Book: The Dues & Don'ts of Magic (The Magic Dues Trilogy) by Delemhach
Reviewed by Rallie X
Rating: 4/5
Thank you to Saga Press and to NetGalley for giving me access to the eARC, this review and opinions are my own.
This is Delemhach at her Delemhach-iest and I couldn't be more delighted. I mean where else are you going to get a black, red-eyed duck familiar named Conquestorov, a magical traveling fae inn, a gay Minnesota-coded merchant, jokes about duck dicks and romantasy-obsessed dryads, and a barely likeable (affectionate) lady witch - whose secrets are definitely stored in her hair - TOTALLY NOT FALLING FOR a silly goose she's accidentally bound to through a magical mishap.
If it isn't clear, I love her writing. It's whimsical, funny, and has a very carefree feeling to it. The House Witch and its sequel series are favorite comfort reads of mine, and although The Dues and Don'ts of Magic doesn't have a mischievous cat familiar (Kraken will forever have my heart), it's just as good! Delemhach has a way of creating the most deeply unserious vibe and then locking in. She controls the world, we're just here for the ride.
The way she treats magic in both of her settings can't be described as anything but fun (for us) and a powderkeg waiting to explode for her characters. I mean, here we have a system that treats magic as a vaguely sentient (but not quite) force that upholds a strict law of balance with a logic that only a witch or warlock is really positioned to comprehend - and even then, just barely. I loved that part of the creativity of spellcraft/magic working is "how am I going to get this done with the lowest possible cost for me and lowest possibility of any backlash." Granny Weatherwax would fucking love/hate this headology SO much, which is really a testament to how perfect it is (“You can understand the bird?” “I imagine I do, and it’s worked out for us thus far.”)
Spidena and Ben are both consummate Delemhach protagonists, a little wild and wacky (affectionate) but also full of pathos as their backstory gradually emerges. And while everyone around Spidena and Ben are watching them and going 😏😏😏, they are so caught up in their snark war to realize exactly what's going on - Spidena's "oh it's just lust we can agree on that right" is a big YEAH SURE BABE moment, and oh my god Ben's sneaking guilt about Spidena's hair was just so perfect. And the kiss. AND THE ALLEGED REASON FOR THE KISS.
But my god turning the page to see the word Acknowledgements has me gnashing my teeth like a hyena or something. She always does this, in like the WORST (best!!!!) way possible.
A fiend.
“Gods, that’s frustrating.”
“What is?”
“Hearing that there’s no concrete reality.”