Stay for a Spell

 Stay for a Spell by Amy Coombe, 384 pages.

Princess Tanadelle is a working princess, spending most of her year on the road cutting ribbons, kissing babies, attending formal dinners, and so forth. The only upside to this unsettled lifestyle is that is gives her plenty of time to read, but when shopping for books to feed this habit in an unbelievably picturesque little town, she instead get cursed to be unable to leave the bookshop until she has unlocked her heart's desire. She is eager to make the most of it as Tandy, humble shopkeep, while her parents are determined to break her curse the traditional way, by sending every available prince to kiss her. But Tandy feels more content in her bookshop, with the people she's coming to know, then she ever has in her royal duties, and she can't help but wonder if her heart's desire is closer than she thinks.

In a purely complimentary way, I don't know if I've ever read a book that was more purely wish fulfillment. What if instead of doing your boring duties you literally can't leave a bookstore? One complete with beautiful old books, comfy but pretty clothes, a magical cat, a lovely garden, and an extremely handsome pirate who won't stop bothering you? In addition to the general coziness of this premise, I thought this book was more generally very well done. Tandy's arc felt emotionally compelling, and I really liked how the princes gave a sense of external progression, in addition to allowing characters to be added slowly and in an easy to process way. Coombe also consistently chose narrative options that I found the most satisfying, which is perhaps praise specific to me, but did help push this book over to 5 stars for me. I highly recommend this as the new ultimate in cozy fantasy.

This book will be published 04/14/2026. 

Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore

Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore by Emily Krempholtz (2025, 368 pages)

With the death of her boss (AKA the BBEG), Violet is given a second chance. She can use her planty magic for good. And luckily for her, the nearby town of Dragon's Rest is lacking a flower shop. Violet navigates her twin landlords: golden-retriever-energy musician Pru and black-cat-energy alchemist Nathaniel; her haunting evil past; and a mysterious affliction upon the town. The plot follows both a blooming romance and a community-driven solution to a town problem.

If you love cozy fantasy with a bit of spice, found family, and plant magic, this book's for you!

What I liked:
✨Plant magic!!! A balanced magic system and nods to botany I really appreciated
✨Killer sentient plant (we love him anyway)
✨D&D side arc vibes
✨Found family banding together; loving community
✨Honestly? My dream is to open up a flower shop in a fantasy town with a rock goblin sidekick

What I didn't like:
💤The sex scene might feel a little out of place for those who don't like it, but I love the characters so I was okay with it! 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping

A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna, 352 pages

Sera Swan was one of the most powerful witches in the world when she was young, but after being kicked out of the Guild, she retreated to her great aunt's rural inn and set an everlasting spell to protect the place and people she loved. Unfortunately, that same spell to protect the inn managed to completely wipe out Sera's magical abilities. Several years later, the inn is starting to fall apart and Sera isn't quite sure what to do anymore. That's when magical historian Luke shows up with his autistic and very magical little sister, Poppy, after the Guild has also kicked Poppy out. He's convinced that his stay at the inn is going to be a short one, but surrounded by people who care about and understand her, Poppy has never done better, and Luke's departure date keeps getting pushed back.

This is the coziest of cozy fantasy novels, with plenty of quirky characters and a found family to die for. I'd love to stay at this inn, and I highly recommend this to fans of cozy fantasy.

The Teller of Small Fortunes

 The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong, 336 pages.

Tao leads a solitary life; she travels from village-to-village with her mule and wagon, telling small fortunes which always come true. Her life may be lonely, but it is freer than the life she is fleeing, and she considers it good enough. That is until a chance run-in with a theoretically reformed thief and a former mercenary pulls her into the search for a lost child. Add a baker with a craving for seeing the world and a grumpy black cat, and Tao starts to keenly feel the companionship she has been lacking. 

This was a very cute, cozy fantasy. I don't think I've read enough books lately about the power of friendship, and this book nestled comfortably into that nook. That being said, there was enough conflict (both external and interpersonal) to feel like the book was going somewhere, and to make me excited to see what came next! This was a phenomenal debut novel, and I'm definitely looking forward to reading Leong's new book (which seems to be set in the same world) next time I'm looking for a cozy book. 

Direct Descendant

Direct Descendant by Tanya Huff, 336 pages

Lake Argen is a mysterious tight-knit community that ages ago made a deal with dark forces to keep it idyllic (well, as idyllic as you can get with cryptids wandering about), and part-time baker Cassidy is one of those chosen to be a liaison between the dark forces and the townspeople. But when a visitor dies under mysterious circumstances, his wealthy grandmother hires Melanie, an unemployed teacher desperate for cash, to be her private investigator and visit Lake Argen. Obviously something is up when Melanie arrives, and even though all she has to do is look around and drive back home to get paid, she starts poking around, finding more than she bargained for — including an unexpected romance with Cassidy.

The marketing copy for this book bills it as "cozy horror," which is an oxymoron that makes me roll my eyes enough to give me a headache. Yes, it has eldritch horrors, but they're downright cute, and there's none of the building dread or atmospheric creepiness that are hallmarks of the horror genre. Nope, this is straight-up fantasy (albeit with dark magic behind everything), but it's also straight-up fantastic. I loved the world and characters created here, and I would love to go back to Lake Argen for more books. Highly recommended, especially for fans of cozy fantasy and the Welcome to Nightvale podcast.

The Keeper of Lonely Spirits

The Keeper of Lonely Spirits by E.M. Anderson, 400 pages

When Peter Shaughnessy was a teen, he was cursed by one of "them folk" to wander the world forever, unable to come home. Well, that was 200 years ago, and Peter is now an eternally 70-year-old itinerant man, wandering from town to town around the world, helping spirits (particularly the angry or fearful ones) move on and stop causing a ruckus to the living. He makes no connections and doesn't stay long, and that's been the case for more than a century. But now he's in a small town in Ohio, trying in vain to find a malevolent spirit that's infecting the whole town, and dangit, he's starting to get to know people and care about them. Can he succeed in his attempt to put the spirit to rest and then skip town before getting too attached? Hmm...

I love love loved this book. It has very strong T.J. Klune energy, managing to balance big feelings, coziness, and solid sense of what's at stake. The people who come into Peter's life are all fantastic, and I've gotta say that I am 100% behind having a 70-year-old man be the center of a slow-burning romance in a cozy fantasy. I'll be recommending this book far and wide.

A Song for You and I

 A Song for You and I by K. O'Neill, 240 pages.

Rosie has never felt quite comfortable with their name, and the tension is only getting more taught as they approach the ceremonial carving of their name on the Ranger's gate. After their recklessness gets their flying horse injured, they are suddenly in danger of not graduating to full ranger, and are assigned to escorting a lackadaisical shepherd on wide-ranging deliveries. Around Leone, Rosie starts to feel like they can live fully as Rowan and help give Leone the confidence to live fully as himself as well. 

This was a very sweet, relaxed graphic novel from the author of the Tea Dragon Society, another middle grade graphic novel I loved. I love how evocative K. O'Neill's art feels, consistently. I also found that this story had more heft than many others of its genre, with a meaningful story underneath the atmospheric elements. I would definitely recommend this book to other readers, especially those interested in lgbtq+ stories for younger readers. 

Emily Wilde's Encylopaedia of Faeries

 Emily Wilde's Encylopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett, 354 pages.

Emily Wilde is much better with faeries than people. The curmudgeonly Cambridge professor much prefers study to socializing, which means field work alone in remote Ljosland is a perfect last research trip before the publication of the encylopaedia she has dedicated her life to. Unfortunately, her carefree coworker (and sadly only friend), Wendell Bambleby, joins her without notice or permission. Nevertheless, he will be a useful co-author on her current paper, and as the weeks wear on she comes to appreciate his company more and more (despite herself).

This was a very cozy book, although I'm sure it's absolutely not for everyone. I always like an epistolary novel, and I like fiction with footnotes, so those were points in its favor for me, but I know that isn't the case for everyone. While I didn't particularly love either of the protagonists individually, I found their contrast interesting, and their relationship compelling. I also thought that the world-building in this novel was both thorough and fascinating, which is in my experience a bit of a rarity in fantasy romance books. The weirdest thing about this novel is that the prose feels like it would be off-putting to anyone who doesn't enjoy historical fiction, while the book itself (despite technically being in a historical setting) feels like it has very little that would satisfy historical fiction readers. However, if you enjoy historical fiction but are currently looking for more of a cozy fantasy novel, this could be a great choice!

The Spellshop

The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst, 376 pages

Librarian Kiela has always been an introvert, to the point that her sole friend is a sentient spider plant named Caz. So when a revolution in the capital city finally extends to the library of spellbooks where Kiela works (and lives, actually), she takes as many of the books as she can, packs up Caz, and leaves on the nearest boat to flee to her long-ago island home. Once she's there, she realizes that the magic that had once been maintained by imperial magicians has deteriorated, and with her stash of stolen spellbooks, she has the chance to help. But in order to do so, she's going to have to figure out a way to hide the magic from the nosy (let's face it, they're just friendly) neighbors.

Full of jam and fresh-baked muffins and merhorses and flying cats, this fantasy is the coziest of all cozy fantasies, and it's perfect for a cold winter day. Perfect for fans of Travis Baldree and Rebecca Thorne, or anyone hoping for a gentle escape.

A Pirate's Life for Tea

A Pirate's Life for Tea by Rebecca Thorne (2023) 440 pages

The story of Kianthe and Reyna from the Cozy Fantasy Can't Spell Treason Without Tea continues in this series of adventures that includes a quest for dragons' eggs. Kianthe is the Arcandor, the Mage of Ages, and she has the magic to prove it. Reyna is a strong and skillful fighter, a former guard to the awful queen. In the first book, Kianthe convinced dragons to stop destroying the town where the women had opened a bookstore/tea shop and made friends. But in return, she agreed to look for some dragons' eggs which had been stolen. As the women, newly engaged to each other, work to make good on this task, they encounter pirates, constables, alchemy, and Diarn Arlon, who is a lord of the region where they have reason to believe the dragons' eggs are. The Diarn has been bleeding the people in his area of food, opting to sell it to others while his people were suffering. Hence the activity of Serina, a pirate who is more akin to Robin Hood, stealing food and shipping it to others who are hungry.

It's a love story and an ethical adventure that has our heroes match-making, as well as getting into trouble, despite their best instincts. Meanwhile, Reyna's baby griffon, Ponder is starting to become trained... Not my usual genre, but I'm finding these books to be a treat.