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Book: “The Geomagician” by Jennifer Mandula
Publishing Info: Del Rey, March 2026
Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!
Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound
Book Description: Mary Anning wants to be a geomagician—a paleontologist who uses fossils to wield magic—but since the Geomagical Society of London refuses to admit women, she’s stuck selling her discoveries to tourists instead. When an ancient egg hatches in her hands, revealing a loveable baby pterodactyl Mary names Ajax, she knows this is the kind of scientific find that could make her career—if she’s strategic.
Mary contacts the Society about her discovery, and they demand to take possession of Ajax. Their emissary is none other than Henry Stanton, a distinguished (and infuriatingly handsome) scholar… and the man who once broke Mary’s heart.
Henry claims he believes in the brilliant Mary, and that he only wants to help her obtain the respect she deserves. She knows she can’t trust her fellow scholars, who want to discredit her and claim Ajax for their own—but can she even trust Henry, who seems intent on winning Mary back?
Now Mary has a new mystery to solve that’s buried deeper than any dinosaur She must uncover the secrets behind the Society and the truth about Henry. As her conscience begins to chafe against her ambition, Mary must decide what lengths she’s willing to go to finally belong—and what her heart really wants.
Review: This book wasn’t quite what I expected. That didn’t necessarily make it bad, but I definitely had to realign myself to the sort of book that I was reading. Once I did that, I was better able to enjoy what this book had to offer.
For one thing, it’s clear that the author had a lot to say about faith, religion, and the marriage between them and science. It’s a worthwhile theme for sure, as so many people in either camp are resistant to the idea of merging these two sides in any way. So I applaud what the author was trying to do with this theme. That said, because of this focus, there’s a lot of emphasis on religion and faith throughout. I found these discussions interesting and could appreciate the aspirations here, but it may not be for everyone.
What I enjoyed the most, however, was the world itself. I always love books like this that marry a historical period of time with some sort of fantasy element. The “Emily Wilde” books come to mind as the most recent examples of this. And it felt like that trilogy was a bit of an influence here as well. However, instead of faeries, we have dinosaurs. I enjoyed exploring how the existence of magic in this world affected its history, economics, and political landscape. While, at the same time, some things remain the same, like Mary’s struggles to be taken seriously for her achievements in a male-dominated field.
I did enjoy the characters for the most part, particularly Mary’s internal reflections throughout. That said, readers who are expecting any serious amount of romance here will likely be disappointed. While there are tiny hints of a love story, it’s the barest of subplots, and even by the end, there wasn’t necessarily the grand conclusion that readers often expect from romances.
This was also a fairly long book, all things considered. I feel like it was fairly readable and easily approachable, but it also did start to drag a bit toward the middle and the end. I think it accomplishes what it sets out to do, and if it gets in the hands of the right readers, it will do well. However, for general fantasy romance fans who go in with an expectation of the second coming of “Emily Wilde,” I think they may end up disappointed.
Rating 7: I enjoyed the exploration of themes regarding science and faith, but the story itself felt a bit plodding and the romance was decidedly in the background.
Reader’s Advisory:
“The Geomagician” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Light Academia Fantasy Books and Adventure academia.
The Library Ladies 