The Library Coven

A bi-weekly podcast in which two besties read young adult fantasy through a critical lens

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  • book, A Tempest of Tea, held in a brown hand with a black mug in the background
    Episodes

    97. A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal

    May 28, 2024 /

    It’s our final episode (!), and we’re discussing A Tempest of Tea, the much anticipated new novel by Hafsah Faizal. We meet Arthie Casimir and her crew who run a tea-house-turned-blood-house called Spindrift in the city of White Roaring. When Spindrift is threatened, Arthie is forced to make alliances and pull off a dangerous heist. There are vampires, colonial shenanigans, forgeries, and intrigue galore. The book ends on a serious cliffhanger, and we don’t know when to expect the next installment. Links for ways to keep in touch included below 🙂 Recommend if you like… Hafsah’s other duology The Sands of Arawiya (We Hunt the Flame episode 32 and We Free the Stars episode 54)…

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    The Atlas Six on a white cloth and blue marble background. 4 skeins of orange yarn flank the book on each corner

    76. The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake

    February 7, 2023
    Faith Taking Flight by Julie Murphy on dark blue marbled background

    64. Faith: Taking Flight by Julie Murphy

    February 8, 2022
    A Magic Steeped in Poison surrounded by 4 skeins of warm colored yarn in reds and oranges. A white cloth and blue marbled surface make up the background.

    83. A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin

    June 27, 2023
  • A light brown hand with black nail polish holds I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me in front of a large tree with orange and yellow leaves.
    Episodes

    96. I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me by Jamison Shea

    May 14, 2024 /

    Show announcement: several months ago we decided that it’s time for The Library Coven to come to an end, so this will be our final season. Over the past nearly 6 years we’ve loved making the show and forging connections with folks we never would have met otherwise. But it’s time for our HEAs*. Whether you’re a new listener or someone who’s been with us since early days, thank you for giving us your attention <3 Links for ways to keep in touch included below 🙂 *happily-ever-afters Onto the penultimate episode! We were both captivated by the debut horror novel I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me…

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    Light-skinned brown hand holds novel A DREAM SO DARK. Shelves of library books in the background.

    31. A Dream So Dark by L.L. McKinney

    June 30, 2020
    Book, Deathless Divide on a purple background with the Knight of Swords tarot card to the right

    48. Deathless Divide by Justina Ireland

    February 23, 2021
    book, The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna on a blueish grey background

    52. The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna

    June 29, 2021
  • A light brown hand holds To Shape a Dragon's Breath in front of a light blue marble background
    Episodes

    94. To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose

    April 9, 2024 /

    In this episode we discuss the first book in the Nampesheweisit series, To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose. We both listened to the audiobook narrated by Charlie Flyte. J starts the show giving it 4.5 stars but revises the rating up to 5 by the end –– this book rocks! Recommend if you like… How to Train Your Dragon ofc Magic school books generally Mythology stories. There’s a lot of mythology from Anequs’s people and Norse mythology Funny enough, I think if you like this book, you might also enjoy Jane Austen. Both authors are really funny and point out the differences between those from different societies, although it’s about…

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    Book, Shadowshaper on a blue and grey background

    58. Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older

    September 29, 2021
    Hardcover copy of Mackenzi Lee's A Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue sits on a dark wood desk next to a white mug with a "k" on it. Bookshelves in the backgroud

    12. A Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

    January 28, 2019
    Bitter on a while cloth surrounded by 4 skeins of teal, red, and multi-colored yarn.

    78. Bitter by Akwaeke Emezi

    April 4, 2023
  • Trail of Lightning held by a light brown hand with black nail polish. gold autumn leaves in the background
    Episodes

    61. Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse

    November 30, 2021 /

    Hello, coven! We’re back with a conversation about Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse. There’s some debate as to whether or not the book is young adult, but we enjoyed it regardless. Show notes below! Content warning: brief mention of sexual assault (24:55-25:40)  Why did we pick this book? J read Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse  when it came out with her book club. (patron/friend-of-the-show) Deanna said Trail of Lightning was also really good, and we’re always looking to add more diverse voices to the podcast! Should we make merch with J’s tagline “Chaos Ensues”? Recommend if you like… [read-alikes mostly, but also other media, film, tv, etc.]  The Marrow…

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    Lost in the Never Woods rests on a blue marble background between four skeins of variegated blue and purple yarn

    68. Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas

    April 19, 2022
    Book Pet on a teal background with dog paws coming in from the right side of the frame

    47. Pet by Akwaeke Emezi

    February 9, 2021
    book, Legendborn, on a grayish blue background with fairy lights at the top and bottom

    51. Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

    June 15, 2021
  • Hardcover copy of A Court of Mist and Fury with bus seats in the background
    Episodes

    21. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

    June 5, 2019 /

    Finally, the ACOMAF episode is here! J & K both adore ACOMAF, and in the spirit of that affection, we don’t shy away from dredging up the novel’s problematic aspects. Generous and loving critique is, after all, what our podcast is all about. If you need a refresher, catch up on our discussion of A Court of Thorns and Roses And now, copious show notes and links: “O I forbid you, maidens a’,That wear gowd on your hair,To come or gae by Carterhaugh,For young Tam Lin is there.” –– “The Ballad of Tam Lin” is a faerie legend from Scottish lands and it tells the story of a mortal woman…

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    Highlighted section of text (Descendant of the Crane by Joan He) on a black kindle. A sunflower sits on top of the kindle

    17. Descendant of the Crane by Joan He

    April 8, 2019
    A light brown hand with black nail polish holds up a library copy of House of Marionne in front of a blazing red tree

    95. House of Marionne by J. Elle

    April 30, 2024
    Novel CITY OF BRASS on multicolored fabric

    23. The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty

    July 4, 2019
  • A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas in front of the snowy CO front range
    Episodes

    14. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

    February 25, 2019 /

    Listeners, the time has finally come to talk about A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, the first book in one of our favorite series. We saved the rest of the series spoilers for a special end segment that begins around 1:11:45. If you haven’t read the rest of the books and/or don’t want spoilers, be sure to skip that! You’ll notice that the show notes are short this time – surprisingly, we stayed pretty close to the source text in our discussion. Off brand, we know. Don’t fret, we’ll probably be back to our regular encyclopedic show notes antics for Ep 15. “There’s a Weird, Sexist Problem in Fantasy That We…

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    Cover of CROOKED KINGDOM on a starry background

    29. Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

    June 2, 2020
    Library copy of The City Beautiful on a white cloth, three skeins of yarn surround it and a red sweater lays to the left

    72. The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros

    October 18, 2022
    A light brown hand with dark nail polish holds aloft the hardcover of A Psalm of Storms and Silence. Trees with bright red autumn leaves and a cloudy sky form the background

    67. A Psalm of Storms and Silence by Roseanne A. Brown

    March 29, 2022

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Recent Posts

  • 97. A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal
  • 96. I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me by Jamison Shea
  • 95. House of Marionne by J. Elle
  • 94. To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose
  • 93. The Wicked Bargain by Gabe Cole Novoa