The Hexologists

• Author: Josiah Bancroft
• Genre: Fantasy
• Publication Date: September 26, 2023
• Publisher: Orbit
• Series: The Hexologists #1

Thank you to Orbit and Angela Man for sending me a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

The first book in a wildly inventive and mesmerizing new fantasy series from acclaimed author Josiah Bancroft, where magical mysteries abound and only one team can solve them: The Hexologists.

The Hexologists, Iz and Warren Wilby, are quite accustomed to helping desperate clients with the bugbears of city life. Aided by hexes and a bag of charmed relics, the Wilkie’s have recovered children abducted by chimney wraiths, removed infestations of barb-nosed incubi, and ventured into the Gray Plains of the Unmade to soothe a troubled ghost. Well acquainted with the weird, they never shy away from a challenging case. 

But when they are approached by the royal secretary and told the king pleads to be baked into a cake—going so far as to wedge himself inside a lit oven—the Wilkie’s soon find themselves embroiled in a mystery that could very well see the nation turned on its head. Their effort to expose a royal secret buried under forty years of lies brings them nose to nose with a violent anti-royalist gang, avaricious ghouls, alchemists who draw their power from a hell-like dimension, and a bookish dragon who only occasionally east people.

Armed with a love toughened by adversity and a stick of chalk that can conjure light from the darkness, hope from the hopeless, Iz and Warren Wilby are ready for whatever springs from the alleys, graves, and shadows next.

This one sounded like such a fun read, that I couldn’t resist requesting it. Plus, it’s always welcome to sandwich a fluffier, light-hearted read in between those heavier, epic fantasy books. It fits into what I’d define as cozy fantasy mystery—it is a perfect blend of both genres.

The whole premise of the story is basically a couple who runs a private investigation agency, but instead of solving regular crimes, they solve magical crimes. Which are just a regular run of the mill thing in their world. They work in a non-official capacity, and are perfectly happy with how their lives are going. Until they get wrapped up in an unexpected case that challenges their principles and … their furniture?

I loved the main characters immediately. Iz and Warren Wilby (he took her last name when they got married because he liked it better than his) are one of the cutest couples I’ve ever seen on the page. I loved them right away, and they have great chemistry. Even better is the fact that it’s made clear that Warren is a big guy, and Iz finds him irresistibly attractive. But besides that, I loved how the two of them worked together to solve mysteries. They have a great dynamic, and that dry British humor that I enjoy so much. The kind that seems to come out more when exposed to strange situations.

Speaking of strange situations, we see plenty of those in this story. There’s plenty of action, and just when I thought the characters got to the bottom of the mystery, it only revealed another secret. It kept the story moving quickly, and held my attention through a story that had a lot of twists and turns, yet never made me confused. 

Overall, this was a read that I can only sum up using words like delightful, or charming. It’s creative, fun, interesting, and a welcome addition to the fantasy genre (for me). I loved the humor throughout the story, and the dragon who is secretly a foodie? He won my heart, easily. This is a series I’m looking forward to continuing!