📚 Read and Reviewed ✨ 📖 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐺𝑒𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑛 by Jennifer Mandula 🌺 Genre: Historical fiction ⭐ Rating: 2.75 (rounded to 3)

🧠 My thoughts: This is my second arc and the first one that I finished, so I’m proud of that! Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the chance to read and review this book.

PLOT AND CONCEPT: The Geomagician immediately piqued my interest from the title, cover, and premise: a re-imagining of Mary Anning as a geomagician, a paleontologist who channels and stores magic into fossils. (THAT’S SO COOL???) Set in 1829, it creates a seamless historical fantasy world that combines scientific discoveries and geomagic research (through the hatching of a baby pterodactyl in her arms), politics, social reform, and magic as a double-edged sword. This is such a unique storyline that many readers will enjoy, as it gives a fresh story for the fantasy-part of the book.

The concept of geomagicians is so unique, and I was so happy to see that we got a glimpse of how they work with the research expeditions, have their own society and politics, and the core wonder of uncovering the past. Their use of magic through fossils (or as they call it reliqs) are interesting and practical for their line of work.

I really loved how the author integrates the magic system as part of daily life, like it has always existed. She gives us a realistic view of how society would work if we DID have magic, and it’s so clear that the rich and powerful got more of the reliqs, which called for the reform.

THEMES AND CHARACTERS: The author highlights many issues: mainly misogyny and how it restricts women, the price of ambition, and the moral tensions between science and faith. Mary Anning is conflicted in her loyalties and is constantly proving her capabilities in the male-dominated field of geomagic.

The story is filled with tension and excitement as the circumstances drive her to succeed and she explores the true price of her dreams. She also has another chance at rekindling her love with her ex-fiancé, (who to be honest, was mostly a side character), which adds to her challenges as well. Every character has their own idea of doing what is right to change the world for the better, and that drives the plot forward. At times it felt like we were focusing on some of the problems more, then shift to another in the next, which made me forget about Mary. It has potential and helped the plot, but sometimes left me confused.

One other thing is that I wished I had seen more scenes with Ajax, the baby pterodactyl. He’s adorable and his relationship with Mary could have been deepened if we saw him in more significant scenes.

WRITING AND PACING: The first half of the book took time to set the scene with dense descriptions and world-building to give us context of what was happening. It picks up quickly after the 50% mark, introducing twists and revelations that make the second half much more engaging and thrilling. It’s detailed and impressive, which historical fiction readers will enjoy. But for those diving into the genre for the first time, it may be overwhelming.

CRITIQUES AND REFLECTIONS: The author’s attempt to integrate Christian theology with magic was ambitious but sometimes contradictory. For example, the story depicts witches as accepted (or at least tolerated) members of society while condemning sorcery, though the practices are similar. It was never explained why the two are treated differently, which may challenge readers with strong religious beliefs. (witchery = something you’re born with, sorcery = evil and practitioners will be executed in the story).

I didn’t expect the book to be heavily religion-based, which did surprise me. As a Catholic, some elements challenged my beliefs and made me greatly uncomfortable, which may be the same with other readers as well. The plot twist was something I didn’t expect—both in a good and bad way.

💭 Would I recommend it? The Geomagician is a unique and fascinating book blending magic, paleontology, and social issues. It’s original and rich in historical detail, which I loved. However, the uneven tone and religious contradictions kept me from fully enjoying it.

YES for readers who love intricate worldbuilding, morally grey characters, and unique magic systems (AND PALEONTOLOGY!!!). NO for readers sensitive to religion–science conflict or who prefer fast-paced plots.

~ TW/CW! scientific experimentation (ethical concerns)/religion and science conflict/fade to black scene/protests, violence and mild head injury/morally-grey characters/minor LGBTQ+ side characters (non-explicit relationship)