#the hexologists

[freckles-and-books]

Currently reading! I read the short story, The Small Hands of Chokedamp, that introduced this world and characters last night, and I thought it was so fun!

I haven’t been super invested in a story since the beginning of October, so I’m hoping this is the book I need right now.

#the hexologists #josiah bancroft #books #fantasy mystery #fantasy books

[ninja-muse]

Is this a three-review month? I think it is!

The Hexologists is a Lot Of Fun. It's a solid urban fantasy with a good mystery—a claimant to the throne, blackmail, a king who's suddenly trying to set himself on fire. It's a wonderful steampunk world with multiple forms of magic, including but not limited to artistic hexes, industrial alchemy, and a carpetbag full of magical artifacts. It's funny. The characters are great across the board, but the protagonists are especially good—morose and cynical Isolde, cheery and trusting Warren. There is a dragon, a sea monster, and creatures from hell dimensions. There are some good twists and turns and I didn't see the ending coming until it was almost on me (read: 1-2 pages early).

In short, it's got a little bit of everything that makes a story like this satisfying, and if you're looking for a smart-fun fantasy read this fall, you should definitely check it out. There are presumably going to be sequels and I'll be watching for them.

Out September 26, 2023.

#books #booklr #bookblr #fantasy #upcoming releases #adult booklr #book covers #book reviews #the hexologists #josiah bancroft #read in 2023

[ofliterarynature]

JANUARY 2024 WRAP UP

[loved liked ok DNF (reread) bookclub*]

Mammoths at the Gates • An Impossible Imposter • Greywaren • The Hexologists • Mister Impossible • Reclaiming Two Spirits • (Check, Please: #Hockey)* • Thornhedge • Call Down the Hawk • All the Hidden Paths • All the Beauty in the World • (The Raven King) • (A Strange and Stubborn Endurance) • (Blue Lily, Lily Blue) • The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie • The Missing Page • Bird By Bird • Lucky Red • Portrait of a Thief

I suppose I may as well start with the giant pile of Maggie Stiefvater and get that out of the way, lol. According to Goodreads, this was at least my 3rd time through the entire Raven Cycle. Despite that, I had only the vaguest idea of what happened in the last two books, and now having reread them (again), yeah, that tracks! I can hang with book 3 but I have no idea what was really going on in The Raven King, and as a series finale I didn't love it. It felt a lot like the dreamer plotlines drowned out the original Glendower and ley line story that we started with. But, Maggie being Maggie, I love the way she writes so much that I at least still enjoyed the reading experience. And it made an incredibly clear lead-in to the Dreamer Trilogy (which I had not read), it made total sense, I was hopeful! Again, Maggie being Maggie, I had a good time reading them, I liked learning more about the Lynch brothers, I'm always down for some art forgery, but I just didn't really like it and (while I'm glad for Maggie that she was able to write it) I could have lived without it. It completely did not have the vibe or charm of TRC and, criminally, did not include the Gangsey. How!!!!

The Missing Page - liked it! It felt a lot more solid as a mystery than the first book, which I greatly appreciated, though the villagers in the first book were maybe a bit more fun. I'm not feeling particularly inspired to go look up more Cat Sebastian after this, but if she writes another one of these I'd read it.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie - I've had this one on my mystery tbr for a while, and for some reason I'd thought it was set in a much earlier time period than the 1950's? lol. Our protagonist is the youngest of 3 sisters growing up in genteel poverty with an absent father, and she has the run of the village, the house, and an incredibly well stocked chemistry lab left by an ancestor. She is both incredibly clever and terribly naive, and absolutely terrifying because of it. Flavia is fascinating as a detective, because she's not written as the protagonist of a middle grade mystery novel - she's a child. This was an interesting read, but I'm not sure it's what I'm looking for in a mystery novel and I don't think I'll continue the series.

A Strange and Stubborn Endurance - reread this in advance of the sequel - it was a bit easier to see some flaws this time around, but had a good time! This *was* my first time listening to it on audio though, and I'm not sure I'd recommend it. It had a different person reading for each of the main characters and their voices just didn't pair well for me - not to mention one of them also read Lev AC Rosen's Lavender House and boy does he do some distinctive character voices.

All the Hidden Paths - didn't go quite so well. I think primarily my mental space was not pairing well with the tensions of reading this for the first time, I do think on a reread I might like it better. Somehow the spy/saboteur was my favorite character? He was soo bad at his job, I found it very funny. But overall, I think it was just a little too close to a rehash of the plot from the first book, leaving me to think Meadows might not be the best at writing mysteries. Luckily it does at least score high on my romance scale.

All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me - first nonfic of the year! I've been eagerly anticipating my library getting an audio copy ever since I first heard about this last year, it sounded cool, I'm fascinated by art museums and behind-the-scenes! Unfortunately I was not into it, and almost 2 months on I can't remember enough to even try to tell you why. It did pair interestingly with another recent read, The Mixed Up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler, but I'm still learning how far into memoir territory I can go. Someone stop me from trying the other Met nonfic book I found recently lol.

Thornhedge - wonderful! No notes! I love fairy tales and this was a delight to read.

Check, Please! #Hockey - loved getting to revisit this for book club! I've been meaning to for a few years, because y'all. I've read so much fanfic, and I have no idea what is in the comic, what Ngozi posted as extras, and what is fanon. The comic had less than I was expecting! Still fun, my fellow book-clubber liked it, but my real love was the tweets! I'll definitely try to read Vol 2 this year so I can then browse the larger collection of them compiled in the Chirpbook.

Reclaiming Two Spirits: I saw this one on tumblr and fortunately was able to get access to the audiobook! It's a topic I was very interested in learning more about, and I did! But - this is a research project, more than anything, it could be very repetitive (which, fair. colonizers suck), and it felt distanced from its subject. I feel it's a book that definitely has its place, but it's not objectively a 'good read,' and I'd rather have had something from someone who is indigenous and two-spirit themselves.

The Hexologists - it has its quirks, but this was unapologetically a delight to read and I had a fun time! I'm a sucker for a world with a magic vs industrial revolution, not to mention a married pair of established investigators, and I always appreciate an author who's willing to get a bit silly. If there's ever more books I'd love to read them!

An Impossible Imposter - she is what she is, I had a good time! This one felt like it might have taken some inspo from The Moonstone 👀

Mammoths at the Gate - had a good time with this, as I always do with the Singing Hills books. Stories about stories are like catnip, I should reread them all sometime!

Bird by Bird by Ann Lamott (DNF) - I have only the vaguest memories of reading parts of this for a creative writing class in college, and now that I'm getting more into nonfiction thought why not? Unfortunately the audiobook version I got was read by the author, who absolutely does not have an audiobook voice/cadence. I considered trying again with the version read by someone else, but decided I wasn't actually interested enough to continue.

Lucky Red By Claudia Cravens (DNF) - the host of one of the podcasts I listen to was gushing about this one and I was like, sapphic western? Sign me up! I read about 25% of it, and it all seemed fine, it just wasn't feeling particularly interesting to me. Absolutely give it a shot if you'd like!

Portrait of a Thief by Grace D Li (DNF) - I knew going in this had been getting mixed reviews. I really like the idea of it - I enjoy a heist, am always interested in fine arts/art history drama, and vigilante art repatriation hell yeah! But this felt very much like it was trying to emulate a heist *movie*, and it just wasn’t working for me as a book. If this ever gets adapted I’d love to see it.

#bec posts #book log #wrap up 2024 #books #booklr #book reviews #the raven cycle #dreamer trilogy #maggie stiefvater #hither page #the sweetness at the bottom of the pie #a strange and stubborn endurance #all the beauty in the world #thornhedge #check please #reclaiming two spirits #the hexologists #singing hills cycle #veronica speedwell

[evenaturtleduck]

One thing I can already confidently say about The Hexologists is that it has a better opening line than HP #1.

Am I still irritated about that polling result? Yes. Yes I am.

#currently reading #the hexologists #josiah bancroft

[bookcoversonly]

Title: The Hexologists | Author: Josiah Bancroft | Publisher: Orbit (2023)

#books #The Hexologists #Josiah Bancroft

[alyssumflowersgarden]

book haul book haul 📚 🎉

they were on sale i swear

Okay, I did spend a bit more than I should have -coughs- But I need them all.

Okay, genuinely, re: the fiction books, I was just gonna grab The Graveyard Book because I've wanted it for a while - I mean, it's Neil Gaiman, come on - and it was on sale plus the buy one get one half off, but obviously that meant I had to grab another book and I couldn't decide between two but I couldn't just get three and... Yeah.

But seriously I've been so burnt out I'm getting crispy. ❤️‍🔥 🔥 I haven't had the brain 🧠 to do the things I need to do because I'm exhausted and I'm so friggin exhausted because I haven't been letting myself actually rest by doing the fun things. So. Fiction.

and it worked. I absolutely devoured One Dark Window in a day; it was great. The second book is supposed to get here tomorrow; it was cheaper on Amazon.

The nonfiction books are useful. Entering Hekate's Garden was definitely the most expensive but it didn't have the price on it and by the time I got up to the counter and found out, I was like fuckit because it's been on my wishlist for so long now.

I am liking Southern Cunning so far but I'm not very far in so we shall see.

Guess what my mother did the same day I got these? Yeah she did the exact same thing. I showed off the books because I knew we had the same taste and she'd be interested in the ones I got. I was not expecting her to also have bought The Hexologists. smh, go figure.

So I ran back real quick and switched it out for a sequel to another fiction book she'd gotten prior that was also on the buy one get one half off table. I don't remember the title and I didn't get a picture of it. I think the first book was called Her Royal Majesty's Coven and the second was the something cabinet.

#the graveyard book #neil gaiman #the hexologists #one dark window #rachel gillig #books and reading #books #fiction #dark fantasy #fantasy #godkiller #southern cunning #southern culture #folkloric witchcraft #witchcraft #southern witch #new orleans #walking tours of new orleans #Hekate #entering hekate's garden #aaron oberon #book review #book recommendations #bookblr #book reccs #book rec list #self care #self love #books are life #books are magic

[eggcatsreads]

Currently reading an ARC of The Hexologists! I just started it but it seems great!

(also, while this IS one of my books with the earliest publishing date, there is another one with the same date and this one might have been given priority bc it's by the same publishing house that has Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig and I Might be trying to sweeten my request for it - considering that book is what made me get a Netgalley in the first place lol)

#the Hexologists #Hexologists #josiah bancroft #arc

[sheilajsn]

The Hexologists de Josiah Bancroft

Yo recibí una copia de The Hexologists de Josiah Bancroft como parte del Novel Suspects Insiders Club. El libro es el primero de la serie del mismo nombre. La serie gira alreadedor de un matrimonio, Isolde y Warren Wilby, quienes son investigadores mágicos. La historia se desarrolla en la ciudad ficticia de Berbiton; una ciudad llena de secretos, misterio y, por supuesto, magia. Pero, cuando…

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#Josiah Bancroft #Novel Suspects #The Hexologists #The Small Hands of Chokedamp

[primmlife]

My Latest Review at Strange Horizons

My Latest Review at Strange Horizons #Reviews #Fantasy #SFF

My Latest Review at Strange Horizons My review of The Hexologists by Josiah Bancroft is live on Strange Horizons! Check it out and while you’re there, look over the other wonderful stories, reviews, and poems that Strange Horizons has produced.

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#Book Reviews #Books #Fantasy #Highly Recommended #Josiah Bancroft #SFF #Strange Horizons #The Hexologists

[nevinslibrary]

Weird & Wonderful Wednesday

I picked up this book because when I read one of its blurbs I was like, ooh, magic investigators. I was not let down.

Isolde and Warren Wilby are the two investigators (one is more all in than the other, heh…). They have rescued kids, soothed ghosts, and solved many other fantastical problems. The next mystery that they take on though, it could be the hardest, and who knows, the last, of their career. They get asked to find out if King of Berbiton is being blackmailed or of he’s even being cursed. From there everything twists and turns and it kept me guessing for sure.

There was so much about this book I liked. It was dryly hilarious in some places, as well as the characters all being so unique, and the world building (always needed in a good magic based book) was amazing. It was such a fun read. And, and…. Supposedly it’s going to be a series, although as far as I can tell there hasn’t been a second book announced yet. Crossed fingers.

You may like this book If you Liked: A Restless Truth by Freya Marske, The Undetectables by Courtney Smyth, or The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older

The Hexologists by Josiah Bancroft

#weirdandwonderfulwednesday #nmlRA #nevins memorial library #josiah bancroft #the hexologists

[beckysbook5]

The Hexologists by Josiah Bancroft - ARC Review!

The Hexologists, Iz and Warren Wilby, are quite accustomed to helping desperate clients with the bugbears of city life. Aided by hexes and a bag of charmed relics, the Wilbies have recovered children abducted by chimney-wraiths, removed infestations of barb-nosed incubi, and ventured into the Gray Plains of the Unmade to soothe a troubled ghost. Well-acquainted with the weird, they never shy away…

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#Book review #The Hexologists

[venusbloo]

ARC Review: The Hexologists by Josiah Bancroft

**This post contains affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, as an Amazon Associate, I receive a small amount of commission on the purchase. If you like what I do on the blog, please consider using my affiliate links. Thank you!**  Book: The Hexologists  Author: Josiah Bancroft  Pages: 318  Source: Orbit  Publisher: Orbit  Genre: Fantasy, Mystery  Publication Date:…

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#arc review #Fantasy #josiah bancroft #magic #mystery #netgalley #orbit #review #tbr #the hexologists

[lashaan]

The Hexologists by Josiah Bancroft

Title: The Hexologists.Series: The Hexologists #1. Writer(s): Josiah Bancroft. Publisher: Orbit.Format: Advance Review Copy.Release Date: September 26th, 2023.Pages: 386.Genre(s): Fantasy, Mystery.ISBN13: 9780316443302. My Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 4 out of 5. “Because people… people are shameless. We are different beasts when we think no one is looking. We are strange and frightening…

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#book #book blogger #bookworm #fantasy #josiah bancroft #magic #mystery #review #the hexologists

[biblionerdreflections]

ARC Review - The Hexologists

Hello, everyone! Today I’m reviewing The Hexologists by Josiah Bancroft. I’ve been so excited to read my first Bancroft novel! I’ve also seen several glowing reviews of this book from other bloggers. So, I was anticipating something great. Read on to see if it lived up to my lofty expectations… Continue reading Untitled

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#ARC #Josiah Bancroft #Orbit Books #The Hexologists

[evenaturtleduck]

"But there is something shameful about it, isn't there? I mean, the purpose of a euphemism is to shield the speaker from the difficulty of the subject. We say passed away instead of died, and put out to pasture instead of just admitting an elder was unceremoniously removed from gainful employment because a younger, cheaper hire applied for their job. You may pretend that these circumlocutions are for the benefit of the victim, but they're not. They are for the comfort of the speaker."

Isolde Wilby has no chill ❤️

#the hexologists #josiah bancroft #currently reading

[bookcred]

The Hexologists; by Josiah Bancroft

The Hexologists, Iz and Warren Wilby, help desperate clients with the bugbears of city life, aided by hexes and a bag of charmed relics. But when they are approached by the royal secretary and told the king pleads to be baked into a cake, they are thrust into a mystery that spirals out of control. 

This was a brilliant start to what will be a very entertaining series. The mystery is sharp and exciting - you don’t know where the Wilby’s will end up next, and what fascinating things they’ll run into. 

The writing sparks and leaps off the page - Bancroft’s wit is in fine form, making me laugh out loud at the antics taking place. 

The novel really finds itself and shines with the two main characters, married couple Iz and Warren Wilby. Their relationship feels tangible through the page. They are two sides of the same coin and the balance and care shown with their characters is expertly done.

I'm eager for the next book and will be killing time by reading everything else Josiah Bancroft has written!

The Hexologists is out 2th of Sept.

Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for the advanced copy.

#book review #book #reviews #review #thehexologists #josiah bancroft #the hexologists #fantasy #murder mystery #sff #urban fantasy #magical realism #book lover #booklr #bookworm #books & libraries #books and reading #books #book recommendations #currently reading