A powerful plant witch and a grumpy alchemist must work together to save their quiet town from a magical plague in this debut cozy fantasy romance about starting over, redemption, and what it really means to be a good person.
This book was one of the coziest little books I’ve ever read, which is remarkable because the main character is a reformed villain who’s terrorized the local townspeople for years! Violet Thistlewaite, formerly known as the Thornwitch, is determined to make a new (good) life for herself in the town she grew up destroying. Using a new name and hiding her association with a recently killed dark sorcerer, Violet starts to win over the villagefolk with her sweet floral arrangements and cheerful demeanor. The only town resident not charmed by Violet is her grumpy landlord, Nathaniel, who’s got the weight of the world on his shoulders.
I did truly enjoy this book, and am absolutely hoping it becomes a series! The townspeople were an addicting blend of sassy, sweet, and bewitched, and I am desperate to read more of their stories. I enjoyed Violet and Nathaniel’s collaboration to help save the town, and their banter while they worked together.
If anything, this book was almost TOO cozy. The plot was slow, and a little repetitive. While some of the secondary characters interact with this in a tongue-in-cheek way that makes me believe the author did this intentionally, I found myself wishing for a bit more dynamic pacing. I also felt like I ended the book with a lot of questions about Violet’s past (and the other villagers), which I’m hoping is a good sign for more books to come!
Overall, this is a classically cozy fantasy, with all the elements of an adult fairytale that you could hope for. If you enjoy books by Sangu Mandanna and Julie Leong, this is a perfect pick for you!
Thanks to Ace for the free book in exchange for an honest review!
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