Erryn reviews Magic Burning (Carnival of Mysteries) by Kaje Harper (Published July 25, 2023, 323 pages).
Why I read this book: I adore Kaje Harper and this one sounded great.
Alan
I haven’t been out with a guy in the last two years. Partly because I’m a gay elementary-school teacher in a fairly small, conservative town. Partly because I’m a sorcerer, and dating ordinary humans only leads to trouble. Sleeping with one though? That’s doable, so when my birdbrained familiar Sunny lines up a tall, muscular firefighter for me, I’m not going to say no. Just once, though. Maybe twice. I don’t need more trouble in my life.
Jason
I don’t regret moving back to my hometown and my big family. Well, not much. I’m not out to them, and I miss the anonymity of the big city, but I like the local fire house and the slower-paced life. Still, when I see my niece’s teacher, Mr. Hiranchai, in gray sweatpants talking to a mini-parrot on his shoulder, something inside me (or maybe something in front of me) perks up and says “I want that one.” I can’t have an actual boyfriend, but I sure wouldn’t mind getting laid, and Alan’s slim, dark-haired, smart-assed style rings all my bells.
It’s no surprise we turn out to be great together, even if my job and his responsibilities make it hard to find time. It is a surprise when I realize I want more than just an occasional night. But some weird fires out in the brush keep us firefighters hopping, and when this strange carnival comes to town and lands me with a pair of magical doll shoes, life gets truly confusing. There’s more to Alan than he’s telling me, and I’m getting a bad, bad feeling about all this.
Magic Burning is a story in the Necromancer universe, 60 years after Marked by Death, and is part of the multi-author Carnival of Mysteries Series. Each book stands alone, but each one includes at least one visit to Errante Ame’s Carnival of Mysteries, a magical, multiverse traveling show full of unusual acts, games, and rides. The Carnival changes to suit the world it’s on, so each visit is unique and special. This book contains a snarky, matchmaking bird, a lonely young teacher, and a gay firefighter finally coming out to his large family.
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Erryn’s review:
I admit necromancers, sorcerers, familiars, and healers are a bit beyond me. That being said, I’m a huge Kaje Harper fan and will happily grab anything of hers. Magic Burning came at just the right time as I was ready for something that would take me out of my comfort zone of contemporary gay romances without twists. Man, this book had twists. It’s part of a series and I plan to check out the other ones as well.
I’ll start by saying I adored the two main characters. Jason the hunky firefighter who’s so far into the closet that daylight is out of reach. He lives in the small town, works with his brother, and is afraid of upsetting his family. Those dynamics wind up being strained and he wasn’t entirely wrong to panic about the chance of being outed.
Alan is pretty much the opposite. Petite, Asian, a third-grade teacher and, oh, very out. In fact, he makes no secret of his sexuality. He doesn’t want parents to later complain that he was indoctrinating their children. Quite relevant these days.
Okay, so here’s where things get a little…odd. Alan is a sorcerer. And he has the most hilarious familiar, Sunny. Sunny is entertaining. Seriously steals the show. Or the book. Because he’s not an ordinary bird. He’s up on twentieth century tech, despite the fact he’s almost one-hundred years old. And when Alan and his friends are in trouble, Sunny knows just who to call. I haven’t read Kaje’s previous necromancer books, but readers who have will enjoy the cameos. And if you haven’t, like me, you’ll be just fine.
Anyway, in so many ways Jason and Alan shouldn’t work. Sorcerer – human. Out – in the closet. Fireman and…well, I don’t want to give away too much.
This was a great book that kept me on the edge of my seat. I can’t wait to read more books in the series as well as Kaje’s next release.
Finally…the epilogue. OMG, side-splitting, hilarious, and adorable. Made me almost want a Sunny of my own.
Almost…
Erryn’s rating:
10/10 Pots of Gold – Compares to 5/5 Stars
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I was born in Montreal but have lived for 30 years in Minnesota, where the two seasons are Snow-removal and Road-repair, where the mosquito is the state bird, and where winter can be breathtakingly beautiful. Minnesota’s a kind, quiet (if sometimes chilly) place and it’s home.
I’ve been writing far longer than I care to admit (*whispers – forty years*), mostly for my own entertainment, usually M/M romance (with added mystery, fantasy, historical, SciFi…) I also have a few Young Adult stories (some released under the pen name Kira Harp.)
My husband finally convinced me that after all the years of writing for fun, I really should submit something, somewhere. My first professionally published book, Life Lessons, came out from MLR Press in May 2011. I have a weakness for closeted cops with honest hearts, and teachers who speak their minds, and I had fun writing four novels and three freebie short stories in that series. I was delighted and encouraged by the reception Mac and Tony received.
I now have a good-sized backlist in ebooks and print, both free and professionally published. A complete list with links can be found on my website “Books” page at https://kajeharper.wordpress.com/books/.
You can find me and my book reviews on my author page here on Goodreads – I hang out on Goodreads a lot because I moderate the Goodreads YA LGBT Books group. I also post free short YA stories on that group, more than 50 of them so far.
You can also find me on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/KajeHarper
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