one takes place in the real world. It reminds me of some of the popular cozy fantasy mysteries of the late 90s and early 2000s like Madelyn Alt's Bewitching Mystery series or Annette Blair's Accidental Witch trilogy. Like those, Witches of Dubious Origin follows a young woman who must discover her own power and learn to embrace who she is to defeat evil.

Zoe Ziakas is a librarian who is content to lead a quiet life in a small town in Connecticut. Until a mysterious book arrives where she works that is locked by a strangely engraved metal band. When Zoe asks her friend, and stand-in mom, Agatha about it, she learns that it is a grimoire. Zoe's family grimoire and as the last of her family line, it has found its way to her. I thought Zoe was a very relatable character. She is opposed to embracing anything to do with magic because of the all the pain it caused her family. It even drove her mother to relinquish Zoe's care to Agatha before she disappeared from Zoe's life. After so much trauma and loss, I could understand how Zoe would want nothing to do with a magic book. However, being a librarian she is also curious to discover what's inside it, even if she swears to herself she'll never use it.

The catalyst for the story of a mysterious and puzzling book that a curious librarian can't help but want to solve was a fun one. From there we learn that there is a Museum of Literature that contains an entire collection of Books of Dubious Origin (BODO) and I would say of dubious power as well. That discovery introduces us to the cast of characters that works in the BODO collection who are all interesting and unique in their own way. Miles with his knowledge of magical history, Tariq with his gifts of potions, and Jasper who works in containment and who Zoe finds irresistibly hot. Even Olive adds an element of fun to the cast, though she is anything but lovable with her Wednesday Addams vibes. Beyond all of this there is definitely an edge of danger to the story, too. Not long after the grimoire appears in her life, Zoe begins to be plagued by undead minions of their own dubious origins who are sent to steal her book from her, even if it means getting rid of Zoe to do so. The mystery that unfolds as Zoe learns more about her family legacy, and about what truly happened to her mother and grandmother added another intriguing element to the novel, one that kept me wanting to turn pages to solve it. 

Altogether this story full of magic, family secrets, possible murders, hidden powers, found family and learning to embrace one's own gifts to overcome past trauma and defeat those intent on causing harm, made this a very enjoyable read. One that was a perfect bridge between Spooky Season and the rest of Fall. If you are a fan of cozy fantasy that is set in the real world and that has a blend of mystery, light romance, and humor, then I encourage you to check this one out. I hope this is the first book in a series with many more to come. 

As November has four Sundays, I still have three other books to read in the cozy fantasy genre. I'm going to try to stick with food and/or drink related ones in honor of the Thanksgiving holiday here in the States. Here are some of the ones that I'm considering. To read more about these selections, simply click on the title. All cover images copied from Goodreads. Tag lines copied from Bookshop.org or Amazon. Feel free to leave me a comment on which of these you think I should read next!

 The Baker's Man by Jennifer Moorman

If you found a recipe for the perfect man, would you bake it?

Tales of Cake And Comfort: A Cozy Fantasy Omnibus (The Galamere Chronicles) by Gabrielle Landi

Tales of Cake and Comfort is a cozy fantasy omnibus combining two previously published novellas with additional bonus chapters. It follows Thea Greene from a royal baking competition in the city to starting her own café in the Northlands. Along the way she finds romance, new friends, and a faithful companion in her orange cat, Ginger.

Tusks, Tails and Teacakes by T.L. Stone

One part Legends and Lattes, one part Hallmark rom-com, and a generous sprinkle of cottagecore coziness.

Welcome to The Tusk & Tail Tavern where the fire is always crackling, the meat pies are rich and savory, the air is filled with laughter and bard-song, and friends are like family. At least, it used to be...

The Tea Witch's Secret by Laura Greenwood and Ariana Jade

Hana knows she shouldn't fall for Oliver, even if his familiar training constantly leads him back to her for healing.

image copied from Goodreads

Vampire Hunter by John Evans may just be my new favorite urban fantasy series to follow. It opens with Tobias Halson in the middle of a hunt, chasing down a newly turned redneck vampire. Right away I was swept into the action of this version of Philly and Tobias's calling to protect his city from bloodsucking monsters. Make no mistake, in this series, vampires are not the angsty, goth "Anne Rice kind" as Tobias explains. They don't leave little love bites on your neck. When these vampires feed there is nothing conflicted or pretty about it. They rip and tear into their prey in an overwhelming need to feed. 

Evans does a masterful job of opening the novel by giving plenty of information about this world without sacrificing any of the tension or pacing to do it. For instance, in addition to explaining what vampires are really like we also get hints that they aren't the only supernatural beings that exist. While there are some clues given that magic wielders might also be out there, Halson isn't one of them. He is a vampire hunter who has been successful in exterminating them when needed, but he does so with careful planning, cunning weapons specially developed for the task, and skill alone. He is as he says, just a "vanilla human" at the end of the day. This kept me turning pages as the stakes were pretty high throughout each encounter with these monsters in the book. How could Tobias succeed in some of the tight situations he gets into when he doesn't have any special abilities, I often wondered? 

The characterization of Tobias was deft as well. He was a very relatable character with a tragic backstory that has made his focus being a hunter detrimental to having a personal life, meaning he's socially awkward and tries to disguise the fact with snark and smartass comments. He isn't a complete loner though. Early in the book, he explains that he's been working with a special division of the Philly PD to take care of special pest problems that he is uniquely skilled at handling. In large part, this is because the head of that division, Detective Bullard, witnessed Tobias's prowess firsthand. Since then, Tobias has been on-call for Bullard and his partner, the beautiful Alex Benson, when needed. This has allowed Tobias to do well enough to pay his rent, have an office and even hire on a secretary, Anita. I loved the small group of allies who are in the know about the supernatural that Evans gives his character. It makes for a nice respite at times from the action but also serves to raise the stakes even more for Tobias as he has people to lose. Something that being a complete loner wouldn't give him. 

As I was reading, I could see how some who've read this series could see some nods given to Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden from his Dresden Files series. However, while they are both around the same age at the start of both series, and while each have trouble with authority and not being wisecracking smart mouths, Harry has magic. He also works with the police in Chicago, but largely with them thinking he's a nutcase and with them being in the dark that the strange cases they are called to investigate do actually involve the supernatural or magic. In Tobias's case his police contacts fully know what they're up against, at least in Bullard and Benson's case. I appreciated these distinct differences. 

Another thing that I like about urban fantasies in general are that they are essentially mystery thrillers with fantastic elements. That means that there is always a crime to solve. The mystery plot in this case is whether or not a prominent CEO of a large corporation was killed by a vampire or not. The clues seem to point to no. But Bullard isn't so sure and hires Tobias to do some snooping. Halson is reluctant, he isn't a private detective after all, he's a vampire hunter. But he is also curious about the murder and agrees if only to serve as a distraction to the would-be assailant. But as Tobias digs for clues, more and more questions arise. I truly enjoyed trying to piece things together along with Tobias. Evans gives us an intriguing plot, that while I did hazard a guess pretty early on about who was behind the murder, still left me questioning the how or why behind the crime. All of the elements kept me hooked and made this a fast and entertaining read. I"m very happy that the next book in the series, Werewolf Hunter, is already out for me to read. After the way things ended in this book, I'm very interested to see how things will unfold for Tobias from here. I really hope there will be more books to follow as well. If you enjoy fast-paced urban fantasies with interesting and well-developed characters, then I urge you to read this series. You won't be disappointed. If you'd like to get your own copies, just click on the title and you'll be taken to bookshop.org to obtain one. 

I'm not sure what my next book review theme will be for November. But I'm thinking of making it cozy fantasy month as I've been able to read some really fun cozy fantasies recently. But for a roundup of other books I've read in honor of spooky October, here are some titles to check out. Again, just click on the title and it will take you to a link for bookshop.org where you can read all about them. Admittedly, most are not spooky at all. But hopefully you'll be able to find some new great reads! 

The Keeper of Magical Things

 

Hollow

A Curious Kind of Magic

Witches of Dubious Origin

Mist Thief Blog Tour Spotlight

Image provided by Random House

I was so excited to hear that the first spinoff novel from the original Ever Seas duology was going to feature Jonas!! He was one of my favorite secondary characters in the series. So, I'm very happy to share this spotlight with you. The Mist Thief will not only give us Jonas's story, but give us more insight into the elves introduced in The Ever Queen and in particular Skadia. Below is a blurb for the book, the release date and a brief bio of the author, LJ Andrews. If you love dark fantasy romance that is Viking inspired and that contains pirates, fae and now elves, you should check out this book and other books in The Ever Seas series.

Book Description:

She tried to kill him, so he made her his wife.

Skadi first met her husband-to-be with blades in hand on the opposite side of a battle. She lost, and he claimed his prize.

To her horror, the king of the shadow elven agrees to marry her off to Jonas, a prince in the fae realms, as a way to unite their kingdoms against a shared enemy—the light elves. Skadi knows the marriage is nothing but a political game. Feelings won’t come into play.

Except her new husband makes not falling in love . . . challenging.

When new threats arise, Skadi must decide to either love her enemy or keep him alive by betraying him to another.

The Ace Hardcover release is October 14th.

About the Author

LJ Andrews is a USA Today bestselling author of fantasy romance. She could live in dark worlds with brutal romantic heroes all day. When she isn’t writing, she’s keeping her four kids alive, spending time with her hot husband, or enjoying the mountains of Utah.

 

 

Legend of Sleepy Hollow Inspired Magical School Romantasy

 

As a fun extra for spooky season, I'm sharing a spotlight of a romantasy being re-released by Ace Books by bestselling author Karina Halle. It is a Legend of Sleepy Hollow inspired gothic magical school fantasy. Check out the blurb below along with a brief bio of the author. It will be available wherever books are sold October 7th. 

A sexy, dark fantasy reimagining of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, where Katrina Van Tassel doesn’t have to choose between Brom Bones and Ichabod Crane, and there are worse things haunting them than the Headless Horseman.

Kat Van Tassel’s life was predestined from childhood; she was to marry her best friend, Brom Bones. But Brom vanished from Sleepy Hollow years ago, leaving Kat alone to enroll in Sleepy Hollow Institute, a shadowy university for advanced witchcraft run by her powerful family. And now she finds herself drawn to the school’s enigmatic new teacher, Ichabod Crane, as he delves into dark magic.

When Brom returns, suffering from amnesia and a dark transformation, the trio must confront gruesome murders attributed to a vengeful spirit, The Headless Horseman, while navigating their tangled relationships.

As Kat, Ichabod, and Brom seek answers, their bonds deepen, and forbidden desires take hold. But Sleepy Hollow holds secrets more sinister than they imagined. The Headless Horseman lurks, threatening to claim them, while something even more terrifying looms in the shadows. Embark on a journey of dark mysteries, desire, and danger in the eerie heart of Sleepy Hollow.

About the Author
Karina Halle is a screenwriter, former music & travel journalist, and the New York Times bestselling author of Realm of Thieves, River of Shadows & The Royals Next Door, as well as 80 other romances across all sub-genres, ranging from spicy rom coms to gothic horror and dark fantasy. Needless to say, whatever you're into, she's probably written an HEA for it. When she's not traveling, she, her husband, and their pup Perry, split their time between a possibly haunted 120 year-old house in Victoria, BC, and their not-haunted condo in Los Angeles.

Great Gothic Appalachian Horror

 

image copied from Bookshop.org

I am not usually a fan of straight horror genre novels. But this one gave off some hints of Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House when I read the blurb. One of the few horror type stories I do love. I was privileged to receive an ARC of the novel from my publisher, Rowan Prose Publishing. I'm so glad I gave this one a shot. It is a fun and suspenseful read that not only explores horrors of the supernatural kind but also the horrors that can evolve of the human variety as well, especially when obsession is involved. 

Lovers' Leap by Rikki Goodwin starts off with a bang and doesn't let up from there. Hazel, our narrator, and her best friend and former high school sweetheart, Finn, are both terrified of their respective partners and trying desperately to escape them as the novel opens. Things do not go well and from there we are taken back to three days earlier before everything went horribly wrong. 

Hazel, who is happy with her boyfriend Dimitri but miserable working a dead end job as a barista, is happily surprised to get a call from Finn inviting her and Dimitri to dinner to discuss a business proposition. It turns out that Finn and his wife Lucy are thinking of purchasing a bed & breakfast and they'd like to run it with Hazel and Dimitri. But before signing on the dotted line, Finn invites them to accompany him and Lucy to the Lovers' Leap Inn for a long weekend away to see the property for themselves before they decide. It sounds like an amazing opportunity as well as a fun weekend escape. Of course, all is not what it seems and there is definitely a reason for the venture to sound too good to be true. 

From the moment they arrive things seem off. The longer the two couples stay, the spookier things get. Lovers' Leap is definitely haunted but why and by whom is the question. The novel delivers in creep factor and in suspense as well. The more we learn about each of the characters involved the more we start to question whether Hazel herself has something to hide. I knew there would be ghosts and possibly other supernatural elements involved. But I was intrigued as much if not more by these characters as we watch them all slowly start to unravel as a group and individually. The novel deftly explores the horrors that can be inflicted on the human heart when individuals hold on to relationships that are toxic. The fallout from the mixture of both elements in the story kept me invested emotionally in these characters and turning pages to find out how everything was going to turn out. Just when I thought I had it figured out, some unexpected twists took me completely by surprise. And wow! That ending really got me!

If you love horror with complex characters, gothic haunted mansions, and lots of unexpected twists and turns, then you'll love Lovers' Leap by Rikki Goodwin. If you like supporting indie bookstores as well, simply click on the title link to purchase your copy from Bookshop.org. 

Stay tuned, on Monday I'll be posting a spotlight for a Legend of Sleepy Hollow inspired magical school romantasy that sounds spicy entitled Hollow by Karina Halle.

In a couple of weeks I'll also be reviewing the first in a new urban fantasy series that I've heard lots of good things about by author John Evans. Check out the cover and blurb below that are both copied from Bookshop.org. 

"Intricate storytelling & well-developed characters." -Entertainment Monthly

Riding to the rescue with quick wits and snappy one-liners.

Tobias Halson, a young paranormal hunter, is charged with protecting the city of Philadelphia from the undead creatures of the night. A corporate board member is thrown out of an office building showing signs of vampire attack, and Tobias is called in to investigate. But he soon realizes he's out of his element, lost in a world of white collar politics and water cooler plots. With the innocence of a young woman in danger, it's a race against time to find the killer, preferably before Tobias ends up the next victim.

Fans of Ilona Andrews, Jim Butcher, Patricia Briggs, Nalini Singh, Faith Hunter, and Nalo Hopkinson will enjoy John Evans's Urban Fantasy books.

Today's Picks Feature Elite High Schools and a Historically Black Magical College/University

 
In keeping with my back-to-school theme for September we'll be looking at two very different novels for young adults. One features a first-generation only child of immigrant parents attending an elite high school. The other a young Black man with magical abilities who discovers he's not as alone as he thought after he is accepted into a Historically Black College that is a magical HBCU. 

image copied from Goodreads

First, let's talk about Ellen Zheng's debut novel, The Art of Overthinking. It's a wonderful contemporary young adult novel about first love, finding your voice, and learning to love yourself in the midst of a mental health breakdown.

Isla Wu is a junior in high school who is under tremendous pressure to succeed in order to be able to eventually attend an elite Ivy League college. The only child of immigrant parents, she is constantly judged by both her mom and dad in different ways and made to feel she doesn’t quite measure up. Author Ellen Zheng does an amazing job of helping us connect with Isla from the very first page and immediately understand her family dynamics and why she has body image issues as well as anxiety to constantly perform at the highest level academically. Isla’s voice is real, it’s engaging, and is instantly relatable.

At the same time, these serious dramatic aspects are beautifully balanced against the humorous and awkward moments that often accompany first love. Right from the beginning, Isla has what she calls a very “not-meet-cute” moment when she spills coffee on the hot new guy at her high school, Slater Westbrook. From there a friendship blossoms and then becomes something more. I loved how the author has Isla comparing her developing relationship with Slater against the common rom-com tropes. It made for some great wry humor. The poignancy of Isla’s emotional struggles and mental health concerns paired with the romantic elements of the story made this book one I could not stop reading.

The Art of Overthinking also deals with issues such as intentional and unintentional racism, toxic friendships, and offers up some very important information about how to identify when you are not okay mentally, and how to seek help for that when needed. It does not sugarcoat how hard it can be to cope with or overcome any of these things. Each of these elements was portrayed in a touching way through Isla’s eyes so that I truly felt I was experiencing them right along with her.

This is a great young adult read for anyone who enjoys a sweet, funny contemporary romance that doesn’t shy away from the real struggles many teens face today in our fast-paced, highly competitive world. This is one of the best books I've read so far for 2025 and I urge you to grab a copy for yourself.

image copied from Goodreads

Blood at the Root (BATR) by LaDarrion Williams is the first in a series and is also the author's debut novel. It is one of the first fantasy books that I've read that featured a young Black male protagonist. I have read fantasies that featured young Black or BIPOC female protagonists as main characters. But very few with young men as the main characters. I hope that this trend changes with the success of BATR. 

Malik Baron's life started off pretty normal in his small Alabama home town. But at the age of seven his childhood ends when he comes into magical powers he didn't know he possessed and is orphaned at the same time. Ten years later, Malik has managed to emancipate himself early from the foster care system and is intent on getting his foster brother, Taye, back so they can both start over. However, things do not go as planned and Malik is forced to use his magic to try and save them both. An action that draws the notice of family he never knew he had and that winds up with him getting the opportunity to attend Caiman University, a magical all-Black college. I loved this premise and was eager to see how things would transpire.

At first, Malik agrees to go there because he hopes it will help him discover what happened to his mama on the night she disappeared. The longer he's there though, the more Malik finds he loves attending college and learning to master his abilities. For the first time since he was "baptized in his magic," Malik feels that his abilities aren't a curse like he's always believed. They can be used for good and are a gift passed down from his ancestors. The way that magical abilities are portrayed as Malik gets a tour of Caiman's campus was amazing and instantly immersive. It was very reminiscent in some ways of Camp Half-Blood from the Percy Jackson series. However, this magical community is more diverse and expansive, I would say, than that series. We have conjurers, shape-shifters, people who can seem to fly, all mixed together. Each dorm even has its own tribe or part of this Black magic culture that it is tied to. It was easy to get lost in this story and in Malik's journey.

Williams does an amazing job with both the world-building and character development this story. Malik is a very angry and distrustful character at the start. His rage leaps off the page, but it is understandable considering all that he has lost and suffered through. The author balances that angst with the love that Malik feels for his younger foster brother, the only real family he feels he has in the world. Malik is willing to put a small measure of trust in his grandmother, who he rightly feels abandoned him, if it means providing care and a safe space for Taye to do so. One of the other things that I loved about this novel was the way that Williams portrays Malik as he explores this world and is reacquainted with an old childhood crush from his days in the group home Malik is placed in after his mother vanishes. Malik not only gets to come into his own power in the magical sense, but he's given a love interest in Alexis, his former crush, when he finds she attends Caiman U as well. 

Another interesting aspect of this novel is the way that the main conflict in the story is developed. As Malik comes to know more about Black magical society, he comes to realize just how diverse it is and also how divided it has become. One tribe controls and sets the rules for the Black magical community. But many are starting to question if that is for the best as more young Black kids from both the magical and nonmagical community start to disappear, only to be found dead, later. Malik feels that something should be done and the Black magical community should be using their powers to put a stop to this in the outside world. However, there are also some lines that Malik is unwilling to cross to help when Alexis introduces him to uses for their magic that he just can't condone. Williams also doesn't shy away from the idea that parents are flawed. As Malik delves more into the mystery of his mama and who she really was, he learns some very troubling things about her. Things that led to him never knowing his grandma or his mama's extended family at all. The stakes continue to grow and the pace of the story remains fast, but well developed as all the threads for the novel weave together to a breathtaking climax. And oh my, those last lines of that epilogue! Those are some of the best closing lines for a fantasy novel I've read in a long time. If you want a great fantasy read geared toward a young adult male audience, I highly recommend Blood at the Root by LaDarrion Williams. Even better, the second book in the series Bones at the Crossroads is available to read now too, which I fully intend to do!

Up next for review will be books that feature vampires, witches and ghosts for October and spooky season. Some up for consideration are: 

  Running an allegedly haunted bed & breakfast sounds a lot more fun to Hazel than  her current dead end job, but a trip to inspect a property with her three best friends has unearthed way more ghosts than she was willing to deal with...and only some of them are hers.

Hazel is surprised but pleased when her high school sweetheart Finn suggests they and their significant others go in together on purchasing a B&B, but their weekend trip to visit a potential property has a rocky start. The current elderly (and bizarre) owners seem to take issue with their presence. Dizzy spells plague her and...was that a person she just saw in the mirror?

Both her boyfriend and Finn's wife are also having a hard time coping with the creepiness of the place. They'd all assumed "haunted" was only a marketing strategy. Perhaps not. Finn, though, is resolute they're overreacting, and insists on moving forward with the purchase, despite their misgivings. The expansive property might not be big enough to house both Finn and Hazel's clashing personalities, or the secrets they've been keeping from each other.

They'll have to put those issues aside though, when both of their partners suddenly start behaving erratically. Are they sick? Are they just tired of Finn and Hazel's bickering? Or is something more sinister going on?

Riding to the rescue with quick wits and snappy one-liners.

Tobias Halson, a young paranormal hunter, is charged with protecting the city of Philadelphia from the undead creatures of the night. A corporate board member is thrown out of an office building showing signs of vampire attack, and Tobias is called in to investigate. But he soon realizes he's out of his element, lost in a world of white collar politics and water cooler plots. With the innocence of a young woman in danger, it's a race against time to find the killer, preferably before Tobias ends up the next victim.

Fans of Ilona Andrews, Jim Butcher, Patricia Briggs, Nalini Singh, Faith Hunter, and Nalo Hopkinson will enjoy John Evans's Urban Fantasy books.

I'm also considering reviewing:

A bewitching novel of a New England history professor who must race against time to free her family from a curse by Katherine Howe, New York Times bestselling author of The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane.

A magical bloodline. A family curse. Can Connie Goodwin break the spell before it shatters her future?

Connie Goodwin is an expert on America’s fractured past with witchcraft. A young, tenure-track professor in Boston, she’s earned career success by studying the history of magic in colonial America—especially women’s home recipes and medicines—and by exposing society's threats against women fluent in those skills. But beyond her studies, Connie harbors a secret: She is the direct descendant of a woman tried as a witch in Salem, an ancestor whose abilities were far more magical than the historical record shows.

When a hint from her mother and clues from her research lead Connie to the shocking realization that her partner’s life is in danger, she must race to solve the mystery behind a hundreds’-years-long deadly curse.

Flashing back through American history to the lives of certain supernaturally gifted women, The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs affectingly reveals not only the special bond that unites one particular matriarchal line, but also explores the many challenges to women’s survival across the decades—and the risks some women are forced to take to protect what they love most.

All the above images and blurbs were copied from Bookshop.org. I'm excited to delve into each of these novels and the works of these new-to-me authors. But I'm also happy to take any recommendations for other spooky season reads, provided that they aren't too terrifying.