Books for channeling your inner whimsy, embracing escapism and staving off the summer heat
By ALYSSA CREVOISERAT — arts@theaggie.org
As spring turns into summer, the outside temperature climbs and the urge to abandon coursework and commitments for an early start to summer break begins. The prelude to summer, spring is a pleasant chill — foggy, misty mornings and daytime weather just warm enough to take up residence on a park bench.
A certified lover of spring at heart, I feel qualified to recommend books where magical realism and fantasy take center stage. For those of you trying to latch onto the essence of spring before summer’s inevitable approach, here are some reading recommendations for all things atmospheric, mysterious and whimsical.
“Spells for Forgetting” by Adrienne Young (2022)
Adrienne Young is one of my most trustworthy sources of magical realism. Her three adult fiction novels — “Spells for Forgetting,” “The Unmaking of June Farrow” and “A Sea of Unspoken Things — are if magical realism, mystery and romance were standalone fantasy fiction babies. My pick for spring, however, is going to go to my favorite of the three. “Spells for Forgetting” takes place on the sentient Saoirse Island, where the leaves on trees change color overnight and the murder of a teenage girl puts a stain on the town’s residents. It follows Emery Blackwood — who runs Blackwood’s Tea Shoppe Herbal Tonics & Tea Leaf Readings — and August Salt — a man accused of killing Lily Morgan who has returned to the island after 14 years.
While my description may not seem like it, Young creates an undercurrent of romance that haunts the narrative. Emery and August, after over a decade of separation, together uncover the island’s secrets and unravel generations of lies and greed. Young’s prose and imagery define her novels, and to read “Spells for Forgetting” is to feel as though you’ve taken the ferry from Seattle to Saoirse Island yourself.
“Elements of Cadence” duology by Rebecca Ross (2022)
“A River Enchanted” and “A Fire Endless” make up the “Elements of Cadence” duology by Rebecca Ross. Both released in the same year, the series is set on the Scottish folklore-inspired island of Cadence — a land split into two clans: the East of the Tamerlaine’s and the West of the Breccan’s. A magic system of enchantments and elemental spirits that alter the very fabric of the natural world, Ross’ atmospheric worldbuilding allows the reader to feel the island’s wind on their cheeks, the fabric on enchanted plaid on their hands and the grass of the ever-changing terrain on their feet.
The island is split into two clans, each with their own distinct balance of magic and prosperity, in constant conflict. Jack Tamerlaine — a bard whose skill lies in his ability to connect with spirits via the harp — has returned to Cadence after attending university on the mainland following the disappearance of the island’s children. Adaira, the heiress of the East, joins Jack as he works to find the missing girls and bring them home. While sometimes marketed as a lighthearted, whimsical tale, the mystery element takes “A River Enchanted” from a simple story of an enchanted island to one of political tension, thriller-esque suspense and fate-intervened romance.
“Half a Soul” by Olivia Atwater (2020)
For those looking for something a bit less intense, but still checks all of the arbitrary boxes of my spring reading list, “Half a Soul” by Olivia Atwater may be the pick for you. Sitting at around 250 pages, “Half a Soul” follows Theodora Ettings — who was cursed by a faerie as a girl, leaving her with only half of a soul — as she handles her inability to feel fear or embarrassment during London’s courting season. Elias Wilder, also known as Lord Sorcier, is a renowned magician and the center of high-society gossip.
Well-versed in faerie affairs, he learns of Dora’s plight and becomes dedicated to the cause. In addition to solving Dora’s crisis of the soul, children from a workhouse are falling under a sleeping curse. As the line between London and the faerie realm is blurred, Elias and Dora grow closer, and it seems that having half of a soul doesn’t mean the inability to love. “Half a Soul” has endearing characters, an intriguing plot line and unique blend of genres that make for a light, spring read.
Psst. Follow me on Goodreads, @alyssacrevoiserat.
