It’s our final episode (!), and we’re discussing A Tempest of Tea, the much anticipated new novel by Hafsah Faizal. We meet Arthie Casimir and her crew who run a tea-house-turned-blood-house called Spindrift in the city of White Roaring. When Spindrift is threatened, Arthie is forced to make alliances and pull off a dangerous heist. There are vampi…

Show announcement: several months ago we decided that it’s time for The Library Coven to come to an end, so this will be our final season. Over the past nearly 6 years we’ve loved making the show and forging connections with folks we never would have met otherwise. But it’s time for our HEAs*. Whether you’re a new listener or someone who’s been wit…

Today we’re talking about House of Marionne by J. Elle, which introduces us to 17-year-old Quell who has lived an itinerant life with her mother for *reasons* (namely, the forbidden power Quell wields), but is then forced to go directly into the belly of the beast…the magic boarding school at a lavish estate near New Orleans. Will Quell be able to …

In this episode we discuss the first book in the Nampesheweisit series, To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose. We both listened to the audiobook narrated by Charlie Flyte. J starts the show giving it 4.5 stars but revises the rating up to 5 by the end –– this book rocks! Recommend if you like… How to Train Your Dragon ofc Magic school …

Our season 6 winning streak continues with The Wicked Bargain by Gabe Cole Novoa. We both LOVED the audiobook narrated by the incomparable Vico Ortiz (Jim from Our Flag Means Death). The novel tells the story of Mar, a magical enby/genderqueer/trans-guy whose father made a deal with the literal devil that comes back to haunt everyone. It’s a book a…

Y’all, we’re on a winning streak with the books this season! That Self-Same Metal by Brittany N. Williams is the first book in the Forage and Fracture Saga, and it’s set in 1600s England.. It’s got Fae, Orisha, Shakespeare, a cool magical system, and a gorgeous cover! Get thee to the library for a copy! Recommend if you like… Legendborn and Bloodma…

We absolutely loved The Girl from the Sea by Molly Knox Ostertag! This graphic novel is a quick and cute read that digs into the nuances of coming out in various contexts and relationships, among other conflicts (*cough* rich people and their yachts *cough*). And the illustrations are beautiful! Note: k’s audio is a bit weird on this one, but we tr…

In this episode we discuss Foul Lady Fortune by Chloe Gong, a novel in her “Secret Shanghai” series. While technically preceded by These Violent Delights and These Violent Ends, we didn’t start with those and still very much enjoyed Foul Lady Fortune. The sequel, Foul Heart Huntsman, is out now. Thanks to the publisher for sending us some of Chloe’…

In today’s show we are mixing things up and discussing the short story anthology Fit for the Gods: Greek Mythology Reimagined edited by Jenn Northington and S. Zainab Williams. It has robots, AI, reincarnations, spaceship races, climate catastrophe, horny gods, post/other-than-human consciousness, and much more! Recommend if you like… Beneath the M…

In this episode about A Crown so Cursed, we’re back in the world of the Nightmare-verse in the final (we think?) installment of the series that we started reading all the way back in the show’s first season. Alice is facing a new types of nightmares, learning new histories about her family, and trying to protect both our world and wonderland. Chaos…

it’s that time again! see below for a massive link round up (some of the books link to our bookshop affiliate page) Fiction we couldn’t put down (Jessie) The Only Black Girls in Town by Brandy Colbert Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree Wildfire by Hannah Grace The Golden Frog Games by Claribel …

This week we are discussing the graphic novel Brooms by Jasmine Walls and Teo DuVall (with additional contributions by Bex Glendining and Ariana Maher). This story follows a wide cast of characters in 1930s Mississippi, where magic is restricted based on race and class. Broom racing is outlawed by the state, but clandestine competitions offer much …

This week we are discussing Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo, which was suggested by patron and friend-of-the-show Deanna. Both of us loved Acevedo’s novel-in-verse The Poet X, but we had some differing opinions about this newly released adult novel. Recommend if you like… magical realism, generally Isabel Allende Cien años de soledad by Gabriel Ga…

Season 6 has officially begun! We’re back with a historical fiction novel suggested by our beloved patron Grey (@grey_reads on insta): The Magnolia Sword by Sherry Thomas. This is a retelling of the legend of Mulan from Chinese folklore. Recommend if you like… Mulan retellings, generally (Disney films included) Hafsah Faisal’s novels (We Hunt the F…

A few weeks ago, J and I had the pleasure of interviewing Rachael Lippincott in advance of her upcoming release Pride and Prejudice and Pittsburgh (August 29, 2023 from Simon & Schuster). You might know Rachael as a co-author of Five Feet Apart, which was also made into a film. We haven’t read her newest novel yet, but we both enjoyed our respectiv…

We’re finishing out Season 5 strong with this discussion of Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen. Simidele has been transformed into a Mami Wata (aka mer-person) by the orisa Yemoja, tasked with gathering souls of Africans who fall, jump, or are thrown into the sea from enslavers’ ships. Chaos ensues when Simidele strays from the brief and rescues Adek…

In this penultimate (!) episode of season 5, we’re discussing A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin. The novel tells the story of Ning, a young girl who is headed to the capital to compete to become the empire’s new master in the magic and art of tea making. Ning has an ulterior motive, hoping to gain the princess’s favorite to potentially save …

Episode 82 is dedicated to Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko, which follows Tarisai, a half-ehru half-human, girl who is bound by choices her mysterious and mostly absent mother has made. We discuss empire and the imperative to assimilate, fantasy parenting fails, and ofc we have thoughts about magical travel technologies! We LOVE a duology (yay brevity!)…

In this episode, we discuss The Final Strife by Saara El-Arifi, which was recommended to us by Melisa, one of our patrons (hey!!). Please consider supporting this work on Patreon for early episodes and a direct line to J & k via the podcast Discord. Note: this is an adult fantasy novel that has a lot of explicit violence on the page. Repeat, this i…

It’s episode 80!! That means we’ve done 80 of these long-form book reviews and discussions over the past 5+ years. Whether you’re just finding the show or have been here since the early days, we’re glad to be in your orbit. In this episode, we discuss Beasts of Prey by Ayana Gray. Koffi, an indentured beastkeeper with hidden powers, and Ekon, a war…

hiya, everyone! We’re discussing The Witch King by H E Edgmon in today’s episode. Both of us listened to (and enjoyed!) the audiobook, which is narrated by Dani Martineck. Trans masc witch Wyatt has run away from his magical home and commitments, being taken in by Briar and becoming besties…but those of us who read fantasy know that it’s not that e…

Hey, book lovers! It’s been busy over here in our respective worlds – hence the episode delay We hope you enjoy this conversation about Bitter by Akwaeke Emezi, one of our fav contemporary authors. Better late than never, right?! In the novel, we follow our MC, Bitter (who we know as Jam’s mother from the first book Pet), as she learns the various …

Y’all, we’re excited to bring you this episode about A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger, a (relatively) newly minted Newberry Award honor winner!! Worlds collide when a group of animal spirits (including a cottonmouth snake, a pair of coyote twins, a Cooper’s hawk, and a magpie) crosses over to the human world in order to save their wee…

Our winter podcast hibernation is over, and we’re back with fortnightly episodes starting with a discussion of The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake, an adult fantasy novel about six magical adults who join a secret(ish) society. Again this is a book for adults, but it could be an ok fit for a mature teen as the story does deal with some pretty heavy topic…

It’s that time again! We’re hitting your airwaves with a recap of our year in media. Thanks for sharing spacetime with us in 2022 with gratitude, Jessie & kelly P.S. The podcast feed will be in hibernation until February 7th, 2023, when we’ll be back to fortnightly releases with an episode about The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake. Until then, feast upon…

It’s finally here, y’all! Our discussion of Bloodmarked by Tracey Deonn, the eagerly anticipated and long awaited sequel to Legendborn. This book picks up right where we left off in Legendborn. There are lots of weird politics, tons of racism, and so much tension between Sel and Bree that it made J’s cold, dead heart very happy. So let’s get into i…

Our conversation today is about The Lost Dreamer by Lizz Huerta, a transportive fantasy novel that weaves together two perspectives – Indir and Saya – both powerful Dreamers who can access the Dreaming dimension and gain knowledge there. Change is coming to the city of Alcanzeh following the death of an elderly king and the ascent of his violent he…

Today we’ll be discussing Sia Martinez and the Moonlit beginning of Everything by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland, which follows Sia on a wild adventure as she deals with the murder of her mother, friendship woes, and falling in love. Oh and aliens! Chaos does indeed ensure, and there is so much to talk about (though very few show notes) Content warning b…

In honor of Bloodmarked‘s publication day, The Library Coven re-presents you with this episode from our archive! Originally aired in June 2021, here is our take on Legendborn by Tracy Deonn. Content warning for discussions of racism, slavery, and parental death interested in reading along with us? Check out the upcoming books for Season 5 on our fu…

Today we’re discussing an historical fantasy novel, The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros. Set in Chicago in the late 1800s, Romanian Jewish immigrant Alter Rosen is swept up in a city-wide mystery after his bestie and crush Yakov is killed (spoiler! Sorry not sorry but if you didn’t guess it was queer then what show do you even think you’re listeni…

This week we’re discussing Zahrah the Windseeker by Nnedi Okorafor. This story follows Zahrah, a 13 year old girl who is born with special hair called dadalocks. When her best friend falls into a coma after a snake bite, Zahrah, who is scared of pretty much everything, has to take a journey through the jungle to find a cure. This is Okorafor’s debu…

You aren’t ready for the cute puns and shenanigans of the Spare Coven! In Episode 70 we discuss Witchlings by Claribel A. Ortega, a middle grade novel full of friendship, magic, and toads. Jessie and kelly reveal the shape their familiars would take and think about what their names might be prophecies for. Recommend if you like… Pet* by Akwaeke Eme…

AND WE’RE BACK! Season 5 begins with our discussion of The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri, the first book in the Burning Kingdoms series. This book is a multi-POV tale that mostly follows Priya, a young adult with magical powers who’s entire adopted family has been killed, and Malini, an exiled princess who is trying to steal the throne from her evil…

It’s our final episode of season 4 of the podcast, y’all! We read Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas, a Peter Pan redux with plenty of twists. We’ll be back with more episodes in summer of 2022. If you want to pick one of the books we read for next season, join our Patreon! It’s a pay-what-you-can model starting at $1/month. content warning fo…

Welcome back, coven! In this episode we are discussing A Psalm of Storms and Silence by Roseanne A. Brown, the sequel to A Song of Wraths and Ruin which we talked about all the way back in episode 39! This book picks up right were the last one left off with Karina on the run and Malik living in the palace with Hanan who was brought back from the de…

We’re back for what might be the most chaotic episode yet! join us for our discussion of Son of A Trickster by Eden Robinson. Attempting to summarize this book is an exercise in futility (you’ll understand when you hear k try to give an on-the-fly synopsis…). While this book can get categorized as YA (the protagonist, Jared, is 15-16), there is a l…

We’re finally going back to Castellan and reuniting with Finn and Alfie! In this episode we discuss Oculta by Maya Motayne, the second installment of the A Forgery of Magic series. This book is the sequel to Nocturna, which we discussed in episode 41, so go check that out if you haven’t yet! In Oculta, we’re back in San Cristobal, with Finn and Alf…

Ahoy there, coven! Today we’re discussing Faith: Taking Flight by Julie Murphy, a book about a nerdy suburban teen who can fly. After Faith’s all-time favorite show The Grove moves filming to her small town, a spate of human and other-than-human disappearances starts, and Faith is determined to get to the bottom of things. Chaos does indeed ensue! …

Hiya, coven! This is a super special holiday bonus episode that we recorded especially for our patrons. Annnnnd now it’s a month later, so all y’all can enjoy our discussion of Merry Inkmas by Talia Hibbert, one of our absolute favorite contemporary romance authors. Yep, you read that right – contemporary romance! This novella follows Bailey and Ca…

Dearest coven, this episode comes on the recommendation of J’s good friend and podcast Patron, Deanna! We dig into the novel Circe by Madeline Miller, which is a retelling of the Greek Circe’s story from being born half-nymph half god… are nymphs also gods?…idk…to her exile on Aiaiya, her love life and lots of other things. Normally we’d say chaos …

Hello, Coven! It’s that time of year where we take a look back at the books, TV shows, and movies that got us through the year. Thank you to all of the people who asked questions and more generally to everyone for listening! We hope you find some new and interesting things to read and watch. Let us know in the comments about all your favs from the …

Greetings, coven! In this episode we’re discussing Fireborne by Rosaria Munda, Book 1 of the Aurelian Cycle. Kelly calls this book Game of Thrones meets How to Train Your Dragon (there are some GOT spoilers ahead, but it’s an old show at this point so….) Please excuse our faulty memories on this one — there’s a lot going on in the world and we read…

Hello, coven! We’re back with a conversation about Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse. There’s some debate as to whether or not the book is young adult, but we enjoyed it regardless. Show notes below! Content warning: brief mention of sexual assault (24:55-25:40) Why did we pick this book? J read Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse when it came out…

Dearest coven, our non-YA streak continues with the perfect read for fall slash Halloween: Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-García. It’s the right amount of creepy and has a badass young woman MC who’s determined to solve a morbid mystery. Shoutout to our lovely patron Melisa who picked the book for this show! Content warning for sexual assault and …

Hey, coven! In this episode, we discussing The Burning God by R.F. Kuang — the third and final book in The Poppy War series. Rin is working to take down a bunch of people, and change the way Nikara is run. But is she the best person to do that? Rin doesn’t think so! Let’s just start with the content warnings for this episode and for the book. This …

In this episode, we’re transported to a magical Brooklyn in Daniel José Older’s novel Shadowshaper, the first in the Shadowshaper Cypher series. Congratulations to Daniel, who has the esteemed honor of being the first (and so far only) cis-dude we’ve read for the show. In Shadowshaper, we follow Sierra, a Black Puerto Rican Brooklyn-ite, who discov…

hey, coven! we’re excited to bring you this discussion of Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger. J & K both loved this book and are gonna recommend it widely going forward. *ALERTA* Darcie has a new book coming out November 9th, A Snake Falls to Earth. We’re definitely pre-ordering and/or requesting from the library!! Please take our survey if you haven’…

Welcome back! In this episode, we chat about A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer. We share thoughts on such topics as special editions, disability as a disguise, the trope of naming dudes “Hawk,” and whether “Iisak” is pronounced “eye-sack.” And be ye warned, there are some ACOTAR and Star Wars spoilers ahead. Check out our episode on t…

Hello, beautiful ones! This fortnight we’re discussing Vicious Spirits by Kat Cho, the second book in the Gumiho series. Join us to find out how Somin, Junu, Miyoung and Jihoon deal with grief and magical/inter-dimensional disruption. There’s romance. There’s banter. What’s not to love? Check out Episode 40 for our discussion of Wicked Fox (Gumiho …

Hello, wonderful Coven! This week we’re bringing you a discussion of We Free the Stars by Hafsah Faizal, the second and final (maybe?) book in the Sands of Arawiya series (Check out episode 32, where we discuss the first book, We Hunt the Flame). We had a great time reading this one, and we will read anything Hafsah writes in the future (really loo…