Book Review: “The Secret World of Maggie Grey” (Maggie Grey #1) by Granger
“The Secret World of Maggie Grey” (Maggie Grey #1) by Granger (2024)
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, Urban Fantasy
Page Length: 330 pages (paperback edition)
Synopsis:
A vampire, a witch, and a siren get accepted into a magical HBCU. The rest I am not allowed to say but just know there is a talking cat named Quan, a few murders that went cold, and a world that is just below our feet.
Review:
This is a recommendation I got through a Booktuber that did not disappoint! What lies in the first novel of the Maggie Grey series is a world of secrets, magic, and dark academia vibes. The story follows the main character Maggie, who gets accepts into to Drew Collins University and discovers the world of The Underground that exists beyond the surface of our world. Unsure and taking things in stride she makes friends with a witch, siren, and a talking cat. Through this new world she starts to learn about her lineage and discover that at Drew Collins may be more than she bargained for.
This novel mixes academia with urban fantasy elements in the best way. There are so many books about magical schools, but not many set at magical HBCUs (the only other one I can think of at the moment is Williams’ Blood at the Root series). This series is definitely geared towards adults and I appreciated the characters being in their 20s/graduate student age. It added some much needed diversity along with the different cultures and folklore mentioned in the novel.
Granger does a fantastic job of world building and crafting a place where there is more than meets the naked eye. I love the detail to the campus and exploring the magical world outside of it as well. There is room for more to revealed in future books, but Granger gives readers just enough to get immersed into the story. There are action-packed scenes, a murder mystery to solve, and a suspenseful atmosphere through the entire story. I look forward to getting to learn more about the characters and their backgrounds. My favorite part about this book besides the comedic relief from Quan, the talking cat, is the friendship that develops between Maggie and her newfound friends as they learn the ropes of their new school life. I’m excited to read the next installment in the series!
*Trigger warnings: Violence, Death, Mentions of abuse
Final Verdict:
