5 Stories of Magic, Mysteries, and Adventure
If you’re looking for a way to infuse some magic and excitement into your everyday life, there’s no better way to do so than through fantasy novels! Whether you prefer magical realism grounded in our own world or magical novels set in other realms, there’s an adventure to be found in the pages of each of these recommendations! In Ways to Disappear, celebrated Brazilian author Beatriz Yagoda walks into a park in Rio de Janeiro, climbs a tree, and disappears. When her English translator Emma hears the news, she flies from the U.S. to Brazil to help Beatriz's children search for her, interviewing people who helped launch her career and strangers whose lives brushed up against Beatriz's. But together Emma and her children discover that no one really knew this mysterious author all—so is there any hope of finding her?
Rachel can't stop thinking about the handsome young man who lurks around her Brooklyn bus stop all day–and when she finally musters up the courage to approach him, she's thrilled to find that despite his melancholy air, they connect in exciting ways. There's just two problems: Thomas is dead, stuck on Earth for 90 days. And he's not supposed to talk to anyone–but he just broke that rule for Rachel. The Regrets is a surreal and quirky book about love with a supernatural twist that you won't soon forget.
Roar is a fantastical and feminist short story collection in which Ahern explores femininity and the surreal. These thirty stories take on a fairy-tale feel with titles like "The Woman Who Grew Wings" and "The Woman Who Sowed Seeds of Doubt," and each explores a magical or surreal aspect of modern womanhood, such as a woman who returns her husband at the store in exchange for a better model, or another woman finds herself literally swallowed up by the floor during an embarrassing moment. This is a sly and magical book about feminism and power that's not to be missed.
When Calamity begins menopause, she discovers an ability that she thought had been lost to her in her childhood: discovering lost things. It begins with small objects, such as jewelry and dishes she hasn't seen in years. Then the lost things become bigger, such as a cashew grove. Finally, she finds a young boy washed up on the beach. Calamity takes him in, despite the conflict it raises in her own life, and becomes determined to provide him a safe home. But his appearance in her life will force Calamity to face the biggest loss in her life: the disappearance of her mother.
The Thief-Taker’s Apprentice by Stephen Deas
Berren has grown up on the rough streets of his city with little to live on but what he can steal. When he attends the execution of three thieves and sees the thief-taker receive a reward, Berren decides he’ll steal from him—but when he fails, Berren finds himself in an even more perilous position. Berren must become the thief-taker’s apprentice, learning the tricks of an assassin’s trade as a plot draws him deep into the politics and struggles of a fantastical city full of dark secrets and surprising twists.
What fantastical book will you explore next?
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Tirzah Price is a writer and contributing editor at Book Riot. Find her on Twitter @TirzahPrice.