TJ Young & The Orishas is an exciting new fantasy series by Antoine Bendele. If you like coming-of-age magic stories, read this for sure.

I have actually only read the first one–The Gatekeeper’s Staff. (Oh–and also a little short story that you can get when you sign up for Antoine Bendele’s newsletter.) Still, that’s enough to tell me this is one of my new favorite authors. I’ve already picked up book two in the series. 

In the first story, TJ is from a family with strong magic (on his mother’s side). But at first, it seems like he has hardly any of his own. After his sister dies, though, a glimmer of something expands–and he gets sent to camp to see if he can develop enough magic to go to a prestigious magic academy. 

At any rate, the characters are deep, the action non-stop, and the problems significant. I also like the look into a world different from the one I grew up in.

And the artwork is also amazing.

If you like well-written fantasy that truly transports you into a different reality, you’ll enjoy TJ Young & The Orishas.

Have you read it? If so, what do you think? (If you leave a comment, it won’t show up right away because I filter comments to block out spammers)

Looking for other books with modern magic? Try Cinder.