Whichwood Was a Distinctly Magical Village

~Whichwood~
Furthermore
Book 2
By Tahereh Mafi
Amazon ~ Powell's

Laylee can barely remember the happier times before her beloved mother died. Before her father, driven by grief, lost his wits (and his way). Before she was left as the sole remaining mordeshoor in the village of Whichwood, destined to spend her days washing the bodies of the dead and preparing their souls for the afterlife. It’s become easy to forget and easier still to ignore the way her hands are stiffening and turning silver, just like her hair, and her own ever-increasing loneliness and fear.

But soon, a pair of familiar strangers appears, and Laylee’s world is turned upside down as she rediscovers color, magic, and the healing power of friendship.


This book is REALLY dark. Like, darker than even I (at 30) was comfortable with at times.

Furthermore is Very Hungry for Magic

~Furthermore~
Furthermore
Book 1
By Tahereh Mafi
Amazon ~ Powell's

Twelve-year-old Alice Alexis Queensmeadow has only three things in the world that matter: Mother, who wouldn’t miss her; triplet brothers, who never knew her; and Father, who always loved her.

The day Father disappears from Ferenwood he takes nothing but a ruler with him, so some said he’d gone to measure the sea. Others said the sky. The moon. Maybe he’d learned to fly and had forgotten how to come back down. But it’s been almost six years since then, and Alice is determined to find him. She loves her father even more than she loves adventure, and she’s about to embark on one to find the other. No matter the cost.

It’s a kind of fairytale, a story where magic is a must, adventure is inevitable, and friendship is found in the most unexpected places.


I remember reading stories like The Phantom Tollbooth or The Neverending Story, imagining this wise British narrator (along the lines of the Winnie the Pooh movies) telling a fantastical tale in their knowing way. A twinkle in their eye, and a wide-set grin, and a character all their own, breaking the fourth wall and speaking directly to us. Now imagine that type of storytelling but with progressive ideals.