A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness, 579 pages

Diana Bishop is the last in a long line of powerful witches. Immersing herself in alchemical academia, Diana refuses to acknowledge her magic until one day she inadvertently accesses a magical text that had been lost for hundreds of years.  Before she knows it, Diana is plunged into the world of creatures--witches, vampires, and daemons--where she is pursued by all three. When Diana teams up with a dark and mysterious vampire named Matthew de Clairmont, she realizes too late her life is changed forever and she will have to not only accept her power but also how to wield her growing list of magic to defend those she loves. 

I read this book because a patron recommended it to me, and I'm so very glad that he did. Harkness' world feels magnificently authentic and her attention to all the little details gives an electric charge to not just her characters, but the world itself. Everything unfolded with a chaotic sort of purpose but in a way that rang true. 

 

The Nightmare Before Christmas: Mirror Moon by Mallory Reeves

The Nightmare Before Christmas: Mirror Moon by Mallory Reeves, 128 pages

Jack hasn't quite learned his lesson, as in Mirror Moon he once again attempts to spread the Halloween cheer amongst his holidayland members. What Jack doesn't realize is that his experiment has inadvertently been creating mischief-making dopplegangers of the denizens of Halloweentown. 

As per the usual, Sally steps in to save the day because the Pumpkin King has been blinded by science. It's a nice little comp to revisit Halloweentown. 

Zero's Journey, part threeby D.J. Milky,

 

Zero's Journey, part threeby D.J. Milky, 128 pages

The journey back to Halloweentown stretches on for poor Zero. I like that these graphic novels have captured the dark whimsy and playful heart of the original content. They are also so beautifully rendered that there are times I forget that I'm reading it. 

Zero's Journey, part two by D.J. Milky

Zero's Journey, part two by D.J. Milky, 128 pages

Zero's journey continues. 

This comic was an interesting follow-up to the first part. It had some really intense moments that made me teary. Criers, gird your loins. 

Zero's Journey, part one by D.J. Milky

 Zero's Journey, part one by D.J. Milky, 128 pages

All is not well in Halloweentown when Jack makes a mistake that leads to Zero's disappearance. Zero has his own struggles navigating the foreign world of Christmas town.

Hocus Pocus & The All-New Sequel by A.W. Jantha

 Hocus Pocus & The All-New Sequel by A.W. Jantha, 521 pages

Seventeen year old Poppy Dennison doesn't believe her parents' stories about the rise of the Sanderson sisters. After all, who really believes in witches and ghosts and immortal cats? With love on her mind and something to prove, Poppy finds herself under a blood moon accidentally switches the souls of her parents and Aunt Dani with the Sanderson sisters. Now Poppy and her friends must race to save all of Salem from a tidal wave of witches. 

This book was so much fun! The author did a good job of shaping the new story to parallel the old one without too much fanservice.  I do wish that there had been more focus on the second part, though. It felt a little rushed.  

While I enjoy the Hocus Pocus movie, it never felt sacred to me; I don't have the hallowed nostalgia some of my friends do, so take my opinion with a grain of salt! 

The Pretender: Rebirth by Steven Long Mitchell & Craig W. Van Sickle

 

The Pretender: Rebirth by Steven Long Mitchell & Craig W. Van Sickle, 276 pages

Pretenders are geniuses, human chameleons who become anyone they want to be: marine biologist, pilot, surgeon.  When One escapes 

This is the first novel in a sort-of-not-really reboot of the Pretender tv show. Personally, the novel feels at once both overdrawn and vague. Had I not been familiar with the show, I would have been unpleasantly lost. Also worth noting that the best written woman in the book was actually a drag queen named Chazz. It was an interesting, smooth read, but it didn't leave me reaching for the sequel. 

A Meditation On Murder by Robert Thorogood

 A Meditation On Murder by Robert Thorogood, 356 pages

When spiritual guru Aslan Kennedy is murdered in a locked room with paper walls, the Saint Marie police are given the impossible task of investigating. Because as he bakes under the hot Caribbean sun, DCI Richard Poole is sure of only one thing: the one person who has confessed to Aslan's murder is the only person that could not have possibly done it. 

This novel does not contain any spoilers for any season of the show. 

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Graphic Novel Adaptation by Jody Houser, et al.

 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Graphic Novel Adaptation by Jody Houser, et al.-176 pages

"Rogue One" is possibly my favorite of the new Disney Star Wars Canon films (it's right there with "The Force Awakens"). This graphic novel adaptation follows the movie plot closely, but a couple extra scenes are added in. A short story about how Cassian Andor and K-2SO meet follows the main story. I enjoyed reading this adaptation just as I enjoyed the movie.