Magic at Midnight in The Insecure Writer's Support Group Book Club

Jul 10, 2019 Jacqui rated it it was amazing

In Ronel Janse van Vuuren's Magic at Midnight (2019), Amy has an unusual job. She takes care of a herd of Pegasi--cleans their stables, feeds them, befriends them, and keeps them safe. It鈥檚 hard work and takes all day every day but she likes the peace and quiet as well as the uninterrupted time with the Pegasi, some of which have become closer friends than any human she knows. Though she possesses magical powers, she never uses them to make her job faster or easier because part of what she gets ...more

5 likes · Like · see review

Sep 25, 2019 J. Dorner rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, tbr-sept-2019

I LOVE this book. Remember Tom Cruise jumping on Oprah's couch? The bisexual gal who runs a stable of pegasi and has to do a covert mission as a princess to prevent war -- yeah, that's freaking awesome and worthy of jumping on a couch. Oh, and the magic castle that actually is a character because (spoiler reasons), give me more of that! This is exactly my kind of book. I'm not saying there aren't similar books in the fantasy genre, I'm saying that this a worthy addition. I'd recommend it to anyo I LOVE this book. Remember Tom Cruise jumping on Oprah's couch? The bisexual gal who runs a stable of pegasi and has to do a covert mission as a princess to prevent war -- yeah, that's freaking awesome and worthy of jumping on a couch. Oh, and the magic castle that actually is a character because (spoiler reasons), give me more of that! This is exactly my kind of book. I'm not saying there aren't similar books in the fantasy genre, I'm saying that this a worthy addition. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy, flying horses with personality, the idea that a princess is more than just a title, and anyone looking for an LGBTQ+ twist on fairy tale type fantasy.

The book was free in July on Amazon, which is how I got my copy. There's some romance, a happily-ever-after, controversy, action, plot twists, and it's entertaining. I read the whole book because I really wanted to know how it would turn out for Amy. I mean, one minute she doesn't even know what an indoor bathroom is, and the next she has to convince people she's a princess. Man, I love this girl so much. I want to hang out with her and her pegasi for a month. Just toss me into the pages.

"Every couple of months, a group of human monsters would descend on her herd..." I love the phrasing of this line.

And then there's this passage, where the LGBTQ+ part really makes the fantasy line blur to reality. It really holds a mirror up to real society. :
"Our society forces arranged marriages on people who might never be compatible. And not because they aren't attracted to each other; but because they might never be attracted to someone from the opposite sex."

I never encountered the expression "shout rent the silence" before, but I loved how it was used. I did not find errors in the book. (*As a reminder, Ronel is from South Africa. Therefore, words like "skilfully" aren't spelled wrong.) I even love the formatting, the drop caps inside the chapters that are used as scene separators.

The cover is great and it matches the book climax perfectly. I've read books and stories by this author before and fully intend to read more soon. She's becoming one of my favorites. (Yes, we do follow each other's blogs and social media, and do some of the same online challenges. But we've never met.) This book isn't listed as part of a series, but it certainly left me wanting a second! I can't say I'm "team Rachel," because she has a HEA already. Does that make me "team Francois"? I don't know. Maybe there should be a second book with poly relationships. Perhaps another character as an option?

It passes the Bechdel test in that it has women who talk to each other about something besides a man. They talk about magic, war, conspiracies, how to handle a winged horse, etc. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Jul 07, 2019 Juneta Key rated it it was amazing

Amy is a country girl at heart and nothing makes her happier then tending her herd--Her herd of Pegasus. I was so thrilled to find a story involving Pegasus. One of my favorite mythologies.

This is not a typical fairytale retelling, but I could see threads of inspiration that I associated with such childhood reads as the Prince and the Pauper, Heidi, and shades of Cinderella. Amy has to deal with poachers, conspiracies, talks of war, and traitors. She is no damsel in distress she has a few gifts ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Aug 07, 2022 Toi Thomas rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, rated, reviewed, fairytale-legend, short-story-novellas, diverse-characters

Actual rating, 4.25.

This was a short read for me, once I actually sat down to really read it. I think I simply wanted more from it. It was well developed, but as a fan of fantasy, I wanted to dive into this world more. I wanted more of the history- the who, where, and why. I wanted to know why the magical system was so limited to royalty. Ultimately, I wanted to have a better understanding of what happened at the end with the Pegasus and the glowing light. I didn't quite get that. Bottomline, I ...more

Like · see review

Jul 20, 2022 Jemi Fraser rated it really liked it

I loved the world-building in this story! The Pegasi are such intriguing creatures.
Amy is a likable main character who has to learn and do many new things in order to save her world, her pegasi, and prevent war. The magic in the story was well developed and I enjoyed trying to solve the mystery right along with Amy!

Like · see review