18 - A Book Containing Magical Creatures (that are not Dragons)

[Nadine in NY]

A book containing magical creatures that aren't dragons.

There are so many magical creatures out there! Fairies, sprites, vampires, unicorns, kodama ... how am I supposed to choose???


Listopia list is here: A Book Containing Magical Creatures (that are not Dragons)

[Rose]

OK - I need some help with this one. Any ideas???

[Ellie]

A perfect spot for the next Emily Wilde book I think!

[Bea]

Would shapechangers like wereanimals work here?

[Brandon]

Bea wrote: "Would shapechangers like wereanimals work here?"

I would say yes.

Other ideas would be vampire fiction or Animorphs.

[Bea]

Brandon wrote: "Bea wrote: "Would shapechangers like wereanimals work here?"

I would say yes.

Other ideas would be vampire fiction or Animorphs."

Thanks, Brandon.

[Ally]

I love this prompt. I think any book with talking animals would even work here - like Hollow Kingdom. It could also stretch to the magical realism category like Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe or Garden Spells. I'd also shout out to Darynda Jones's books about Charley Davidson, Grim Reaper if you like fun paranormal fantasy with a bunch of sex and snark.

[Tania]

Books I've read and recommend:

Reawakened
The Wizard's Butler
Poor Unfortunate Soul
Origins
Evernight

Poison Study - I'm not sure if we're counting people as creatures, I don't remember if there are actual creatures but the people have magic, so it's a judgement call as to whether this fits, but since we are considering vampires I thought we might consider this as well and this series is amazing

Singer of Souls - I actually don't recommend this one, because it gave me nightmares for weeks, but if you don't get nightmares from books then sure, go ahead, because it's well written

[Denise]

Ellie wrote: "A perfect spot for the next Emily Wilde book I think!"

I agree! Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales

For anyone who hasn't read this delightful series with fairies yet, the first one is Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries. It also does get dark, just as a warning. Not like grimm dark, but a little dark. There are cruel fairies.

[Ashley Marie]

I need to know what PS has against dragons, suddenly.

But I'll probably plug in an InCryptid book (or maybe start the October Daye series) here, Seanan McGuire is amazing with fantasy creatures.

[Michele]

Ashley Marie wrote: "I need to know what PS has against dragons, suddenly.

But I'll probably plug in an InCryptid book (or maybe start the October Daye series) here, Seanan McGuire is amazing with fantasy creatures."

Probably because we just did a dragon category this year, and no one likes a repeat.

[Megan]

’Salem’s Lot is my choice

[Donna]

The Spellshop would be a good one for this. It’s cosy fantasy and a really lovely read

[K.L.]

I definitely second Donna's recommendation of The Spellshop. I read it last month and absolutely loved it!

I'd also recommend Howl’s Moving Castle as another cozy fantasy option for this prompt.

[Cyndy]

Would any of the Serafina books fit this prompt?

[Nadine in NY]

Cyndy wrote: "Would any of the Serafina books fit this prompt?"



That's up to you. There are humans, and dragons, and human-dragon hybrids, and there are quig, which are sort of small quasi-dragon creatures.

[Cyndy]

Nadine in NY wrote: "Cyndy wrote: "Would any of the Serafina books fit this prompt?"
That's up to you. There are humans, and dragons, and human-dragon hybrids, and there are quig, which are sort of small quasi-drago..."

Thanks. I couldn't tell from the book descriptions. All I read is there was magic in the forest. So, I was assuming magical creatures.

[Nadine in NY]

Cyndy wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "Cyndy wrote: "Would any of the Serafina books fit this prompt?"
That's up to you. There are humans, and dragons, and human-dragon hybrids, and there are quig, which are sort of..."



Hang on, I was referring to the wrong books! I thought you meant Rachel Hartman's books about dragons. But you must mean a different series with that name - so I take it back, I have no idea!!

[Jen W.]

Cyndy wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "Cyndy wrote: "Would any of the Serafina books fit this prompt?"
That's up to you. There are humans, and dragons, and human-dragon hybrids, and there are quig, which are sort of..."

Assuming you meant Serafina and the Black Cloak, there were shapeshifters and magic, but no dragons that I remember. (I only read the first book, though.) I think it would probably count.

[Diana]

Hmm....

For Faeries and Fae:
The Modern Faerie Tale series by Holly Black would work for this: https://www.goodreads.com/series/4185...

So would the Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa: https://www.goodreads.com/series/4732...


There's also a few Goblin Market related stories and series that would be great:
Not Good for Maidens
Shades of Rust and Ruin

I got a nice illustrated copy of the Goblin Market for Christmas that I'll probably use: Christina Rossetti's Goblin Market

For vampires:
Vampires Never Get Old: Tales with Fresh Bite
My Roommate Is a Vampire

For mermaids and other sea related creatures:
Sea Witch
Sea Witch Rising
The watersong series should work: https://www.goodreads.com/series/5867...

[Denise]

I’m going to read Ariadne

[Lisa Marie]

I will be reading:

Hiddensee: A Tale of the Once and Future Nutcracker by Gregory Maguire


HAPPY READING!!

[The Pampered Librarian]

Donna wrote: "The Spellshop would be a good one for this. It’s cosy fantasy and a really lovely read"

That's what I'm reading. It's been sitting on my nightstand since it was released.

[Ketutar]

I recommend:


If you are not into Fantasy, there's

It's more magical realism, the unicorns are treated more like natural animals :-) It's a very lovely story, but Peter Beagle's stories often are

[Julie]

I just finished Fairytale by Stephen King and I think it goes well for this prompt as it has many different magic creatures that are not dragons. 😊

[Rachel]

This was a quicky young adult one I'd had on my TBR for awhile.

[Ron]

Been having a hard time with this one. The only real magical creature books I have are Twilight books but I've read those religiously.

I'm thinking of going with The Odyssey for this one, however I might have another that could work:

Why We Love (and Hate) Twilight: The Highs and Lows of the Twilight Saga - This is a critical analysis of essays about Stephenie Meyer's vampire/werewolf saga that I think might fit here.

[Brandon]

Ron wrote: "Been having a hard time with this one. The only real magical creature books I have are Twilight books but I've read those religiously.

I'm thinking of going with [book:The Odyssey|138..."

The author of Why We Love (and Hate) Twilight was recently on the podcast The Worst Bestsellers if you want to hear more from her.

[Ron]

Brandon wrote: "Ron wrote: "Been having a hard time with this one. The only real magical creature books I have are Twilight books but I've read those religiously.

I'm thinking of going with [book:The..."

Interesting thanks. The worst bestsellers in that she considers Twilight to be a worst best seller or that her book is a worst best seller?

[Brandon]

Sarah Gallagher was just a guest on the podcast, which is run by two other regular hosts. "Worst" in the podcast title is not always accurate. Besides their regular Nora Roberts month and flashback summers, which tend to feature books that the participants are mostly positive about, the other books being discussed tend to be popular books that will spark discussion.

Over the last two years of listening, my favorite talk was probably about Spare by Prince Harry (Episode 217).

[K.L.]

Ron wrote: "Been having a hard time with this one. The only real magical creature books I have are Twilight books but I've read those religiously.

I'm thinking of going with..."

Ooh! The Odyssey would be such a great choice for this prompt!

[Ron]

Brandon wrote: "Sarah Gallagher was just a guest on the podcast, which is run by two other regular hosts. "Worst" in the podcast title is not always accurate. Besides their regular Nora Roberts month and flashback..."

Cool I'll have to take a listen. I'm excited for Sarah's new book. If it's anything like her Twilight videos it'll be fun. She's a Twilight fan but she also likes to break down the negatives of it. While I don't always agree with her takes, I have fun listening to what she has to say.

[Ron]

Brandon wrote: "Sarah Gallagher was just a guest on the podcast, which is run by two other regular hosts. "Worst" in the podcast title is not always accurate. Besides their regular Nora Roberts month and flashback..."

Cool I'll have to take a listen. I'm excited for Sarah's new book. If it's anything like her Twilight videos it'll be fun. She's a Twilight fan but she also likes to break down the negatives of it. While I don't always agree with her takes, I have fun listening to what she has to say.

[Ron]

K.L. wrote: Ooh! The Odyssey would be such a great choice for this prompt!

Yeah it's perfect. I wrapped it though in one of my TBR's and can't remember which month I placed it in (I wrapped books as TBR's from May through October) so I wouldn't even know when I'd be able to get to it.

[Heather]

Fan Service by Rosie Danan is a fun werewolf book, especially if you were into late 90s/early 00s CW shows

[Sasha]

I read Vanya and the Wild Hunt for this and found it an enjoyable, quick and refreshing read with a diverse cast of characters. The main character is a neurodivergent British Indian girl who goes to a magical school based in India, with pupils from all over the world, where her gay uncles are on the staff. There's also a lesbian couple amongst the background characters, who I hope we might get to know better in later instalments of the series. Magical creatures mentioned include fairies, fallen stars, winged deer and horses, phoenixes, chimeras, fey dogs, rainbow fish, and a chicken that lays chocolate eggs.

[Britany]

Finished The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst

My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Bluebelle-the-Inquisitive (Catherine)]

Oh I have so many options I could have used for this one. My eventual choice was The Rainfall Market with its colourful collection of dokkaebi.

Some suggestions for others who need it.
A Fate Inked in Blood - Norse Myth world
Witch King - Martha Wells, so you know, hard to explain
The Red Collar - MM Crime
The Spellshop - Cosy Fantasy
Manners and Monsters - Regency
Splintered Mind - Melbourne 1920s

[Michele]

I'm currently reading Sinister Seraphim of Mine by John Corwin, and any of the books in this series work here. Yes, there are dragons, but there are also angels, demons, mages, shape shifters, and a golem.

[Anshita]

I read The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. The Night Circus doesn't feature traditional mythical creatures like dragons or fairies. Instead, the magical elements are primarily tied to the circus itself and the performances within it. The blurb reads, "Celia and Marco are two young magicians in the Circus, who have been trained since childhood for a deadly duel. With the lives of everyone at the Circus of Dreams at stake, they must test the very limits of the imagination, and of their love."

[Dubhease]

I read To You Shall All Flesh Come which was an interesting take on vampires

[Ellen]

I read by Hannah Kaner.

[Sherri]

I read A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping. I liked it. 5 stars

[Laura Ruth]

Lots of choices for this one, but I had a children's book on my shelf, David and the Phoenix:

http://www.lauraruthloomis.com/whats-...

[Rose]

Would The Golden Compass count as having magical creatures?

[Sasha]

Rose wrote: "Would The Golden Compass count as having magical creatures?"

I think so! It has talking bears, and arguably the daemons that all the human characters have are magical.

[Denise]

I'm moving a book here from a different prompt that is much easier for me to find books for:

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Magical fairies and other magical creatures

[Acidic Quagga]

I've been reading The Eye of the Bedlam Bride by Matt Dinniman. Plenty of magical creatures abound in this series!