Set in the misty hollows of the Appalachian Mountains, Strange Folk follows Charlotte Quinn as she inherits her late grandmother’s creaky old home, only to discover the town and her family legacy hold more secrets (and strange folk) than she ever expected. With a dash of magical realism, an undercurrent of suspense, and an atmosphere…
Category: Magical Realism
The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie
This is a beautifully tender story about Lolly, a woman navigating grief, self-discovery, and unexpected love, all wrapped up in gentle magical realism. The magic elements provide glimpses into her past and add layers of emotion as she faces hard choices and seeks a new path forward. I read this a few years ago and…
The Women of Wild Hill
Both Lula Library and The Change made my Top Reads lists for 2023 and 2024, so when I found myself in a bit of a reading rut, I turned to Kirsten Miller again to pull me out and The Women of Wild Hill did not disappoint. I loved about 95% of this book. It takes…
The Lost Story
I adored The Wishing Game when it came out and so this review pains me to write. I had all the expectations for a beautiful, fun, and magical story and The Lost Story just did not live up to the hype for me. Jeremy Cox and Rafe Howell, known as The Lost Boys, mysteriously vanished…
Recipe for a Charmed Life
Georgia Jackson is living out her dreams and is up for a Sous Chief position in Paris. That is until she catches her boyfriend cheating on her in the freezer at work and her sense of taste starts to leave her. Heartbroken and lost, Georgia heads back to The States and to her estranged mother…
Expiration Dates
Rebecca has quickly become an auto buy author for me. I’m a big fan of magical realism though and so her books give me enough magic within a contemporary setting to fuel my imagination. Since she was young Daphne has always received a slip of paper telling her how long her relationships last. She doesn’t…
The Unmaking of June Farrow
The Farrow women have long been thought to have been cursed and many have disappeared without a trace. June Farrow is the last of the Farrow women and is determined to note let the curse get her. As she’s grieving the loss of her grandmother sets in though, the signs of ‘madness’ start slowly creeping…
Death Valley
I have heard tons of great things about Melissa Broder’s books, and I was stoked to get an early copy of her upcoming release Death Valley. This was such a character driven story, and I always struggle with those. I’m an action girl and I need strong plotlines to stay invested. Especially with a toddler,…
Rouge
I LOVED Mona Awad’s Bunny. It was one of the weirdest, fever dream inducing books I’ve ever read. I had such high hopes for Rouge and I’m not sure it really did it for me. This modern gothic loose retelling of Snow White, has everything in it. Cults, a magic mirror, roses, magic, confusion, desires,…
Mister Magic
In Kiersten White’s Mister Magic, we follow a group of childhood friends as the show they were on is set to be revived. Preceding the revival, they’ve been asked to participate in a podcast to explore their experiences. Filled with nostalgic childhood references to how tv & shows connect generations, I was hooked from the…