Magic and the Modern Girl

August 25, 2008
Washington, D.C., reference librarian (and practicing witch) Jane Madison learns a lesson in love and spell casting in Klasky's lively latest (after Sorcery and the Single Girl
). After quitting the snobby Washington Coven, returning heroine Jane takes a vacation from casting spells . Six months later, she discovers her powers have vanished and her witchy paraphernalia has been destroyed. In a tizzy, Jane runs to Neko, her gay feline familiar, and Melissa White, her ever-sympathetic best friend, before seeking help from David Montrose, her sexy warder/protector and “astral bodyguard.” Before long, Jane's summoned a magical servant named Ariel to help restore her magical powers, but the enchantment backfires, leading Ariel to become an obsessed arts activist and an unlikely D.C. celebrity. Further complications put Jane's cat, grandmother and love life in danger. Klasky stirs in some winning romantic angst with charming Will Becker, an architect Jane dates while still pining for David. Though predictable, Klasky's whimsical flair make this a fun entry in a series still building momentum.

October 15, 2008
Klaskys follow-up to Sorcery and the Single Girl (2007) finds Jane Madison, a librarian who discovers shes a witch, turning away from her magical powers to live a more normal life. Jane hasnt quite given up witchcraft so much as shes let it fall to the wayside, and shes shocked when she finds her runes in shambles and her crystals clouded over. Guiltily, she summons handsome David Montrose, her warder, whom she hasnt seen in months. David has a grave pronouncement: Jane is in danger of losing her magic altogether. At his behest, she creates an anima to help her recover her power, but the plan goes awry when her anima goes rogue. Complicating matters are Janes feelings for David and a new man in her life, a charming architect who is decidedly unconnected to Janes magical world. At 416 pages, the third entry in Klaskys magical series is overly long, but her endearing heroine and the sexual tension between Jane and David carry the novel.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)