“I live in a city known for eccentricity. Baltimore is a vivid place, full of hidden magic. And yet here I am, quiet and unremarkable, and with no idea of how I got this way. I’d give a lot to have a touch of that magic in my life.”
Be careful what you wish for.
When Denny isn’t working as a photographer, they spend their time at the local coffee shop mooning over one of the regulars, the mysterious and beautiful Peri. No one’s more surprised than Denny when she asks them out on a date.
What happens that night throws the couple into a world where nothing is as it appears and everyone wants to get their hands on Peri and her powers to inspire artists – especially Joolie, the controlling and egotistical leader of Denny’s art collective.
If that wasn’t enough, the powerful, capricious water elementals known as Nyxen have inexplicably taken an interest in Denny. They warn that Peri’s gifts bring nothing but trouble to those around her. It’s hard to argue with them when the magic starts to go wrong; paintings greedily come alive with grasping tentacles, an obsessed ex-lover returns to threaten the couple, and Denny begins to wonder if their grip on reality is beginning to slip…
💦 fae musicians
💦 greedy paintings
💦 sapphic romance
💦 unrelenting obsession
💦 mysterious invitations
💦 tendrils or tentacles?
💦 coffee cup quips
💦 a house with opinions
💦 possessive elementals
💦 a soundtrack!
Whimsical, intriguing, and mad in more than a couple ways! “A Third Kind of Madness” tells the tale of Denny, a non-binary photographer on the fringe of Baltimore’s social and arts scenes. Their routine unravels after an encounter with a coffeeshop crush and things get intriguing from there. This book suggests magic is real in Baltimore’s warehouse arts scene, and having lived in/around the copycat throughout my twenties, I concur. Pair this book with records by Switchblade Symphony or Babes in Toyland. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
– Tim Paggi, author of How to Kill Friends and Eviscerate People
As a non-binary person myself, reading a book with a protagonist who is like me on some very fundamental levels (not just the non-binary thing but the hiding your light under a bushel and manipulation/gaslighting by people who are supposed to be your friends) practically brought me to tears. It’s the first time I’ve ever read a book where my true self is represented, in 50+ years of reading all kinds of books … and IT MATTERS.
I don’t want to go into the story too deeply, but I will say that while I loved Christiane’s other Eleriannan books, this one is by far my favorite. It’s well written, well plotted, and it blends the intricacies of human behavior with the elements of the supernatural in very creative ways. Buy this book! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
– Janea K.
The third book Christiane Knight has written concerning the “Eleriannan”. it continues — or rather, expands — the contemporary urban fantasy setting that incorporates the City of Baltimore, Maryland with coalitions of Fae creatures and personalities. This book focuses on a new character as the protagonist, exploring their adventures and their interactions with characters introduced in her previous novels. Entertaining, subjectively enlightening, and a welcome addition to the series Ms Knight has given us to enjoy. Highly recommended, as well as her two previous novels. Read them all! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
– Robert Waldbauer