For Love of Magic

If you’re a fantasy fan, reading the recently published recommendations on the Bookstagram tables at the bookstore can turn into a Groundhog Day-type situation: formulaic plot devices, overly complicated and broody character stereotypes, settings that are so worn out they’re practically threadbare, the list goes on.

This book, however, manages to feel contemporary without falling into any of those overused tropes. With witty dialogue and a near-constant stream of plot-driven throwbacks to fantasy greats of the past, reading this was an almost nostalgic experience for me, which is funny because I’ve never read anything by this author before!

Imagine for a moment that the world’s history was overwritten to destroy all traces of magic in order to promote logical and scientific reasoning as the driving force for humanity’s future. Now imagine you’re the one obligated to erase those traces; that’s Jack Damian’s job as the Outsider, a once-in-a-generation enforcer for the side of science and reason. But after meeting an intriguing woman at a disappearance case and letting her take him on the adventure of a lifetime, Jack begins to question everything he thought he knew.

For fans of Jim Butcher, Tanya Huff, or Seanan McGuire.