The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic

By: Emily Croy Barker

Narrated by: Alyssa Bresnahan

Emily Croy Barker’s riveting debut novel is a must-read for fans of Lev Grossman and Deborah Harkness. The Thinking Woman’s Guide to Real Magic follows grad student Nora Fischer as she stumbles through a portal into a magical world.

Having been transformed from drab to beautiful, Nora finds herself surrounded by glamorous friends. Life seems perfect. But then things take a terrible turn, and Nora must learn magic from a reclusive ally if she is to have any hope of survival...

©2013 Emily Croy Barker (P)2013 Recorded Books

Very slow and horrible ending

The book was entirely too long but I stuck with it thinking it had to get better. The ending was very disappointing and almost seemed that the author herself just gave up.

Slow, slow read with heroine who does nothing

I'm usually a very impatient reader and this is a very slow book. The heroine has no agency - things happen to her, but it took 12 hours before she actually DID anything herself. At 15 hours in she still hasn't started to learn any magic. Icecaps are melting faster than this plot is progressing.
There are good reasons for the heroine's early lack of agency but she then meanders about doing nothing for an incredibly long time, long after those reasons have been removed. She spends the first half of the book drifting about like a ghost, making no decisions and taking no actions.

The writing style was really enjoyable for me though, and compelling enough paired with Alyssa Bresnahan's soothing performance to make this a relaxing, laid back story I could keep listening to, even if it crawled at a snail's pace.

Semi spoiler alert

AKKKK! It simply ended. After such rich detail throughout the story, it just stopped. I was enjoying it until that point. So frustrating!

Frustrated

I suppose I liked the story well enough. Coming to terms with your options in a foreign world where your beliefs violently clash with the current circumstances. Not unlike the situation I find myself in now in the time of COVID.
But I digress. Prevailing with what feels true is what Nora, the main character, had to inevitably realize. But the story is long and I am frustrated with her choices. No spoilers but the end found me wanting.

unexpectedly enjoyable

My first impression was that it was slow and a bit hard to follow. Once I let go of my expectations, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I didn't want it to end. I truly hope there is a sequel in the best future!

Loved it!

I thought this book felt very true to how an average person might react when ensnared by a magical being.
Unlike many fantasy books where the heroine ends up having latent magical powers or are a great fighter or a rebel, our main character here is just a normal woman who stumbled into a bad thing. It’s a darker story for sure and I can’t wait for the sequel!

This Book Deserves a More Positive Review

I have seen a lot of negative reviews for this book. I disagree with some parts of these reviews, while admittedly I agree with others.

First, I want to address the pacing. The pacing of this book did not bother me. It has a slow start, but I feel the "spirited away" beginning is necessary to understanding many of the book's conflicts and the protagonist.

I actually agree with another listener's assertion that it wasn't very "thinking" of the protagonist to push her modern world's views as heavily as she did. I also feel that a doctorate student ought to have the sense to try adapting better and exercise her modern thinking in more practical, pragmatic ways.

However, I found this writing choice forgivable. The protagonist came across as very intelligent in other ways and was still likeable enough. She is a bit of a romance novel cliche, but then again, most romance novel heroines fit this mold. That is why it is a cliche/trope, and I have seen a lot worse.

What makes this book truly shine are it's other characters. The world and its characters are truly captivating. I absolutely loved every unique and even minor individual Nora encountered. I love the unique take on magic.

The last aspect of negative reviews I will touch on is the matter of Aruendiel murdering his wife. It would be deeply unsettling for Nora to simply accept this event, as other listeners have pointed out. However, I never got the impression that she was ever comfortable with this tidbit of information. I'll admit, I kept thinking "something doesn't fit with this" the entire time I was listening. The way Aruendiel was presented, I didn't feel he was the sort of character who would actually murder his wife. I kept waiting to find out that it was an accident or he was enchanted/she was etc. But nothing like that was ever stated. I still feel like we are missing a part of the story though, so I will withhold final judgement until I read the sequel.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed the book, even if I disagreed with one or two minor writing choices. If you are considering this book, don't let the negative reviews discourage you. Give the book a fair chance. You need to listen past the point where the heroine is rescued. It doesn't truly become interesting until that point. In my opinion, it is well worth the initial crawl.

Loved it!

When is the sequel coming out? I can barely wait to listen to the next part of the tale! Nora is wonderful and I love her intelligence and curiosity!

better be a second

it was so awesome that I cried that it was over. great narrator the deflection was awesome

Entertaining, if a little annoying

The characters are interesting, and the story kept me interested. And then the ending was extremely abrupt, as if the author never finished the last chapter!