Ever since Thorin Oakenshield’s company of dwarves recruited Bilbo Baggins to their quest with a song in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, the fantasy genre has been intertwined with music.  It goes both ways as well – plenty of rock and metal bands have written songs or whole albums about their favorite fantasy novels!  My personal theory is that since just about everyone can relate to being moved by music, the incorporation of music into a fantasy story can help to ground the fantasy elements in something real.  This allows the reader to suspend their disbelief and become truly immersed within the story and world.  Today, I’ll be spotlighting a few books where music and dance are truly magic, sure to appeal to readers who are fans of fantasy, the fine arts, or both.

Nocturne by Alyssa Wees

Grace Dragotta has devoted her life to becoming a ballerina, enduring the scars left by personal tragedy to pursue her dream.  When she brings down the house in the starring role of The Firebird, she is suddenly on the cusp of everything she’s ever wanted.  But her talent attracts the attention of a mysterious and demanding patron, Master La Rosa, who is certainly not all that he seems.  This book has the feeling of a fairy tale retelling, but rather than putting a new twist on a single story, it incorporates elements of many.  Familiar motifs from Beauty and the Beast, the Phantom of the Opera and the myth of Eros and Psyche are all present.  The story feels strongly reminiscent of the myth of Hades and Persephone for the first half, but a plot twist reveals to both Grace and the audience that she is not in the story she thinks she’s in.  Combine that with beautiful prose excellently matched to the elegance of ballet, and you have a book worth treasuring.

The Bards of Bone Plain by Patricia A. McKillip

Frustrated scholar Phelan Cle seeks to untangle the mystery of the life of Nairn the Bard, with the help of his father, a troubled and eccentric archaeologist, and his father’s assistant, Princess Beatrice.  Nairn once discovered Bone Plain, a dreamlike realm of heroic challenges, only to fail his test and vanish in the mists of time.  As Phelan and Beatrice delve further into the mysteries of Nairn and Bone Plain, the ghosts of the past begin to make themselves known in the present.  McKillip is an author I’ve been meaning to get around to for a long time, and this book made me feel silly for taking so long – her writing is absolutely gorgeous.  The split timeline structure, which allows the reader to experience the events of Nairn’s life through his eyes, is particularly excellent.  Nairn is a tragic, Byronic bard sure to appeal to fans of Kvothe from Patrick Rothfuss’ Kingkiller Chronicle and Maglor from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Silmarillion. 

The split timeline element also helps the setting feel truly unique.  Whereas Nairn’s chapters depict a mythic, bygone era, the sections focusing on the “present day” characters depict a society much closer to our own.  The characters drive cars and hang out in pubs.  This contrast makes the ancient magic those characters study really feel ancient. It’s as mysterious to them as it is to us.  The central mystery of the book is also powerfully compelling – I found myself reading late into the night just to get a little closer to the answer.  Open up that gorgeous cover, and let The Bards of Bone Plain whisk you away.

Maddalena and the Dark by Julia Fine

In 17th century Venice, Maddalena Grimaldi, only daughter of a disfavored aristocratic family, is sent to the Ospedale della Pietà – ostensibly to study music, but really to improve her marriage prospects.  There, Maddalena strikes up an unlikely friendship with Luisa, an orphan with no prospects save her skill on the violin.  When Maddalena strikes a bargain with the otherworldly forces lurking within Venice’s canals, both she and Luisa are suddenly close to all they’ve ever wanted.  But when jealousy begins to sour their bond, the price of meddling with magic comes due.  This book is a bit more of an acquired taste than the others on this list.  Readers who dislike tragic endings, particularly those involving LGBTQ+ characters, will have a much better time with the other two.  That said, as someone who enjoys a good tragedy, I adored this book.  If you also like to have a good bad time with a book, you’ll easily get lost in Maddalena’s world, a rich portrayal of Vivaldi’s Venice full of suspense and intrigue.