Fire Spells Between Friends

Fire Spells Between Friends by Sarah Wallace

Wallace & Callahan have done it again with another lovable duo in their Fae & Human Relations series!

This book primarily follows the story Torquil Pimpernal-Smith, an editor of a gossip publication not unlike that of Lady Whistledown, and one of their main subjects for gossip, Emrys Wrenwhistle - an heir who is determined to find a partner during the Season. Meanwhile, Torquil also happens to be thrust into a more public role because of their half-fae, half-human pedigree. In a London that is just starting to figure out what it means to integrate its fae and human members in both social and systemic ways, this book builds on the work of the first book with encouraging more fae/human courtship and spending time with the Council rewriting Society's magical testing system to allow for humans, fae, and fae-humans to test under a rubric that takes the unique magical style of each group into account.

As always, I most enjoyed the dive into the magic system, and the continued exploration of how a character's lineage affected their magical style & strength. I also loved getting to spend more time with Roger and Wyndham from the first book, as well as getting to see behind some of Emrys' prickliness. I would recommend Fire Spells Between Friends for readers looking for a medium-spicy cozy romance, for those who enjoy creative magic systems, and for fans of Lady Whistledown.