Mandrake Manor by J.P Rindfleisch is a urban fantasy book containing magic and what could be described as elements of Wicca. This book tells a story of found family, of acceptance and shows that things aren’t always what or how they seem.
“For every outcast, misfit, and queer person seeking refuge – may you find comfort here.” This is the dedication at the very beginning of the book, and it immediately made me feel welcome. As someone who spent years feeling like an outcast and a misfit in every group they were a part of, it feels good to find books that encapsulate what it feels like to finally be included.
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I knew early on that I enjoyed the writing style as I’ve read from this author before and enjoyed that book too.
Something I also picked up on within the first couple of chapters is that this book is written using the same type of language that I personally use when communicating with people, both written and spoken, which makes me feel at home with the characters.
Similarly, the whole ‘I hate you’ ‘Love you too’ commentary is very familiar. It’s the sort of thing lots of good friends would say to each other, or siblings that have a good relationship with each other.
The three main characters, Mathias (Mat), August, and Frankie are all very typical of people in their early 20s. Not even 100 pages in and they’re all expressing a healthy interest in various different men. And in discussing the characters, I felt that they were very well written, they had a lot of depth to them, and felt very 3 dimensional and relatable.
This is the type of fantasy I tend to enjoy a little more. The type of urban fantasy that’s based in the same world as the readers, where the fantastical elements don’t necessarily feel so out of place because there is magic in our world, it just comes in different forms.
I award this book 5 stars.
By Jesse Walker
