This month was full of faery tales, monster myths reimagined, and the new book from one of Australian literature’s national treasures… 

11 – At the Coffee Shop of Curiosities by Heather Webber
Heather Webber’s At the Coffee Shop of Curiosities is such an enchanting, moving, heart-breaking but heart-healing book. The fifth of her stand-alone magical realism novels, it’s set in Driftwood, a small Southern town full of compelling characters, including the local “witch” and the world’s grumpiest cat, and is woven through with a little magic, a little romance and a little mystery, as well as friendship, found family, and a bunch of long-hidden secrets that are about to be revealed. 
Maggie runs the local coffee shop, where she serves hot drinks and sweet pastries while practising her unique ability – matching people in need with one of the strange curiosities she collects, an everyday object that means nothing to her but can change the trajectory of their life if they let it. Yet while she’s the beating heart of the town, she’s desperately trying to hide the fact that she’s falling apart and is in need of some magic too.
Ava, a stranger, has been over-protected and worried-over her whole life, thanks to some health issues, so when she receives a letter with a mysterious job listing in the faraway town of Driftwood just after the death of her ex, she jumps at the chance for a new start where no one knows her or her history. When Maggie gives her a job, as well as a silver thimble engraved with butterflies, she’s offered the chance of a brand-new life – if she’s brave enough to grab it.
Both women are haunted by loss and grief, fear and regret, but as their friendship slowly deepens, the chance of healing comes tantalisingly close – although they will have to find the courage to be vulnerable, forgive themselves and others, and accept help as well as love, and that scares the hell out of both of them. In alternating chapters, Ava and Maggie explore the causes of their sadness and the impact of all they’ve lost, and weigh up what they must let go of, and what is worth holding on to, no matter the cost.
Heather Webber is one of my favourite authors and an automatic auto-buy, although I’m always torn between reading her new book right away or waiting, because I love knowing I still have one of hers to read, and part of me wants to save it and savour that feeling. But I’m so glad I finally let myself read this one – I love the way she can touch your heart with her charm-filled small-town vibes, multi-layered characters, and insight into what makes people hurt, and heal. I listened to the audiobook, brilliantly narrated by Stephanie Willis and Hallie Ricardo, who have together voiced all but one of Heather’s beautiful magical realism books, but I bought the hardcover as soon as I finished, because I can’t wait to curl up on the couch with a pot of tea and read this one again. And I’m super-excited that Heather’s new book A Certain Kind of Starlight will be released in July.

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12 – Nettle and Bone by T Kingfisher
I really liked T Kingfisher’s Bryony and Roses, a twist on Beauty and the Beast, and Nettle and Bone is wonderful too. It’s a faery tale of sorts, with a third-sister-princess who’s living as a sort-of nun, a witch – the grumpy dust-wife who can speak to the dead – a ditsy faery godmother, an evil prince, a brave warrior, assorted magical helpers (including a creepy but loveable reanimated bone dog and a hilarious chicken possessed by a demon) and a set of impossible tasks the unlikely heroine must complete before she can try to rescue her sister from her cruel prince-husband. It starts off a little more grim and horror-tinged than I like – with naïve but broken princess/nun Marra in a charnel pit of bones, trying to wire together a dog and bring it to life before she gets eaten by the cannibal zombies ravaging the blistered lands – but it ended up being an enchanting story, full of humour, friendship, adventure, a gripping quest, found family, and magic paid for dearly by those who need it most.
There is darkness – the prince in question married Marra’s oldest sister first, then murdered her and married the next sister, who is now trapped in a violent hell of abuse and constant pregnancy – and when Marra discovers this she vows to kill him to save her sister, despite having no idea how you go about murdering a prince. But there is sweetness too, people and creatures who will restore her faith in humanity, beautiful writing, and laugh-out-loud moments that combine to create a charming tale that I loved.
I’m looking forward to reading more of her books, and listening to T/Ursula speak at her book launch in a couple of weeks – she’s in Australia for the first time, for Supanova Melbourne (April 6-7), launches in Canberra (April 8) and Sydney (April 9 and 10), and Gold Coast Supanova (April 13-14)…

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13 – Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree is a sweet, fun adventure, with adorable characters, colourful villains, some action-packed fighting and cool cosy vibes. The MC, fierce orc barbarian Viv, has retired from her bounty hunting life to open a coffee shop – adding to her challenge by choosing a town where no one knows what the magical liquid is. There are people who want her to fail, and old colleagues with a grudge, but there are also wonderful friendships, and the touching loyalty of found family, both from her old life and her new. I loved shy, charming succubus Tandri, barista apprentice and workmate, gruff hob builder Cal, and shy ratkin baker Thimble, whose cinnamon rolls and chocolate croissants are to die for. There’s also a dire-cat who adopts the café and becomes a fierce protector, and various witches, elves and stone-fey.
The tagline is: High fantasy, low stakes – with a double-shot of coffee, and it’s true that the stakes aren’t high, but it’s still a compelling read
It’s a light, shortish novel – the audiobook is just over seven hours, but the last hour is a short story from Viv’s world, amusingly called Pages to Fill: A Legends & Lattes Story (it’s included in the second edition of the L&L book). I was initially disappointed that the main story ended abruptly, an hour shorter than expected, but the short prequel story is worth listening to too.
The audiobook is read brilliantly by the author, as Travis was (and still is) a full-time audiobook narrator, who lent his voice to hundreds of books before he decided to write one himself. Before that, he spent decades designing and building video games like Torchlight, Rebel Galaxy and Fate. He lives in the Pacific Northwest of America with his very patient family and their small, nervous dog. His second book is Bookshops & Bonedust, now labelled Legends & Lattes book one, but it’s a prequel to this novel, which I’m looking forward to getting to at some point, and I’d certainly read more about Viv, Tandri and Cal’s cafe and life journeys if he continues this one…

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14 – Legend of the Dragon Soul: Shadow Dragon Saga Book 2 by Selina Fenech
I loved Selina Fenech’s YA fantasy trilogy Memory’s Wake, as well as the gripping Beshadowed series, and now the countdown is on to the launch of her epic new series, the six-book Shadow Dragon Saga. The first book, Curse of the Dragon Shadow, will be released on April 18, quickly followed by book two, Legend of the Dragon Soul, on May 16, and book three, Rise of the Dragon Sworn, on June 20. There will also be three further books, yay!
I read the first book last year, and just finished book two, which is equally action-packed and compelling. I don’t want to reveal any spoilers, but this epic young adult fantasy adventure is a total page-turner, full of non-stop action and danger, wonderfully fleshed-out characters (in contrast to the reanimated revs above ground), fascinating motives, emotions and ethical dilemmas, magic, mythical creatures, sassy, conflicted heroines and others who may or may not be villains, and incredible bonds of love and friendship to offset the cruelty of some. And while on one level it can be read as a straight-forward adventure series, it also subtly comments on the darkness of humanity – exploitation of the poor, slavery, animal extinctions, corruption, lies and cruelty – as well as all that is good in (some) people, from the strength of community, the kindness to and caring for the vulnerable, and the many who do fight for freedom and equality, no matter the risks, and will go to any length necessary to protect their loved ones and save what is most important to them. There are plot twists, including a couple of things that totally shocked me – it’s not predictable at all! – and the writing is completely captivating, with a mini cliff-hanger at the end of pretty much every chapter, so you just have to keep reading. The cover art and internal layouts are also stunning, it will be available as ebook, paperback, hardcover and audiobook, and there are edges even on the paperbacks – everything about this thrilling series is a book-lover’s dream…

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15 – Yexian: The Chinese Cinderella by Alyssa Curtayne
One of the things I love about the Australian Fairy Tale Society is the deep research and history we dive into for each of our chosen stories, following the roots of each tale around the world and back in time to discover threads of it in cultures and time periods we never imagined.
Storyteller Alyssa Curtayne did so much research into the tale we now know as Cinderella for a performance she was planning – including trawling through lengthy and hard-to-find academic papers – that she decided to publish it for the benefit of other curious faery-tale lovers. The Cinderella variant (or precursor) Yexian has been traced back to ninth century southern China, and is currently believed to be the origin of the girl in the glass slipper. There’s a young woman mistreated by her stepmother and stepsisters, golden slippers, a magical fish friend and a cloak made of kingfisher feathers. What’s not to love?
Alyssa’s book Yexian: The Chinese Cinderella includes a retelling of the Chinese story as it’s currently understood (acknowledging there may be translation difficulties), the story’s history, translated summaries, the symbols and motifs of the tale, as well as a creative reimagining of the story by Alyssa. There are some typos in this mini book, but it’s a wonderful resource and addition to faery-tale knowledge, and is available as an ebook, paperback, hardcover or audiobook. It’s the first in a series of little-known fairy tales and their histories, published for storytellers, researchers and fairy-tale enthusiasts alike.
Another thing I love about the AFTS is the wonderful collaborations that come about when members work together, and the beautiful artwork is by fellow AFTS member Erin-Claire Barrow – who is also the author and artist of her own books, including The Adventurous Princess and Other Feminist Fairy Tales, which includes her own beautiful reimagining of Cinderella, amongst several others.

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16 – The Stolen Bairn and the Sidhe by Sorche Nic Leodhas
The Australian Fairy Tale Society’s April story is The Stolen Bairn and the Sidh, an enchanting Scottish tale of a mother whose baby is taken by the fae – not abducted, as in many stories of the fae, but because they came across it on its own, not realising its mum had fallen on the clifftop while trying to find water for the bub. The mother sets out to find her child, and when she is told he is with the fae, so should give up her search, she refuses, turning her journey into a magical quest that is a tribute to a mother’s love and the value we place on various things.
It was first published in Sorche Nic Leodhas’s book Thistle and Thyme in 1962, and there is debate over whether it’s a traditional Scottish tale she collected, or was handed down within her family, or is a literary tale she crafted herself. Either way, it’s a wonderful, magical story. There’s a word-for-word reproduction in Kathleen Ragan’s book Fearless Girls, Wise Women and Beloved Sisters (a great resource, as it collects many lost-to-time stories from many cultures and time periods in one place), and Kate Forsyth and Lorena Carrington retold the story in their gorgeous Vasilisa the Wise and Other Tales of Brave Young Women book – it’s a more beautiful retelling of Sorche’s story. (It’s also in their new book Kate Forsyth’s Long-Lost Fairy Tales.)