Review by Kelly Jarvis: The Messengers of Magic by Jessica Dodge

A haunted bookshop in Scotland, a series of mysterious disappearances, and a sweet romance that unfold across the bonds of time: if these things sound intriguing to you then add Jessica Dodge’s The Messengers of Magic to the top of your TBR List!

This lovely novel follows Pen Turner, a young man from the 1950’s who escapes the pain and grief of his childhood when a neighbor leaves him the deed to an old bookshop named The Feather Thorn in Scotland, and Adelaide Benson, a woman who retreats to Scotland when her husband leaves her for his assistant. Adelaide soon becomes interested in the haunted bookshop from which two men have disappeared, and she decides to start her life over by purchasing and renovating the property. Soon, she finds herself in an impossible situation, communicating with the missing Pen Turner through a magical typewriter that transcends time. The dual timelines of Penn and Adelaide are punctuated with pages from the hidden diary of John Dee, an astronomer and mathematician who served as an advisor to Queen Elizabeth I. Dee’s writing contains the clues to understanding the rip in time that has hidden Pen from view, and together, Pen and Adelaide must work to uncover the mysteries of the past.

The Messengers of Magic is the perfect book to lose yourself in, especially if you love romance and magic. Dodge peppers the text with both contemporary and folkloric references that transport readers to a quaint Scottish town, and the romantic connection she creates between two characters who spend the majority of their time on different planes of existence is admirable. Pen’s sensitivity and kindness make him an excellent foil to the other men in Adelaide’s life, and the letters he types on the enchanted typewriter are sweet and swoony. The story features a watch inscribed with constellations, chiming bells, and fluttering moths which are symbols of magic messages conveyed across time, and the buildings and streets in the small Scottish town are all named after species of moths found in Scotland. These enchanting details create an immersive experience that sweeps readers away into a world where anything might be possible.

Part mystery, part love story, and part meditation on how time shapes and defines our lives, The Messengers of Magic is a book to be devoured. You can find it here.

Kelly Jarvis works as the Contributing Writer for The Fairy Tale Magazine and teaches writing and literature at Central Connecticut State University. Her work has been featured in A Moon of One’s Own, Blue Heron Review, Corvid Queen, Eternal Haunted Summer, Mermaids Monthly, The Chamber Magazine, The Magic of Us, and Mothers of Enchantment: New Tales of Fairy Godmothers. Her debut novella, Selkie Moon, was released in 2025. You can connect with her on Facebook (Kelly Jarvis, Author) or Instagram (@kellyjarviswriter) or find her at https://kellyjarviswriter.com/