Magic in Books
Everyone knows the printed word can be magical, bringing the reader to a new time and place until they are immersed in a story. The three books getting reviewed in this blog are actually about books that have magic (the hocus pocus kind) in them.
Exploding with Magic
The Middle Grade Graphic Novel adventure The Night Librarian by Christopher Lincoln (2024) is awesome. It’s billed as Night at the Museum meets The Land of Stories. Yes, it’s written for children, but I enjoyed it immensely. It has a very clever plot that weaves into many subplots, introducing a slew of famous characters from other books, such as Alice in Wonderland and Tinkerbell. By the way, Alice isn’t as sweet and naïve as she appeared in her own novel.
The illustrations are fun and creative. The cover art grabbed my attention, and the description reeled me in. The setting is the New York Public Library where twins Page and Turner frequent. During this trip, the kids lose their father’s expensive first-edition Dracula novel that they weren’t supposed to take anywhere.
While they search for the book, the twins learn about the job of the Night Librarian, select after-hours employees who are responsible for controlling the books that are bursting with magic so villains won’t escape and cause trouble. Soon, things get out of control, and the Night Librarian needs help. The fate of the library is in the hands of Page, Turner, and some storybook characters.
I recommend this Graphic Novel for any fan of Night at the Museum or anyone seeking a fun adventure.
Vampires Have Come a Long Way Since Dracula
The vampires of old turned crispy in sunlight and slept in coffins. Now they have human and witch wives and walk among warmbloods undetected—until they need to feed—and even then, they’ve gone “vampire vegan,” drinking animal blood and wine.
The All Souls series by Deborah Harkness features vampires, witches, and daemons. The daemons are a happy, scatter-brained bunch instead of the hellraisers with black eyes as Supernatural fans are used to.
The series began with A Discovery of Witches. Diana Bishop, a witch, and Matthew Clairmont, a vampire, met at the University of Oxford’s Bodleian Library where she was doing research as an historian. The couple pursued the forbidden inter-creature romance while dealing with their very different families, the Congregation, and the ancient manuscript that every creature wanted to get their hands on but only Diana could.
Shadow of Night (Book 2 – 2012) picks up the couple’s troubles in the 1500s, unlike the other two books, thanks to time travel. Matthew, being 1,500 years old has “been there done that” and rekindles old friendships. Diana tries to blend in, but she doesn’t speak or look the part. Plus, it’s not a good time for witches in general. Matthew and Diana search for the ancient Ashmole manuscript, hoping to find it in the past before three pages were ripped out (how it is in present day), which disturbed the magic within and renders it unreadable.
The Book of Life (Book 3 – 2014) brings Matthew and Diana back to present day. However, meddling in the past can change events in the future. I don’t want to put in too many spoilers, so I’ll just say I enjoyed the whole series so far.
By the way, the TV series, A Discovery of Witches, followed the books pretty well. Each book is covered in one season. Of course, the books have a lot more detail and scenes, but I like the TV series, too. I think they chose the actors well. I haven’t yet read the fourth book that features Marcus, Matthew’s vampire son, and his human girlfriend, Phoebe, or the fifth book. I would love a book that follows the character Gallowglass, Matthew’s Gaelic vampire nephew. He’s my favorite character.
One More Vegan Vampire
If you love the premise of a vegan vampire—one who sucks beets dry—give my spoof of vampires, Reno Red Reckless, a read. The feisty two-hundred-year-old redhead is stuck at twenty forever and is searching for a way to use her vampire talents for good not evil. In the meantime, she’ll rescue dogs, feed the homeless, and use her crossbow against anyone who doesn’t play well with others.
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