Tag: magical realism

ARC Book Review: The Serendipity (Only Magic in the Building) by Emma St. Clair

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 276 pages
Author: Emma St. Clair
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: March 5th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

He’s a no-nonsense businessman. She’s a free-spirited baker. But the magical building they live in seems to think they’re a perfect match…

When billionaire Archer Gaines needs to escape his father’s corrupt shadow and a related scandal, he purchases The Serendipity, a historic apartment building far from New York City.

He believes in bottom lines and big business deals, definitely not in the local folklore surrounding the town of Serendipity Springs. So he’s eager to move forward with plans to flip the building into luxury lofts.

But The Serendipity doesn’t particularly care what Archer believes, and the building has plans of its own.

Willa never believed in the rumors about her “magical” building. But that was before she walked into her closet looking for a sweater and found herself in another apartment altogether–in the penthouse closet of the grumpy and unfortunately attractive new building owner.

This is less of a meet cute than a meet ugly, and things only go downhill from there.

When Archer announces sweeping changes that include a rent increase, he becomes public enemy number one for the residents. And by charging Willa for use of the commercial kitchen, he puts her fledgling baking business at risk.

With his progress being (magically) blocked at every turn, Archer grows desperate for help.

But the bewitching woman he found hiding in his closet seems to present both the answer and a larger because Archer never planned to fall in love or stay in Serendipity Springs forever …

The Serendipity is a standalone book in the Only Magic in the Building series. These closed door, whimsical romance books are all set in the same historic building, which has a habit of playing matchmaker with its residents. There are light magical elements, but no spells, shifters, or dark magic of any kind.

Thank you to the author for the eARC.

THIS WAS SWEET.

I’m very excited for this multi-author series and getting my hands on the first book was a must. I love Emma St. Clair and this was another great read. The magical realism aspects were charming and didn’t overwhelm the book. I liked how it played out and it was easy to love on this magical building.

The romance is low angst but filled with some fiery banter. Willa and Archer come from completely different walks of life and clash a bit as they find their footing together. I loved all of the late night chats and I think the second half did a wonderful job of showing off the romance. I appreciate when things aren’t blown out of proportion and when communication is an important factor.

There were some good topics and themes discussed throughout. I liked understanding more about agoraphobia and the impact it can have on your life. The positive therapy points fit in well to the plot too. Add in a few fantastic kisses and this was another gem for me.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low
  • Content warnings: agoraphobia, emotional distant parent

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Book Review: Shark Heart: A Love Story by Emily Habeck

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fiction / Magical Realism
Length: 416 pages
Author: Emily Habeck
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Release Date: August 8th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Newlyweds face the unimaginable in this epic tale about marriage, motherhood, and enduring love.

For Lewis and Wren, their first year of marriage is also their last. A few weeks after their wedding, Lewis receives a rare diagnosis. He will retain most of his consciousness, memories, and intellect, but his physical body will gradually turn into a great white shark. As Lewis develops the features and impulses of one of the most predatory creatures in the ocean, his complicated artist’s heart struggles to make peace with his unfulfilled dreams.

At first, Wren internally resists her husband’s fate. Is there a way for them to be together after Lewis changes? Then, a glimpse of Lewis’s developing carnivorous nature activates long-repressed memories for Wren, whose story vacillates between her childhood living on a houseboat in Oklahoma, her time with a college ex-girlfriend, and her unusual friendship with a woman pregnant with twin birds. Woven throughout this bold novel is the story of Wren’s mother, Angela, who becomes pregnant with Wren at fifteen in an abusive relationship amidst her parents’ crumbling marriage. In the present, all of Wren’s grief eventually collides, and she is forced to make an impossible choice.

A sweeping love story that is at once lyrical and funny, airy and visceral, Shark Heart is an unforgettable, gorgeous novel about life’s perennial questions, the fragility of memories, finding joy amidst grief, and creating a meaningful life. This daring debut marks the arrival of a wildly talented new writer abounding with originality, humor, and heart.

WHAT IN THE WORLD.

I feel like this has to be one of the oddest books I’ve ever picked up.

And yet I was kind of into it?

A very interesting concept and one I have truly never considered. I did like the exploration of magical realism and mutations and changes. I was intrigued by how it was handled medically and the coping mechanisms that were involved.

I really enjoyed part one and Wren and Lewis’s story the most. I felt swept away by their love for each other and loving through the hard moments too.

What kind of lost me was the second part where the focus changed and I didn’t feel as invested. The book is on the short side (7 hour audio) and there was a lot crammed into this that I wish would have been explored further. I wanted to feel more of the love story aspects that the title referred to.

The ending wrapped things up well enough. Maybe I just struggle with magical realism sometimes and have way too many questions about how everything works and why (hi, I’m the problem, it’s me). I truly did enjoy this read though. There were good themes and plenty of discussions to be had because of the story.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fiction
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of loved ones, suicide ideation

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Book Review: Witch of Wild Things by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland

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Rating: ★★
Audience: Magical Realism Romance
Length: 320 pages
Author: Raquel Vasquez Gilliland
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: September 12th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Legend goes that long ago a Flores woman offended the old gods, and their family was cursed as a result. Now, every woman born to the family has a touch of magic.

Sage Flores has been running from her family—and their “gifts”—ever since her younger sister Sky died. Eight years later, Sage reluctantly returns to her hometown. Like slipping into an old, comforting sweater, Sage takes back her job at Cranberry Rose Company and uses her ability to communicate with plants to discover unusual heritage specimens in the surrounding lands.

What should be a simple task is complicated by her partner in botany sleuthing: Tennessee Reyes. He broke her heart in high school, and she never fully recovered. Working together is reminding her of all their past tender, genuine moments—and new feelings for this mature sexy man are starting to take root in her heart.

With rare plants to find, a dead sister who keeps bringing her coffee, and another sister whose anger fills the sky with lightning, Sage doesn’t have time for romance. But being with Tenn is like standing in the middle of a field on the cusp of a summer thunderstorm—supercharged and inevitable.

NOPE.

I wanted to enjoy this, I really did, but this entire book just felt ANGRY. Which then made me angry and then I wanted it to be over quick. I thought that the main character spent so much energy being upset over so many aspects of her life that it was draining her and that made it a pill to read.

There were some moments of the romance that I liked and parts of the second half were better than the first. But nothing stands out as truly something I enjoyed. I didn’t understand why some of the side plots were there. I don’t think the witchy/magic system played into the story well. And now I’m ready to move on to another book and not think about this one again.

Overall audience notes:

  • Magical Realism Romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance: 2-3 open door
  • Violence: moderate
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: Threats of revenge pornography, domestic abuse recounted, parental abandonment, death of a parent/sibling recounted

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Book Review: Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Magical Realism
Length: 416 pages
Author: Emma Törzs
Publisher: William Morrow
Release Date: May 30th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

In this spellbinding debut novel, two estranged half-sisters tasked with guarding their family’s library of magical books must work together to unravel a deadly secret at the heart of their collection–a tale of familial loyalty and betrayal, and the pursuit of magic and power.

For generations, the Kalotay family has guarded a collection of ancient and rare books. Books that let a person walk through walls or manipulate the elements–books of magic that half-sisters Joanna and Esther have been raised to revere and protect.

All magic comes with a price, though, and for years the sisters have been separated. Esther has fled to a remote base in Antarctica to escape the fate that killed her own mother, and Joanna’s isolated herself in their family home in Vermont, devoting her life to the study of these cherished volumes. But after their father dies suddenly while reading a book Joanna has never seen before, the sisters must reunite to preserve their family legacy. In the process, they’ll uncover a world of magic far bigger and more dangerous than they ever imagined, and all the secrets their parents kept hidden; secrets that span centuries, continents, and even other libraries.

SOLID STANDALONE.

Y’all know I’m always after a great standalone because I’m a notorious series reader. And this worked really well within one book. I was surprised that it wasn’t actually a fantasy, definitely a magical realism read (everything is in the real world). FYI.

I loved the sister relationship and even though they’ve been separated that they found ways to work together and truly wanted to reconnect when the chance came. There’s three POV’s, the two sisters and Nicholas. All three points of view were necessary and I liked the flow between them. There was truly a different angle from each character and seeing the how’s and why’s.

The magic system was bloody and interesting. I thought it was cool to have the blood writing and the magical libraries and everything in between. The magic system building was there and easy to follow. The plot is a solid mystery and kept me guessing. There’s twists I didn’t see coming and honestly I just genuinely enjoyed this so much.

Overall audience notes:

  • Magical Realism
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: moderate-high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: cutting (blood is used to make the books), loss of life

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