Books like "The Library at Mount Char" and "Every Heart a Doorway"

[Abi]

First time posting here! Excited to see what recommendations this yields.
I'm going to try and keep this as concise as possible.
(Any advice for future posts is always welcome)


SO - I just finished reading The Library at Mount Char (Scott Hawkins) and Every Heart a Doorway (Seanan McGuire) and I cannot stop thinking about them. I would love to find similar books.

The appealing mutual elements of these stories (for me) are:

1. Minimal, if any, romance/love story (none of that Twilight/sexy magic stuff, please)

2. Strong magic realism (in that - the fantasy/magic is happening right under the nose of the real world we live in and you could accidentally stumble into it)

3. The two mentioned books involve a group of characters, all of whom have a speciality power or magic to them. (Ex. in EHaDW each child has a specific door to a unique world. In TLaMC each librarian has a catalog that they study). This is also similar to the Peculiar Children series which I also love.

^^ That is very specific, that's more of a bonus/coincidence but I thought I'd mention it!


I'm open to everything else! Thanks!

[Elena]

Bone Gap has got that sort of magical realism. There is a romance, but if you didn't mind the romance in the Peculiar Children, this is no more heavy than that.

When the Moon Was Ours is another with beautifully written magical realism. Again, some romance, but really well done and not at all overbearing.

And of course there's Sparrow Hill Road, also by Seanan McGuire.

[Juniper]

Abi wrote: "First time posting here! Excited to see what recommendations this yields..."

i loved reading over your request, abi!! :)

my first suggestion is a book i have not read yet, but my dad is reading it right now and blown away (so that's moved it way up my priority list): The Watchmaker of Filigree Street

i have also heard great things about Magonia and A Darker Shade of Magic - though the latter one may not appeal for the romance bit that's included among the other stuff.

one last suggestion, The City & the City - which is outside of your parameters, but may still be of interest. i am a huge fan of china miéville and what he does in who writing. :)

[karen, future RA queen]

A Darker Shade of Magic is good, the second book, A Gathering of Shadows is even better, and i'm still sitting on the third one.

i can give you a million suggestions for the first two parts of your query - i read both of those books and loved them and it's a genre i'm totally in love with. but the third part of your question made me think of a tor short i read, Burnt Sugar,which is here and FREE:

http://www.tor.com/2014/12/10/burnt-s...

and features characters from a series i have yet to read:

Firebug
Pyromantic

so if you like the freebie, as i did, you may want to give the series a try. her other series seems similar in its motley crew of powers and weirdos:

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer

but i don't know how much romance factors into the. series. the story, though - that was great.

but i can probably give you more slipstream/magical realism suggestions than you can shake a stick at.

[Mir]

All the Birds in the Sky

Possibly Shadowshaper.