Low-stakes magic, crafting cocktails, and discovering the power of who we truly are. Emma grew up as a Hunter of the Cursed-those charged with eradicating monsters and magic from the Kingdom. She's damn good at it too and is revered as one of the King's most skilled hunters. At least she was-until she discovered she possessed magic herself. Before anyone else can discover her secret, Emma abandons her post and flees to the far edge of the Kingdom, where she hopes she can settle down and live a quiet life as a bartender, out of the Hunters' watchful eye. Fate, however, won't allow us to run away from who we are so easily. When Emma is confronted by an exiled fairy and a man who claims to be a scientist (though Emma is convinced he's a sorcerer), she must evaluate what she believes and the confines of who she's been allowed to be. Pulled on a journey that takes her further than she'd ever imagined possible, Emma is led on an adventure to discover where her fate lies and must confront her own biases, hopefully learning a drink recipe or two along the way. A low-stakes cozy fantasy about cocktails, magic, portals, and finding where we truly belong. If you enjoyed the themes of leaving it all behind in books like Legends & Lattes, and the fun and low-stakes magic in The Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking, then this is the book for you.
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Emma is a Hunter. She's extremely good at what she does – hunting the Cursed and bringing them in so that everyone remains safe. Anyone with magic, anyone who suddenly develops magic, are cursed.
Of course, life becomes a little bit more complicated when she suddenly develops magic herself.
The Bartender Between Worlds is a cozy fantasy, set in an England that, as the title suggests, is part of a multiverse.
True to the genre, there's nothing world-shattering – the story hinges on these people.
The core cast of Emma, Professor Aldrich and Vespa all have personal stakes that propel the story forwards – not least of which is making sure that the world they start in, doesn't hunt them down.
Emma wants somewhere quiet to be safe, where she can learn about bartending. Professor Aldrich is a man away from his world, and wants to return, but also to continue his research. Vespa has a desperate need to help people, but also needs to acknowledge what she wants in life.
The character interactions are what really make this story shine, and in following them all through, you really get a strong sense of who these individuals are. By the end of it, it's heartwarming to see how they've all found each other as family.
Sprinkled throughout are recipes for various drinks that Emma encounters, which adds not only an element of believability to it, but also a fun way for readers to engage in the world.
This is a fun, light easy read. If you're looking for something that doesn't require you to know the 7 centuries history of an ice kingdom's beef with a neighbouring desert tribe, or to have memorised an entire magical grimoire and it's companion encyclopedias, then this could be the book for you to curl up with.
The Bartender Between Worlds, by Herman Steuernagel, is available now.
Featured Series
1 released bookGreatest in the Multiverse is a 1-book series first released in 2024 with contributions by Herman Steuernagel.
