Happy #SpooktasticReads 2024! | Exploring ‘Hidden Universities and Schools’ as talked about during #WyrdAndWonder

We LOVE challenging each other during #WyrdAndWonder with prompts which inspire responses which can be taken literally by the words of the prompt itself or become explored more creatively by what sparks a response from the reader, blogger or social Fantasy lover to share with us during the month of May. This year, I’ve decided to post complimentary discussions featuring the prompts I am responding to via Instagram on our @WyrdAndWonder feeds. As it was a goal of mine last year but not one that I could fulfil properly.

Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!

I originally shared this post about ‘Hidden Universities and Magical Schools’ during #WyrdAndWonder this past May – however, I had intended to expand upon why I picked the stories I had to feature and what drew me into the stories which resonated with me to continue. However, as you might have gathered time was not on my side this year and the hours evaporated before I realised the month had concluded. I had intended to share this as a chase towards #SpooktasticReads but in the end, I’m sharing it as our lovely event starts to come to a close as Halloween is truly only hours away.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with our lovely mini-event – we host 13 days every October to devour and read as much spookified reads we can lock eyes and hands upon which give us a bit of a chillingly fantastical read within the pages of Paranormal Fantasy, Cosy Horror intermixed with Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, stories of the Fae which might prove to be more Unseelie than Seelie as well as any darker corridor of Fantasy realms which might celebrate the darker veils of Autumn. It is a time to get our spook on and walk alongside witches and familiars as well as explore the stories which befit the season of changes as Summer’s wrath has led into a lovely respite of cooler weather!

I felt it would be quite fitting to re-explore this topic now as I have the tendency of reading a heap of lovely #WitchyFiction, stories of the Paranormal and Urban Fantasy during our Spooktastic Reads celebrations and events as much as Autumn is always the season in which I am in the proper mood to explore this side of Fantasy. Some of you might already be familiar with these stories – if you’ve read them or want to read them be sure to let me know in the comments.

We all have come to love the Magical School and/or Universities as a setting in Fantasy Literature for a long time now. Many of us have travelled through popular corridors of this niche in the genre too. I have been attempting to seek out the lesser-known corridors for awhile now and my favourite discovery by far was TransWitch by E. Chris Garrison. Of which you can happily find reviewed here. It is hard to believe I visited the lovely world Ms Chris created within that University two years ago! Time has had a funny effect on me recently – as stories I think I’ve read just ‘last year’ or ‘just a few short months ago’ have the tendency of having longer distances away from me. I credit what has been going on in my personal life with my Dad – as time has been a bit of a vacuum of space these last few years.

I was truly overjoyed by my discoveries at my local library this year – as I wasn’t thinking they would have such a wide selection of choice when it comes to this topic. Mostly as my library doesn’t quite carry the larger selection of titles when it comes to certain branches of literature but every so often, they surprise me. I decided to cast a rather large net of choices and that is how I came upon the titles I showcased during #WyrdAndWonder as I responded to this prompt on the challenge this year.

Similar to other prompt responses I’ve been sharing throughout #SpooktasticReads, quite a few of the stories I’ve been smitten with to listen in full will be further explored as Autumn continues to grace us with its presence ahead of Winter. I am truly captivated by the narrators, the stories and the new voices in literature I’ve been discovering. It has been quite the lovely readathon for me and a kind respite from my work life, too.

The story I knew about previously was this one:

Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston (see also this Post)

And, the new ones I’ve just found:

Curious Tides by Pascale Lacelle
*found the content warnings and realised
this was not the right story for me to be listening too

A Scholar of Magics & A College of Magics by Caroline Stevermer

Greenwild by Pari Thomson

Lobizona by Romina Garber

Conjure Island by Eden Royce

A School for Sorcery by E. Rose Sabin

I have decided to make my #25PagePreview a duology feature – meaning, when I am sampling books in print, the original tagline of a #25PagePreview will apply. However, as I’ve been moving more into audiobooks over the years since (2016) when I first learnt about them and delved into seeking out narrators and narrated stories – I’ve decided it is time to make a proper declaration about splitting this feature into two equally beautiful parts. Thereby, the following are the thoughts and musings I had whilst I listened to the first twenty-five minutes instead to keep within the concept of my feature even though that might be past a traditional twenty-five pages of a printed copy.

This is the first post to debut my #25MinutePreview feature even though previously some of those twenty-five-minute previews were tucked into #25PagePreview posts.

NOTE: Before I could finish this post due to work commitments during #SpooktasticReads my subscription to Everand took a bit of a turn. We’re only allowed one listen per month that is considered a premium title, and the rest are able to be heard as much as we want. Ironically, ALL the audiobooks I’ve saved to listen to are considered “premium” titles and thereby, I’m unsure how this will work out for me in the future as I can increase my listens to 3x per month but I’m just not sure how this will work out overall as I tend to move between audiobooks.

I listen to different ones and finish them at different intervals, etc. I don’t always listen to the same one start to finish. Sometimes I do but sometimes I don’t. *le sigh* I’m not sure why they changed this but its frustrating and I wish my libraries had CloudLibrary still as that was a big help! As their catalogue had more of what I listen to regularly than what Libby provides. Therefore, finishing this post was a bit more complicated than it originally was intended to become for me. The only hope I had was one of my regional libraries has Hoopla and blessedly they have some of the titles I love to listen to and that is how I was able to complete this post! I am considering ending my Everand subscription after I’ve listened to the titles which are ‘unlocked’. Oyyy. Not to mention the fact I contacted them and ask why EVERY audiobook on my Saved list (including some I’ve started to listen to) are suddenly ‘locked’) whilst mentioning I was considering leaving due to the insanity of having nothing to listen to and not being able to find any title, I’m interested in listening to on the ‘unlimited’ list.

Amari and the Night Brothers
(Book One: Supernatural Investigation series) by B.B. Alstron

Site | @bb_alston Insta | Pub’d by

(*) part of my subscription to Everand

About how long it’s taken me to listen to this story: I originally felt I would read this story closer to the time it released and borrow the print copy via my library and/or purchase a copy for myself. Somehow neither of those options transpired and it has been four years since I hosted the blog tour which celebrated the release! Oy. I am thankful I can finally start to get inside the story now and have the audiobook available to me to listen too.

The opening to the story is about how Amari is being bullied by girls in her school who think they are better than she is and that she has no business being in their school. The mother of one of the girls has just as fierce of a conviction against Amari as the younger girls’ which was hard to listen too but understandable as whenever someone is being bullied sometimes those opinions which are being expressed by children can stem from their parents. Parents don’t always realise the weight of their thoughts and opinions when discussing things in front of their children. Whereas others might not care at all which is not responsible at all.

Amari for her sake was full of frustration and rightly so, though I had gathered the impression her mother was a bit less understanding given how she was trying to raise her daughter right. Despite the fact her daughter was the one being harassed both on school grounds and off of it. Except to say there was more to the story as Quinton, Amari’s brother has been missing and the school felt that that might be the source of Amari’s troubles at school. Ironically, they seemed to overlook the fact sometimes what people say is what stings the most and that most bullies try to inflict emotional damage as much as physical. What was emotionally stinging though is how the bully in this instance had more power than the bullied. Which unfortunately is also true IRL more times than not and it never makes any sense to me either. Especially as it is the bullied children who tend to get punished far more severely than the bullies and that seems to be the wrong way to handle all of it – as if the bullies never are held accountable for their actions, they will simply continue to do what they do without any consequences at all. There was also a point made here about the disadvantages between those on scholarships and those who pay their way at private schools – the disadvantages being that those who pay always seek out those on scholarship and tend to harass them because they feel they are inferior to the ‘squad’. 

I couldn’t believe the reason Amari was expelled was because of how she handled being bullied but the root and cause of the incident was the fact what the bully said to Amari was cruel and mean as it was about Quinton; Amari’s missing brother. You’d think schools would put things in perspective and give a more balanced response – including having the bully herself put into therapy about how to properly talk to someone going through the circumstances Amari was going through herself and how not to say things out of spite or cruelty. Oy.

Amari was quick to explain how where she lives vs where her school was located is a world of difference. She was living in the rougher patches of the city whereas the school was in the more affluent section where girls like the ones who were bullying her would never understand a world outside of their own. Her mother is trying her best to provide for them but the guilt and weight of being away from Amari was taking its toll. 

When Amari receives a mysterious email and delivery from her brother, Quinton – she doesn’t quite know how to react. The laptop her brother gave her is the same one her mother wants to stop using as she believes it has become an unhealthy attachment for Amari. In truth, that might be partially right as she uses it to search for her brother and/or to post missing notices online. The gift Quinton gave Amari was quite the special gift – as it was an invitation to a Summer Camp which would lead her into seeing the ‘otherside’ of where the paranormal and magical are visibly able to be seen. My favourite part though was the message Quinton sent her – where a memory and a conversation could be sealed within a special vessel of delivery. 

Everything starts to take-off for Amari after she opens Quinton’s gift – which includes meeting Mr Ware and getting her first glimpse into the Bureau of Supernatural Investigations. She also gets a primer in how the jacket Quinton gave her fits everybody (magically enchanted). I could tell we were on the brink of an extraordinary journey, and I was ready to take it!

About the narrator Imani Parks: Her performance is wicked and delightful! She etches out Amari, Quinton and her mother so brilliantly! She creates uniquely different voices for all the characters in the story – lead, support and minor to where the effect is a much larger cast, and I love when narrators can theatrically perform like this as it gives so many hours of enjoyment to listen to the story! Her instincts are sharp for how to give more layers to a story and how to inflect the nuances of the characters, too. I loved how she put emotions behind the words, too, rather than just speaking them. It felt so real and so layered – as it is a very immersive performance!

Verdict? I am definitely listening to the rest of this story! I am excited to see where Amari’s journey into the secret society of paranormal investigations will take her as I had a feeling this was the start of an extraordinary adventure for Amari! Plus, the narrator has the kind of voice that not only is a delight of joy to listen to, but she pulls you into the story and settles you so completely into the characters – they feel like you’ve known them so much longer!

Greenwild by Pari Thomson

@GoodReads | Pub’d by MacMillan Audio

(*) available via my library’s Hoopla

A massive sandstorm descends, and Daisy and her Mum are nearly caught within it. I’ve seen sandstorms in the American West which not only blind out the sun, but they can be deadly for drivers on the highways as much as they are chokingly difficult to breathe through if you’re at home and are near the outside air where the sand is thick and heavy. I can’t imagine living through one on a regular basis! And, yet, in the middle of that storm Daisy saw something quite extraordinary – flowers were visible within the eye of the storm!

Layla Thistledown – a journalist who travelled the world and conducts investigative journalism is one incredible mother as she takes Daisy with her wherever she goes! For Daisy, this globe-trotting lifestyle was one she had come to know and love – even though, she felt her mother was far more daring and more adventurous than she could ever be herself. Daisy felt that was the one main difference between them – where her Mum wanted to explore more exotic places, Daisy was more cautious to venture anywhere that wasn’t yet known to her and didn’t feel she had the same kind of bravery her Mum had either.

They loved going to the Royal Botanical Gardens – which was an interesting contrast to the outside temperatures – where Winter had taken hold of the environs but inside the atmosphere and climate was completely different as it was closer to the environs of a rain forest. Warm and humid with a comfy temperature full of plants you might never have the chance to see again. It was whilst they were in their favourite space we learnt more about Daisy – about how she could conjure nature and and natural materials to do things which defy logic and sometimes gravity! Such as the story which was related to us about her time in India when she took-on a bully and how he suddenly had a bad case of poison ivy – despite being on pavement and nowhere near the typical environment for where the ivy grows and can latch onto you. This gave me a sense that Daisy is more than what she appears and that perhaps, their travels have more to do with her abilities than just a wander thirst of excitement to chase after per each assignment her Mum takes-on to investigate.

Whilst at tea, over scones and clotted cream, Layla tells Daisy that her new assignment in the Amazon rainforest isn’t one that she can join due to the high level of dangers which will make her safety harder to control. This news doesn’t suit Daisy at all as the only option for her would be to go to boarding school – knowing what I do about those places, I knew Daisy wouldn’t fit in well and she might have trouble finding her way with her peers, too. Yet, part of me realised her Mum was right – it is best not to seek out more danger than you can wager and to keep safe what cannot be replaced.

Before they left after eating – Layla gave Daisy an unexpected gift. One that came with a few scant instructions for Daisy and a whirl of a mystery as well! It appeared to be a regular paperweight, but Layla implied it was something much more than it appeared – especially considering that Daisy could take it to the Gardens and wait for ‘help’ or ‘assistance’ in the alarming case of knowing something happened to Layla! And, it was here where my preview of the story concluded! I was so engaged into the moment of the story, I was not yet prepared to exit! 

About the narrator Sophia Nomvete: I am in LOVE with her performance! She truly has a captivating voice – you’re pulled immediately into the story because of her ability to fuse you directly into these characters and their lives. I was so mesmorised by it, I was forgetting to jot down jots about the story and of course, her performance, too! Very dramatically voiced and she has a knack for understanding how to illuminate characters for listeners, too! I love whenever I find a narrator who sounds just as excited to narrate a book as I am eager to listen to it! She is definitely a narrator I want to seek out more books from and I am hoping she continues to narrate stories I will want to be reading. 

Verdict? I am wicked thrilled I have this title for 21 days via Hoopla and I will definitely be continuing to listen to it until it concludes!! I am so itchy to know what secrets are being hidden from view – does Layla have special gifts as much as Daisy? And, what are Daisy’s gifts exactly? What can she do and how does environmental factors play a part in them? As it feels like this story parlays a bit on the environment and natural forces as much as elemental magic. Ooh. I can say, it is going to be an incredible listen, that is for sure!

Lobizona by Romina Garber

Site | @rominagarber Insta | Pub’d by: MacMillan Audio

(*) available via my library’s Hoopla

I admit, I had trouble settling into this story in the beginning as it never interested me in hearing about another girl’s menstrual experience. And, for whichever reason that is a good chunk of what is going on with this story as it first begins. We were introduced to the terror and reality of ICE going to apartment buildings looking for undocumented immigrants and from there, we had to hear about the difficulties and pain of a girl going through her period. Oy. I definitely could have skipped over that section and listen to what happened after it. Except to say, the character was undergoing a major physical and sensory change which seemed to be interlinked to her monthly visitor. 

About the narrator Sol Madariaga: I love the narrator’s voice. I especially love her incantations of the language of the novel – she has a wonderful cadence in her voice and gives a lot to her performance. She is a delight to listen too in order words! Plus, even though I can’t always understand the words in a language outside of English, I am glad they were inclusive in the audiobook because they below to the story and the characters as that is the language they speak.

Verdict? I couldn’t gain traction with this one. I think for me, it was where the story began and how we first were introduced to Manu. Despite enjoying the narrator, I just wasn’t connecting with the story or at least, how it was being told. I realised this just isn’t my cuppa tea and that’s okay. I think for me, it would have been a better entrance if we had begun in a different place – or perhaps, heard more about the ‘other place’ Manu went too whenever she was induced by the drug to get through the worst of her cycles. Either way, it just wasn’t for me.

Conjure Island by Eden Royce

Site | @edenroycebooks Insta | Pub’d by Harper Audio

(*) available via my library’s Hoopla and/or via Spotify

This is the same author of “Root Magic” which is another title I am interested in listening too. I came across Root Magic first and then, I found Conjure Island this year. 

I could feel the emotion of Dell in this story – knowing that she had lost her mother as she was bourne is a difficult pill to swallow. She’s a young girl growing up in a family who chooses not to speak about her mother and that creates an empty space she cannot fill. Her grandmother and father dodge the questions to such a degree that she doesn’t even know the basics about her mother, nor does she have any tangible memory to attach her heart too.

Dell and her grandmother are on a road trip to their next destination as Dell’s father is deployed with the military and she lives with her grandmother whilst he’s gone. Dell has had the traditional upbringing where she hasn’t lived in any one place for longer than a year. She hasn’t had the chance to put down traditional roots with friends and their family is quite small, so it has just been three against the world for a very long time. Dell is a happy child – she’s eleven and wishes she were older – as she’d like to be of more help to her grandmother whose health is stable, but Dell worries about her all the same. She even has timers on her phone to remind her of the medicine schedule for her grandmother. Whilst they were travelling – Dell found a place for them to eat but couldn’t help noticing how fatigued her grandmother was getting as the miles went by.

On arrival, we learnt that they always stay off base and the savings in the living expenses were saved for Dell’s college days which were still years ahead of them. She was only eleven as the story begins and quite ahead of her years, too. We were observing them going through all the things that you’d imagine would be involved with moving. From finding the new house, to letting in the movers and then, trying to get everything cleaned and situated thereafter. I agree with them about ordering takeaway – who wants to cook and clean even more the day you move in? You’re already exhausted!

There was a happy surprise in the beginning of the story – apparently, Dell’s grandmother was a professional singer when she was younger and as her song came on the radio whilst they were driving – Dell started to sing! Turpin did a great job of showcasing that sweet moment in the car and I was overjoyed that singing was part of the audiobook experience.

We didn’t get too much revealled yet as far as what is going to go on with the plot, etc, as this was more focused on them relocating and settling in whilst noting that the grandmother’s health could be in decline or jeopardy. I am reminding myself not to get too attached in case something does happen to the grandmother. I am definitely intrigued and will be continuing the story!

About the narrator Bahni Turpin: She has a wicked voice, and it is well suited to narration. I loved how she voiced the grandmother and Dell. You knew immediately who was ‘in-scene’ due to how she voiced them, and she had an uncanny ability to sound younger (as Dell) and more mature (as the grandmother) within seconds. I know it must be hard to make transitions in audio, but Turpin does it beautifully. Truly loving her performance and can’t wait to hear more of it!

Verdict? Goodness! You don’t want to stop here – you want to know what Dell is about to uncover as she was unpacking things for the house. I had a feeling she was about to stumble upon to something keenly important or perhaps even a secret!? Something was definitely in the air so to speak! I cannot wait to dive back into this story and curl up inside it, too!

You might have noticed I didn’t mention three of the stories listed – two of the novels are by Stevermer and the other one is by Sabin. The latter I will need to re-borrow from the library once it resumes operation as they are under renovations at the moment. When it comes to Stevermer’s novels – I have a special announcement to make during #SpooktasticReads about those lovely stories and I look forward to that revelation as it is quite wicked!

And, what about you?

Which kinds of Hidden Universities and Magical School stories do you love reading yourself?

About #SpooktasticReads2024 :

A second event annually for our Wyrd And Wonder community!

We’ll be sharing our #SpooktasticReads prompts via #bookstagram as well as celebrating the ‘spookier side of Fantasy’ on our book blogs. Join your hosts: Imyril, Lisa, Jorie, Annemieke and Ari as we sort how to rock out our Autumnal event as we chase after Halloween!

Spooktastic Reads is Wyrd and Wonder’s autumnal ghost, 13 days to share the thrills of dark fantasy, paranormal romance, ghost stories, urban legends, all things Gothic and even a side of horror for those who dare. – as revealled by Annemieke

Last year, I compiled a bit of a back-history of #SpooktasticReads on Jorie Loves A Story which you can happily re-visit by reading this lovely post! We look forward to sharing this journey with you via Discord, BlueSky and Instagram socially whilst we’ll be looking out for your posts on your blogs if you choose to explore this side of Wyrd And Wonder with us, too. If you’re into pre-planning and sharing what you’re going to be doing in October, be sure to tag us socially and/or share links in our comments via our blogs so we can visit with you and see what you’ll be doing, too!

To get a bit of an inkling of what to expect from me this year, kindly visit my previous #SpooktasticReads posts. Remember: I originally created this as a personal readathon and concentration of certain kinds of stories before I pitched it to become a part of Wyrd And Wonder wherein it took on a new life of its own over the years to become what it is today. I am very proud of its history and humble origins as much as I am wicked happy it developed into a lovely addition to our Wyrd And Wonder community. I’ll be talking a bit more about this history of #SpooktasticReads and the stories I’ve read over the years as the 2024 event gets underway in October.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my expanded posts this #SpooktasticReads which reference the prompts we challenged everyone to respond too.

{SOURCES: Wyrd And Wonder banner and badges created by Imyril. (Image Credit: black dragon image by Ehtisham Sajid on 123RF.com) #SpooktasticReads banner created by Imyril. (Art credit: Vera Petruk). Banner and badges are used with permission. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: #25MinutePreview graphic, #SpooktasticReads badge and Hidden Universities graphic (Photo Credit: © jorielovesastory.com) and the Comment Box Banner.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2024.

I’m a social reader, I am on BlueSky & Instagram!

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

• #SpooktasticReads 2024
• #WyrdAndWonder