Book Review: A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna

A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping
by Sangu Mandanna

 Book title: A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping
Author: Sangu Mandanna
Genre: Cozy fantasy
Published: July 15, 2025
352 pages
My rating: 3.5/5

“There is always a little magic in the heart of a person who loves it.”

Sera Swan used to be the most powerful young witch in Britain, until an illegal resurrection spell caused her to lose most of her magic and be evicted from the magical Guild. Now at thirty, she runs an inn with the help of what little magic she has left. When she learns about an ancient spell that might help her restore her powers, she turns to magical historian Luke Larsen to ask for his help. Together with Sera’s weird found family, they set about to reclaim Sera’s lost magic.

 A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping is Sangu Mandanna’s standalone adult cozy fantasy with a strong romantic subplot. I listened to it as an audiobook, and I thought the narrator did a great job in bringing the characters to life. The writing style was witty and bantery – a little too witty to my taste at points. Not every sentence needs to try that hard to be witty. I find that this type of bantery narration so typical of romantic comedy and chick lit can get on my nerves if I consume too much of it. But if you love that style of narration, you’ll probably enjoy this book! 

September Wrap-Up and October Hopefuls

September reads

 

September Wrap-Up

• Finished: 16
• Started but not finished: 1
• Total pages read: 3,501
• Average rating: 3.8

I did not expect to finish this many books in September! I read more e-books, audiobooks, and nonfiction books than I had planned. Out of the sixteen books I finished, nine were nonfiction and seven were fiction. I’ve written reviews for four of the fiction books: Marie Brennan’s adult fantasy A Natural History of Dragons (5/5 stars), Sabaa Tahir’s young adult fantasy An Ember in the Ashes (3/5 stars), Rachel Ann Hubert’s adult fantasy The Debt Collector (4/5 stars), and Hayley Gelfuso’s adult historical fantasy The Book of Lost Hours (5/5 stars). The two five-star fantasy novels were so good that I’m not sure which I liked more!

Book Review: His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik

His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik

 Book title: His Majesty’s Dragon
Author: Naomi Novik
Genre: Historical fantasy
Published: January 3, 2006
356 pages
My rating: 5/5

“I am afraid I am not rich enough a partner for you; I will not be able to give you a heap of gold to sleep on.”

“I should rather have you than a heap of gold, even if it were very comfortable to sleep on,” Temeraire said.

During the Napoleonic Wars, British sea captain Will Laurence captures a French frigate and seizes its precious cargo, an unhatched Chinese dragon egg. When the dragon Temeraire hatches, he chooses Laurence as his handler, and Laurence must leave his ship behind. He and Temeraire join the Aerial Corps, taking a crash course in aerial battle tactics before Napoleon’s forces threaten to invade Britain.

His Majesty’s Dragon in the first book in Naomi Novik historical fantasy series Temeraire. This was another audio book read for me, and although I wasn’t a huge fan of the audio book narrator, the story eventually won me over.

Book Review: The Book of Lost Hours by Hayley Gelfuso

The Book of Lost Hours by Hayley Gelfuso

 Book title: The Book of Lost Hours
Author: Hayley Gelfuso
Genre: Historical fantasy
Published: August 26, 2025
391 pages
My rating: 5/5

“A memory, once it’s over, is never exactly what it was when it was happening. Whatever comes later changes the meaning of it.”

Eleven-year-old Lisavet Levy finds herself trapped in a vast library where memories are stored in books. As she grows up among the memories, she discovers that government agents are destroying memories to maintain their preferred version of history. She attempts to salvage as many memories as she can, but when an American agent Ernest Duquesne is sent to stop her, she must risk everything to change history itself.

The Book of Lost Hours is Hayley Gelfuso’s adult historical fantasy and an instant five star read for me. I can already tell that this will be one of my favorite books this year. I listened to it as an audio book, but I wish I had this as a physical book so I could have savored it longer! That being said, the audio book narrator did a great job, and I enjoyed the listening experience.

Book Review: The Debt Collector by Rachel Ann Hubert

The Debt Collector by Rachel Ann Hubert

 Book title: The Debt Collector
Author: Rachel Ann Hubert
Genre: Fantasy
Published: December 21, 2022
371 pages
My rating: 4/5

Evening had fallen, and I was already running late. I hurried past a mess of ivy-covered stone shops, their windows boarded up with roughly cut black wood from the forest to the east. I followed a path that seemed to narrow as I drew further in, carefully hurrying as I darted down a slope in the road that took me deeper into the city.

I glanced at my wrist and winced when I saw the flashing red coordinates.

Not much further now.

Poverty and desperation reign in Adelliah’s world. Like many people, she has made a deal with a money lender. The loan terms are generous: a lifetime to repay what was borrowed. But if a person dies before the loan is repaid, it’s Adelliah’s job as a debt collector to make sure that the loan doesn’t go unpaid. Her job is to collect the dead people’s souls to pay for their debts. Until one night, someone collects the soul first, and she must find out who did it and why.

The Debt Collector is an indie book and the first volume in Rachel Ann Hubert’s fantasy series Rise of the Tarnished. I was expecting a gritty urban fantasy-esque story, but this book wasn’t exactly what I expected. The first chapters focus on Adelliah’s work as a debt collector in several cities of the fantasy world. (As a sidenote, I wish the book would have had a map. There were quite a few different places to keep track of.) I really enjoyed these urban settings and the new characters Adelliah meets along the way.

Book Review: An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

 Book title: An Ember in the Ashes
Author: Sabaa Tahir
Genre: YA Fantasy
Published: April 28, 2015
446 pages
My rating: 3/5

“There are two kinds of guilt. The kind that’s a burden and the kind that gives you purpose. Let your guilt be your fuel. Let it remind you of who you want to be. Draw a line in your mind. Never cross it again. You have a soul. It’s damaged but it’s there. Don’t let them take it from you.”

Seventeen-year-old Laia knows not to defy the Martial Empire that has occupied her land—she has already lost her parents because of the Empire. But when her brother is arrested for treason, she turns to a group of rebels to ask for their help to free him. In exchange, she promises to spy for the rebels within the Empire’s greatest military academy. There, she meets Elias, who is training to become an elite soldier, but who is secretly planning for his escape.

An Ember in the Ashes is the first book in Sabaa Tahir’s young adult fantasy series. I listened to this book as an audio book, and it significantly affected my experience. I found the writing of this book (it’s Tahir’s debut novel) clunky and full of clichés. I’m sure that if I had been reading the book, it wouldn’t have bothered me as much as it did in the audio format.

Book Review: A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan

A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan

 Book title: A Natural History of Dragons: A Memoir by Lady Trent
Author: Marie Brennan
Genre: Fantasy
Published: February 5, 2013
351 pages
My rating: 5/5

You continue at your own risk. It is not for the faint of heart—no more so than the study of dragons itself. But such study offers rewards beyond compare: to stand in a dragon's presence, even for the briefest of moments—even at the risk of one's life—is a delight that, once experienced, can never be forgotten.

Isabella, Lady Trent, is a world-famous dragon naturalist. In the first part of her series of memoirs, she narrates how she became obsessed with dragons as a little girl, how that passion led her to choose a husband who would allow her to continue her study of dragons, and how she embarked on her first expedition to the perilous mountains of Vystrana, where she made her first discoveries.

Marie Brennan’s A Natural History of Dragons: A Memoir by Lady Trent is the first book in the adult fantasy series The Memoirs of Lady Trent. The book is set in a fantasy world that vaguely resembles the 19th century world. Isabella grows up in Scirland (the fantasy equivalent of Great Britain) with a growing fascination with dragons. The worldbuilding with its many nations and cultures is intricate, and this first book seems to only skim the surface of the fantasy world.