ARC Review: Fossil Magic

The Geomagician by Jennifer Mandula

Publication Date: March 31, 2026

Summary from NetGalley:

Mary Anning wants to be a geomagician—a paleontologist who uses fossils to wield magic—but since the Geomagical Society of London refuses to admit women, she’s stuck selling her discoveries to tourists instead. Then an ancient egg hatches in her hands, revealing a lovable baby pterodactyl that Mary names Ajax, and she knows that this is a scientific find that could make her career—if she’s strategic.

But when Mary contacts the Society about her discovery, they demand to take possession of Ajax. Their emissary is none other than Henry Stanton, a distinguished (and infuriatingly handsome) scholar . . . and the man who once broke Mary’s heart. She knows she can’t trust her fellow scholars, who want to discredit her and claim Ajax for their own, but Henry insists he believes in the brilliant Mary and only wants to help her obtain the respect she deserves.

Now Mary has a new mystery to solve that’s buried deeper than any dinosaur skeleton: She must uncover the secrets behind the Society and the truth about Henry. As her conscience begins to chafe against her ambition, Mary must decide what lengths she’s willing to go to finally belong—and what her heart really wants.

ARC provided by Del Ray Publishing via Netgalley for an honest review.

Confession:

I really enjoyed this reimagining of Mary Anning’s life with a fantasy twist. For those of you who don’t know Mary Anning, she was a poor young woman in the early 1800’s who did more to further the science of paleontology then the men who took credit for her work. Her life and work is a fascinating one and she is only now slowly getting the recognition she deserved back then. The author here does a great job with her life story while adding in a nice fantasy element.

The author does a good job of combining the historically real Mary, with a fictional version. Many aspects of her life are here, but with the addition of there being magic in the world. I liked this version of Mary. She is a little bit on the unlikable side at times, but she is also strong willed and determined to get recognition for her work. It was interesting listening to her inner monologues and all of the frustration that probably many women felt in that time period. She is friends with powerful people though, and some of them do try to help her, while others just continue to take advantage. Mary shows some nice growth throughout the story. I really loved her relationship with Ajax, the pterodactyl she resurrects, which was very sweet.

What I liked most, but kind of struggled with, was the magic system. It was complex, but also kind of simple. The fossils were used more like conduits for the magic, but there were class struggles around it as well. Most people didn’t use their magic except for simple everyday things like lighting a fire or healing small scrapes and cuts. But there are also people who don’t need the fossils to perform magic, which got a bit confusing. But I did like how the magic and the science of paleontology were blended together.

The overall vibe of the book was scholarly with fantasy elements. The historical setting was also well done. There is a lot of politics in this book, especially between the Catholic Church and the scientists. The time period in which this story takes place saw many clashes between these two entities, and many of them revolved around the controversy of creation vs. evolution. This book handled these ideas well, as well as the additions of class upheaval and women’s rights. There is a lot to digest in this story, perhaps too much, but it was managed well for the most part.

There is a romance, sort of, but it is very much a subplot of the story. I would also say that it is not the healthiest of relationships either. I didn’t much care for Henry, but I do think he was trying to help Mary, just went about it the wrong way. He also should have let her in on some things earlier than he did.

The overall story was good, I liked the twist at the end of the story. The descriptions of London were good as were the ones of the fossils and what they looked like when they were reanimated. The pacing was ok for the most part although it did drag a bit in the middle. The dialogue was also well written and I really liked Mary’s inner monologues.

If you are looking for a cozy romantasy, this might not be the book for you. But if you want a really solid historical fantasy with a heroine you can relate to and root for than this is just might be the story for you. I loved the mixture of the biographical story of Mary with the politics, science and religion of the times, all of which made for a very interesting read. This is a solid debut and I look forward to seeing what this author comes up with next.