Academic Magic by Becky Jones is a solid debut novel. I enjoyed the read, and would recommend it if you enjoy scenic campuses, academic politics, and talking squirrels. What? Why not? My alma mater has a clade of luxuriantly plump tree dwellers, so I immediately pictured one of those chonky bois as the squirrel who knocks on Zoe O’Brien’s office window and politely introduces himself…
But I don’t want to give too much away!
Here’s the book’s blurb, to start:
Zoe O’Brien has found her dream job at a small liberal arts college teaching the history of Medieval witchcraft and magic. Academic life is exactly what she expected it to be…until the squirrels stop by to talk with her and her department chair and best friend turn out to be mages.
Zoe discovers a world of magic and power she never knew existed. She and other faculty mages race to stop a coven from raising a demon on the winter solstice while simultaneously grading piles of final exams and reading the tortured prose of undergraduate term papers. But first, she must learn to master her new-found powers.
Comments
4 responses to “Book Review: Academic Magic”
I’m waiting for the next book. 😀
The snippet really sucked me in!
As am I.
I am a bit leery of how many magic users there seem to be.. unless it’s a peculiar island… it makes me wonder, “If it’s _that_ common, HOW is it any secret?” Not ‘why’, but ‘how’.
Zoe discovers a world of magic and power she never knew existed. She and other faculty mages race to stop a coven from raising a demon on the winter solstice while simultaneously grading piles of final exams and reading the tortured prose of undergraduate term papers. But first, she must learn to master her new-found powers.
That paragraph alone raised a chuckle. I think I’ll get this one!