My Name Is Magic

Review\n"I absolutely loved My Name Is Magic. The novel is a gripping, page-turning mystery and a wonderful, welcome addition to the Magic School subgenre. Drawing from Finnish mythology, Xan Van Rooyen creates a spellbinding setting brimming with wintry darkness and ancient sorcery while introducing a diverse cast with a marvelous non-binary main character. I found myself immediately longing for a continuation to Taika's story - in the meantime, I may just have to read My Name Is Magic again!" - Emmi Itäranta author of Memory of Water and The Moon Day Letters\n"A whirlwind magic-school mystery, full of Finnish mythological lore. I adored Taika and their found family of delightfully complex misfit mages. A whimsical, edge-of-your seat adventure that navigates powerful themes of overconsumption and degrowth alongside queer adolescent challenges of bullying, unsupportive parents, and toxic thought patterns."- Sim Kern author of Seeds for the Swarm and Depart, Depart!\n"Immersive, enchanting, and spellbinding! Xan van Rooyen weaves a powerful tale that's as inclusive as it is magical!"- Brooks Benjamin author of My Seventh Grade Life In Tights\n"If you've been looking for a magic school fantasy that's also diverse and inclusive, My Name is Magic will give you what you need. Rich with Finnish mythology...van Rooyen gets inside the head of a misunderstood teen as they slowly realise their prejudices against others, and see their own worth. My Name is Magic perfectly captures the bittersweet emotional rollercoaster of the outsider teen, wraps it in magic, adventure, and mythology, and manages to be both dark and charming."- Cat Hellisen author of King of the Hollow Dark\nTaika Turunen has no magic. 
Despite coming from a long line of powerful Finnish mages, and their name literally meaning magic, Taika can't perform the simplest of spells. 
Forced to attend Myrskyjärvi International School for the Magically Gifted on account of their mom being principal, Taika has a hard time fitting in. Sometimes, they wonder if not having magic has something to do with the fact they're neither a girl nor a boy and if they're fated to be "Taika the Talentless" forever. 
Life goes from bad to worse when Natalie, Taika's former BFF, is mysteriously absent from class, only to appear to Taika as a liekkiö, a spirit begging for their help. As more students go missing, Taika must take the lead in a race against time to save friends old and new before a powerful group of chaos mages can unleash the legendary Sampo, an artefact capable of either saving the world's waning magic or destroying everything Taika holds dear. 
To rescue Natalie, Taika will have to journey to the liminal space between worlds where they'll be forced to battle mythical monsters and their own dwindling self-esteem. In doing so, Taika might just discover that magic-and love-comes in many different forms. 
For fans of witchcraft and wizardry looking for a new, inclusive magic school to attend, My Name Is Magic, is a story about finding strength from within and potential where you least expected it.

Teen & Young Adult

Van Rooyen, Xan

Literature & Fiction

Tiny Ghost Press

The Sheehy witches are the most feared and detested family on the island of Inisliath, and none more so than Rowan.\nAs a deathwalker, Rowan ferries island souls to the Otherworld, experiencing their deaths and carrying their memories like ghosts within him. It's a fated role he accepts even as it inexorably destroys him.\nWhen the magic on the island starts to seep away from the other founding families, everyone blames the Sheehys-especially when islanders start dying.\nAsh is sick of their father's fists and constantly having to apologize for who they are. Life on Inisliath might be the fresh start Ash and their mum need, and meeting soft-spoken, curly-haired Rowan feels like the ray of sunshine Ash has desperately needed-but everything goes sideways when Ash's mum becomes lead detective on a series of ritualistic murders allegedly tied to island magic, and Ash's family history.\nThe islanders are convinced Rowan is guilty, but Ash refuses to believe it. When Ash does some investigating of their own, they discover Rowan is far more likely to be the next victim. With time running out to save Rowan, Ash will have to choose between a life free of their father or the boy they're starting to love. Meanwhile Rowan will have to decide just how much he's willing to sacrifice to save his family from the darkness about to be unleashed on the island.

By the Blood of Rowans

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Gunn, Jessica

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Campbell, Cheyenne L.

Sheikh, Fahim

Short Stories & Anthologies

Independently published

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Books by Van Rooyen, Xan