Top 5 books with spells

I had to start with this one, partly because the word “Spell” is right there in the title. But also because Tandy actually performs spellwork throughout the story. This is not a case of me trying to sneak an unrelated book onto the list on a technicality.

The Spell in the title is a curse, and breaking it is a major part of the story. But I also loved the more everyday presence of magic: the sense that spellwork is something Tandy does to help run the bookstore and her life, not merely something that happens to her.

And naturally, because this is a book I love, there is plenty more going on than the mechanics of magic. The relationships, the bookshop and the delightfully unusual creatures all have my attention. Yes, including the illusive cat. Especially the illusive cat.

It turns out that a story featuring a magical bookshop, a curse, and a non-cat is very much designed for my specific interests.

If you have ever wondered what happens after the mice turn into men in Cinderella, Grim Lovelies has a rather unsettling answer.

Anouk and the other Beasties began life as animals before magic transformed them into humans. Their existence depends on enchantments, and when the protection keeping them human is threatened, finding a way to preserve their lives becomes imperative.

What makes this such a compelling use of spells is the question of what magic gives you, and what happens when someone else controls whether you get to keep it.

A transformation spell sounds wonderful in a fairy tale. Less wonderful when your entire future depends on its continued existence.

Also, Paris and dangerous magic? A combination that was always going to get my attention.

Lakesedge takes us into much darker territory. This is the sort of gothic fantasy where the atmosphere feels like it might reach off the page and grab your wrist. And not in a friendly way.

The magic here is bound up with rituals, sacrifice and the Corruption threatening the world around the characters. This is not the cheerful sort of spellcasting where you wave a hand and tidy the kitchen. (Although I would very much like that spell, if anyone has it. Maybe Tandy can share… 🤔)

What I find fascinating about ritual magic is the sense that every action matters. The symbols, the preparation, the intention and, most importantly, the price all become part of the tension.

And in Lakesedge, the cost of trying to put something right is exactly the kind of thing that makes me worry about everyone involved.

And now for one of my favourite magical ideas: spells powered by language people actually use.

In Carry On, familiar phrases, sayings and snippets of popular language can become magical incantations. In fact, the more familiar a phrase becomes, the more power it can carry. Which means the magical potential of a nursery rhyme or a pop song can be considerably greater than that of something ancient and mysterious. Words have power because people give them power, which is such a clever way to build a spellcasting system.

It also makes me wonder which phrases would be most dangerous in my own vocabulary. “I’ll do that later” would presumably summon the procrastination demon who lives on my shoulder. “Just one more chapter” might bend time itself. Or the book itself if I really want one more chapter! (This could solve all of my epilogue issues…)

I love that the magic feels playful without being meaningless. It has rules, and those rules emerge from something as ordinary and strange as the way people speak.

There is a lot to enjoy about this book, but its approach to spells is particularly memorable. It also potentially gives FOMO a very different meaning…

Finally, something for the darker side of our October reading mood.

Book of Night gives us shadow magic, dangerous practitioners and a world where people are willing to do extraordinary things to gain control over something that should probably be left alone.

Charlie Hall knows that magic comes with consequences, which makes her a particularly interesting person to follow through a story full of secrets and bad decisions.

What I like about this kind of spellwork is that the magic never feels like a convenient solution. It has real consequences. It creates problems, attracts people who want power and leaves everyone trying to work out who they can trust.

And if Holly Black is offering me morally complicated characters and sinister magic, I am almost certainly going to accept.