Fantasy Round Up

Below are three great adult fantasy books that I have enjoyed recently. They’ve got witches, magic ink, and killer seeds. They range from historical fantasy to contemporary fantasy to high fantasy with a murder mystery plot bonus.

Witchmark (The Kingston Cycle) by C. L. Polk (2018)

Miles is a doctor, working himself ragged trying to help the soldiers returning from a war in an setting similar to Edwardian England. He is also a witch, which he tries to keep hidden. If people were to find out he’d have two choices: enter an asylum or become bonded to a more powerful magical being so that they could siphon off his power. Miles discovers a pattern in the veterans he cares for that he can’t explain. Trying to dig deeper into its cause leads him down a path that takes him back to his magical family and deeper into trouble.

The Tainted Cup (Ana and Din series) by Robert Jackson Bennett (2024)

When a high-ranking official is killed — gruesomely, when a tree grows out of his chest — Ana Dolabra is called to investigate. She is assisted by Din, an enhanced being who can recall any detail he observes. Ana is peculiar; for example, she prefers to be blindfolded to focus her other senses. But Din sees her brilliance and the two make a great team as they investigate the murder. Extremely propulsive and immersive read.

The Bookshop Below by Georgia Summers (2025)

Cassandra was raised by the bookseller Chiron but has left his magical world behind. She’s become Cass, a thief and powerful medium for book magic. When Chiron dies and she inherits his bookshop, she has to re-enter the world of the booksellers, hiding her past. The magic of the books is powered by an underground river that is faltering. Cassandra must solve the mystery of why the river is fading and whether Chiron was murdered.