Traveling through Ireland, everyone notices the low stone walls separating fields, but occasionally much larger stones rising from the green like giant cogs on a wheelâmystical standing stone circles. One in particularâBeltany in Co. Donegalâbecame the inspiration for my Circle of Nine series, which is a mix of Celtic mythology, pagan ritual, and magic set within alternating historical and modern storylines. Itâs no wonder that the books I most like to read are also the same kind I write. Thereâs nothing better than picking up a new book and immersing myself in these worlds with their rich magical systems, historical details, suspenseful plots, and often a good dose of romance.
A contemporary storyline mixed with historical details give book one in this four-book, gothic fantasy series a rich backdrop for family conflict on an unexpectedly dark scale as the main character, Lena, faces a cursed countdown to her 16th birthday. The movie version of this book is good, but as often is the case, the book is better. Stellar writing, plotting and a believable, swoon-worthy, and fated romance combined with an intriguing cast of characters make this book one of my favorites for coming-of-age magical stories.Â
The first book in the instant New York Times bestselling gothic fantasy series; a modern paranormal romance set against the gothic backdrop of an isolated southern town. Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.
Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautifulâŚ
Book one in the All Souls series introduces us to a world where witches, vampires, and demons live veiled lives within the same world as mortals but with strict and ruthlessly enforced rules governing their interactions with each other and humans. The main character, Diana Bishop, is from a witch family but is unable to practice magic herselfâuntil she summons a long-lost book, gaining the attention of many magical beings, including vampire, Matthew Clairmont. At its heart this book is romantic suspense with an intricate plot line that spans generations and centuries. While not a young adult title, it feels a bit like a coming-of-age story as Diana claims her power. Having loved this series for years, I've been pleased that the recent TV series does it justice.
In this tale of passion and obsession, Diana Bishop, a young scholar and a descendant of witches, discovers a long-lost and enchanted alchemical manuscript, Ashmole 782, deep in Oxford's Bodleian Library. Its reappearance summons a fantastical underworld, which she navigates with her leading man, vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont.
A wind sorcerer. A dark spirit. An unsolved murder.
On the haunted Draakensky Windmill Estate, sketch artist Charlotte Knight arrives to live on the property, hired to illustrate the poetry of Rainer Maria Rilkeâa bright and lucrative opportunity to boost her struggling art career.
I only recently found this series and am so glad I did. In book one (of seven total) Krissa has suffered incredible losses and is grappling with potential magical powers while struggling to fit in at a new school in a new town. While many of the details are similar to other coming-of-age/accepting your power stories, the quality of the writing, realistic teenage reactions & dialogue, fast-paced plotting, and serious (didnât-see-that-coming) twists make this an excellent and satisfying series.Â
When sheâs upset, she can hear what other people are thinking. And when sheâs overwhelmed, things explode.
A move to Clearwater, Michigan, gives her the chance to reinvent herself, but a fresh start is further away than she realizes. Her abilities magnifyâmaking her a target for Crystal Jamison and the townâs circle of witches.
Even with new friends at her side, Krissa canât ignore the witchesâ magnetic pullâespecially when a strange illness rips through the town.
If Krissa doesnât push her fears aside, she could lose more than control. Learning to wield magic could consumeâŚ
The Sweep series was one of the first witch series I ever read, and I promise you that it is still so, so good. Plus, there are 15 books to provide hours of entertainment. The story is very Wicca-based with well-described details of rituals and rites that will immerse you in each scene. I was immediately drawn to the main character, Morgan, and her struggles as she learns of her powers. The characters engage in familiar teenage drama, but everything is heightened by the magic theyâre immersed in. Suspenseful, fast-paced, and just a little bit dangerous.Â
Morgan and her best friend, Bree, are introduced to Wicca when a gorgeous senior named Cal invites them to join his new coven. Morgan falls for Cal immediately? and discovers that she has strong,inexplicable powers.
Selected by Deesha Philyaw as winner of the AWP Grace Paley Prize in Short Fiction, Lake Song is set in the fictional town of Kinder Falls in New Yorkâs Finger Lakes region. This novel in stories spans decades to plumb the complexities, violence, and compassion of small-town life as theâŚ
I'll admit I did things in reverse and watched the movie version of this story with Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman before reading. Yet again, the book is better but very differentâthereâs room for so many more scenes that get eliminated when youâre going from page to screen. The focus here is on the women in one family (and their use/misuse of magic)âelderly aunts, adult sisters (Sally & Gillian), and Sallyâs two teenage daughters. And thereâs the family curse, that whomever they love will end up dying. The story is charmingly written, and while not as heavy on the magic as some of the books Iâm recommending, magic delightfully intertwines with the daily interactions of these characters. Sisterly love and romantic love are central themesâas is hope for happily ever after.
*25th Anniversary Edition*-with an Introduction by the Author!
The Owens sisters confront the challenges of life and love in this bewitching novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Rules of Magic, Magic Lessons, and The Book of Magic.
For more than two hundred years, the Owens women have been blamed for everything that has gone wrong in their Massachusetts town. Gillian and Sally have endured that fate as well: as children, the sisters were forever outsiders, taunted, talked about, pointed at. Their elderly aunts almost seemed to encourage the whispers of witchery, with their musty house andâŚ
Brigit Quinnâs secret wish on her 15th birthday is for a normal lifeâan impossible dream when your mom practices an ancient pagan religion, and everyone believes sheâs a witch.
Instead, Brigit learns sheâs descended from a legendary Celtic tribeâpowerful people who protect the mystical energy of Ireland's ancient stone circles. A spellbound book of family history shows her the magical strength of her ancestors. Powers that could be her ownâif only she wanted to claim them. And when someone, disguised as a friend, reveals their sinister plan to steal her familyâs strength, Brigit must make a decision: fight to keep her unique heritage or reject it for the normal life sheâs always craved.
When Annie Thornton, midwife and apprentice witch, falls through time to a 15th-century Yorkshire village with her telepathic cat, Rosamund, she befriends Will and Jack, two soldiers returning from the French Wars. Mistress Meg, Annieâs ancestral aunt living in the 15th century, isâŚ
The Great West Wood is a magic realist thriller set in Westwood - a vibrant urban village set upon a hilltop, looking out across London, in an area once covered by an ancient forest.
This is a place where magic is taken for granted; where trees can talk; and childrenâŚ
