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‘Tis the play to work books with magical towns. Let’s beryllium honest, I emotion a publication with magic successful general. But I’m particularly drawn to tales of magical places. Magical families are possibly much communal successful books that blend magic into “real” life. They tin surely beryllium great, and determination are galore magical families among the books with magical towns I’ve chosen to highlight. But I person quibbles. Implications that magic is passed genetically aren’t ever doing the champion occupation astatine challenging the presumption quo, wherever power, wealth, and privilege are designed to travel on those aforesaid lines. If an writer isn’t taking attraction to truly propulsion backmost against those ideas, they tin reenforce the thought that it’s bully to hoard power.
Magical towns, connected the different hand, harvest up successful unexpected places. They inject wonderment into the humdrum world. They tin springiness a broader scope of radical entree to magic, and that’s what I similar to see. Magical towns aren’t needfully each quaint, though. Sometimes a town’s magic is keeping worse things astatine bay, oregon possibly the magic isn’t ever benevolent. There’s a multitude of stories to archer astir what’s hidden — oregon successful plain show — successful these magical towns, truthful let’s instrumentality a look astatine a few.
Adult Books with Magical Towns
The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling
If you’re looking for a magical municipality that’s much “spooky” than scary, Graves Glen, Georgia is for you. The full municipality is obsessed with Halloween, they clasp a large festival, and the municipality is located connected immoderate important ley lines. The opening publication successful the bid acceptable successful Graves Glen follows Vivi, who curses Rhys, her ex and a descendent of the town’s founders. It goes badly. But this is simply a witchy romcom, truthful it besides goes precise right.
Witchful Thinking by Celestine Martin
Freya Grove, a mystical seaside town. Let’s spell close now. In Freya Grove, supernatural creatures are conscionable retired and astir surviving life. Including mermen. You heard maine right. Run, bash not walk, to work a charming romance astir a pistillate who accidentally casts a spell connected herself that bonds her to her sexy merman neighbor. It’s the charming puerility friends-to-lovers magical municipality romance you’re looking for.
Witches of Lychford by Paul Cornell
Lychford is simply a cozy English town, but unusual things are afoot. A immense supermarket concatenation wants to grow to Lychford, but Judith, the nonmigratory witch oregon possibly the section crank, knows that volition disturb the past bound betwixt worlds. So she has to propulsion unneurotic an improbable squad to clasp things together. If you privation a novella-length communicative of a magical town, and you bask cranky aged ladies, this one’s a gem.
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Payback’s a Witch by Lana Harper
Thistle Grove is different witchy municipality with aggregate founding families. This publication has immoderate amusive world-building, and Thistle Grove has immoderate of those Halloween Town vibes you mightiness beryllium after. Best of all, the municipality is big to a spellcasting tournament. That’s what’s bringing prodigal girl Emmy backmost to town. She bumps into Talia, who recruits Emmy into a revenge strategy against the ex they share. But past Emmy starts to announcement she mightiness beryllium truly into Talia, and if you privation a romcom with 2 bi women, this one’s for you.
Small Town, Big Magic by Hazel Beck
As a Midwestern nonmigratory myself, I emotion to spot that books with magic towns successful the United States are not lone acceptable successful the South and New England. St. Cyprian is successful Missouri! When unusual phenomena commencement happening to indie bookstore owner, Emerson, she starts wondering whether she’s successful a magic town, and whether she herself is magic too. She has a batch to fig retired if she’s going to look down the past evil that awakened successful her town.
In the Shadow Garden by Liz Parker
I would emotion to roadworthy travel to Yarrow, Kentucky, a municipality with magical bourbon and a magical shadiness garden, each managed by a rival family. The bourbon makes atrocious memories vanish and the shadiness plot yields healing fruits. But thing unusual happened successful Yarrow 20 years ago, thing everyone forgot. Kaden Bonner, returned aft 20 years distant and chartless to his townsfolk, and Irene Haywood, who foresaw a stranger’s accomplishment successful her beverage leaves, whitethorn beryllium capable to portion unneurotic the mystery.
The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey
St. Constance is simply a tight-knit sportfishing colony connected the fictional Caribbean Island of Black Conch. There, a fisherman named David meets Aycayia, a mermaid. She was cursed hundreds of years agone by her ain colony women who were jealous of her, and she’s been lonely for centuries. The 2 autumn successful emotion and spot what it means to flight a curse. This communicative is imaginative and lyrical portion it grapples with the legacies of slavery and colonialism successful the Caribbean.
Young Adult Books with Magical Towns
Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger
Willowbee, Texas, is trying to clasp onto its cleanable façade. But Elatsoe, who’s determination pursuing the decease of her cousin, wants immoderate answers astir what the municipality is hiding. She tin besides rise the ghosts of deceased animals, a accomplishment that’s portion of her Lipan Apache heritage. Ellie adjacent has a favored shade dog. With a communicative that uses the magical municipality to make an allegory astir colonialism and achromatic supremacy, this publication is some touching and a rollicking magical ride.
Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore
La Pradera isn’t precisely a magical town, but perceive maine out. It’s a magical property plot that enchants people. It seems to person cursed the Nomeolvides women into staying successful their beauteous plot home, and perchance besides curse their lovers to mysterious death. A unusual lad who appears successful the gardens whitethorn beryllium the cardinal to knowing the secrets of La Pradera. If you’ve work immoderate books by Anna-Marie McLemore, you cognize however lush and haunting they are.
Cattywampus by Ash Van Otterloo
Howler’s Hollow is thing similar an anti-magical town, due to the fact that magic is present disconnected limits successful the Appalachian village. Too dangerous! But Delpha hates rules and recovered her family’s publication of spells, truthful you cognize wherever this is headed. Katybird, from a rival witching family, wants that publication too. They fight, accidentally unleash a hex, and whoops, resurrect a full graveyard afloat of ancestors. Naturally, they’ll person to squad up to lick it. This publication is besides singular for featuring an intersex quality whose communicative is deftly woven into the plot.
If you find these books appealing, I stake you volition besides similar paranormal cozy mysteries and books that feel similar the amusement Pushing Daisies. Find your perfect magical municipality and settee successful for a bully story.
English (US) ·