Bodies of Magic

by Freya Marske

Publish Date is September 15, 2026

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USA Today bestselling author Freya Marske has nailed the dark acadamia vibe in her new fantasy novel, Bodies of Magic. The book’s official description sums up the book far better than I can: a magical Grey’s Anatomy with five students, five exams, and five days to solve a murder and graduate. That said, this is a new and exciting world where healers attend a five-year program and have brutal, collaborative final exams. Five students must work together to diagnose and treat five mystery patients over a five-day period.

Everything is supposed to be random, but it quickly becomes clear that one group has been brought together for a bigger purpose. The dead body in their first exam is just one clue, but the letters from the victim to each of these five special students unite them in more than just passing exams. They’re driven to solve their classmate’s murder and work together to do the impossible.

There are five main characters with unique stories, lofty goals, and individual secrets. They’re each brilliant in their own rights, but together they can literally change the world. Bodies of Magic is effortlessly gay and meticulously crafted with deeply intertwined worldbuilding.

Saskia Maarleveld is a brilliant narrator who tackled five wildly different characters (and dozens they interacted with) with aplomb. The character names alone were a challenge, but so were the place names, all read with impressive competency (per the author’s opinion on social media. Maarleveld deserves accolades for this one.

Bodies of Magic is a masterful puzzle to be solved, and I absolutely loved it. It is by far the best audiobook I’ve listened to in months, and may end up being my favorite book of the year. There’s so much left to explore in this new world of Marske’s that I hope to see more books in the future, but I’ve already added all her other books to my TBR.

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Visit the author’s website.

Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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