Series: The Language of Magic #2.5
Release Date: June 5th 2025
Publisher: HarperVoyager
Pages: 16o
Find it: Goodreads Waterstones
Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of this book to review
Rating: 4/5 stars
Synopsis
“The unopenable box. A mythical object that appears in fairy tales and folklore across all cultures around the world. Sometimes the box can only be opened by the right person at the right time, such a rightful heir, and in other tales it is considered a warning. A test given to the protagonist who are typically forbidden from opening the box. When they eventually succumb, what they unleash cannot be put back in.”
We follow Miranda Richardson, a highly strung, highly driven member of the covens who discovers a mysterious, unopenable box in her parent’s loft.
Review
The Burial Witch is the second novella in The Language of Magic universe and this beautiful tale takes place between the events of Threadneedle. In this story, we follow a member of the covens – Miranda Richardson – who discovers a box in her parent’s attic that she cannot seem to open. What could the box possibly contain?
This is a short little novella but it is executed perfectly. It’s a thought provoking, coming of age tale and one that I absolutely raced through. We first meet Miranda in Threadneedle so it was fascinating to get more of her story and learn more about her. Her character is excellently crafted and I loved seeing her grow as a character. She’s a people pleaser but she’s also ambitious and determined to succeed. I really enjoyed the way the story dives into her culture and heritage.
Thomas has such a gorgeous writing style that I became completely absorbed in this atmospheric story. This book has a slightly eerie feel to it that really added another layer to the story. The Burial Witch is a perfect addition to the series and now I will be counting down the days until the release of book three. If you haven’t had the chance to pick up The Language of Magic yet, now is the perfect time to dive in.
The Vengeance is a swashbuckling fantasy adventure that follows Morgane, daughter of the pirate captain Anna-Marie. Her ship is the Vengeance and they are known to attack and destroy ships from the Four Chains Trading Company at any opportunity. When Morgane’s mother is fatally wounded during one such attack, she reveals the truth to Morgane – she is not her mother but her aunt. This sets Morgane on a quest to France, to find her real family and what happened to them. What Morgane finds will be darker and more dangerous than she ever thought possible.
The Pawns of Havoc is a gripping fantasy novella that follows mercenary Cork as he’s sent on another job – but this one isn’t his typical kind of job. He’s been tasked by the Winn to find a convoy in the Frozen Lands, destroy it, and leave only one survivor. Cork might be Winn himself, but he knows he can’t trust them. Forced to team up with an archer named Arabella and a criminal named Nessa, Cork must find a way to complete the job, stay out of the Winn’s political games, and keep Arabella and Nessa in line – what could possibly go wrong?
Damned is the third and final book in Genevieve Cogman’s Scarlet Revolution series, which follows former English maid Eleanor on her adventures the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel. In this installment, Eleanor must assist the League in rescuing Lady Marguerite, the Pimpernel’s wife, but that isn’t the only threat Eleanor must face – the vampires are doing everything they can to take over the country and the League might not be enough to stop them.
Kill Creatures is a dark and addictive YA thriller that follows Nan, a young girl grieving the loss of her three best friends who disappeared a year ago in Saltcedar Canyon. She’s done everything she can to process her grief and is finally ready to move on when one of them returns alive. The whole town is shocked and overjoyed – except Nan, because she’s the one who killed them.
The Order of Masks is an utterly compelling YA fantasy tale that follows two women in their quest for power in the deadly Ravalian court. Mira has spent most of her life on the run, though she has no idea why, she hopes to compete in the Trials and win herself a life at court, but it be everything she hopes? Meanwhile, Scarlett is the daughter of the Emperor, but she is cast aside by her half brother’s and their quest for power. When Scarlett sees an opportunity to seize some power of her own, she’s determined to take it, but at what cost?
Incidents Around the House is the dark and compelling new horror novel from Josh Malerman, author of Bird Box. The story follows Bela, an eight year old girl and her family. When the family are targeted by a dark entity known as “other Mommy”, the creature is desperate to go inside Bela’s heart. Bela knows the more she refuses the more her family will pay, but Other Mommy is growing restless and time is running out.
The third installment in the Dance of Light is here, and it’s the darkest one yet.
Blood on Her Tongue is a dark and intriguing gothic horror tale that follows a woman named Lucy who is travelling to stay with her twin sister Sarah who has become unwell. When Lucy arrives she finds Sarah is deathly ill and has been diagnosed with temporary insanity caused by a brain fever. Lucy’s terrified Sarah will be committed to a lunatic asylum, but when Sarah starts acting even more strange Lucy discovers just what lengths she will go to in order to protect her sister.
(Don’t) Call Mum is a tense and gripping novella that follows Leo as he catches a train back to his home in Malacstone in the North East of England. There’s a disgruntled passenger who got on the train by mistake and things are tense onboard the carriage. When the train breaks down in the middle of nowhere as night falls, Leo and the passenger begin to sense something sinister. Is it just being stuck in the middle of nowhere? Or is there something far more sinister trying to board the train?
The Bibliophile Chronicles 