Minor Works of Meda by Juliette Caruso

4.5 ⭐

Genre: Fantasy

Release Date: July 15, 2024

I knew from the first sentence alone that I was going to love this book. It has all the elements I enjoy: an interesting magic system, adventure, an incredibly smart and feisty FMC, a grumpy-but-fine-I’ll-help-you-anyway MMC, a very loveable side character, and banter that is so fun and engaging to read. Also, there is a slow, simmering romance that I found quite delicious and absolutely happy-squeely-little-feet-kicks-inducing 😉 I read this book for hours, even stayed up until 2 AM because I could not put this book down! 

Minor Works of Meda is set in the Calachian Protectorate, a large group of islands that are under the protection of a Ward, a shield that has protected them from the Fae for over 300 years. 

Meda is an ambitious witch, highly skilled in sigils and spellwork, but her magic is weak. She can only do the most basic of spells before she is in danger of using up all her energy and dying. Kalcedon, her rival, is half-Fae. With magic running so strongly in his veins, he is a powerful witch in ways that Meda can only dream about. Meda and Kalcedon both work for the seer Eudoria, with Kalcedon as her apprentice, and Meda as her assistant. 

Then one day, the Ward falls, causing accidents all over the Protectorate. This spurs Meda and Kalcedon on a quest to figure out what happened to the Ward-spell, and whether there is anything she can do to fix it before the Ward falls for good and the Protectorate is left open to the merciless fae lord ruling just outside their borders.

✨

The characters are such a loveable bunch. Meda really reminded me of Emily Wilde. They have the same brilliant mind, a thirst for knowledge and research, a stubborn and focused determination to achieve their goals. Both are also socially inept, preferring to focus all their attention on the one thing they really care about (magic for Meda, Faeries for Emily Wilde). I love her. Kalcedon, my grumpy little half-fae. He’s a grumpy boi with a soft spot for Meda. And that’s a dynamic I always adore in fantasy! And Oraik, the carefree soul that just wants to see and experience everything the world has to offer. Their trio dynamics were so fun to read.

This book is fast-paced, but Juliette Caruso writes it in such a way that still gives you a lot of rich details. The world-building is done well, with a lot of established lore that affects the characters in the present. Each island also had a distinct culture, and I never felt lost, despite the characters doing a lot of traveling across the Protectorate. The magic system is unique as well, with clear in-world rules and consequences. The characters feel fleshed out, with their unique set of flaws, history, dreams, and goals. I felt the weight of their position in the world, and how that has affected them and influenced the way they are. 

I absolutely loved this book. If you enjoy fantasy, adventure, magic, and rivals-to-allies with a dash of romance and spice, then you should definitely read Minor Works of Meda.

Thank you to NetGalley, Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, and the author Juliette Caruso for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.