Theodora’s Tea Shop (Christy Anne Jones, Hachette)

Christy Anne Jones has brewed a bewitching concoction in Theodora’s Tea Shop, her first adult fantasy novel. Dot, a timid girl from a seaside town, strikes out for the capital city to seek the witch Theodora, whom she hopes will be able to teach her magic and help her overcome the magical ailment that threatens her life. But Theodora has other plans and is rather adept at avoiding would-be apprentices.

The characters explore the early-1900s-inspired city of Alliaster, where spirits roam the streets beneath the jacaranda trees. The writing is slow-paced but vivid and well-crafted, with an eye for clever details – early in the novel, Dot is aptly described with “every moment, an apology”. Despite being chiefly set in cosy places such as tea shops, salons and shrines, Dot’s and Theodora’s stories are fraught with cruel betrayals, dark secrets and blood magic. Theodora, especially, is a captivating character, wearing different faces to all who see her, but can Dot trust what she does not truly know?

Theodora’s Tea Shop is the perfect read for those who want a hint of darkness at the centre of their fantasy novels. Readers of Diana Wynne Jones’s Howl’s Moving Castle will find a lot to love in the worldbuilding, and so too will readers of Holly Black’s Book of Night or Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Kathryn Wheaton Grierson is a library operations officer and aspiring writer based on Kaurna land. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

Books+Publishing pre-publication reviews are supported by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund.

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