I have covid again so I’m going to find something sweet to read. A book with excellent vibes that sort of match witch hat atelier or a cozy Ghibli film. To get a little more specific though anything with teams of close bonded friends in a very magical girl/power would be great! I don’t care if it’s more magic based, a little spooky if and horses are always a bonus!
Also it doesn’t matter if it ends up being middle grade. Thanks 🙂
by ProperChampion4097
4 Comments
I don’t know if this will float your boat, but the original Heralds of Valdemar trilogy by Mercedes Lackey (first book: _Arrows of the Queen_) is a fantasy series with people with powers (telepathy, telekinesis, empathy, etc.) who bond with magical horses. The MC is a teenage girl who, among other things, ends up having to un-spoil the heir to the throne (another girl, BTW, not the eventual love interest). Warning: third book is pretty rough on MC. There are probably over 20 Valdemar or -adjacent books by now, including _By the Sword_ about a female mercenary with a magic sword, and a trilogy about the (finally) unspoiled heir to the throne.
**A Thousand Steps Into Night** by Traci Chee is not cozy all the time but generally upbeat with a really nice friendship and a powerful magical girl as a protagonist. It is set in a fantasy world inspired by Japanese folklore, there are lots of nature deities of the kind that inspired Hayao Miyazaki’s films and a variety of trickster and shapeshifter spirits of the kind that might visit the bathhouse in *Spirited Away*, as well as demons for the spooky vibe. There is also a horse! Given your criteria, I would be very surprised if you didn’t like this book, it seems to be written specifically for you!
Get well soon!
‘Uprooted’ by Naomi Novik is a book I often suggest for its fairytale-like charm and dark magic. The story of Agnieszka and the Dragon is a mesmerizing dance of nature’s wild magic versus the corruption of a malevolent forest, told with a compelling voice that’s hard to put down.
If you enjoy urban fantasy where magic intersects with the modern world, ‘American Gods’ by Neil Gaiman is a must-read. Gaiman’s portrayal of old gods struggling to find their place in contemporary America is a masterful blend of myth, magic, and stark reality.