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A Power Unbound by Freya Marske
Secrets! Magic! Enemies to… something more?
Jack Alston, Lord Hawthorn, would love a nice, safe, comfortable life. After the death of his twin sister, he thought he was done with magic for good. But with the threat of a dangerous ritual hanging over every magician in Britain, he’s drawn reluctantly back into that world.
Now Jack is living in a bizarre puzzle-box of a magical London townhouse, helping an unlikely group of friends track down the final piece of the Last Contract before their enemies can do the same. And to make matters worse, they need the help of writer and thief Alan Ross.
Cagey and argumentative, Alan is only in this for the money. The aristocratic Lord Hawthorn, with all his unearned power, is everything that Alan hates. And unfortunately, Alan happens to be everything that Jack wants in one gorgeous, infuriating package.
When a plot to seize unimaginable power comes to a head at Cheetham Hall—Jack’s ancestral family estate, a land so old and bound in oaths that it’s grown a personality as prickly as its owner—Jack, Alan and their allies will become entangled in a night of champagne, secrets, and bloody sacrifice . . . and the foundations of magic in Britain will be torn up by the roots before the end.
Why you should read it: Yes, okay, this is the final book in a trilogy that absolutely without question requires the reading of the first two books. Consider this a fiercely enthusiastic recommendation of the full series (both other books having already ended up on this list, because they are also wonderful). This title stands apart for me though. It is somehow simultaneously one of the best fantasy novels I've ever experienced AND some of the best erotica I've ever read. The chemistry between the main characters is agonizingly palpable, and the games they play are just... I'm not sure I even have words for how brilliantly the author executed one of my favorite kink dynamics. An incredible finale to a fantastic trilogy, everyone should read this series.
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The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera
Fetter was raised to kill, honed as a knife to cut down his sainted father. This gave him plenty to talk about in therapy.
He walked among invisible powers: devils and anti-gods that mock the mortal form. He learned a lethal catechism, lost his shadow, and gained a habit for secrecy. After a blood-soaked childhood, Fetter escaped his rural hometown for the big city, and fell into a broader world where divine destinies are a dime a dozen.
Everything in Luriat is more than it seems. Group therapy is recruitment for a revolutionary cadre. Junk email hints at the arrival of a god. Every door is laden with potential, and once closed may never open again. The city is scattered with Bright Doors, looming portals through which a cold wind blows. In this unknowable metropolis, Fetter will discover what kind of man he is, and his discovery will rewrite the world.
Why you should read it: Holy hell this is a good book. Strange and unexpected and completely disorienting, but also full of heart. I honestly have no idea how to describe it. It's a fantasy story unlike anything else I've ever seen. The magic is built into the fabric of the world, but it's scary and uncomfortable and brilliantly written. At no point in this book did I have any idea where the next page would take me, and by the end it had knocked me fully on my ass. A truly excellent experience.
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Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower by Tamsyn Muir
When the witch built the forty-flight tower, she made very sure to do the whole thing properly. Each flight contains a dreadful monster, ranging from a diamond-scaled dragon to a pack of slavering goblins. Should a prince battle his way to the top, he will be rewarded with a golden sword—and the lovely Princess Floralinda.
But no prince has managed to conquer the first flight yet, let alone get to the fortieth.
In fact, the supply of fresh princes seems to have quite dried up.
And winter is closing in on Floralinda…
Why you should read it: This was very strange and very fun. The writing style is wry and irreverent, and I've never read an adventure story OR a love story quite like it. There are places where modern terms and concepts sneak into what is otherwise a vaguely historical knights-and-dragons-and-princesses-in-castles style high fantasy, but these details are placed so deftly that they felt like an inside joke rather than an incongruity. Or maybe they felt like both, but in a charming and genuinely funny way. All around an enjoyable read.
A Power Unbound by Freya Marske
Secrets! Magic! Enemies to… something more?
Jack Alston, Lord Hawthorn, would love a nice, safe, comfortable life. After the death of his twin sister, he thought he was done with magic for good. But with the threat of a dangerous ritual hanging over every magician in Britain, he’s drawn reluctantly back into that world.
Now Jack is living in a bizarre puzzle-box of a magical London townhouse, helping an unlikely group of friends track down the final piece of the Last Contract before their enemies can do the same. And to make matters worse, they need the help of writer and thief Alan Ross.
Cagey and argumentative, Alan is only in this for the money. The aristocratic Lord Hawthorn, with all his unearned power, is everything that Alan hates. And unfortunately, Alan happens to be everything that Jack wants in one gorgeous, infuriating package.
When a plot to seize unimaginable power comes to a head at Cheetham Hall—Jack’s ancestral family estate, a land so old and bound in oaths that it’s grown a personality as prickly as its owner—Jack, Alan and their allies will become entangled in a night of champagne, secrets, and bloody sacrifice . . . and the foundations of magic in Britain will be torn up by the roots before the end.
Why you should read it: Yes, okay, this is the final book in a trilogy that absolutely without question requires the reading of the first two books. Consider this a fiercely enthusiastic recommendation of the full series (both other books having already ended up on this list, because they are also wonderful). This title stands apart for me though. It is somehow simultaneously one of the best fantasy novels I've ever experienced AND some of the best erotica I've ever read. The chemistry between the main characters is agonizingly palpable, and the games they play are just... I'm not sure I even have words for how brilliantly the author executed one of my favorite kink dynamics. An incredible finale to a fantastic trilogy, everyone should read this series.
- — - — - — - — -
The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera
Fetter was raised to kill, honed as a knife to cut down his sainted father. This gave him plenty to talk about in therapy.
He walked among invisible powers: devils and anti-gods that mock the mortal form. He learned a lethal catechism, lost his shadow, and gained a habit for secrecy. After a blood-soaked childhood, Fetter escaped his rural hometown for the big city, and fell into a broader world where divine destinies are a dime a dozen.
Everything in Luriat is more than it seems. Group therapy is recruitment for a revolutionary cadre. Junk email hints at the arrival of a god. Every door is laden with potential, and once closed may never open again. The city is scattered with Bright Doors, looming portals through which a cold wind blows. In this unknowable metropolis, Fetter will discover what kind of man he is, and his discovery will rewrite the world.
Why you should read it: Holy hell this is a good book. Strange and unexpected and completely disorienting, but also full of heart. I honestly have no idea how to describe it. It's a fantasy story unlike anything else I've ever seen. The magic is built into the fabric of the world, but it's scary and uncomfortable and brilliantly written. At no point in this book did I have any idea where the next page would take me, and by the end it had knocked me fully on my ass. A truly excellent experience.
- — - — - — - — -
Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower by Tamsyn Muir
When the witch built the forty-flight tower, she made very sure to do the whole thing properly. Each flight contains a dreadful monster, ranging from a diamond-scaled dragon to a pack of slavering goblins. Should a prince battle his way to the top, he will be rewarded with a golden sword—and the lovely Princess Floralinda.
But no prince has managed to conquer the first flight yet, let alone get to the fortieth.
In fact, the supply of fresh princes seems to have quite dried up.
And winter is closing in on Floralinda…
Why you should read it: This was very strange and very fun. The writing style is wry and irreverent, and I've never read an adventure story OR a love story quite like it. There are places where modern terms and concepts sneak into what is otherwise a vaguely historical knights-and-dragons-and-princesses-in-castles style high fantasy, but these details are placed so deftly that they felt like an inside joke rather than an incongruity. Or maybe they felt like both, but in a charming and genuinely funny way. All around an enjoyable read.
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