With the release of her second novel, Jen Knox breaks new ground with Chaos Magic (Kallisto Gaia Press, 2025), offering a refreshingly modern take on spirituality and magical realism. By striking a balance between serious topics and vibrant fantasy, this novel explores themes like domestic violence, female friendship, and learning to trust your intuition.
The novel begins by introducing us to Lissa, a woman who has struggled at the hands of her abusive husband and seeks refuge at The Lavender Center, a holistic haven for victims of domestic violence and sex trafficking. “Lissa had always been a dreamy girl, like her father, so it wasn’t a surprise she wanted to come to a place like this that promised a bit of magic to heal…” (Knox 17), says Lissa’s mother, Pauline, a retired psychologist and eternal skeptic. While Pauline is immediately wary of the center and the mystical, white-haired women who run it, the center offers healing techniques from yoga to deep meditation. And unbeknownst to others, the owners, Doreen and Glenda, are also practicing witches. It is here that Lissa meets her new roommate, Annika, a victim of domestic violence and also a self-proclaimed witch, one who is looking to start her own coven. Told through omniscient narration, the story unfolds through chapters with alternating perspectives, and we fluctuate between dreamlike introspection and typical narrative. We gain insight into Lissa’s anxious mind, Pauline’s cynicism, the warped thinking of Trent, Lissa’s ex-husband, and the lengths Annika will go to protect her friend.
After months of practicing and learning from Annika and other witches, Lissa discovers how to harness the spiritual powers that have always been inside her, enabling her to serve as a medium and communicate with the dead. Knox paints vivid scenes of late nights honing their skills around a roaring campfire and sharing cups of cinnamon-infused mead. Knox describes when one of those nights in the woods when she says, “The soft rain had ceased, and now only a gentle wind nudged the fire. Each element was with them, inside them” (Knox 29).
After leaving The Lavender Center, Lissa and Annika decide to open a metaphysical shop called The Spirit House, where they sell crystals, perform tarot card readings, and practice spiritual healing for the community. But soon after opening, Lissa learns news that leads her to pursue the dangerous magic that Annika has warned her against. Knox writes,
“True magic, to Annika, wasn’t ever about revenge. An autodidact at heart, she’d studied enough to know that the most powerful magic came from a place of personal connection, not external destruction. To manipulate another person’s energy was to feed it, in one way or another.” (Knox 24)
Following Lissa’s fatal mistake, it is the power of her strong female friendships that must find a way to keep her afloat through her darkest times.
Through its layered narrative, Chaos Magic brings a new perspective to this genre. While we tend to turn to books to escape the woes of our everyday world, stories centered heavily on witchcraft and spellbinding can sometimes feel so deeply detached from reality that they become difficult to relate to. Knox, however, accomplishes this difficult feat. She finds a way to seamlessly blend practical occult practices with grounded storytelling, so readers can find Lissa’s journey relatable and honest, yet enchanting.
And it is not only the plot and characters that draw the reader in. The physical descriptions throughout the novel place us so distinctly in the scene that we have no choice but to be enveloped by the chaos. Knox describes The Spirit House: “Lissa paused by the display cases filled with handmade jewelry, athames, spell kits, and a variety of collectible esoteric books, noticing that the trash cans hadn’t been emptied, and a kombucha bottle had been left near the register.” (Knox 46). This illustration of the shop makes you want to bask in the glow of a lavender candle as you wander the store with a warm cup of tea.
We also gain insight into the visceral fear that overcomes Lissa after hearing the lifechanging news, as Knox writes, “[Lissa] remembered the feeling of his rough hands releasing her throat when Annika and Glenda burst into the room that day. She remembered closing her eyes as her breath and energy thinned, melting underneath his grip, as she recited a mantra no one taught her. One she’d thought had come true. I wish I could start over” (Knox 90). It is the presence and description of these moments that determine the power of this book. It is also this combination of coziness and intense paranormal fiction that makes this novel reminiscent of Practical Magic, a conclusion drawn by many readers.
Chaos Magic is not just for those looking for a story with the perfect mix of magical and rational. But it’s also for readers who resonate with stories of emotional honesty, learning how to lean on female companionship, and discovering how to come back stronger after trauma.
Chaos Magic is available from Kallisto Gaia Press
Elizabeth “Lizzy” DiGrande is a graduate student in Emerson College’s Publishing and Writing program, where she also serves as a Transformational Leaders Fellow and Writing Assistant for the Emerson Grad Life Blog. She is on the board of the Women’s National Book Association, Boston chapter, and is passionate about amplifying women’s voices in publishing. Originally from New Jersey, she now resides in Boston and can often be found perusing the city’s public libraries or exploring new restaurants. She hopes to build a career as both a food writer and literary agent championing female-identifying authors.
