February '24 Magic: Part II

Greetings <3

Oh, how I’ve missed you! I know it’s only been a few moons since we last walked the forest of stories together, but time moves strangely these days, doesn’t it? I’m glad you’re back, and I’m so excited to share with you the new tales I’ve gathered.

It seems like most of you enjoyed the sections + format of the first newsletter, which is great to hear. Don’t forget I’m using Substack for a reason—and that’s for you to comment! So please don’t hesitate if you have any thoughts or ideas you'd like to share.

A Valentine’s treat

I’ve brought back the much-beloved tradition of Blind Date With a Book! A very limited selection of beautifully wrapped books are available on the website. Click here to shop!

You can view each book’s decoration as well as a few hints about the story that awaits you. These books are my leftover stock from the shop that didn’t make it onto the online shop, so there’s no speculative fiction, but there’s plenty of delicious tales! Grab yours now <3

What I’ve been reading

I want to take a minute to remind everyone that you might hate my favorite book, and I might love a story you detest—and that’s okay! It’s what keeps things interesting. Also, because we’re in this private, tucked away place at the edge of the wood, I’m going to be a little more straightforward with you about my thoughts. Let’s keep it kind and magical in the comments, please!

An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson — Gothic dark academia with sapphic vampires? I couldn’t imagine anything more perfect, and I was so excited to dive into this book. Unfortunately, I found it to be quite lacking. Characterization is weak to non-existent, different POVs sound no different from each another, and the plot is paltry at best. I don’t even know if Gibson had any idea what they were trying to write about beyond “dark academia with lesbian vampires,” and I feel that tagline should’ve offered a lot more inspiration than what I read. If you’d like to check it out for yourself, you can grab a copy here: hardcover | audiobook. {The cover is beautiful.}

When We Were Birds by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo — our February Selkie read! If you’re not enjoying the wintry weather, this gorgeous, mythic love story will transport you to warmer, tropical Trinidad. Written in a Creole narrative beat that makes the story absolutely leap off the page, Banwo’s debut contends with love, death, family legacies and inherited trauma. Her writing is absolutely transportive—from an incoming storm to a home-cooked meal, everything she describes is so visceral and compelling. I particularly enjoyed how Banwo dealt with serious themes, but in a way that still gave the main characters a happy ending. There’s a lot of layers to this book, and as the reader, you are given the choice on how much you’d like to contend with. Absolutely lovely and moving. You can grab a copy here: paperback | audiobook.

The Age of Arrogance by Soy Media — okay this is a Webtoon, not a book, BUT IT IS SO FUN that I can’t not tell you about it! This romance fantasy takes a lot of beloved tropes and makes them shine a-new. It’s cold duke of the north with a marriage of convenience, but the cold duke of the north is a woman and she’s not really cold, she’s just … very focused on her people and oblivious to romance or the ways of courtly politics. The art is super pretty, the writing is great, and the fact I haven’t seen the two main characters kiss yet is honestly keeping me alive. Read here! *not an affiliate link, just a regular link :)*

New merch

I recently re-hauled our Spiral merch selection, bringing back some old favorites and introducing new designs. Moving forward, almost all of our merch will ship directly to you from the production facility. This change enables an on-demand ordering system, which reduces waste, and cuts out extra shipping. Here’s a peek at my favorite designs, but click here to check out the whole roster!

Are there any Spiral merch items/designs you’re dying to see? Let me know in the comments and I’ll do my best to make ‘em come to life.

March ‘24 Selkie Book Club

We’ll be diving into a Selkie favorite for March—Madeline Miller’s Circe! I know most of you have copies of this one already, and probably bought ‘em at Spiral, so all you’ll need is a ticket. Of course, even if you don’t have a copy, you’re welcome to get it wherever you’d like! If you’d still like to get it from Spiral, you can grab a copy here, or on our partner sites: paperback from Bookshop.org | audiobook from Libro.FM. Just make sure you get a ticket, which start at $5!

ICYMI

If you follow us on Instagram, you might have seen my round-up of romantic fantasy books for Valentine’s. But between the ol’ algorithm being back on its bullshit and so many people understandably yeeting their social media accounts, I wanted to include those books here, too.

THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE THE TIME WAR

A sapphic sci-fi full of heart-wrenching yearning. Time travel hasn't been this sad since the Doctor and Rose. Fair warning that though this book is slim in page count, it absolutely packs an emotion punch. A must-read. Standalone novel.
- PAPERBACK | AUDIOBOOK

THE HOLLOW PLANE

Queer gaslamp high fantasy with stunning prose. What if the enemies were cursed to forget each other and became lovers instead? And what if saving their city from a series of mysterious, deadly fires was dependent on remembering their shared past? Also, get ready to cry about queer platonic romance. Part one of The Aethereals Duology.
- PAPERBACK

FAERIE HOUNDS OF YORK

Local Aragorn-coded man tries to save idiot city boy from the Fair Folk, but then everything gets a lot fucking sadder. God, I love doomed things. Bonus points: really has that Susanna Clarke feel. Standalone novella.
- PAPERBACK

THE FALL THAT SAVED US

Urban fantasy with a cozy bookshop setting that helps balance the darker themes of leaving an abusive household. Sapphic romance that scratches the Supernatural itch. Plus, a favorite trope of mine: a character is sent to seduce and kill, but whoops, they fall in love for real instead. Standalone novel.
- PAPERBACK 

SONG OF THE FOREVER RAINS

Immersive high fantasy with incredibly lush world building. Don't you hate it when you're sent to stop a bad guy and his son is hot??? The dual POV structure is perfect for this slow burn, grumpy x sunshine romance. Book one of The Mousai Trilogy. Bonus points: in my opinion, the second book is even better. The bath scene!!! IYKYK.
- PAPERBACK | AUDIOBOOK

DAUGHTER OF THE MOON GODDESS

An epic high fantasy with storytelling like you've never experienced it before. Fair warning, the food in this book is written so beautifully and deliciously that you're going to find yourself ordering a lot of Chinese takeout. A sweet, tender friends to lovers romance is paired with tons of high-stakes action and a fantastic plot twist that still zings even if you see it coming. Book one of The Celestial Kingdom Series.
- PAPERBACK | AUDIOBOOK

FAEBOUND

There are sword lesbians who fight each other and then kiss. Honestly, I don't think most of you need anything else, but just in case: this tale is a gorgeous high fantasy featuring elves and fae, but in fresh new ways. The Afro-Arab world building absolutely shimmers, and few things make me happier than queernormative writing this good. Book one of the Faebound Trilogy.
- HARDCOVER | AUDIOBOOK

MUSIC OF THE NIGHT

Because who in their right mind doesn't want a gothic fantasy retelling of Phantom of the Opera?! This fast-paced romance is anchored in a perfectly dark and gloomy world setting, which helps the super-hot romance sizzle even brighter. This FMC is so fun and easy to root for, which never hurts. Book one of The Tower Knights Series.
- HARDCOVER 

THE HURRICANE WARS

On the topic of retellings, how's a little Reylo romance for you? But this high fantasy book is so much more than that—the political intrigue is incredibly lifelike, which makes the political marriage feel even more real. Well, it starts as a political marriage, but he falls first, and he falls hard. Southeastern Asian-inspired world building makes this even more special, and yes, there's dragons, which is always good. Book one of the Hurricane Wars Trilogy.
- HARDCOVER | AUDIOBOOK

That’s all for now

And I hope you’ve enjoyed the second missive from me. I’ve wrapped my words around the leg of a friendly owl, so I hope they’ll reach you soon—I’m deep in the story-wood, you see. But if you find yourself wandering this forest of tales, too, look for the little stone cottage with the dusky blue shutters. I’d love to have you in for tea. Maybe you can bring me a story I haven’t heard about just yet.

As always, I’d love to hear from you in the comments! <3

All my love,
Victoria