This Top 5 series started back in October 2018 and it has grown really big! This is a series of books that all have a common theme. I post the schedule for the next month the last week of the prior month. You can talk about books you want to read or books you have read and all prompts are open for interpretation! Feel free to get as creative as you want with the prompts.
Upcoming Schedule!
August 28th, 2021 — People on the cover
September 4th, 2021 — Intimidating Books
September 11th, 2021 — Hyped Books
September 18th, 2021 — Fast Paced Books
September 25th, 2021 — Illustrated Covers
October 2nd, 2021 — Magical Books
October 9th, 2021 — Bones on the Cover
October 16th, 2021 — Books Set in the Forest
October 23rd, 2021 — Blood on the Cover
October 30th, 2021 — Dark Reads
Magical Books
When I first came up with this prompt I was thinking about the books that felt incredibly magical to me. There are so many books that just felt like they were filled with wonder and magic that I truly loved. While it can be hard to predict which books will feel like that I did my best to pick 5 books that look like they will make me feel that way. Obviously I could have picked any 5 books about magic, but I wanted to pick the MOST magical books on my TBR. Some of my favorite magical books that I have read are: Unnatural Magic, Caraval, The Ten Thousand Doors of January and Strange the Dreamer.
Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber
Evangeline Fox was raised in her beloved father’s curiosity shop, where she grew up on legends about immortals, like the tragic Prince of Hearts. She knows his powers are mythic, his kiss is worth dying for, and that bargains with him rarely end well.
But when Evangeline learns that the love of her life is about to marry another, she becomes desperate enough to offer the Prince of Hearts whatever he wants in exchange for his help to stop the wedding. The prince only asks for three kisses. But after Evangeline’s first promised kiss, she learns that the Prince of Hearts wants far more from her than she’s pledged. And he has plans for Evangeline that will either end in the greatest happily ever after, or the most exquisite tragedy…
A new series about love, curses, and the lengths that people will go to for happily ever after.
Of course I had to have Stephanie Garber’s upcoming book on this list. Her Caraval series had all the magical vibes I could possibly have wanted. This spin off can be read as a stand alone and looks like it will have all of the magical vibes we got in the original trilogy.
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
At the edge of the Russian wilderness, winter lasts most of the year and the snowdrifts grow taller than houses. But Vasilisa doesn’t mind—she spends the winter nights huddled around the embers of a fire with her beloved siblings, listening to her nurse’s fairy tales. Above all, she loves the chilling story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon, who appears in the frigid night to claim unwary souls. Wise Russians fear him, her nurse says, and honor the spirits of house and yard and forest that protect their homes from evil.
After Vasilisa’s mother dies, her father goes to Moscow and brings home a new wife. Fiercely devout, city-bred, Vasilisa’s new stepmother forbids her family from honoring the household spirits. The family acquiesces, but Vasilisa is frightened, sensing that more hinges upon their rituals than anyone knows.
And indeed, crops begin to fail, evil creatures of the forest creep nearer, and misfortune stalks the village. All the while, Vasilisa’s stepmother grows ever harsher in her determination to groom her rebellious stepdaughter for either marriage or confinement in a convent.
As danger circles, Vasilisa must defy even the people she loves and call on dangerous gifts she has long concealed—this, in order to protect her family from a threat that seems to have stepped from her nurse’s most frightening tales.
The Bear and the Nightingale is a magical debut novel from a gifted and gorgeous voice. It spins an irresistible spell as it announces the arrival of a singular talent.
This series has been very high on my backlist TBR for a while. People compare Katherine Arden’s writing to Laini Taylor’s, so obviously I know this book will be whimsical and magical. This book looks like the perfect book to read in the middle of winter wrapped up in blankets sitting by the fire sipping hot cocoa.
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders, but her father’s inability to collect his debts has left his family on the edge of poverty–until Miryem takes matters into her own hands. Hardening her heart, the young woman sets out to claim what is owed and soon gains a reputation for being able to turn silver into gold.
When an ill-advised boast draws the attention of the king of the Staryk–grim fey creatures who seem more ice than flesh–Miryem’s fate, and that of two kingdoms, will be forever altered. Set an impossible challenge by the nameless king, Miryem unwittingly spins a web that draws in a peasant girl, Wanda, and the unhappy daughter of a local lord who plots to wed his child to the dashing young tsar.
But Tsar Mirnatius is not what he seems. And the secret he hides threatens to consume the lands of humans and Staryk alike. Torn between deadly choices, Miryem and her two unlikely allies embark on a desperate quest that will take them to the limits of sacrifice, power, and love.
Channeling the vibrant heart of myth and fairy tale, Spinning Silver weaves a multilayered, magical tapestry that readers will want to return to again and again.
Spinning Silver is a loosely written Rumpelstiltskin retelling. I love a good fairy tale retelling and this one looks whimsical and magical. I’ve heard nothing but great things about Naomi Novik’s writing and can’t wait to see what I think of her work!
Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire
Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children
No Solicitations
No Visitors
No Quests
Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere… else.
But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children.
Nancy tumbled once, but now she’s back. The things she’s experienced… they change a person. The children under Miss West’s care understand all too well. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world.
But Nancy’s arrival marks a change at the Home. There’s a darkness just around each corner, and when tragedy strikes, it’s up to Nancy and her new-found schoolmates to get to the heart of the matter.
No matter the cost.
I LOVED Seanan McGuire’s book Middlegame. All of the books in this series are relatively short and people rave about this series. I already know that Seanan McGuire is fantastic at writing magical stories based on my experience with Middlegame, and the way people rave about this series I am sure that it will be nothing short of magical.
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
A magical island. A dangerous task. A burning secret.
Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages.
When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper Management he’s given a curious and highly classified assignment: travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. Linus must set aside his fears and determine whether or not they’re likely to bring about the end of days.
But the children aren’t the only secret the island keeps. Their caretaker is the charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, who will do anything to keep his wards safe. As Arthur and Linus grow closer, long-held secrets are exposed, and Linus must make a choice: destroy a home or watch the world burn.
An enchanting story, masterfully told, The House in the Cerulean Sea is about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place—and realizing that family is yours.
I didn’t request an ARC of this book back before it came out because I thought it was a middle grade book, and I really regret that. This is an adult fantasy story that I’ve heard nothing but incredible things about. T.J. Klune’s latest book just came out, so this book has been on my mind a lot lately. This book has been recommended to me by coworkers and so many virtual friends. It sounds super magical and entertaining and I have massive FOMO and need this in one in my life.
Check out other Book Blogger’s Top 5 Picks!
Yolanda @ Past Midnight — Magical Books | Top 5 Saturday | 10/2/21
The Lily Cafe — Top 5 Saturday: Magical Books
Tagged! Join this week or next!
Caitlyn, Cossette, and Mary @ Tea Time Lit
Haadiya & Ayah @ Her Bookish Obsession
Louise @ Lou’s Bookish Stuff
Christy and Claire @ I’m All Booked Up
Shraddha @ Books and Strokes
Let’s Chat!
What are some of your favorite magical books? Have you read any of the books I listed above? What do you think I should read first? What makes a book into a magical read? Make sure to comment below so we can chat about magical books!
Devouring Books 
I still have to read The House in the Cerulean Sea! I’ve heard so much amazing things about it.:) great list!
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the bear and the nightingale and spinning silver are both on my tbr as well! i hope you enjoy all of these💜
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Your last 3 are on my TBR, too! They absolutely sound so magical and and I’ve read so many great reviews for all of them. I can’t wait to get a break in my review schedule so I can at least get to The House in the Cerulean Sea, which has been sitting on my shelf for almost a year now.
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I can´t wait to read Once Upon a Broken Heart! I loved A Bear and the Nightingale and The House in the Cerulean Sea!
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Ok, these are kids’ books, but C.S. Lews’ Narnia series is one long magical trip, (although the characters actually make several trips there). I didn’t find them till I was a teenager, but I was still pulled in. The image of Aslan, mane shorn & tied to the stone table, is very vivid.My favorite series ever was J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and LOTR. Sadly, the movies didn’t do them justice, although they did their best & were incredible. Tolkien’s descriptions definitely let me envision the scenes in my mind’s eye & the movies could never quite measure up. I was recently shocked at finding them on a list of items to rid your home of, if you want to keep satanic influences out! Tolkien was a devout Catholic, who actually helped Lewis find his faith! I guess the list’s author saw wizards, runes & magic & assumed the worst, but IMO, she is way off base here. In my mind, they are like a shining gem, waiting to be unearthed by the reader. And with The Silmarillion & the other books that Tolkien’s son edited & released, you can get quite deep into the material. There are also books by others, like the ones that detail the Elvish languages, which add to Middle-Earth’s mythology. Esoteric, I know, but I was enchanted. This series’ enduring images? Gandalf fighting the Balrog & falling into flames. Perhaps the beauty of Lothlorien, as a balm to the senses for the remaining shattered members of the Fellowship. Or Frodo, paralyzed & thickly wrapped in Shelob’s web.Ok, I’ve probably gone way beyond five books, nominating series like this, so I’ll stop here. And, yes, these are books I’ve read, but I’ve returned to them over & over & doubtlessly will againDebwww.debibliophile.wordpress.com
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