JK, It’s Magic formed when two ladies met at the library and discovered they had a bajillion things in common — particularly a profound love of reading. These two ladies then decided to take their love of all things bookish to the next level, and share that love with all of you by creating a space to talk about YA fantasy in a critical way. We hope that this podcast becomes a platform to discover new worlds, facilitate deeper engagement with our favorite books, and encourage others to take part in the journey.
Accessibility is important to us — whether that’s for our episodes, website, or social media. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with suggestions for improvement. We can always do better!
![As a Black woman, today is not a holiday for me.
“Never forget that for 250 years black people were born into chains—whole generations followed by more generations who knew nothing but chains. You must struggle to truly remember this past in all its nuance, error, and humanity. You must resist the common urge toward the comforting narrative of divine law, toward fairy tales that imply some irrepressible justice. The enslaved were not bricks in your road, and their lives were not chapters in your redemptive history. They were people turned to fuel for the American machine. Enslavement was not destined to end, and it is wrong to claim our present circumstance—no matter how improved—as the redemption for the lives of people who never asked for the posthumous, untouchable glory of dying for their children. Our triumphs can never compensate for this. Perhaps our triumphs are not even the point. Perhaps struggle is all we have because the god of history is an atheist, and nothing about his world is meant to be. So you must wake up every morning knowing that no promise is unbreakable, least of all the promise of waking up at all. This is not despair. These are the preferences of the universe itself: verbs over nouns, actions over states, struggle over hope.” - Ta-Nehisi Coates BETWEEN THE WORLD AND ME
Please consider donating to organizations that are working toward equity. [link in bio] ](https://jkmagicpod.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)
And I read the words of Ta-Nehisi Coates today:
"You cannot forget how much they took from us and how they transfigured our very bodies into sugar, tobacco, cotton, and gold.”
The 4th of July is not my independence day. So instead I read the words of Frederick Douglass:
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=3&psid=3612
Hello, magical folx! This week we’re discussing A Dream so Dark by L.L. McKinney, the second book in the Nightmare-verse series! In this episode we’re making predictions about the future books in the series, talking about Read more…
Hey, magical folx! This fortnight we discuss The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline, a prolific author who is a member of the Georgian Bay Metis Community. Hope you enjoy and learn something(s). BLACK LIVES MATTER. Content warning for Read more…
Hello, magical folx! This week we’re discussing Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo, the second book in the Six of Crows series. Check out our Six of Crows episode for a refresher on what happened in the last Read more…
Happy New Year! With 2020 upon us, we wanted to take a look back at 2019. In this very special episode, we’re looking back at some of our favorite books, TV shows, movies, and other Read more…
Hello, magical listeners! We’re coming at you this week with a discussion of Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova, the first in the Brooklyn Brujas series. J & K discuss the failed system of incarceration and Read more…
Oh hello again, magical listeners! J had the pleasure of reading an ARC of Rena Barron’s Kingdom of Souls, and we’re finally bringing you our conversation about this expansive, thrilling novel. It has one of Read more…
Hello, magical listeners, and welcome back! We are starting season 2 by reading The Infinite Noise by Lauren Shippen. We’re talking science fiction, mental health, and sexist school norms in this fortnight’s episode. *We received Read more…
Have you ever imagined what Downton Abbey would be like if it took place in the Iron Islands and was actually a supernatural murder mystery inspired by a Brothers Grimm story?? Well, House of Salt Read more…
Hello, dear listeners! This fortnight we’re reading Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim, a new retelling of Mulan. We found some pretty problematic areas in the book, but found the story quite captivating overall. As Read more…
Magical listeners! We’re taking a break from YA this fortnight to bring you an episode about the incredible fantasy novel The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty. The show notes happen to be long this Read more…
This fortnight we’re discussing Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. The first book in the Six of Crows duology and the fourth book in the Grishaverse series. We discussed a wide range of topics including Read more…
Finally, the ACOMAF episode is here! J & K both adore ACOMAF, and in the spirit of that affection, we don’t shy away from dredging up the novel’s problematic aspects. Generous and loving critique is, Read more…
Hey listeners, welcome to the second (and final) installment of our interview mini-sodes! In this episode, Kelly fields questions from Jessie about a plethora of extremely important topics including superpowers, fur babies, astrology, and books Read more…
Hey, everyone! We’ve decided to do something different and interview each other for the next two episodes so you can get to know us better! In this first interview, Kelly is interviewing Jessie. Is there Read more…
This fortnight we’re discussing Dread Nation by Justina Ireland, one of the most intersectional books we’ve read yet! We talked about the intersectionality of race, class, gender, and colonialism. We chatted about shipping, impostor syndrome, Read more…
This week we’re discussing Descendant of the Crane by Joan He. We received this book for free from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review (which we promise to always provide). We discussed monarchies, constitutions, Read more…
Happy Spring, listeners! In Episode 16 we discuss The Wicked King by Holly Black, the much-awaited sequel to The Cruel Prince. Content warning: emotional and physical child abuse. ChildHelp – Child Abuse Assistance – Call Read more…
This fortnight J & K are discussing The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang. We’re diverting a bit from our usual YA Fantasy books. This book is definitely for adults, and not for the faint of heart! The Read more…
Listeners, the time has finally come to talk about A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, the first book in one of our favorite series. We saved the rest of the series spoilers for a special end Read more…
This fortnight we’re discussing A Blade So Black by L.L. McKinney, and there were a ton of Alice in Wonderland puns from K, as this is a modern retelling of the story. Don’t expect to Read more…
Hello esteemed listeners! We adored A Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee*!! What a delightful romp of a book*. Below you’ll find plenty of links and resources to complement our discussion. **We want Read more…
Happy New Year, Listeners! We are excited to read and discuss new (and old) book with this year. Any suggestions for books you’d like to read with us? This fortnight we’re discussing Girls of Paper Read more…
Listeners, we made it to Episode 10! A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir made J & K fear for the fate of our favorite characters and ships in upcoming 4th book of the Ember in the Ashes Read more…
In episode 9 we are discussing Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo For the first time, J & K have quite different feeling about the ships in this book, but we are both very excited about Read more…
J & K thoroughly enjoyed the dark and twisty world of The Cruel Prince by Holly Black. Episode 8 features not one but TWO of K’s now infamous research rabbit holes. #RavenclawFTW. Content Warning: physical, mental, and emotional Read more…
Reading A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir led to discussions of the prison system, mythology, and accountability. We loved how exciting a prison break can be. And this book had surprises around every corner, which Read more…
In episode 6 J & K are discussing City of Bones by Cassandra Clare which K is reading for the first time! As always, we found many things interesting, because apparently that’s what we do. Content warning: Read more…
J & K talk about book 2 of the Grisha Trilogy, Siege and Storm, by Leigh Bardugo. We forget Fyodor’s name and find many things “interesting” (should we find new descriptors? probably). Content warning: discussion of sexual Read more…
Episode 4 already!?! We can’t believe it either! This week we’re talking subverting your government, assassin schools, terrible mothers, and rape culture in Sabaa Tahir’s An Ember in the Ashes. An Ember in the Ashes Read more…
Hello, listeners! Episode 3 is our first fantasy-adjacent mini-sode (that didn’t actually turn out so “mini”) in which we discuss Ship It by Britta Lundin. This conversation got pretty meta since we dove headlong into discussions of Read more…
We loved Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi so very much. This book is powerful and poignant and we couldn’t recommend it more. Hope you enjoy! Content Warning: in this episode, we discuss Read more…
Hey, listeners! We are so excited to share our first ever episode with you, where we discuss Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. We scrapped the original idea of an hour-long podcast because our conversation Read more…
