cover image Miscast Spells: The Styx Trilogy, Book 1

Miscast Spells: The Styx Trilogy, Book 1

Rose Corcoran. Rose Corcoran, , $10.99 ISBN 978-1-943798-06-3

Corcoran’s fantasy debut is equal parts thrilling and ridiculous. In a world populated by old-school magicians, Princess Emmaline Camellia encounters her first goblin and is immediately turned into a rabbit. Pessimistic court magician Bostwick von Dogsbody volunteers to travel the land with her to help find a cure. Their search leads them to Castle Styx, home of Queen Delilah Glossolalia, who’s rumored to possess the Domino of Nonpareil, a mask that allows wearers to become anything they wish. After getting caught trying to steal the mask, the eccentric Delilah forces Bostwick to become her butler under threat of a curse if he tries to leave. Though the story lacks greater worldbuilding, what it does offer is imaginative: a wide array of magician’s tricks, a knockoff-antiques shop whose magical items don’t quite work the same way as the originals, and clever puns. Readers will look forward to the sequel. Ages 8–12.[em] (BookLife) [/em]