Review by Kelly Jarvis: The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic by Emily Croy Barker

The Thinking Woman’s Guide to Real Magic is a beautifully written portal fantasy which sends Nora, a graduate student researching John Donne’s poetry, into a world where real magic exists. At first, the lonely Nora, who is suffering from both a real-world break-up and an existential crisis about her life path in academia, finds solace in the beautiful fairy world she encounters. She exists in a trance-like state as she is given a magical makeover to prepare her for a romance with the son of the Queen, but not everything is as it seems. It is Aruendiel, a powerful but moody magician who rescues Nora from her fated marriage, offering her shelter in his home and protecting her from retaliation. As a romance begins to build between the unlikely pair, Aruendiel agrees to teach Nora to wield some magic of her own, a prospect that makes her return to her own world more complex.

I absolutely loved this novel! The presence of a contemporary scholar in a medieval-type world of magic provided ample points of contemplation regarding the examination of Faerie, and the magical world of the book is in constant conversation with the contemporary world of scholarship, poetry, and literature. Fragments of poems return to Nora as she navigates a strange and dangerous environment, and she translates a copy of Pride and Prejudice for Aruendiel to read. Emily Croy Barker has achieved a perfect balance between urban and high fantasy, one that makes readers see the mundane world of the everyday as a place filled with shadows of enchantment.

In addition to the intellectual commentary regarding the intersections of magic, art, science, and technology, Barker gives readers a delicious slow-burn romance steeped in mystery and intrigue. Although I usually tear through books, I found myself lingering with one, enjoying every moment of the superb plotting and immersive description. When I reached the end, I was delighted to learn Barker has written a sequel, How to Talk to a Goddess and Other Lessons in Real Magic, which advances the relationship of Nora and Aruendiel while exploring humanity’s relationship to divinity. I loved it just as much as The Thinking Woman’s Guide to Magic.

If you enjoy sparkling, witty dialogue, deep character development, high fantasy with real-world human stakes, and intelligent, slow-burn romance steeped in mystery, pick up copies of both books in Emily Croy Barker’s bewitching duology. They will change the way you think about magic! You can find the books 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/