The books Southern indie booksellers are recommending to readers everywhere!

Fantasy

Ink Girls by Marieke Nijkamp

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Ink Girls by Marieke Nijkamp
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Ink Girls is a beautifully illustrated, sweet story about a group of girls in a Renaissance-inspired word who are determined to fight for truth. It shows firsthand how deeply important it is that truth comes first, above the discomfort of change. Everything else will fall into place, and friends deserving of you will flock to you. I can’t wait to push this graphic novel into everyone\’s hands!

Ink Girls by Marieke Nijkamp, (List Price: $15.99, Greenwillow Books, 9780063027107, November 2023)

Reviewed by Caitlyn Vanorder, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

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Among Serpents by Marc J Gregson

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Among Serpents by Marc J Gregson
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Among Serpents brings nonstop action as Conrad leads his crew in one difficult task after another in order to save the Skylands. Conrad is working his way through his first year of captaincy, trying to earn enough to buy his ship. But his uncle, the king, has different ideas. One day he’s being rewarded, and the next it’s punishment, but Conrad doesn’t care as long as he can save his sister Ella. But does Ella want to be saved? Book two in the Above the Black series will leave you on the edge of your seat.

Among Serpents by Marc J Gregson, (List Price: $19.99, Peachtree Teen, 9781682637067, January 2025)

Reviewed by Jennifer Jones, Bookmiser in Marietta, Georgia

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The Girl from the Sea by Molly Knox Ostertag

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The Girl from the Sea by Molly Knox Ostertag
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This adorable graphic novel about a shape-shifting selkie and a teen lesbian who hasn’t fully accepted her queerness is heartwarming and heartbreaking all at the same time. This is a great book for young queer people with a diverse cast of characters and a lovely sapphic romance that you can easily devour in one sitting. Can’t wait to get this into the hands of young readers!

The Girl from the Sea by Molly Knox Ostertag, (List Price: $24.99, Graphix, 9781338540574, June 2021)

Reviewed by Candice Huber, Tubby & Coo’s Traveling Book Shop in New Orleans, Louisiana

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The Foxglove King by Hannah Whitten

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The Foxglove King by Hannah Whitten
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This was one of the most unique magic systems I have ever read. I thoroughly enjoyed this, especially the development in the characters and the emotion with which they were written. I am already anxiously awaiting the next book as I now want to understand the concept of Lore being a deathwitch more. This was the perfect mix of fantasy, romance, and gothic for my taste, and I got completely lost in the story wishing I could jump into the world and adventure through it myself – regardless of the dangers it held.

The Foxglove King by Hannah Whitten, (List Price: $19.99, Orbit, 9780316435093, December 2023)

Reviewed by Charlotte Beck, Main Street Reads in Summerville, South Carolina

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Spotlight On: A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft

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Allison Saft, photo by Lisa DeNeffe

A Fragile Enchantment bloomed after a long creative fallow period. It was a book I wrote in pursuit of joy, and through Niamh and all her starry-eyed, scatterbrained whimsy, I found it. I loved researching the Regency era and all the time I spent trawling through fashion prints and recipes. I loved writing about candlelit ballrooms and emotion-fueled magic and the seething iniquity that the Regency’s glittery facade tries and fails to conceal. I especially loved the banter between Kit and Niamh and their ruinous, forbidden love.
― Allison Saft, A letter to readers

A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft

What booksellers are saying about A Fragile Enchantment

  • This YA romantasy fully and charmingly embraces the grumpy sunshine trope and layers it with political intrigue, a Bridgerton’s Lady Whistledown-esque society reporter, and generational trauma, where the grumpy prince’s magic makes nettles and thorns grow and the sunshine “commoner” weaves memories into cloth. I was enchanted by Niamh as she uncovered the ruin of the ruling family, and the prince’s thorny exterior.
      ― Candice Conner from The Haunted Book Shop in Mobile, Alabama | Buy from The Haunted Bookshop

  • If Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) was a YA book, it would be this fantasy of manners and its aching, forbidden romance between a magical dressmaker from a former colony, hired for the royal wedding, and the king’s wayward, plant-magic-wielding second son, a.k.a. the groom. Together, Niamh, soft as velvet, and Kit, prickly as a briar patch, risk not only scandal, but war, ruin, uprising, and the loss of all the armor and thorns both have used to protect themselves from life and love ‘til now.
      ― Megan Bell from Underground Books in Carrollton, Georgia | Buy from Underground Books

  • Loved this book! The best way to describe it would be a fantasy Bridgerton. Lots of court politics but with added magical elements. Although I didn’t love the main love interest, I still enjoyed the story thoroughly, especially because of the extremely strong supporting characters. The writing was lovely. Fans of ACOTAR, Bridgerton, and From Blood and Ash should all give this one a try.
      ― Kelley Dykes from Main Street Reads in Summerville, South Carolina | Buy from Main Street Reads

  • I never realized I needed a magical Bridgerton but that is exactly what this was. It was amazing. Enemies to friends and friends to love. This book takes you on a romance that sweeps through the different troupes throughout the entire book. It was hard to put down and impossible to forget the characters. I appreciated the chronic illness depicted in Niamh that was well described throughout the book. Everything comes with a price and her using magic will cause the ultimate price.
      ― Mandy Harris, Angel Wings Bookstore, Stem, North Carolina | Buy from Angel Wings Bookstore

About Allison Saft

Allison Saft is the New York Times and indie bestselling author of A Far Wilder Magic and Down Comes the Night. After receiving her MA in English Literature from Tulane University, she moved from the Gulf Coast to the West Coast, where she spends her time rolling on eight wheels and practicing aerial silks.

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The Flying Ship Volume 1 by Jem Milton

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The Flying Ship Volume 1 by Jem Milton
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The Flying Ship is the irreverent, hilarious, and pertinent graphic novel of my dreams- How Jem managed to shove absolutely everything I love into one story, I do not know, but the fact that it’s also beautifully illustrated is my favorite thing in the entire world. If you love familial curses, cracking open the gender binary, and political intrigue, I could not be more excited to put this book into your hands.

The Flying Ship Volume 1 by Jem Milton, (List Price: $24.99, Dark Horse Comics, 9781506738444, November 2023)

Reviewed by Caitlyn Vanorder, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

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Spotlight On: Hunt on Dark Waters by Katee Robert

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Katee Robert, photo by Bethany Chamberlin Photography

I’ve wanted to write pirates forever, probably since I was approximately eight and sitting on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride in Disneyland. I’ve been deeply into Celtic mythology for about as long. So, when it came time to write a fantasy romance novel, it was only natural to meld the two into a fun romp of a story.
― Katee Robert Interview, Subjectify Media

Hunt on Dark Waters by Katee Robert

What booksellers are saying about Hunt on Dark Waters

  • Pirates are back baby!!!! And Katee, the QUEEN has combined them with our favorite paranormals for the best, best book ever. Hunt on Dark Waters features a pirate and a witch and they love to argue, and bicker, and be hot and think about how hot the other is. Smack all that into super cool worldbuilding and fun swashbuckling adventures, and that makes this the perfect book!
      ― Caitlyn Vanorder, Bookmarks, Winston-Salem, North Carolina | Buy from Bookmarks

  • Great start to a new series! I always enjoy this author, and this didn’t disappoint. Just enough worldbuilding mixed with interesting characters and sexy times. Look forward to the rest of the series!
      ― Angela Trigg, The Haunted Book Shop, Mobile, Alabama | Buy from The Haunted Book Shop

  • Pirates and Witches and Vampires, OH MY! I had fun following along with Evelyn as she tried to adjust to pirate life. Her sassy thievery and snarky comments kept me laughing while her budding romance with the ultimate rule follower, Bowen, had me wanting to throw the book at the wall. This book seemed tamer (spice wise) than other of Robert’s works but the spice that was there was still great and steamy. An engaging and fun start to a new series!
      ― Michelle Weiler, Quail Ridge Books, Raleigh, North Carolina | Buy from Quail Ridge Books

  • An anti-hero witch is on the run from her vampire lover and finds herself in the service of a sexy pirate in a world full of sea monsters and magic… I mean, it sounds like a good time, and it is. If you’re looking for a fun paranormal read without much depth, this is a great option. Excellent banter, steamy love scenes, and just the right amount of danger.
      ― Liz DeWandeler, A Novel Escape, Franklin, North Carolina | Buy from A Novel Escape

About Katee Robert

Katee Robert (she/they) is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of spicy romance. Entertainment Weekly calls their writing “unspeakably hot.” Their books have sold over two million copies. They live in the Pacific Northwest with their husband, children, a cat who thinks he’s a dog, and two Great Danes who think they’re lap dogs

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Spotlight On: Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree

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Travis Baldree, photo by author

Initially, my plan for both [Viv and Tandry] was that they would simply build a supportive, essential friendship and that Viv’s recognition of the value of that relationship was key to her new life. That strengthened over the course of the story and became what it is now, and it felt inevitable to me. It isn’t a romance, really – it’s a friendship that evolved into something more. The book is largely about quiet acts of bravery that don’t involve a sword – and the leap from friendship to romantic relationship was one of Viv’s last brave acts. The kind of risk that most of us can relate to.
― Travis Baldree Interview, Hunger Mountain

Bookshops & Bonedust byTravis Baldree

What booksellers are saying about Bookshops & Bonedust

  • Baldree does it again! I was positively enchanted with this story, just as I was with Legends & Lattes. Seeing Viv in this stage of her life, so different from her time establishing a coffee shop, was a treat. The bookshop setting was perfect, the plight of a bookseller just trying her hardest to get books into the hands of readers utterly relatable. A fantastic read for cozy fantasy lovers!
      ― Hannah Kerbs, Parnassus Books in Nashville, TN | Buy from Parnassus Books

  • This book is so DELICIOUSLY COZY that it CURED my common cold—or at the very least it warmed me all the way up, gave me a kiss on the forehead, and made me feel a whole lot better! Wounded in her first venture as a mercenary, a young Viv washes up in a seaside town with a ramshackle bookshop and ends up finding fiction, friendship, first love, the mutually enriching relationship between small businesses and their community, and a little badass bone-busting adventure along the way! It’s hard to believe, but I loved Bookshops & Bonedust even more than Legends & Lattes and literally hugged this book when I finished it.
      ― Megan Bell, Underground Books in Carrollton, GA | Buy from Underground Books

  • This was a rare stand alone prequel that adds so much to the first book, Bookshops and Bonedust has all the cozy vibes and action I had come to expect from Legends and Lattes. There’s a loveable animal companion, a frazzled bookshop owner, a baker of fine treats, and a necromancer lurking somewhere in the background. If you were wondering why a mercenary orc would want to open a coffee shop, read this, maybe with a nice cup of coffee of your own. This book is the perfect example of there’s a right book for every time, and a right time for every book. Super cozy, super well written (and narrated) Travis has definitely made himself an instant buy author for me after these last two slam dunks.
      ― Charlotte Beck, Main Street Reads in Summerville, SC | Buy from Main Street Reads

About Travis Baldree

Travis Baldree (he/him) is a full-time audiobook narrator who has lent his voice to hundreds of stories. Before that, he spent decades designing and building video games like Torchlight, Rebel Galaxy, and Fate. Apparently, he now also writes books. He lives in the Pacific Northwest with his very patient family and their small, nervous dog.

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Spotlight On: African Risen: A New Era of Speculative Fiction

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Editors, Africa Risen

Writing and editing is a very cultural thing. Identity plays a huge role in how we process stories, how we tell stories, and how we receive them. It puts us at very different places. It requires a lot of trust and respect….that is also the beauty and the strength of the anthology. This anthology has everything.
― Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki

I know some people have a zero sum idea of the world, everybody’s competition, right? But I have found a lot of times you thrive more when you say, hey., we’re going up against something much bigger ― the white-dominated publishing space ― and if we work together we can make a lot more of a difference.
― Zelda Knight

Working with the magazine in fantasy and science fiction, I’m more aware than ever that I’m also, as an editor, in the world of dream making. I’m making people’s oldest childhood-rooted dreams come true
― Sharee Renée Thomas Interview, SFF Addicts

African Risen: A New Era of Speculative Fiction edited by Sheree Renée Thomas, Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, Zelda Knight

What booksellers are saying about African Risen: A New Era of Speculative Fiction

  • An expert array of predominantly science fiction stories, all of which explore Black narratives, with many utilizing African mythology and lore. They are each so unique and groundbreaking in their narratives; you’ll find something for everyone in this collection!
      ― Mallory Sutton, Bards Alley Bookshop in Vienna, VA | Buy from Bards Alley

  • A collection of short stories, in the speculative genre, focusing on the imagination of Africa. I first heard about this book shortly after hearing about Africa is Not a Country (a book that reminds the reader(s) that the many nations make the continent bright and that colonialism isn’t the end-all of Africa. The stories bounce between sci-fi and fantasy and some feel like a perfect blend of both genres. This is a wonderful book to give to someone who is new to speculative fiction or even an oldhead like myself!
      ― Hilton Airall, Carmichaels Bookstore in Louisville, KY | Buy from Carmichaels

About the editors

Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki - photo from authorOghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki is an award-winning speculative fiction writer, editor and publisher from Nigeria. He edited the first ever Year’s Best African Speculative Fiction anthology, the Bridging Worlds anthology and co-edited the Dominion anthology

Zelda Knight - Alton Strupp_Courier JournalZelda Knight is an award-winning author, editor and bookseller. She co-edited the Dominion anthology, and has written numerous short stories and science fiction/romance series and books.

Sheree Renée Thomas - photo from authorSheree Renée Thomas is an award-winning author, editor and poet. Her works include the Dark Matter anthology, Nine Bar Blues, the Marvel novel Black Panther: Panther’s Rage, the story “Timebox Altar(ed)” in Janelle Monáe’s collection The Memory Librarian and Other Stories of Dirty Computer and much more.

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Spotlight On: A Power Unbound by Freya Marske

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Freya Marske, photo credit Kris Arnold

I am writing romance; all of my characters end up happily in love. I am writing fantasy with intrigue; frankly, the characters don’t have time for too much agonizing. They have conspiracies to unravel, and— to veer abruptly sideways into musical theatre (I am queer, after all) and quote Pippin—magic to do.

I made the very conscious decision to scrap crises of faith, uncertainty of one’s sexuality, and self-hatred entirely. I used the need for secrecy to add to the ‘us against the world’ situation that serves a romance plot so well, and also to emphasize the exquisite surprise and delight when a kindred spirit is recognized.
― Freya Marske, Interview, FyneTime

A Power Unbound by Freya Marske

What booksellers are saying about A Power Unbound

  • *Chef’s Kiss* I was really looking forward to Hawthorn’s story and it didn’t disappoint. Marske is such an exquisite writer, deft with her succinct and evocative descriptions! It was great also getting to see the moments with the other two couples as well.
      ― Angela Trigg, The Haunted Bookshop in Mobile, AL | Buy from The Haunted Bookshop

  • An absolutely delightful and riveting end to the trilogy, one that made me overcome my general aversion to e-books so that I could read this immediately. It was everything I could have hoped for and more, providing us with the much-needed perspectives of Jack and Alan. They race against time, their powerful enemies, and the rising sexual tension as the Last Contract comes closer to its end. Both deliciously queer and wholly enthralling, I’ll never not recommend this trilogy.
      ― Jordan April, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, NC | Buy from Flyleaf Books

  • This was the perfect ending to a fabulous trilogy. More of Lord Hawthorne is exactly what I needed in my life.
      ― Melissa Taylor from E. Shaver, bookseller in Savannah, GA | Buy from E. Shaver

  • A satisfying conclusion to Marske’s Last Binding trilogy. I thoroughly enjoyed these stories that have a little something for everyone (historical, mystery, fantasy, romance).
      ― Melissa Oates from Fiction Addiction in Greenville, SC | Buy from Fiction Addiction

About Freya Marske

Freya Marske is the author of A Power Unbound, A Restless Truth, and A Marvellous Light, which was an international bestseller and won the Romantic Novel Award for Fantasy. Her work has appeared in Analog and has been shortlisted for three Aurealis Awards. She is also a Hugo-nominated podcaster and won the Ditmar Award for Best New Talent. She lives in Australia.

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Spotlight On: Unholy Terrors by Lyndall Clipstone

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Lyndall Clipstone, photo credit the author

I’ve always loved to write, and storytelling is an enormous part of how I make sense of my emotions. Especially as a young adult, a time in my life where I felt quite adrift, immersing myself into books and writing provided so much solace. I love the endlessness of possibilities with speculative fiction, and how I can use things like magic, or monsters, or body horror as a lens through which to examine the real world.
― Lyndall Clipstone, Interview, Geeks Out

Unholy Terrors by Lyndall Clipstone

What booksellers are saying about Unholy Terrors

  • A Monsterous boy and a fierce girl, Clipstone delivers another beautiful YA gothic fantasy. From the moment we first cross through the bone wall with Evie, to traveling through the moorland with Ravel, and facing down the Thousandfold. Clipstone takes us on a journey that feels like a Studio Ghibli film crossed with a horror movie. A gripping family legacy that makes you question everything that happens to Evie, is it fate that Evie and Ravel journey together or is it a curse? A curse that has Haunted Evie since before she was born.
      ― Cass W, The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, NC | Buy from The Country Book Shop

  • Clipstone’s Unholy Terrors takes us to a Wuthering Heights-esque setting, wildly beautiful in its ruin, and drops us off with only the honey and ash prose we fell in love with in her Lake’s Edge duology to guard our hearts and souls against the monsters of truth and generational loyalty that howl in the Thousandfold. A beautiful and haunting read for fans of transforming girls and kissable monsters.
      ― Candice Conner from The Haunted Book Shop in Mobile, AL | Buy from The Haunted Book Shop

  • Unholy Terrors is the perfect gothic romance fantasy for all your October spooky season needs. For fans of Crimson Peak and Labyrinth and every dark, haunted thing that deserves to be kissed and killed and brought back again. For the ghastly, and the horrifying, and still beautiful despite it all. Unholy Terrors is perfect, full stop.
      ― Caitlyn Vanorder from Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC | Buy from Bookmarks

About Lyndall Clipstone

Lyndall Clipstone writes about monsters and the girls who like to kiss them. A former youth librarian who grew up running wild in the Barossa Ranges of South Australia, she currently lives in Adelaide, where she tends her own indoor secret garden. She has a bachelors in creative writing and a graduate diploma in library and information management. She is the author of Lakesedge and Forestfall.

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Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

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Starling Houseby Alix E. Harrow
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As someone who has always been a little too soft for the world, nothing delights me more than living vicariously through fierce and hard as nail protagonists like Opal. Opal is fighting every day to make sure her brother doesn’t go without in the town of Eden. Despite barely having time to think, Opal begins to dream of Starling House, the Secret that no one talks about, and even though she knows better, she finds herself at the front door. Arthur is going to be the last warden of the Starling House, taking its legacy of monsters and magic down with him. He’s determined to be so until Opal breaks down the walls around his heart with her knock at Starling House’s door. This is a story of two people who are less than beautiful that smile with crooked teeth and black eyes, and I didn’t want it to end.

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow, (List Price: $28.99, Tor Books, 9781250799050, October 2023)

Reviewed by Katlin Kerrison, Story on the Square in McDonough, Georgia

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Blood Debts by Terry J. Benton-Walker

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Blood Debts by Terry J. Benton-Walker
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Blood Debts is a magical novel about reckoning- societal reckoning, familial reckoning, and personal reckoning. Clem and Cris Trudeau are practitioners of Generational magic, magic derived from the moon and the power of their ancestors. Their family has been torn apart, their connection to magic is unstable at best, and they don’t trust anyone, least of all themselves. Clem and Cris are furious at the injustice their family has been handed- from the violent lynchings of their grandparents, to the racist anti-magic laws being debated in New Orleans, to the recent murder of their father, to the way white vultures keep trying to appropriate Generational magic. Blood Debts handles all of these difficult, emotional topics with care and still gives these teenagers space to experience being kids. Dramatic friendship breakups, sibling bickering, and the beauty of queer, Black love add even more layers to this breathtaking tale. Pursue answers, love, and most importantly, justice, with Clem and Cris in Blood Debts… you won’t be sorry.

Blood Debts by Terry J. Benton-Walker, (List Price: 18.99, Tor Teen, 9781250825926, April 2023)

Reviewed by Julia Hirschfield, Epilogue Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

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Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
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With Six of Crows, Leigh Bardugo created a perfect blend of tense, tightly-plotted action and bold character work. The impossible heist the narrative centers around is exciting, and Bardugo’s magical setting sets her plot apart from other heist stories. Her six protagonists, all of whom have their own compelling reasons to agree to such a dangerous job, are dense and rich, and their dynamics with each other are definitely the novel’s greatest strength. The dialogue is sharp and the budding romances are impossible to not root for. Fans of fantasy, romance, mysteries, thrillers, and character dramas will absolutely find something to like in Six of Crows.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, (List Price: $12.99, Henry Holt and Co. BYR Paperbacks, 9781250777904, April 2021)

Reviewed by Sam Edge, Epilogue Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic by Breanne Randall

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The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic by Breanne Randall
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The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic casts a spell! Can’t get enough witchy reads? Me neither! It has all the good things, family, true love, magic, and mystery. Get ready for spooky season with a great read.

The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic by Breanne Randall, (List Price: $18.99, Alcove Press, 9781639105731, September 2023)

Reviewed by Susan Williams, M. Judson Booksellers in Greenville, South Carolina

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