The Library Coven

This fortnight, the amazing debut novel streak continues! We’re discussing  Witches Steeped in Gold   by Ciannon Smart . Tune in for a deep dive into a nuanced magical system and some close reading of Smart’s excellent wordsmithing. Also, we have a good time trolling each other in the “Real Talk” segment. Content warning for brief discussions of rape, sexual assault and chi...

Hello, Coven! This week we’re coming at you with a discussion of  The Gilded Ones   by Namina Forna . We had such an amazing time reading this debut novel, and we can’t wait to see what happens with the future of the series! On to the notes! Content warning for discussions of rape, sexual assault, violence,  parental death, and mentions of Harry Potter. Survey link if you want to help...

Hey, everyone! We’re so incredibly excited to share this episode about Legendborn by Tracy Deonn.   It’s a captivating, innovative and insightful riff on Arthurian legend set in contemporary North Carolina. Jessie and Cynthia’s (of @cynthiasreadinglist) campaign to get everyone to read this book continues! Content warning for discussions of racism, slavery, and parental death A q...

Hello, beautiful coven! We’re back for season 4 with all new episodes, and we’re starting out strong with  A Sky Beyond the Storm   by Sabaa Tahir , the final book in An Ember in the Ashes  series. If you want to check out the other books’ discussions you can find them here:  An Ember in the Ashes , A Torch Against the Night , & A Reaper at the Gates . A quick reminder: we st...

Final interview episode coming at you with Reni K. Amayo , author of The Return of the Earth Mother  series and founder of Onwe ! The first book in the series, Daughters of Nri is available now, and you can pre-order the forthcoming book in the series,  Decedents of the First , which is available October 5th! You can find Reni on Instagram or Twitter , and we highly recommend checking out her book...

We’re excited to bring you our second interview! This time we’re chatting with Katy Michelle Quinn. She is the author of  Girl in the Walls , which is out June 1, 2021 from Clash Books. You can preorder the book here! Say ‘hi’ to Katy Michelle Quinn on twitter or instagram . Katy has attended Bizarro Con and misses those moments of connection at in-person conventions. She i...

We’re thrilled to bring you this interview with author Ashaye Brown (she/her) whose debut novel,  Dream Country ,will be released on April 27, 2021. Aka next week (!!) for those of you listening when the episode drops. This will be the first in a mini-series of three author interviews we will be releasing in the lead up to our next season of the podcast. You can order Dream Country directly...

It’s here! Our final episode of Season 3, in which we discuss   A Court of Wings and Ruin   by Sarah J. Maas , the 3rd book in the Court of Thorns and Roses series. It’s a longer episode…#SorryNotSorry because we have so many thoughts and feelings! We’ll be back to regularly scheduled programming (aka bi-weekly podcasts about a-mah-zing books) starting June 1st, 2021. Make...

Hello, Coven! How is your winter going? We’re excited to bring you a new episode discussing  Deathless Divide by Justina Ireland and finishing up the Dread Nation series. If you need a recap of what in the first book, you can check out our episode about Dread Nation ! Please consider taking our supporter survey! It should require only 5-10 minutes and it will help us get to know our audience...

Please consider taking our supporter survey! It should require only 5-10 minutes and it will help us get to know our audience and get your feedback about the content we create. http://bit.ly/LibraryCovenSurvey Greetings, coven! In this episode we discuss Pet by Akwaeke Emezi , their debut young adult novel. It’s a pretty quick read that deals with some heavy issues in ways that are accessibl...

Hold on to your hats, folks! This fortnight we’re reading  The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin , the first book in The Broken Earth Trilogy . And no matter how many people talk about their love for this book, it was not our cup of tea! We spent a lot of time being confused, and maybe had more questions than answers in this episode. What are your thoughts on this book? Content Warning for discus...

In this episode we’re discussing Queen of the Conquered Kacen Callender (they/them), the first book in the Islands of Blood and Storm series. The book takes place in a Caribbean-inspired fantasy world and follows our main character, Sigourney, as she makes a bid for power as the only Black person in contention to rule the islands that have been colonized by the white Fjern. When all those in line...

Let’s take a look back at all the wonderful things we loved in this shit show of a year– most of them book-related, although we chat about film/TV a fair amount too. We want to share our favs with y’all in the hopes of spreading a bit more joy around. Please reach out and let us know yours as well!  We know this time of year is filled with wrap ups, lists, etc. (hell, we’re compl...

Hello, coven! And welcome to one of the last episodes of the shit show that has been 2020! This week we’re discussing Blanca & Roja by Anna-Marie McLemore  (they/them). Let’s talk about some swans! What is magical realism ? We talked a bit about being Latinx and white. There have been lots of great discussions about this, and here are 2 videos that explain it better than K or I did...

Hello everyone, and most especially to Saidah, who emailed us in December 2019 asking about when we were going to record an episode about R.F. Kuang’s The Dragon Republic . Saidah, we’re only a year late, but that time is now! If y’all need to recap the first book in the series, you can check out Episode 15 of the podcast in which we discuss The Poppy War.   Full disclosure: this...

Hello, coven! This week we’re discussing  Wayward Witch ,  the third and final (?) book in the Brooklyn Brujas series by Zoraida Córdova . You can check out our episodes about  Labyrinth  Lost and Bruja Born if you need a refresher about what happened in the earlier books! Which was your favorite of the series? What would be your sinmago power be? Full episode transcript below or access the...

hiya, coven! This week we’re coming at you with a discussion of  Nocturna   by Maya Motayne . We both loved this book and didn’t realize how complex the world building and magical system were until we came together in conversation (aka we’re both a little befuddled, and that’s fine!). Motayne’s debut novel is full of relatable characters and exquisite writing. Oh, and...

Hello, Coven! This week we’re coming at you with a discussion of Wicked Fox by Kat Cho . We really enjoyed reading some urban fantasy that took place in South Korea. What are your thoughts about this book? We’re a bit light on notes, because we actually stuck to the book more than usual! Call to action: It’s November 3, and if you haven’t already, be sure to go vote! K watc...

hey, magical beings! This fortnight we’re bringing you a conversation about  A Song of Wraiths and Ruin   by Roseanne A. Brown , the first in a planned duology. The second/final installment,  A Psalm of Storms and Silence  is due out in early 2021. Content Warning  for discussions of parent death, panic attacks, and child abuse. ChildHelp   Call 1-800-422-4453 for assistance Call to Action:...

Hello, coven! This is one of the last few episodes where we refer to ourselves as JK, It’s Magic. We hope you like our new name, and that you feel like you’re part of the coven. This week we’re talking about  Bruja Born by Zoraida Córdova , were we get to know a lot more about Lula! If you need a recap about what happened in the last book, check out our Labyrinth Lost episode. Ca...

We’re coming at you with a super special bonus episode discussing all things about the first two seasons of Umbrella Academy ! If you enjoy this episode, let us know, and let us know about any other bonus episode things you’d like to see in the future!! As always, we’d love to be in discussion with you, magical folx. Post or tweet about the show using #criticallyreading. Let us know wh...

Greetings to all you magical beings out there! This fortnight, we’re discussing A Curse so Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer. We immensely enjoyed Kemmerer’s spin on the whole Beauty and the Beast tradition, and we found Harper to be one of the most relatable and badass protagonists! There’s so much about this novel that we found relevant to our pandemic times– especially re: di...

Hello, magical folx! This fortnight we’re discussing  Crier’s War by Nina Varela! This book is fantasy adjacent, and leans a bit more toward science fiction, but we have lots of world building and robot things to talk about! Call to action:  This week we’re educating ourselves on how the various technologies we use impact BIPOC and disabled people. Here are two books that can hel...

Hello, magical friends! We’ve got a bonus episode for you! We recently celebrated 2 years of the podcast! We are so excited to have been in communication with you for the last two years! The time has really flown by. We just wanted to take this time to thank you all who have been here since the beginning, and thank you to those who have just discovered us, to the people who chat with us on I...

hello, everyone! We’re excited to bring you this episode about  The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black, the final installment of the Folk of the Air series (after The  Cruel Prince  and The  Wicked King – which we discuss in episode 8 and episode 16 , respectively). In the novel, we finally get to find out what happens to Jude and Cardan, and we see everything that unfolds after Jude was banish...