Fantasy, Magical Realism and Romantasy

How are fantasy, magical realism and "romantasy" different? Fantasy is a literary work that deals with supernatural or unnatural elements in an alternate world. In magical realism  the elements are incorporated into a realistic setting.  Romantasy is a newly popular term for a fantasy where the  romantic relationship is the driving force of the plot within a fantastical world. Obviously lines are blurred when trying to categorize a particular novel, but this month I am introducing three new fantasies that might be categorized as follows. The Weaver Bride by Lydia Gregovic is a sweeping fantasy about a witch who must navigate a marriage competition and try not to fall in love while competing. An Embroidery of Souls by Ruby Martinez is a magical realism novel in which the soul is a tapestry with each color symbolizing a different aspect of the self.  The Crimson Throne by Sara Raasch and Beth Revis is the first book in an historical romantasy set in the 16th century Scottish court, where a fae guardian of the realm falls in love with a charming Elizabethan spy. 

In The Weaver Bride Lovett Tamerlane is a silkwitch, who has the ability to unlock any door.  She spends her days stealing from wealthy families.  Silkwitches need to marry a Weaver, who harvests silkwitch hair to spin into magesilk, by her 21^st birthday. If not, she will be sent to the cloisters forever. When she attempts to steal from a Weaver, Eliot Lear, he catches her and makes her a proposition. He will not expose her if she agrees to enter the Vainglory to compete to become the bride of Weaver Noé Alaire. During the competition they will work together to discover who killed his silkwitch sister in the previous year’s competition. Lovett must use her wits to win competitions set for the 10 competing silkwitches. Her relationship with Eliot becomes complicated and she finds herself on her own to survive. 

An Embroidery of Souls is a magical realism novel in which Jade Aguilar is a thread speaker, who can manipulate the fabric of a person’s soul,  a tapestry with each thread color symbolizing a different aspect of the self. She can stitch beauty and brilliance into existence, save a life or unravel one.  After his father’s death, Lukas Keller is desperate to provide for his family. He approaches Cora, a vicious gang leader, for help, and she tasks him with finding the murderer who is not only taking people’s lives, but also their souls.  He enlists Jade’s help and together they discover love and strength in themselves, as well as solving the mystery of the monster on the hunt. Set against the backdrop of Mexican and German lore, this is an inventive and spellbinding page-turner.

The Crimson Throne, the first book in the Spy and Guardian duology, introduces Englishman Samson Calthorpe, who lives under a curse which makes him lethally violent, and Alyth Graham, a half fae/half human protector of Queen Mary of Scotland. She is part of a group of Guardians sworn to defend against the Red Caps, a bloodthirsty fae clan that Mary’s husband Lord Darnley is in league with to overtake Scotland. When Samson has the opportunity to break the curse, he becomes a royal spy, hoping to uncover a plot to assassinate Queen Elizabeth by befriending Darnley and finding Red Cap weapons, one of which he thinks cursed him.  Alyth and Samson meet in the Scottish Court and find they both share a hatred of Lord Darnley. and an attraction to each other.  Using secret codes and a bit of magic, they hope to unravel a plot that has been centuries in the making.  Samson’s and Alyth’s alternating first-person narratives keep the pace moving and an historical note at the end identifies the realistic elements of the story.  

I would like to also mention two additional romantasies with a cautionary note. On the Wings of Blood by Briar Boleyn is the first in the Bloodwing Academy vampire series. Dire Bound by Sable Sorenson opens the Wolves of Ruin series in which warriors bond with and ride Dire Wolves in battle. Although I thoroughly enjoyed the books, their graphic sex scenes make them inappropriate classroom recommendations.  

Jane Austen Reimagined

 Perhaps no author's books have been reimagined more than Jane Austen's. This month we have three new young adult novels that incorporate elements from Jane Austen novels. Dashed: A Margaret Dashwood Novel by Amanda Quain sets Sense and Sensibility on a modern-day summer cruise. The Monstrous Kind by Lydia Gregovic is an Austen inspired regency era fantasy, set in an alternate England which is shrouded in a toxic fog that turns people into zombies. In Want of a Suspect by Tirzah Price (Pride and Premeditation, Sense and Second Degree Murder, Manslaughter Park) is the first in a Lizzie and Darcy Mystery duology. Lizzie and Darcy, now both lawyers, investigate a deliberately set warehouse fire.

In Dashed Margaret Dashwood is accompanying her sister Elinor and husband Edward on a cruise where Edward will be the ship's pastor for the summer. Margaret is looking forward to being away from her sister Marianne who has just gone through another breakup.  When Marianne, who is wallowing in misery, decides to join them on the cruise,  Margaret has to share her cabin with her. She is determined to find Marianne another boyfriend, so she will stop crying. She enlists the help of Gabe, the ship's theatrical lighting expert, to find eligible men. Along the way Margaret develops feelings for Gabe, which she tries desperately to deny.  Add to the mix a hurricane on the horizon and Margaret is in for a stormy summer.

The Monstrous Kind is a supernatural mystery, which encompasses a story about sisters and social manners in Regency England. Twelve families make up the ruling class due to their immunity to the deadly fog surrounding the country. Commoners will be killed by the fog or turned into monsters. Merrick Darling, daughter of the Manor Lord of Sussex, is off in New London looking for a husband, but returns home when her father dies. On her way home she is saved by sentry Killian Brandon, when she is attacked by a fog-infected monster. She arrives home to find the Manor’s perimeter being breached and her sister Essie preparing to become Lord of the Manor. The other Lords, sensing their family’s weaknesses, are jockeying to take them over, and the Monsters are looming. Killian and Merrick form an alliance to get to the bottom of the secrets threatening their lives. 

In Want of a Suspect finds Lizzie investigating a warehouse fire, looking for the woman the owner thinks caused the fire and consequently his brother's death. Witnesses lead her to suspect Josette Beaufort or her cousin Leticia, who both fit the description of the woman seen at the warehouse. Coincidentally, years earlier Darcy’s proposal of marriage was turned down by Josette, making him uncomfortable with the investigation. When Leticia is murdered and Lizzie gets closer to the truth, the warehouse owner fires her, as he realizes his brother had been involved in a smuggling scheme. Darcy begins to understand that Lizzie’s safety is his most important concern, and he works closely with her to uncover the truth. This new element of the Jane Austen Murder Mysteries is sure to delight fans of the series.