The main character in 'The Magpie Coffin' is Salem Covington, a morally complex and deeply compelling figure who straddles the line between antihero and outright villain. He's a disgraced former professor turned occultist, driven by grief and a thirst for forbidden knowledge. What makes him fascinating is his ruthless pragmatism—he’ll manipulate, steal, or even kill to achieve his goals, yet there’s a twisted logic to his actions that makes you weirdly root for him despite everything.
Covington’s journey is steeped in Gothic horror vibes, with his obsession with necromancy and the supernatural giving the story a chilling edge. The way he interacts with other characters, especially his reluctant allies, reveals layers of vulnerability beneath his icy exterior. It’s rare to find a protagonist who’s this unapologetically dark, yet still manages to feel human. If you’re into stories where the 'hero' might be the most dangerous person in the room, Salem’s your guy.
Ever meet a character who’s so morally gray, they’re basically charcoal? That’s Salem Covington. He’s not your typical protagonist—no noble speeches, no redemption arc (at least not yet). Instead, he’s a brilliant, broken man using occultism as both a weapon and a crutch. The way the author writes his inner monologue is masterful; you can almost feel his obsession with the macabre seeping off the page. It’s refreshing to see a main character who doesn’t soften his edges to make readers comfortable.
Salem Covington’s the name, and chaos is his game. This guy’s like if Sherlock Holmes decided to dabble in black magic instead of detective work—except way less charming and way more terrifying. He’s got this eerie calmness about him, even when he’s doing something horrifying, which just amps up the creep factor. I love how the book doesn’t try to justify his actions; it lets him be this force of nature, and you either buckle up or get out of the way.
Salem Covington—think Faust meets Deadwood, with a side of existential dread. His ruthlessness is balanced by moments of eerie introspection, like when he muses on the cost of his choices. Not a 'likable' hero, but unforgettable.
Hidden deep in the mountains outside our town was a sealed cave filled with ancient coffins.
According to local legend, one of our ancestors had died hundreds of years ago before he could marry or leave behind an heir.
People believed his spirit never moved on.
The town elders claimed the only way to break the curse was to choose a bride for him—someone who would be bound to him and carry on his bloodline.
And for reasons I still didn’t understand, they chose me.
A priest has shown up at my first birthday party. He claims that I'm a cursed soul—that my presence will bring doom to those close to me, and my existence itself can snatch everyone's luck.
The only way to counter this is to give me up to an orphanage and let me live a life of poverty and suffering. Without a family, I'll be able to overcome my fate as a cursed soul.
Daddy has the priest cast out of our home immediately. Meanwhile, Mommy hugs me tightly.
"My son is the luckiest boy in the whole wide world!"
But everything has changed when my younger brother, Andy Lawson, has fallen off the 20th floor. His body is completely shattered from the fall.
I can only stand by the window uneasily. Fear is evident in my eyes as I wave my hands with all my might.
"It wasn't me! It really wasn't me!"
The wind that day is very strong, but it can never drown out Mommy's cries.
Daddy hoists me up and stuffs me into Andy's coffin. I keep latching onto the sides of the coffin to the point my fingers are all bloodied and trampled over. At the same time, I keep screaming for Mommy.
Mommy stares at me blankly at first. But her hollow gaze is soon filled with hatred.
"Why aren't you the one dead? That priest told us that you'll have to stay in the coffin for seven whole days and nights just to atone for your sins! Only then can Andy's soul rest in peace!
"This is your fate and your sin, Adam!"
The heavy lid slowly covers the coffin, soon sealing my hoarse cries and screams away.
A long time later, a few voices ring out amid the sorrowful melody played by the organ.
"Why is there a tiny gap in the coffin? Hurry up and nail it shut! We can't afford to have misfortune spread to us!"
When the final nail is bolted onto the lid, I close my eyes.
Mommy, Daddy, I'm no longer a cursed soul.
DEATH GETS A LOVE LIFE.
"I accept," I say all at once and then lower my eyes shyly. "If you think my human body can serve as a substitute for her and fill your hunger, I'm willing to take that chance."
The feeling that I recognize in his eyes is one of shock and even fear, as though he hadn't expected at all that I'd agree.
"Let's do it," I whisper across the gap between us.
****
When metalhead Janet Buenviaje dies in a diving accident, she falls into an underworld prison where the only way out is through an eccentric reaper named Septimus Rex. As monarch of Soul City, Septimus Rex leads an army of supernatural Ravens tasked with the deportation of overstaying souls from the mortal realm.
But the fates smile on Janet because the head reaper has problems of his own. He has fallen in love with a mortal girl; an abhorrent sign of weakness that, if discovered by the Ravens, will start a power struggle in Hell. With Janet's help, Septimus must now attempt to confess his feelings to the girl of his dreams so he can go back to being devoid of human sentiment.
Janet is reincarnated as a Wampus Cat reaper and hatches an escape plan to the surface world. But she finds that things in the underworld are not what they seem and Septimus's problems run deeper, somehow even linked to her own mysterious past.
On the day I receive my Distinguished Service Medal, I also receive word that my grandma has passed away.
My superior grants me special leave to return to my hometown to mourn her death, so I rush to my ancestral home at once.
But when I reach the ancestral graveyard behind the hill, I witness something that makes my blood boil.
The graves of my deceased family members have been razed to the ground. Even my parents' graves have been brutally dug up. Their urns are now placed under flower pots filled with blooming red roses.
Grandma's coffin has been pried open as well.Her body now lies strewn on the ground and has started to rot.
I also see Lucy Stewart, my autistic younger sister. Melissa Abbott, my wife's assistant, orders Lucy around like a maid, forcing her to move heavy construction materials around.
Enraged, I grab Melissa by the throat and throw her to the ground.
"How dare you destroy my family's ancestral cemetery and make my sister do hard labor! Do you want to end up buried here too?"
Melissa coughs up blood before crawling back onto her feet, her expression vicious and scornful.
"I'm simply carrying out Ms. Fuller's instructions. She says that your ancestral cemetery is located in a good spot. It's also the perfect size to be turned into a private horse ranch and a garden for her future husband.
"Ms. Fuller calls the shots here in Joverton City. Who the hell do you think you are, huh?"
Resisting the urge to put an end to her life, I call up Eva Fuller, my wife.
"I heard you call the shots here in Joverton City. Well, I shall put that to the test today!"
Ari is content to live her life in her pack and help her best friend, Sage, be Luna of the pack. That was until her parents led a rebellion against their pack with rogues that put Ari’s life in danger. Now imprisoned, she fears death until her Alpha and best friend come to the dungeons with a drop-dead sexy warlock who immediately catches her attention.
Zane is hell-bent on claiming his familiar that he has waited long enough for. The shifter that will be his partner in crime, his soul mate. Ari has two choices, go with Zane and be his familiar, or become a rogue. Ari chooses Zane, but when she does she has no idea the adventure she is about to go on.
Zane belongs to the Coven of the Crow and Shadows, a special coven that works for Death. They reap fresh souls and collect the spirits that got away. Zane ranks high in his coven as he is one of the leader's sons. He’s the most powerful and dangerous member of his coven for a reason and Ari will learn exactly why he is feared and highly respected.
As secrets of Ari’s past come to light that was hidden from her, she finds herself faced with more challenges than she knows what to do with. Adjusting to a new realm, a new life, and trying to resist her sexy master, Ari isn’t sure she will make it out alive. Can Zane help his beloved familiar while he lays claim to her everything? Can they find their happiness in the darkness they face?
The Magpie Lord' has this fantastic trio that really stuck with me! First, there's Stephen Day, who's this wonderfully grumpy yet brilliant magician with the Ministry of Justice. His dry humor and hidden soft spot for chaos make him such a relatable protagonist. Then you have Lucien Crane, the exiled lord who returns to England under the worst circumstances—cursed, sarcastic, and dripping with aristocratic charm. Their dynamic is pure gold, especially with Lucien's shameless flirting clashing against Stephen's exasperation.
Rounding out the core group is Merrick, Lucien's loyal (and long-suffering) valet, who’s basically the backbone of the entire operation. He’s got this quiet competence that balances out the other two’s drama. What I love is how their relationships evolve—from reluctant allies to something way deeper, with banter that never gets old. The way K.J. Charles writes them feels so lived-in; you’d swear they’re real people bickering in your living room.
I stumbled upon 'Magpie' while browsing indie bookstores, and its haunting premise stuck with me. The story follows a young woman named Lily who inherits an old, eerie house from her grandmother. Inside, she discovers cryptic notes and a locked room with a mural of magpies—birds shrouded in folklore about omens and stolen secrets. As Lily digs deeper, she uncovers a family history tangled in deception, and the magpies seem to... react. Their appearances grow more frequent, almost like they’re watching. The novel blends gothic mystery with psychological tension, leaving you wondering whether the birds are symbols or something far more unsettling.
What really gripped me was how the author weaves themes of inherited trauma into the supernatural elements. The magpies aren’t just birds; they’re metaphors for the secrets families bury. By the end, Lily’s journey becomes less about solving a mystery and more about whether some truths should stay hidden. The ambiguity lingers—like the sound of wings fluttering just out of sight.
The main character in 'The Mage the Magpie' is a cunning yet oddly charming rogue named Vesper, who’s got this knack for talking her way out of trouble—most of the time. She’s not your typical hero; she’s more of a 'borrower' of shiny things, but her heart’s in the right place when it counts. What really hooked me about Vesper is how she’s got this razor-sharp wit but also these moments of vulnerability, like when she’s trying to protect her found family of misfits. The story’s got this grimy, bustling city backdrop, and Vesper’s antics—whether she’s swiping relics or outsmarting nobles—make every chapter feel like a heist movie.
I adore how the author lets Vesper fail sometimes, too. She’s not invincible, and that’s what makes her growth so satisfying. By the end, she’s still a magpie at heart, but you see her priorities shift from trinkets to people. Also, her dynamic with the grumpy enforcer-turned-ally, Kael, is pure gold—they’ve got that 'insult each other constantly but would die for one another' vibe.