Why am I passionate about this?
Itâs often been said of musical theatre that the point when the characters begin to sing is the point their emotions become too much to express in words alone. I think thatâs one reason Iâm so obsessed with books about people connecting over music, art, and performanceâit allows for so much passion and intensity. Having sung and played instruments over the years, I know how powerful it can feel to make music with other people, even when youâre not in love! These days, though, I spend more time reading and writing about music than I do playing it.
Llinos' book list on mixing music and romance
Why did Llinos love this book?
More music-and-magicâthis one is an alternate history, part of a series set in the invented European country of Alpennia that explores the lives of a community of queer women in the early 19th century. While not exactly a romance, Mother of Souls focuses on the relationship between Serafina, who can see magic, and Luzie, who has musical powers that only Serafina can perceive. Both women are struggling in different ways, and I loved seeing the way their relationship and their musical connection helped them both to move forward. I also loved the depth of the worldbuildingâthe city of Rotenek feels as real as any place Iâve been to.
1 author picked Mother of Souls as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
At last! Return to the enchanted realm of Alpennia for the eagerly awaited sequel to Daughter of Mystery and The Mystic Marriage.
All her life, Serafina Talarico has searched in vain for a place where she and her mystical talents belong. She never found it in Romeâthe city of her birthâwhere her familyâs Ethiopian origins marked them as immigrants. After traveling halfway across Europe to study with Alpenniaâs Royal Thaumaturgist, her hopes of finding a home among Margerit Sovitreâs circle of scholars are dashed, for Serafina can perceive, but not evoke, the mystical forces of the Mysteries of the SaintsâŚ