The Grimoire of Kensington Market

Written by Lauren B. Davis

Narrated by Linda Jones

"Davis confidently paints a magical world rich in detail where human trials unfold against a fairy-tale tapestry. Weaving a fresh legend from a mosaic of ancient stories, she creates a bold new world where wit equals witchery and kindness is as valued as courage." The downtown core of Toronto is being consumed by Elysium, a drug that allows its users to slip through the permeable edges of this world into the next, before consuming them utterly. Peddled by the icy Srebrenka, few have managed to escape the drug and its dealer. But Maggie has. Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen," and woven through with northern folk tales, The Grimoire of Kensington Market is the story of Maggie, proprietor of the Grimoire bookstore, the cosmic nexus of all the world's tales. Years after beating her addiction, Maggie is dismayed by the reappearance of Srebrenka in her life. Although she resists temptation, she quickly learns that her brother, Kyle, has been ensnared by Srebrenka's beguiling. Driven by guilt and love, Maggie sets off on a quest to rescue Kyle from the Silver World, where robbers stalk the woods, tavern keepers weave clouds to hide mountains and caribou race along the northern lights. There, she must discover what strengths lie within her.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Dec 21, 2018
• ISBN: 9781980033547

Lauren B. Davis

LAUREN B. DAVIS is the author of the bestselling and critically acclaimed novels The Stubborn Season, The Radiant City, Our Daily Bread—which was longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize and named a best book of the year by both The Globe and Mail and The Boston Globe—and The Empty Room, as well as two collections of short stories, Rat Medicine & Other Unlikely Curatives and An Unrehearsed Desire. Born in Montreal, she now lives in Princeton, New Jersey. Web: laurenbdavis.com Facebook: Lauren B. Davis, Author Twitter: @Laurenbdavis

Reviews for The Grimoire of Kensington Market

[thesmellofbooks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really like this book.I was surprised and pleased to read a fantasy novel set in Toronto’s Kensington market, a place I once knew very well. I lived nearby, I shopped there, I dreamed there, because of the wonderful things I found – the cheese shop, where I could taste any manner of cheese from all over Europe before settling on my choice; Courage My Love, the wonderful second hand clothing shop where I discovered tuxedo pants and all manner of fun garb; the fish store that to my horror had a real shark hanging from a sign pole; hot Jamaican patties; and George Brown College, which I attended for several months, studying Mixology and bar management.To find a magical rendition of this once beloved place was a joy.I went into the reading with a little trepidation, knowing that addiction would play a large part in the story. The topic is tough and personal, and as well, I live in a city where hundreds of people die every year from bad drugs. Despite that apprehension I loved how the story unfolded, beginning in one of my favourite places, a big old bookstore, with characters and magic and settings that were beautifully rolled out. Davis's language is just lovely, and her grasp of our fears and desires and struggle between the two is sure.There were moments when I became concerned about how the story was going to go. I realised at one point that this was going to be a quest, and I have to say I have grown very tired of quest novels. Too often there just seems to be supposed wonder after supposed wonder, rather than scenes that are furthering the plot in any way, and I just don’t find that sort of thing entertaining. So there was a little while when I approached my reading with a little worry, but in fact the quest did make sense within the plot and did forward the character toward her goal, not just physically but psychologically.Although there are two very different books, because of the reference to the Hans Christian Andersen tale, I am reminded of [[Eileen Kernaghan]]‘s book [The Snow Queen]. A beautifully written book which would be a fun one to read in conjunction with the [Grimoire of Kensington Market.]I have given this book a four rating, which for me is high but not the very highest. That is a completely subjective rating and may have been affected by my inability to get enough reading time recently. I am certain that there are people out there for whom this would be a five, for sure.I feel grateful to the author for writing this book, which challenges this reader In many ways and which also challenged the writer. Well done.