Recommendations based on "A Song of Magic"

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Library Journal| Vulture | The Verge | SYFYWireStep into The City of Brass, the spellbinding debut from S. A. Chakraborty, an imaginative alchemy of The Golem and the Jinni, The Grace of Kings, and Uprooted, in which the future of a magical Middle Eastern kingdom rests in the hands of a clever and defiant young con artist with miraculous healing gifts.Nahri has never believed in magic. Certainly, she has power; on the streets of eighteenth-century Cairo, she’s a con woman of unsurpassed talent. But she knows better than anyone that the trades she uses to get by—palm readings, zars, and a mysterious gift for healing—are all tricks, both the means to the delightful end of swindling Ottoman nobles and a reliable way to survive.But when Nahri accidentally summons Dara, an equally sly, darkly mysterious djinn warrior, to her side during one of her cons, she’s forced to reconsider her beliefs. For Dara tells Nahri an extraordinary tale: across hot, windswept sands teeming with creatures of fire and rivers where the mythical marid sleep, past ruins of once-magnificent human metropolises and mountains where the circling birds of prey are more than what they seem, lies Daevabad, the legendary city of brass—a city to which Nahri is irrevocably bound.In Daevabad, within gilded brass walls laced with enchantments and behind the six gates of the six djinn tribes, old resentments run deep. And when Nahri decides to enter this world, her arrival threatens to ignite a war that has been simmering for centuries.Spurning Dara’s warning of the treachery surrounding her, she embarks on a hesitant friendship with Alizayd, an idealistic prince who dreams of revolutionizing his father’s corrupt regime. All too soon, Nahri learns that true power is fierce and brutal. That magic cannot shield her from the dangerous web of court politics. That even the cleverest of schemes can have deadly consequences.After all, there is a reason they say to be careful what you wish for . . .

Lord Thornby has been trapped on his father’s isolated Yorkshire estate for a year. There are no bars or chains; he simply can’t leave. His sanity is starting to fray. When industrial magician John Blake arrives to investigate a case of witchcraft, he finds the peculiar, arrogant Thornby as alarming as he is attractive. John soon finds himself caught up in a dark fairytale, where all the rules of magic—and love—are changed. To set Thornby free, both men must face life-changing truths—and John must accept that the brave, witty man who’s winning his heart may also be about to break it. Can they escape a web of magic that’s as perilous as love?“Magic, folklore, dark deeds, and hot romance combine in this wildly enjoyable, inventive story set in a lovely alt-Victorian Gothic world. More please!” —KJ Charles, RITA™-nominated author of THE MAGPIE LORD and SPECTRED ISLE"Salt Magic, Skin Magic by Lee Welch is the sort of book you want to read again the moment you reach the end. Beautifully written, with a romance that is by turns sweet and scorching, it belongs on the keeper shelf of any lover of paranormal historical." —Jordan L. Hawk, author of the WHYBORNE AND GRIFFIN and HEXWORLD series

MAGIC. POWER. GREED. The ultra-rich control magic-the same way they control everything else-but Stephen Oakwood may just beat them at their own game in this exhilarating contemporary fantasy from the author of the million-copy-selling Alex Verus novels. Stephen has emerged victorious against the schemes of his aristocratic family. Now he finally has the opportunity to do what he's been wanting to do for a long time: track down his father. But doing so won't be easy. Stephen's not so isolated any more, but the contacts he's making in the magical world-everyone from the corporation he works for to the mother he's just beginning to reconnect with-all have agendas of their own. And now a new group is emerging from the shadows, calling themselves the Winged. Their leader, the mysterious Byron, promises that he can show Stephen how to find his father...but he wants something in return. Following that trail will throw Stephen into greater danger than he's ever faced before. To survive, he'll need to use all of his tricks and sigls, and pick up some new ones. Only then will he be able to prevail against his enemies...and find out who's really pulling the strings. In this series: AN INHERITANCE OF MAGIC AN INSTRUCTION IN SHADOW A JUDGEMENT OF POWERS

Long ago, the great wizard Merlin planted the seed that would become the peaceful world of Avalon. Now, though, Avalon is suffering from mysterious droughts. Then the very stars begin to lose their light, and it seems that the Lady of the Lake's dire predictions are about to come true. The fate of Avalon now rests with Tamwyn, a wandering wilderness guide; Elli, an apprentice priestess; and Scree, a young eagleman. One of them is the true heir of Merlin, the only person who can save Avalon . . . and one of them is the dreaded child of the Dark Prophecy, fated to destroy it. As in his acclaimed epic The Lost Years of Merlin, T. A. Barron has created a radiant, richly imagined world, full of high adventure and un-forgettable characters.

"That most rare and precious thing: a brand-new classic, both wholly original and wonderfully nostalgic." --Alix E. Harrow, New York Times bestselling author In the early 1900s, a young woman is caught between two worlds in H. G. Parry's cozy tale of magic, miracles, and an adventure of a lifetime. Off the coast of Ireland sits a legendary island hidden by magic. A place of ruins and ancient trees, sea salt air, and fairy lore, Hy-Brasil is the only home Biddy has ever known. Washed up on its shore as a baby, Biddy lives a quiet life with her guardian, the mercurial magician Rowan. A life she finds increasingly stifling. One night, Rowan fails to return from his mysterious travels. To find him, Biddy must venture into the outside world for the first time. But Rowan has powerful enemies--forces who have hoarded the world's magic and have set their sights on the magician's many secrets. Biddy may be the key to stopping them. Yet the closer she gets to answers, the more she questions everything she's ever believed about Rowan, her past, and the nature of magic itself. Praise for The Magician's Daughter "Brilliantly imagined. Parry blends mythic elements with wit and heart." --Lucy Holland "A charming romp of an old-school coming of age fantasy about family and magic that will take your heart for a wild ride." ―NPR For more from H. G. Parry, check out: The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep The Shadow Histories A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians A Radical Act of Free Magic

In a city that runs on a dwindling supply of magic, a young boy is drawn into a life of wizardry and adventure. Author Sarah Prineas works her own spells as she transports us to an extraordinary world where cities are run on living magic and even a thief can become a wizard's apprentice. Diana Wynne Jones, author of Howl's Moving Castle, praised this middle grade fantasy series filled with magic and wonder, saying of the first, "I couldn't put it down. Wonderful, exciting stuff." This collection contains all four novels in the series, plus the digital original novella The Magic Thief: A Proper Wizard. The Magic Thief: Conn should have dropped dead the day he picked Nevery's pocket and touched the wizard's locus magicalicus, a stone used to focus magic and work spells. But for some reason he did not. Nevery finds that interesting, and he takes Conn as his apprentice on the provision that the boy find a locus stone of his own. But Conn has little time to search for his stone between wizard lessons and helping Nevery discover who—or what—is stealing the city of Wellmet's magic. The Magic Thief: Lost: Conn may only be a wizard's apprentice, but even he knows it's dangerous to play with fire . . . especially around magic. But Conn is drawn to the murmurs he hears every time he sets off an explosion—something is trying to talk to him, to warn him. When none of the wizards listen, Conn takes matters into his own hands. His quest to protect everything he loves brings him face-to-face with a powerful sorcerer-king and a treachery beyond even his vivid imagination. The Magic Thief: Found: Sneaking out of prison isn't easy, unless you are a thief, or a wizard. Luckily, Conn is both! Trouble is, once he's out, where does he go? His home is a pile of rubble since he blew it up doing magic. His master, the wizard Nevery, is not happy with him. Worst of all, Conn's been exiled, and staying in the city will mean his death. The Magic Thief: A Proper Wizard: When Verent, a young apprentice from neighboring Danivelle, comes to Wellmet to ask for Conn's help with his city's magical problems, he is less than impressed with Conn. Will Verent be able to overcome his misgivings about Conn in order to help his town? And with Conn's help, will Verent become a proper wizard? The Magic Thief: Home: Duchess Rowan has promoted Conn to ducal magister, but the other wizards see him only as a thief. But something sinister is brewing, as magicians' locus stones are being stolen and magical spells are going awry. As Conn faces old enemies and powerful magical forces, is he strong enough to save the city he calls home?

Wild magic: The mage Numair, the knight Alanna, and Queen Thayet enlist thirteen-year-old Daine's help to battle the dreadful immortal creatures that have recently begun to attack the kingdom of Tortall. Wolf-speaker: With the help of her animal friends, Daine fights to save the kingdom of Tortall from ambitious mortals and dangerous immortals. Emperor mage: When she is sent as part of the delegation from Tortall to negotiate a peace treaty with Carthak, fifteen-year-old Daine must use her powers to communicate with animals for more than healing the Carthak emperor's dying birds. Realms of the gods: While in the mystical realms of the gods along with Nunair, Daine learns the secrets of her past and the implications for her future as she and Nunair are compelled to return to the mortal world of Tortall to help fight against the immortals.

'Easily my favourite read of this year . . . an unputdownable, bittersweet tale' Allison Saft, New York Times bestselling author of A Far Wilder Magic All they needed to break the world was a door, and someone to open it. Camford, 1920. Gilded and glittering, England's secret magical academy is no place for Clover, a commoner with neither connections nor magical blood. She tells herself she has fought her way there only to find a cure for her brother Matthew, one of the few survivors of a faerie attack on the battlefields of WWI which left the doors to faerie country sealed, the study of its magic banned, and its victims cursed. But when Clover catches the eye of golden boy Alden Lennox-Fontaine and his friends, doors that were previously closed to her are flung wide open, and she soon finds herself enmeshed in the seductive world of the country's magical aristocrats. The summer she spends in Alden's orbit leaves a fateful mark: months of joyous friendship and mutual study come crashing down when experiments go awry, and old secrets are unearthed. Years later, when the faerie seals break, Clover knows it's because of what they did. And she knows that she must seek the help of people she once called friends-and now doesn't quite know what to call-if there's any hope of saving the world as they know it. 'One of the best pieces of literature I have read in far too long . . . Bravo, H. G. Parry. Bravo!' Locus 'By turns wondrous, haunting and mysterious . . . historical fantasy at its finest" Olivia Atwater, author of Half a Soul Reader reviews: 'This is the best book I've read so far this year. I loved it so much' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Oh this wickedly beautiful book. One of the best blends of historical fiction and folkloric fantasy I've ever read, reminiscent of Divine Rivals and Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell . . . Stupendous' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Now this is how you do a f***king good dark academia book!!! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'If I could give this book more than 5 stars I would' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'What a brilliant book. A unique blend of dark academia, fantasy and historical fiction. Top notch writing, beautiful world, gripping and twisty plot, flawed and dynamic characters. In awe!' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Could not put it down and did not want it to end!' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'I thought that I had given up on fae books, but The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door burst from the ether and became one of the best books I read in 2024' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Everything I want from a faerie novel! . . . You won't want to miss Parry's latest masterpiece! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The second book in the magical Tidemagic series, perfect for readers aged 9-12.Ista Flit and her friends Nat and Ruby have foiled a dastardly plot by the Hettle family to take control of the town of Shelwich, but Ista still needs to find her missing father. A magical key transports her to the mysterious Glass Island, where a sinister monster haunts the reed-beds, and the local inhabitants are falling under the seductive spell of the marsh spinners.Boldly venturing into the marsh spinner court, Ista and her friends will need all their wits and Tidemagic to resist its magical pull. Can they find Ista’s father, or will they be lost forever to the power of the spinners’ sinister music . . . ?Sequel to Tidemagic: The Many Faces of Ista Flit.

Jinx's Magic is the second book in Sage Blackwood's highly acclaimed fantasy-adventure series, Jinx. This humorous and smart tween trilogy set in a magical forest is perfect for fans of Angie Sage's Septimus Heap, Michael Buckley's the Sisters Grimm, and Brandon Mull's Fablehaven."Readers will thrill to journey with Jinx" (Jinx, School Library Journal, starred review), a daring young wizard's apprentice, as he travels from his home in the Urwald to an unfamiliar desert land in search of ancient magic. He needs that magic badly—there are forces threatening the Urwald from all sides. The more he learns, however, the clearer it becomes that this quest will require more than the magic of a solitary wizard's apprentice, and soon he'll have to call upon all of the Urwald—witches, werewolves, wizards, and trees—for help.