Intrusion fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy fiction in which magical events intrude on an otherwise-normal world. High fantasy stories take place in fictional worlds that have their own sets of rules and physical laws. Three intrusion fantasy novels caught my attention this month. The Charmed List by Julie Abe adds a secret magical community that sells charms and enchantments in an otherwise realistic Palo Alto, California. The Stars Between Us by Cristin Terrill sets a rags to riches romance on two different planets, but the space setting does little to impact the basic story. When the Stars Come Out by Scarlett St. Clair is set in a high school in Oklahoma where several of the students have the ability to see dead people.
The Charmed List introduces shy loner Ellie Kobata, who is part of a secret magical community in Palo Alto, California. Even her only friend Lia is unaware of her powers. Jack Yasuda, her estranged childhood buddy whose parents also run a magic shop, shares the knowledge, but for reasons unknown he ghosted her several years ago. Prior to a summer road trip with Lia, Ellie decides to come out of her shell, starting with an Anti-Wallflower list of 13 challenges. When #4, "revenge against Jack," goes terribly wrong, she finds herself at odds with Lia, who is angry about the magic, and going on the road trip with Jack instead. Their parents are sending them to a magical convention to set up and man each family's magical display. As they travel down the coast, Ellie finds herself completing many of the challenges, including falling in love. The magical elements like an enchanted summer cottage and joy infused tea make this an unusual second chance romance.
The Stars Between Us is a space opera that involves Vika Hale, who lives on the poverty-stricken planet of Philomenus. A mysterious benefactor, Rigel Chapin, provides her with money for an education, and when Chapin dies, a young solicitor, Archie Sheratan, appears and tells her she is heir to Chapin's fortune, provided she marry his grandson Leo. She is flown to the neighboring wealthy planet Ploutos to meet Leo, where she learns that his rocket blew up on the way to meet her. A married couple, who were Chapin's servants, are revealed as the next in line to inherit, and they take her in and treat her as a daughter. Meanwhile threats on Chapin's heirs continue. Her guardians hire an assistant, Sky Foster, who lives in her family's building on Philomenus and commutes each day. Although Vika finds herself suspicious of him, he is helping her uncover the bomber's identity before she becomes his next victim. But Sky is hiding secrets, which if discovered, will change everything. The futuristic space setting impacts very little of the story and the mystery's resolution.
When the Stars Come Out opens with Anora Silby moving from New York to Oklahoma to take on a new identity, hiding her ability to see the dead and capture their souls in a resurrection coin. However, on her first day she both captures a soul and loses the resurrection coin, which gives others the ability to steal souls. When a classmate is murdered, Anora is sure the coin is the weapon. The Order, an organization that governs the dead on Earth, is looking for a mortal called the Eurydice to help them stop the loss of more lives. Anora is befriended by Lennon, seemingly a mortal, Shy Savior, a classmate who is secretly a member of the Order and Thane, his former best friend. Shy suspects that Anora is the Eurydice and is determined to protect her. Shapeshifting as a raven, he patrols her house, but is unsure who is threatening her, which is the conflict that must be resolved. This is the first book of a proposed four book series. Although written in 2018, it was rereleased in July 2022 with the book When the Sky Falls listed as the sequel by Goodreads. As of now, the sequel has not been released. In the sequel Anora is cooperating with the Order, but when an Elite member is murdered, she is the prime suspect.
