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The Phoenix Keeper
As head phoenix keeper at a world-renowned zoo for magical creatures, Aila's childhood dream of conserving critically endangered firebirds seems closer than ever. There's just one glaring caveat: her zoo's breeding program hasn't functioned for a decade. When a tragic phoenix heist sabotages the flagship initiative at a neighbouring zoo, Aila must prove her derelict facilities are fit to take the reins.
But saving an entire species from extinction requires more than stellar animal handling skills. Carnivorous water horses, tempestuous thunderhawks, mischievous dragons... Aila has no problem wrangling beasts. Inspiring zoo patrons? That's another story. Mustering the courage to ask for help from the hotshot griffin keeper at the zoo's most popular exhibit? Virtually impossible.
Especially when the hotshot griffin keeper in question just so happens to be her arch-rival from college: Luciana, an annoyingly brooding and even more annoyingly insufferable know-it-all with the grace of a goblin and the face of a goddess who's convinced that Aila's beloved phoenix would serve their cause better as an active performer rather than as a passive conservation exhibit.
With the world watching and the threat of poachers looming, Aila's success is no longer merely a matter of keeping her job...
She is the keeper of the phoenix, and the future of a species now rests on her shoulders.
There's just one thing she has to remember: she is also not alone.
Against an epic fantasy backdrop teeming with all your favourite mythical beasts from dragons and unicorns to kelpies and krakens, The Phoenix Keeper combines the visceral effervescence of cozy fantasy kings TJ Klune and Travis Baldree with the soul-restoring romance of queer icons Alice Oseman and Casey McQuiston.
But saving an entire species from extinction requires more than stellar animal handling skills. Carnivorous water horses, tempestuous thunderhawks, mischievous dragons... Aila has no problem wrangling beasts. Inspiring zoo patrons? That's another story. Mustering the courage to ask for help from the hotshot griffin keeper at the zoo's most popular exhibit? Virtually impossible.
Especially when the hotshot griffin keeper in question just so happens to be her arch-rival from college: Luciana, an annoyingly brooding and even more annoyingly insufferable know-it-all with the grace of a goblin and the face of a goddess who's convinced that Aila's beloved phoenix would serve their cause better as an active performer rather than as a passive conservation exhibit.
With the world watching and the threat of poachers looming, Aila's success is no longer merely a matter of keeping her job...
She is the keeper of the phoenix, and the future of a species now rests on her shoulders.
There's just one thing she has to remember: she is also not alone.
Against an epic fantasy backdrop teeming with all your favourite mythical beasts from dragons and unicorns to kelpies and krakens, The Phoenix Keeper combines the visceral effervescence of cozy fantasy kings TJ Klune and Travis Baldree with the soul-restoring romance of queer icons Alice Oseman and Casey McQuiston.
400 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 13, 2024
765 people are currently reading
45.4k people want to read
About the author
S.A. MacLean
2books320followersS. A. MacLean is a romantasy author from Southern California. Her stories feature spiky banter, sassy animal companions, and queer casts who represent her voice as a chaotic bisexual woman.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,975 reviews
March 19, 2024
this was a nice reminder that books don’t always have to be about murder and trauma. sometimes they can be about a silly 28 year old teenage girl and her birds
May 26, 2024
the coziest fantasy debut about a phoenix keeper working in a zoo filled with magical animals. while attempting to save an endangered species of phoenix, she’ll have to work with her (hot) enemy from college in order to pull it off. the perfect blend of fantasy, romance, and heart!
thank you to orbit books for the review copy!
thank you to orbit books for the review copy!
March 14, 2025
In a Nutshell: Officially, a cosy fantasy with shades of queer romance. Practically, a YA fantasy with a whiny, immature main character and minimal appearance of the promised lesbian-love track. I would have gone easier on this book were it actually a YA novel to compensate for my lack of affinity for the genre. However, it is promoted as an adult fantasy and hence I cannot suppress my disappointment. The magical creatures and Tanya saved the book from a lower rating. This is an outlier opinion.
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Plot Preview:
Had the story been exactly as I have written above, it would have crossed the four-star mark. However, the main character, the straightforward plot, and the pseudo-YA writing style ensured that my rating didn’t come near 3 stars even once throughout.
Bookish Yays:
🦄 All the magical creatures! Phoenix, dragon, griffin, kelpie, unicorn� So many amazing animals! Every scene with them was a treat!
🦄 Tanya, a trans woman and Aila’s best friend and fellow keeper: Possibly the only sensible main character in the book. I also liked Aila’s parents, Tanya’s boyfriend, and Maria in their limited roles.
🦄 Though I have mixed feelings about zoos in general (love to watch animals, hate to see animals encaged or forced to perform), I appreciate how the book highlighted the positive role zoos can play, especially in spreading awareness and implementing conservation strategies for endangered species. There is also a depiction of the entitled behaviour displayed by zoo visitors � annoyingly accurate.
🦄 The fantasy world with magical creatures existing in the same universe as DVDs, emails and corporate bureaucracy. It’s a quirky but enjoyable mix of two such distinct settings.
🦄 Love the way inclusivity is handled in this book. Tanya is a transwoman and Aila is bisexual. But both these points aren’t hammered in our head with in-your-face explanations or overly detailed backstories. Their respective gender identity and sexual preference is woven into the writing casually as part of a scene. This is the best kind of inclusive writing - making it natural for a fictional character to be trans/bi, no justifications or history required.
Bookish Nays:
🦎 Aila is in her mid-to-late twenties, but she is whinier than any teen I know. She is also annoying, judgemental, self-absorbed, and rude. In short, she is a typical YA FMC. The problem is that this book isn’t a YA Fantasy. I absolutely don’t mind having unlikeable leads as these allow a story to have more depth. But it is always better to see such characters eat humble pie and improve steadily over the course of the book. Aila stays the same almost throughout. The writing seems to be aiming at making her sound cute but it fails. The problem is exacerbated because of the writing coming to us from her perspective. The only positive thing I have to say about Aila is that her passion for animals is sincere.
🦎 Aila is shown to be an introvert in the extreme sense, with a strong hatred for people and public interactions. However, her social and professional anxiety is depicted negatively, so it is tough to feel for Aila’s struggle as it comes off more as disdain than apprehension.
🦎 Aila’s third-person narration has plenty of rambling, and to make matters worse, the rambling is always about the same topics. Exasperating and boring! One thing I especially hated was how she always referred to Luciana as ‘the witch� � how immature!
🦎 The writing in general is also repetitive. The first 20% or so is entirely focussed on showing us various magical creatures (no complaints about this!), Aila's aversion to humans, her stage fright, and her love for animals. But even ahead, when the plot has moved on, we still get regular servings of these same points. Oh, and I cannot forget the overdose of ‘mango� mentions we get whenever Luciana is around. (Someone with access to the digital copy: Please do me a solid and let me know how many times the word ‘mango� is used in connection with Luciana! Got the answer in the comments! It's 29!!!)
🦎 I should have seen that tiny tagline on the cover: "Falling in love never burned so bright." Though the plot is about saving the phoenix, the focus is equally on Aila’s romance. As I didn’t care about Aila, I also didn’t care a hoot about her love life, all the more as it was based on the most frivolous reason.
🦎 The blurb promises us a soul-restoring queer romance. So it is unexpected to see Aila carrying a torch for a white straight man for more than half of the book. The actual queer relationship is barely there. Moreover, even when Aila is pining for the male character, we already know that we shouldn’t root for them, thanks to the blurb’s advance notice about a queer relationship. Way to go, blurb-writer!
🦎 It is so easy to guess the identity of the antagonist! There is no subtlety in the plot development in this respect. The problem is that the characters in the book don’t figure out the villain until much later, so it is a long, long wait till common sense pops up.
🦎 I could have still said that this book might work better for YA readers as they would be able to relate better to Aila. But the overabundance of cuss words puts a stop to this thought. There was absolutely no need for such language in this book, especially as it is supposed to be a cosy read. No situation merited the regular f-bombs.
🎧 The Audiobook Experience:
The audiobook, clocking at 14 hrs 10 min, is narrated by Stephanie Bentley. Her narration is enthusiastic, probably a bit too peppy for my taste especially when the protagonist was the opposite of peppy. She gets some of the emotions right, especially her depiction of Aila’s whiny rambling. But some of the trickier pitches such as yelling or whispering seemed a bit hit-or-miss. It is quite possible that my dislike of Aila spilled over into my dislike of the narration, so don’t pay heed to my grumbling. If you still want to try the book, the audio version is definitely a good option to go ahead with.
All in all, the intent was great but the execution needed more finetuning. I loved the creatures but disliked most of the humans.
Had this been marketed as a YA Fantasy, I might have turned a blind eye to some of the flaws, as flat characters, rambling and guessable plots are a hallmark of most YA works. But as this is promoted as a cosy fantasy, I cannot ignore the shortcomings. It is disappointing that most of the characters aren’t sensible adults. The repetitiveness and the predictability added to the downturn.
This is a debut work, so I hate that it went so poorly for me, but sometimes, it can’t be helped. On the positive side, the book does get the creatures, the passion (for animals, not fellow humans), the importance of conservation, and the worldbuilding right. That’s a good start.
Recommended to older YA and NA readers, I guess. They are used to such characters anyway. And mine is anyway an outlier opinion so please do read the other positive reviews and take a better call on this work.
2 stars.
My thanks to Hachette Audio for providing the ALC of “The Phoenix Keeper� via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook. Sorry this didn’t work out better.
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Connect with me through:
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Plot Preview:
Aila has been fascinated by phoenix birds since her childhood visit to the zoo. At present, she is living her dream job as the head phoenix keeper at a zoo focussed on saving endangered magical creatures and creating awareness. The only problem is that there hasn’t been a successful phoenix breeding programme in her zoo in almost a decade.
When there is a heist at a nearby zoo with the phoenix mother and hatchlings stolen, Aila knows that her run-down zoo must step up to the challenge if the beautiful creatures are to be saved. As she hated most people with all her heart, she knows she can count on fellow keeper Tanya for help. But can just the two of them manage such a gargantuan responsibility? She must, especially when her college rival and current colleague Luciana is always ready to laugh at her incompetence.
The story comes to us in Aila’s third-person perspective.
Had the story been exactly as I have written above, it would have crossed the four-star mark. However, the main character, the straightforward plot, and the pseudo-YA writing style ensured that my rating didn’t come near 3 stars even once throughout.
Bookish Yays:
🦄 All the magical creatures! Phoenix, dragon, griffin, kelpie, unicorn� So many amazing animals! Every scene with them was a treat!
🦄 Tanya, a trans woman and Aila’s best friend and fellow keeper: Possibly the only sensible main character in the book. I also liked Aila’s parents, Tanya’s boyfriend, and Maria in their limited roles.
🦄 Though I have mixed feelings about zoos in general (love to watch animals, hate to see animals encaged or forced to perform), I appreciate how the book highlighted the positive role zoos can play, especially in spreading awareness and implementing conservation strategies for endangered species. There is also a depiction of the entitled behaviour displayed by zoo visitors � annoyingly accurate.
🦄 The fantasy world with magical creatures existing in the same universe as DVDs, emails and corporate bureaucracy. It’s a quirky but enjoyable mix of two such distinct settings.
🦄 Love the way inclusivity is handled in this book. Tanya is a transwoman and Aila is bisexual. But both these points aren’t hammered in our head with in-your-face explanations or overly detailed backstories. Their respective gender identity and sexual preference is woven into the writing casually as part of a scene. This is the best kind of inclusive writing - making it natural for a fictional character to be trans/bi, no justifications or history required.
Bookish Nays:
🦎 Aila is in her mid-to-late twenties, but she is whinier than any teen I know. She is also annoying, judgemental, self-absorbed, and rude. In short, she is a typical YA FMC. The problem is that this book isn’t a YA Fantasy. I absolutely don’t mind having unlikeable leads as these allow a story to have more depth. But it is always better to see such characters eat humble pie and improve steadily over the course of the book. Aila stays the same almost throughout. The writing seems to be aiming at making her sound cute but it fails. The problem is exacerbated because of the writing coming to us from her perspective. The only positive thing I have to say about Aila is that her passion for animals is sincere.
🦎 Aila is shown to be an introvert in the extreme sense, with a strong hatred for people and public interactions. However, her social and professional anxiety is depicted negatively, so it is tough to feel for Aila’s struggle as it comes off more as disdain than apprehension.
🦎 Aila’s third-person narration has plenty of rambling, and to make matters worse, the rambling is always about the same topics. Exasperating and boring! One thing I especially hated was how she always referred to Luciana as ‘the witch� � how immature!
🦎 The writing in general is also repetitive. The first 20% or so is entirely focussed on showing us various magical creatures (no complaints about this!), Aila's aversion to humans, her stage fright, and her love for animals. But even ahead, when the plot has moved on, we still get regular servings of these same points. Oh, and I cannot forget the overdose of ‘mango� mentions we get whenever Luciana is around. (
🦎 I should have seen that tiny tagline on the cover: "Falling in love never burned so bright." Though the plot is about saving the phoenix, the focus is equally on Aila’s romance. As I didn’t care about Aila, I also didn’t care a hoot about her love life, all the more as it was based on the most frivolous reason.
🦎 The blurb promises us a soul-restoring queer romance. So it is unexpected to see Aila carrying a torch for a white straight man for more than half of the book. The actual queer relationship is barely there. Moreover, even when Aila is pining for the male character, we already know that we shouldn’t root for them, thanks to the blurb’s advance notice about a queer relationship. Way to go, blurb-writer!
🦎 It is so easy to guess the identity of the antagonist! There is no subtlety in the plot development in this respect. The problem is that the characters in the book don’t figure out the villain until much later, so it is a long, long wait till common sense pops up.
🦎 I could have still said that this book might work better for YA readers as they would be able to relate better to Aila. But the overabundance of cuss words puts a stop to this thought. There was absolutely no need for such language in this book, especially as it is supposed to be a cosy read. No situation merited the regular f-bombs.
🎧 The Audiobook Experience:
The audiobook, clocking at 14 hrs 10 min, is narrated by Stephanie Bentley. Her narration is enthusiastic, probably a bit too peppy for my taste especially when the protagonist was the opposite of peppy. She gets some of the emotions right, especially her depiction of Aila’s whiny rambling. But some of the trickier pitches such as yelling or whispering seemed a bit hit-or-miss. It is quite possible that my dislike of Aila spilled over into my dislike of the narration, so don’t pay heed to my grumbling. If you still want to try the book, the audio version is definitely a good option to go ahead with.
All in all, the intent was great but the execution needed more finetuning. I loved the creatures but disliked most of the humans.
Had this been marketed as a YA Fantasy, I might have turned a blind eye to some of the flaws, as flat characters, rambling and guessable plots are a hallmark of most YA works. But as this is promoted as a cosy fantasy, I cannot ignore the shortcomings. It is disappointing that most of the characters aren’t sensible adults. The repetitiveness and the predictability added to the downturn.
This is a debut work, so I hate that it went so poorly for me, but sometimes, it can’t be helped. On the positive side, the book does get the creatures, the passion (for animals, not fellow humans), the importance of conservation, and the worldbuilding right. That’s a good start.
Recommended to older YA and NA readers, I guess. They are used to such characters anyway. And mine is anyway an outlier opinion so please do read the other positive reviews and take a better call on this work.
2 stars.
My thanks to Hachette Audio for providing the ALC of “The Phoenix Keeper� via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook. Sorry this didn’t work out better.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
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August 13, 2024
The Phoenix Keeper is a cozy fantasy novel that follows the day-to-day life of an earnest zookeeper.
Since childhood, Aila has wanted to be a caretaker for the dwindling population of magical phoenixes. Now that her dream is a reality, Aila is determined to revive the zoo’s breeding program after their sister zoo suffers a tragic heist. Throw in some romance, and Aila has her work cut out for her.
This book is easily one of my favourite reads of the year. If you enjoyed the day-to-day aspects of Legends and Lattes, you’ll enjoy this novel as well.
It is a character-focused novel with a slow plot, but it never feels boring. It has delightful characters and a sweet queer romance. Aila is a lovable character who experiences social anxiety and would rather spend time with her birds and best friend.
The writing is engaging from the first page. The pace picks up near the end, bringing everything to a satisfying conclusion. It is predictable but immensely enjoyable and heartwarming, nonetheless.
I will snatch up whatever the author comes out with next.
Thank you to Orbit for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Since childhood, Aila has wanted to be a caretaker for the dwindling population of magical phoenixes. Now that her dream is a reality, Aila is determined to revive the zoo’s breeding program after their sister zoo suffers a tragic heist. Throw in some romance, and Aila has her work cut out for her.
This book is easily one of my favourite reads of the year. If you enjoyed the day-to-day aspects of Legends and Lattes, you’ll enjoy this novel as well.
It is a character-focused novel with a slow plot, but it never feels boring. It has delightful characters and a sweet queer romance. Aila is a lovable character who experiences social anxiety and would rather spend time with her birds and best friend.
The writing is engaging from the first page. The pace picks up near the end, bringing everything to a satisfying conclusion. It is predictable but immensely enjoyable and heartwarming, nonetheless.
I will snatch up whatever the author comes out with next.
Thank you to Orbit for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.
December 30, 2024
The Phoenix Keeper was a slice of cozy fantasy joy. Perfect for animal lovers, this book follows Aila, a keeper of magical birds, primarily the Silimalo Phoenix, Rubra. Aila leads the breeding programme, and her dream is to save the Silimalo Phoenix species from near extinction. The first portion of the novel is dedicated to teaching the reader about the magical birds in Aila’s zoo. I loved learning about the animals and was particularly captivated by the mischievous Archie, who contained all the quirks I love about animals.
Aila was a compelling protagonist and I enjoyed following the story from her perspective. The anxiety rep was excellent, and I found myself constantly thinking - that happens to me too! Experiences of mental illness are subjective, but great representation should remind you of times when you have had a similar experience, and this is where the Phoenix Keeper excels. Aila’s social anxiety got in her way throughout the story, but I liked that she made strives to try and overcome it, particularly with the help of her rival, Luciana. I didn’t like Luciana in the beginning of the story, she was cold and harsh towards Aila, for what felt like no reason. Once Luciana’s characterisation developed, and I learned more about her, I grew to love her vulnerability and her passion for the magical animals. That was the foundation of which the love between Aila and Luciana began to blossom, and I adored the outcome of their sweet romance. I wish the book had focused more on their romance and that it progressed a little faster.
The highlight of the novel was Tanya, a trans woman and Aila’s coworker and best friend, who was the voice of reason. Tanya supported Aila when she needed support, and checked her when she needed to be brought back down to reality. This representation was wonderful and supported by Aila’s bisexuality, both of which are seamless parts of their identities and as natural to the story as the magical animals.
If you love cozy fantasy stories with a hint of romance, I’d add the Phoenix Keeper to your TBR. Thank you to Jenna at Gollancz for sending me a free copy in exchange for an honest review!
I post about queer books on:
Aila was a compelling protagonist and I enjoyed following the story from her perspective. The anxiety rep was excellent, and I found myself constantly thinking - that happens to me too! Experiences of mental illness are subjective, but great representation should remind you of times when you have had a similar experience, and this is where the Phoenix Keeper excels. Aila’s social anxiety got in her way throughout the story, but I liked that she made strives to try and overcome it, particularly with the help of her rival, Luciana. I didn’t like Luciana in the beginning of the story, she was cold and harsh towards Aila, for what felt like no reason. Once Luciana’s characterisation developed, and I learned more about her, I grew to love her vulnerability and her passion for the magical animals. That was the foundation of which the love between Aila and Luciana began to blossom, and I adored the outcome of their sweet romance. I wish the book had focused more on their romance and that it progressed a little faster.
The highlight of the novel was Tanya, a trans woman and Aila’s coworker and best friend, who was the voice of reason. Tanya supported Aila when she needed support, and checked her when she needed to be brought back down to reality. This representation was wonderful and supported by Aila’s bisexuality, both of which are seamless parts of their identities and as natural to the story as the magical animals.
If you love cozy fantasy stories with a hint of romance, I’d add the Phoenix Keeper to your TBR. Thank you to Jenna at Gollancz for sending me a free copy in exchange for an honest review!
I post about queer books on:
August 19, 2024
"a hug of a book" is an extremely accurate descriptor i have to borrow for this review. as an animal-lover, this was totally up my alley.
aila is anxious, introverted, and MUCH prefers the company of the aviary she is in charge of at the magical animal park she works at. her favorite of them all? the endangered phoenix.
this has a cozy vibe with a bit of mystery and a dash of action. maclean has borrowed and dreamed up all sorts of magical creatures to reside in this fantastical park a la emily wilde with just a touch of princess mononoke.
some other things i enjoyed were her friendship with tanya, her parent's fusion restaurant, the pepper festival, and, of course, the sapphic romance of rivals to lovers with lucia.
“Insane and beautiful. What a combination. Luciana pinned her with a smirk, all confidence. All smug. As if she had every move planned out. Aila was never good at chess.�
overall, this was a fast, fun read and gave me a bit of nostalgia for my childhood when going to the zoo was such a magical experience and i watched animal planet nonstop.
i look forward to more books from this author!
“Not everyone needs a reason to care... You and I don’t. These animals are priceless to us, just for existing...
On the other side, some people will never care. Too selfish. They care about what this world can do for them, and nothing else...
Most people are somewhere in between. Not destructive on purpose, but they don’t have a reason to care yet. They don’t realize why they should care. And no one cares about anything they can’t connect to. That’s our job, Aila. Connecting people to these animals, giving them a reason to care.�
aila is anxious, introverted, and MUCH prefers the company of the aviary she is in charge of at the magical animal park she works at. her favorite of them all? the endangered phoenix.
this has a cozy vibe with a bit of mystery and a dash of action. maclean has borrowed and dreamed up all sorts of magical creatures to reside in this fantastical park a la emily wilde with just a touch of princess mononoke.
some other things i enjoyed were her friendship with tanya, her parent's fusion restaurant, the pepper festival, and, of course, the sapphic romance of rivals to lovers with lucia.
“Insane and beautiful. What a combination. Luciana pinned her with a smirk, all confidence. All smug. As if she had every move planned out. Aila was never good at chess.�
overall, this was a fast, fun read and gave me a bit of nostalgia for my childhood when going to the zoo was such a magical experience and i watched animal planet nonstop.
i look forward to more books from this author!
“Not everyone needs a reason to care... You and I don’t. These animals are priceless to us, just for existing...
On the other side, some people will never care. Too selfish. They care about what this world can do for them, and nothing else...
Most people are somewhere in between. Not destructive on purpose, but they don’t have a reason to care yet. They don’t realize why they should care. And no one cares about anything they can’t connect to. That’s our job, Aila. Connecting people to these animals, giving them a reason to care.�
March 22, 2025
Quite possibly the cutest, most heart-warming book I have read!
I was squealing and kicking my feet the whole way through and I rarely do that. Cozy never evokes such strong feelings in me.
Alia has her childhood dream job as a phoenix keeper in San Tamculo Zoo. Her wish is to find a partner for the critically endangered Silimalo phoenix, Rubra, in her care and lead a breeding programme.
This book, despite being fantastical, had some of the most profound character insight and realistic internal struggles I have read.
Alia is extremely introverted. Diabolically shy. Terrified of public speaking and interaction.
She never feels good enough, constantly scared of failure, and always scared of how she might come off to others.
In other words, I found Alia relatable in certain aspects. She’s the girl who had her nose in a book at school. Who prefers being home, in her pyjamas after 7pm. Who surrounds herself with non-judgemental animals rather than humans.
She made the mistake of wearing mascara one time in high school. Every kid in her class pointed her out. Who was the quiet girl trying to impress? Who was she trying to be?
She never wore make-up again.
Add quirkiness, the most supportive, fellow zookeeper kickass best friend, and an enemies-to-lovers plot that I adored (and you should know that troupe is normally an instant turn-off and avoid for me); this book was perfect book, right time.
Yes, okay, some of the twists were glaringly obvious, but did I still gobble it up faster than the kelpie in this book? YES!
”I was.. gonna go for something from the heart? Whatever comes to my brain?"
Teddy's brow rose higher.
“Shit. You're right,� Aila groaned. “That's a horrible idea. I'm a horrible idea.�
If you still need convincing, there’s a mischievous archibird called Archie who loves theatrics, and who can say no to that scheming adorable face?
Plus, there’s illustrations!!!
Thank you to Gollancz for providing a physical copy and a delightful goodie box in exchange for a review!
I was squealing and kicking my feet the whole way through and I rarely do that. Cozy never evokes such strong feelings in me.
Alia has her childhood dream job as a phoenix keeper in San Tamculo Zoo. Her wish is to find a partner for the critically endangered Silimalo phoenix, Rubra, in her care and lead a breeding programme.
This book, despite being fantastical, had some of the most profound character insight and realistic internal struggles I have read.
Alia is extremely introverted. Diabolically shy. Terrified of public speaking and interaction.
She never feels good enough, constantly scared of failure, and always scared of how she might come off to others.
In other words, I found Alia relatable in certain aspects. She’s the girl who had her nose in a book at school. Who prefers being home, in her pyjamas after 7pm. Who surrounds herself with non-judgemental animals rather than humans.
She made the mistake of wearing mascara one time in high school. Every kid in her class pointed her out. Who was the quiet girl trying to impress? Who was she trying to be?
She never wore make-up again.
Add quirkiness, the most supportive, fellow zookeeper kickass best friend, and an enemies-to-lovers plot that I adored (and you should know that troupe is normally an instant turn-off and avoid for me); this book was perfect book, right time.
Yes, okay, some of the twists were glaringly obvious, but did I still gobble it up faster than the kelpie in this book? YES!
”I was.. gonna go for something from the heart? Whatever comes to my brain?"
Teddy's brow rose higher.
“Shit. You're right,� Aila groaned. “That's a horrible idea. I'm a horrible idea.�
If you still need convincing, there’s a mischievous archibird called Archie who loves theatrics, and who can say no to that scheming adorable face?
Plus, there’s illustrations!!!
Thank you to Gollancz for providing a physical copy and a delightful goodie box in exchange for a review!
September 21, 2024
This was a delightful cozy fantasy!!! The Phoenix Keeper features a magical zoo, a painfully shy bisexual heroine, and a world that feels real. Honestly I'm impressed at how the level of detail and thought given to the care of these magical creatures makes it feel like they might really exist.
Aila is passionate about her birds and has an impressive depth of knowledge of them, but she hates dealing with people and freezes up when she needs to speak in front of crowds. Unlike the annoyingly pretty and confident Luciana who is one of the stars of the zoo. Aila also hates the commercialization of these near extinct creatures. But she has the opportunity to have a breeding male phoenix transferred to their program, IF she can prove herself and update the aviary to all the modern security and safety requirements. Because poachers of magical creatures have been a serious problem...
I honestly loved this. It felt so immersive and I felt for Aila, even though she has some real growing she needs to do. And does through the course of the book! There are romantic elements that I think worked well, and by the end there are some real stakes to the plot. I was a fan and would read more from this debut author! I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher, all opinions are my own.
Aila is passionate about her birds and has an impressive depth of knowledge of them, but she hates dealing with people and freezes up when she needs to speak in front of crowds. Unlike the annoyingly pretty and confident Luciana who is one of the stars of the zoo. Aila also hates the commercialization of these near extinct creatures. But she has the opportunity to have a breeding male phoenix transferred to their program, IF she can prove herself and update the aviary to all the modern security and safety requirements. Because poachers of magical creatures have been a serious problem...
I honestly loved this. It felt so immersive and I felt for Aila, even though she has some real growing she needs to do. And does through the course of the book! There are romantic elements that I think worked well, and by the end there are some real stakes to the plot. I was a fan and would read more from this debut author! I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher, all opinions are my own.
June 3, 2024
2.5⭐️
I will start off saying that this was my first cozy fantasy book. I wanted to try something outside my typical book reads.
My first issue with this book is the marketing. It’s marketed as a sapphic fantasy romance, heavy on the romance. If you are hoping to get that, you will be highly disappointed. There happens to be a little bit of romance with a guy character (because the main character is bisexual). This last up until well after the 50% mark. The real romance doesn’t start until after the 73% mark. I’m sorry to say, but that is not a romance book, especially when it’s a standalone.
Also if you’re looking for a fantasy vibe, it’s very low. Besides the inclusion of Phoenixes, dragons, unicorns, and other magical creatures, there is really no fantasy. The author tries to build a world by listing off places but no real concrete world building. It just felt like our world with fantasy elements.
Another of my issues with this book is how juvenile the behavior is of the main characters. They are said to be 28 years old but act as if they are 19 years old. Yes the main character has anxiety but does not excuse her for not communicating with people. Or holding grudges over the littlest of things.
As for the main character, Aila, I liked her in the beginning but disliked her by the end. She seems very self involved & not a good friend. It was nice to get representation of a character who is bisexual & has anxiety, but it ended up falling flat.
Really this book is about mental health. Specifically dealing anxiety in work space, personal space, and relationships. The Phoenix storyline became bigger at later on. There was a lot of times that information was just dropped in massive amounts. The pacing felt off & that the book could have been 100 pages shorter. The plot twist I saw coming.
I would have loved to explore the character Luciana & Tanya more. They were highly interesting but we barely got anytime with them. I felt like they were under used.
Thank you NetGalley & Orbit for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I will start off saying that this was my first cozy fantasy book. I wanted to try something outside my typical book reads.
My first issue with this book is the marketing. It’s marketed as a sapphic fantasy romance, heavy on the romance. If you are hoping to get that, you will be highly disappointed. There happens to be a little bit of romance with a guy character (because the main character is bisexual). This last up until well after the 50% mark. The real romance doesn’t start until after the 73% mark. I’m sorry to say, but that is not a romance book, especially when it’s a standalone.
Also if you’re looking for a fantasy vibe, it’s very low. Besides the inclusion of Phoenixes, dragons, unicorns, and other magical creatures, there is really no fantasy. The author tries to build a world by listing off places but no real concrete world building. It just felt like our world with fantasy elements.
Another of my issues with this book is how juvenile the behavior is of the main characters. They are said to be 28 years old but act as if they are 19 years old. Yes the main character has anxiety but does not excuse her for not communicating with people. Or holding grudges over the littlest of things.
As for the main character, Aila, I liked her in the beginning but disliked her by the end. She seems very self involved & not a good friend. It was nice to get representation of a character who is bisexual & has anxiety, but it ended up falling flat.
Really this book is about mental health. Specifically dealing anxiety in work space, personal space, and relationships. The Phoenix storyline became bigger at later on. There was a lot of times that information was just dropped in massive amounts. The pacing felt off & that the book could have been 100 pages shorter. The plot twist I saw coming.
I would have loved to explore the character Luciana & Tanya more. They were highly interesting but we barely got anytime with them. I felt like they were under used.
Thank you NetGalley & Orbit for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
October 21, 2024
Incredibly juvenile characterization that made this feel like high schoolers with summer jobs or undergrads with internships at a zoo, not adults who are career-focused.
The fantasy zoo animals were more interesting than the humans.
The fantasy zoo animals were more interesting than the humans.
Shelved as 'dnf'
September 26, 2024DNF 20%
I would not survive another hate read this month.
I would not survive another hate read this month.
July 28, 2024
2.5 �
The Phoenix Keeper is a cozy fantasy that centers around a zoo for magical creatures. the main character Aila is a zookeeper who is pressing for the preservation of the phoenix’s, as they’re one of the species that are most endangered. i loved seeing her take care of all these different creatures and i thought her social anxiety was portrayed well, in a way that can feel relatable to a lot of people. after a while though, i did start to get bored with how stagnant the story was and then when the ending came everything that happened felt so random and out of place. the sapphic romance was cute between Aila and Luciana, but i just wanted more from the actual story itself and i would’ve preferred everything to flow more smoothly than it did.
� many thanks to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the arc, all opinions are my own.
The Phoenix Keeper is a cozy fantasy that centers around a zoo for magical creatures. the main character Aila is a zookeeper who is pressing for the preservation of the phoenix’s, as they’re one of the species that are most endangered. i loved seeing her take care of all these different creatures and i thought her social anxiety was portrayed well, in a way that can feel relatable to a lot of people. after a while though, i did start to get bored with how stagnant the story was and then when the ending came everything that happened felt so random and out of place. the sapphic romance was cute between Aila and Luciana, but i just wanted more from the actual story itself and i would’ve preferred everything to flow more smoothly than it did.
� many thanks to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the arc, all opinions are my own.
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July 18, 2024
Zookeeper Aila is here for one thing and one thing only: for the joy and thrill of working with magical birds, especially her beloved and critically endangered phoenix, Rubra. She's determined to bring back the phoenix breeding program to her zoo, but she's got to figure her own shit out first...
This was such a frustrating book.
On the one hand, where it dazzled was the worldbuilding and the intimate look into the life of a zookeeper for magical animals and all that that would entail. When the book focused on zookeeping, it was fantastic.
Where it faltered was...everywhere else.
I greatly appreciated Aila's depiction of anxiety. Per the author's intro, it was based very much on her experience with anxiety.
Everything else about Aila—her selfishness, her self-centeredness, her seeing-the-trees-instead-of-the-forest, and her absolute, stubborn naivety, were incredibly annoying to me. The girl was a fucking ostrich, keeping her head ducked into the sand. Like, c'mon. You're a zookeeper who refuses to accept the extreme importance of merchandizing? Public relations campaigns? Budgets? Reports? Staff meetings?? This is what I would expect of a new zookeeper in her early to mid-twenties, but Aila's been there for several years and is late twenties. I just...[insert growl of frustration].
How Aila treated Tanya was downright despicable (granted, there was some codependency there that was never addressed). Aila took her BFF for granted at every step of the way. Sure, Tanya agreed to help, but her volunteer program was always pushed onto a backburner of nonexistence even when it was given page time. I just. Well. The fact that Aila is a tiny, very petite and very weak noodle armed white girl (her lack of upper body strength was mentioned at least four times a chapter) and her BFF she takes for granted is a Black trans woman just sat really poorly with me.
The love triangle aspect was really obnoxious as well, particularly with the weary bisexual angle of rejecting the man (who, naturally, turns out to be the baddie—I don't consider this is a spoiler since it's telegraphed very early on throughout the book and the twist is foreshadowed as heavily as a defrosted mouse to the forehead) in favor of the pretty popular girl who used to be the Enemy (but who actually has feelings because *gasp* she's a human, too!).
Anywho, the storyline itself wasn't anything new.
Three stars because the book really, truly shone in its depictions of zookeeping, the comprehensive and inspired worldbuilding, and the variety of magical animals.
However, as much as the book annoyed me, I know that it will find lots of fans in those who love cozy fantasy. I'm quickly realizing that it is not a subgenre for me.
I received an ARC from NetGalley
This was such a frustrating book.
On the one hand, where it dazzled was the worldbuilding and the intimate look into the life of a zookeeper for magical animals and all that that would entail. When the book focused on zookeeping, it was fantastic.
Where it faltered was...everywhere else.
I greatly appreciated Aila's depiction of anxiety. Per the author's intro, it was based very much on her experience with anxiety.
Everything else about Aila—her selfishness, her self-centeredness, her seeing-the-trees-instead-of-the-forest, and her absolute, stubborn naivety, were incredibly annoying to me. The girl was a fucking ostrich, keeping her head ducked into the sand. Like, c'mon. You're a zookeeper who refuses to accept the extreme importance of merchandizing? Public relations campaigns? Budgets? Reports? Staff meetings?? This is what I would expect of a new zookeeper in her early to mid-twenties, but Aila's been there for several years and is late twenties. I just...[insert growl of frustration].
How Aila treated Tanya was downright despicable (granted, there was some codependency there that was never addressed). Aila took her BFF for granted at every step of the way. Sure, Tanya agreed to help, but her volunteer program was always pushed onto a backburner of nonexistence even when it was given page time. I just. Well. The fact that Aila is a tiny, very petite and very weak noodle armed white girl (her lack of upper body strength was mentioned at least four times a chapter) and her BFF she takes for granted is a Black trans woman just sat really poorly with me.
The love triangle aspect was really obnoxious as well, particularly with the weary bisexual angle of rejecting the man (who, naturally, turns out to be the baddie—I don't consider this is a spoiler since it's telegraphed very early on throughout the book and the twist is foreshadowed as heavily as a defrosted mouse to the forehead) in favor of the pretty popular girl who used to be the Enemy (but who actually has feelings because *gasp* she's a human, too!).
Anywho, the storyline itself wasn't anything new.
Three stars because the book really, truly shone in its depictions of zookeeping, the comprehensive and inspired worldbuilding, and the variety of magical animals.
However, as much as the book annoyed me, I know that it will find lots of fans in those who love cozy fantasy. I'm quickly realizing that it is not a subgenre for me.
I received an ARC from NetGalley
October 6, 2024
4.0 Stars
Video Review
This was such a delightfully cute fantasy story� and this is coming from a reader who usually reads the dark and disturbing.
This book works because there is an actual plot and, perhaps more importantly, it has well developed complex characters. I felt like the characters with flawed in the most relatable ways with motivation and emotions I could understand and appreciate.
I would recommend this to readers looking for a cute fantastical read with a surprising amount of depth.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
Video Review
This was such a delightfully cute fantasy story� and this is coming from a reader who usually reads the dark and disturbing.
This book works because there is an actual plot and, perhaps more importantly, it has well developed complex characters. I felt like the characters with flawed in the most relatable ways with motivation and emotions I could understand and appreciate.
I would recommend this to readers looking for a cute fantastical read with a surprising amount of depth.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
January 30, 2025
Well damn, I can't recall the last time I felt so betrayed by a book. I mean, if you are selling something as "a fierce joy of a cozy fantasy novel with a soul-restoring queer romance at its heart", then why must it take almost 75% of the novel to deliver even slightly on that promise?
The reason I picked up The Phoenix Keeper is because I desperately wanted a cozy comfort read with some silly good queer romcom vibes and lots of fun magical creature lore. And credit where credit is due, the setting of the magical zoo filled with all kinds of wonderful mythological creatures was just as fun as I was hoping it would be, but that is just about where the positives of this book end for me.
Personally, I just did not enjoy Aila as a MC, not because she is a bit of an anxious, socially awkward, bisexual disaster who prefers to spend time with animals over people (honestly, can relate), but because she was so incredibly immature, hypocritical and judgmental towards both herself and others. I get it, she is an introvert, she is a bit neuro-spicy, but that does not excuse such egotistical and outright mean behaviour. Not once did I feel sorry for her or care about her problems and/or dreams, and I think she absolutely did not deserve such an incredibly patient and supportive best friend like Tanya (the true MVP of this book).
But the thing that maybe pissed me off most about this book is the fact that it promises to be a queer romance, only to then spend more than two thirds of the story on a doomed romance with a walking red flag of a cis-het white guy. WHY?! I even went back to ŷ to check if I had gaslighted myself into thinking this was a queer romance, but nope, we just had to wait 75% of the book for the petty high school grudge (completely based on miscommunication) between Aila and her rival Luciana to resolve with one simple conversation, and then we get all the happy, giddy, swoony 'head over heels in love' vibes... yeah, I think the fuck not.
Why did I keep reading if I had all these issues, you ask? For one, because the writing itself made it very easy and comfortable to breeze through the story, but mostly because I just could not believe that this book was so far from what it was promised to be, and I had a morbid curiosity to find out if it would redeem itself. And although the last 25% were admittedly the strongest part of the novel (extremely predictable 'mystery' twists notwithstanding), it never managed to fully win me over.
Maybe I have more problems with the way this book is marketed rather than the book itself, but in any case, I did not have a great time, so here we are. To me, The Phoenix Keeper was just entirely too long, incredibly frustrating and unforgivably unromantic, and I would only recommend it if you are extremely interested in a story with great representation of animal conservation/welfare set in a cool magical zoo.
The reason I picked up The Phoenix Keeper is because I desperately wanted a cozy comfort read with some silly good queer romcom vibes and lots of fun magical creature lore. And credit where credit is due, the setting of the magical zoo filled with all kinds of wonderful mythological creatures was just as fun as I was hoping it would be, but that is just about where the positives of this book end for me.
Personally, I just did not enjoy Aila as a MC, not because she is a bit of an anxious, socially awkward, bisexual disaster who prefers to spend time with animals over people (honestly, can relate), but because she was so incredibly immature, hypocritical and judgmental towards both herself and others. I get it, she is an introvert, she is a bit neuro-spicy, but that does not excuse such egotistical and outright mean behaviour. Not once did I feel sorry for her or care about her problems and/or dreams, and I think she absolutely did not deserve such an incredibly patient and supportive best friend like Tanya (the true MVP of this book).
But the thing that maybe pissed me off most about this book is the fact that it promises to be a queer romance, only to then spend more than two thirds of the story on a doomed romance with a walking red flag of a cis-het white guy. WHY?! I even went back to ŷ to check if I had gaslighted myself into thinking this was a queer romance, but nope, we just had to wait 75% of the book for the petty high school grudge (completely based on miscommunication) between Aila and her rival Luciana to resolve with one simple conversation, and then we get all the happy, giddy, swoony 'head over heels in love' vibes... yeah, I think the fuck not.
Why did I keep reading if I had all these issues, you ask? For one, because the writing itself made it very easy and comfortable to breeze through the story, but mostly because I just could not believe that this book was so far from what it was promised to be, and I had a morbid curiosity to find out if it would redeem itself. And although the last 25% were admittedly the strongest part of the novel (extremely predictable 'mystery' twists notwithstanding), it never managed to fully win me over.
Maybe I have more problems with the way this book is marketed rather than the book itself, but in any case, I did not have a great time, so here we are. To me, The Phoenix Keeper was just entirely too long, incredibly frustrating and unforgivably unromantic, and I would only recommend it if you are extremely interested in a story with great representation of animal conservation/welfare set in a cool magical zoo.
April 27, 2024
I haven't read this yet, but I just wanted to go on record and say that they had me at rivals that will definitely kiss and who will save magical beasts from extinction. 🔥
That One Film Series That Will Not Be Named COULD HAVE NEVER
That One Film Series That Will Not Be Named COULD HAVE NEVER
July 27, 2024
1,5⭐️
it was cozy and all, but lowkey mostly it was boring? I knew what it was going to be about, but it felt like literally nothing happened and sometimes that's okey, there's many good character-driven books, but this one isn't it😭
the main character with anxiety was relatable, however I was very surprised, when I realized she's 28 and then I was like ymmm, she was just very immature and judgemental and selfish, literally getting a realization that "you never know what other people have been going thru" at almost thirty really gave me ick, it would've been better if she was 16
also pls don't market it as f/f romance, cus I was really hyped up for that, but for 50% she's crushing on a man, which really annoyed me, since I knew nothing will come out of it and I was waiting for the romance with her nemesis / academic rival, but that STARTED on about 60% of the book??? and the ending was so predictable
this is a proof that nemesis doesn't work outside high fantasy setting too, cus wdym she's your mortal enemy, cus she didn't wanna do the group project with u in collage???? and hating on her, cus she had manicured nails was so icky I wanted to scream
the zoo setting was really nice tho
Thank you Netgalley for providing digital advanced copy in exchange for honest review.
it was cozy and all, but lowkey mostly it was boring? I knew what it was going to be about, but it felt like literally nothing happened and sometimes that's okey, there's many good character-driven books, but this one isn't it😭
the main character with anxiety was relatable, however I was very surprised, when I realized she's 28 and then I was like ymmm, she was just very immature and judgemental and selfish, literally getting a realization that "you never know what other people have been going thru" at almost thirty really gave me ick, it would've been better if she was 16
also pls don't market it as f/f romance, cus I was really hyped up for that, but for 50% she's crushing on a man, which really annoyed me, since I knew nothing will come out of it and I was waiting for the romance with her nemesis / academic rival, but that STARTED on about 60% of the book??? and the ending was so predictable
this is a proof that nemesis doesn't work outside high fantasy setting too, cus wdym she's your mortal enemy, cus she didn't wanna do the group project with u in collage???? and hating on her, cus she had manicured nails was so icky I wanted to scream
the zoo setting was really nice tho
Thank you Netgalley for providing digital advanced copy in exchange for honest review.
November 12, 2024
This gave me exactly what I wanted: mythical creatures and a cute romance. Very cozy 🥰
August 13, 2024
Happy publishing day to this cozy read!
I enjoyed this decently, but sadly it didn't quite hit as hard as I hoped it would.
The premise of this seemed absolutely perfect for me--a fantasy with a romance subplot focused on a zookeeper of a magical zoo?! Sign me up. And honestly, the magical zoo aspect of this book is what kept me reading, so for that, it was great. The world was beautiful and so vivid. I'm a sucker for animals in any story, and that was no different here. Archie was my favorite 💜 The humor, especially in relation to the animals, was done really well too in my opinion, and I always love when a book can make me laugh! The illustrations were a great little addition too.
The human characters are where this fell a bit flat for me. I did not really connect with anyone in this book. The FMC didn't feel like a real person if that makes any sense. Her character traits were so larger than life that it didn't quite feel believable or rooted in reality. For example, I loved the addition of an FMC with social anxiety--I always love to see anxiety represented in books. However, it was taken so far at points that it didn't feel like real social anxiety.
The romance in here was okay, but I was not particularly attached to it either. It definitely was not the aspect of the book that kept me reading but more of a fun little subplot.
I would recommend this, but honestly only to very specific readers. I think this book is PERFECT for cozy fantasy readers who love animals. If you love animals period, you're going to get a decent amount of enjoyment out of this; it is abundantly clear that the author put a lot of time and care into developing the animals to be central to the plot and make them and their magic feel real. And if you just want a cozy, chill good time with a little romance, I think this is great for you as well!
Thank you so much to Orbit Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I enjoyed this decently, but sadly it didn't quite hit as hard as I hoped it would.
The premise of this seemed absolutely perfect for me--a fantasy with a romance subplot focused on a zookeeper of a magical zoo?! Sign me up. And honestly, the magical zoo aspect of this book is what kept me reading, so for that, it was great. The world was beautiful and so vivid. I'm a sucker for animals in any story, and that was no different here. Archie was my favorite 💜 The humor, especially in relation to the animals, was done really well too in my opinion, and I always love when a book can make me laugh! The illustrations were a great little addition too.
The human characters are where this fell a bit flat for me. I did not really connect with anyone in this book. The FMC didn't feel like a real person if that makes any sense. Her character traits were so larger than life that it didn't quite feel believable or rooted in reality. For example, I loved the addition of an FMC with social anxiety--I always love to see anxiety represented in books. However, it was taken so far at points that it didn't feel like real social anxiety.
The romance in here was okay, but I was not particularly attached to it either. It definitely was not the aspect of the book that kept me reading but more of a fun little subplot.
I would recommend this, but honestly only to very specific readers. I think this book is PERFECT for cozy fantasy readers who love animals. If you love animals period, you're going to get a decent amount of enjoyment out of this; it is abundantly clear that the author put a lot of time and care into developing the animals to be central to the plot and make them and their magic feel real. And if you just want a cozy, chill good time with a little romance, I think this is great for you as well!
Thank you so much to Orbit Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
July 14, 2024
DNF @ 42%.
I'm sorry, but there is a difference between "cozy" and "boring".
I'm sorry, but there is a difference between "cozy" and "boring".
Read
September 22, 2024Thank you netgalley for this arc. I'm pretty late on posting this review but it is not fault of the book, and instead the fault of me, victim to my annual summer slump.
I did, actually, indeed manage to finish this book during the summer. Usually, it's hard for me to pin down what sorts of book I like to read during the summer, but this is 100% a summer book. The setting was such a visceral picture of the zoo that instantly transported me into the few times I'd visited as a kid. There were a couple times when I was reading where I went, "Wow. Wish I was at the San Diego zoo right now." And in that way, it's delightful. The tone, delightful. The characters, very fun. Easy breezy beautiful colorgirl.
There was something to yearn for in terms of the pacing, though. It doesn't feel quite like a romance, and the main plot pivots on its heel quite a few times, making the pacing feel a bit wonky. At the 30% mark I accurately predicted the ending, and so a lot of the setup beyond that point felt a little tedious to get through. I wish the plot had been a bit simplified or streamlined or something.
The romance reminded me of almost like... sitcom enemies to lovers? Like that over-exaggerated, for laughs, sort of rivalry between two characters on cable TV. It's cute. I know quite a few of us have seen those kinds of relationships play out on TV and went "oh just kiss already". But yes, there's not really much to say about this book other than she's cute and I had a fun time.
I did, actually, indeed manage to finish this book during the summer. Usually, it's hard for me to pin down what sorts of book I like to read during the summer, but this is 100% a summer book. The setting was such a visceral picture of the zoo that instantly transported me into the few times I'd visited as a kid. There were a couple times when I was reading where I went, "Wow. Wish I was at the San Diego zoo right now." And in that way, it's delightful. The tone, delightful. The characters, very fun. Easy breezy beautiful colorgirl.
There was something to yearn for in terms of the pacing, though. It doesn't feel quite like a romance, and the main plot pivots on its heel quite a few times, making the pacing feel a bit wonky. At the 30% mark I accurately predicted the ending, and so a lot of the setup beyond that point felt a little tedious to get through. I wish the plot had been a bit simplified or streamlined or something.
The romance reminded me of almost like... sitcom enemies to lovers? Like that over-exaggerated, for laughs, sort of rivalry between two characters on cable TV. It's cute. I know quite a few of us have seen those kinds of relationships play out on TV and went "oh just kiss already". But yes, there's not really much to say about this book other than she's cute and I had a fun time.
August 19, 2024
The Phoenix Keeper
by S.A. MacLean
Cozy YA Fantasy
NetGalley eARC
Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2024
Orbit Books
Ages: 13+
In her early twenties, Aila is the head phoenix keeper at a famous zoo for endangered magical animals, living her childhood dream. But the one thing that would make all of her dreams come true is if she could restart the zoo's breeding program to save the endangered birds.
When the theft of phoenix chicks from another zoo leaves them with only the male, Aila needs to prove she can restart her zoo's breeding program. But Aila is fine with animals, it is people that scare her to the point she would rather hide than be around them, let alone ask them for help.
This was a cute, cozy, story; but I had to keep reminding myself that the characters were in their twenties and not teenagers because that was how they acted. Yeah, I get that animals make most adults giddy, but these adults overdid it, but they really cared for their animals.
As to the 'mystery' of the story... I guessed the 'bad guy' pretty quickly.
The romance label I feel is misleading. Yes, there is a love interest, but I feel that it's not front and center for the story, but it does add to it, though not enough for the label.
I loved the idea of a zoo for magical creatures, but I started to get bored about halfway through because there were times it felt as if the story wasn't going anywhere except in a circle, partly because of the immaturity of the characters. The MC I can relate with, but the people around her also came across as immature.
Overall not a bad story, I can see this suitable for the younger YA readers, 13+, and for those older readers who like a simple storyline with a mini mystery but without a lot of action or suspense.
3 Stars
by S.A. MacLean
Cozy YA Fantasy
NetGalley eARC
Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2024
Orbit Books
Ages: 13+
In her early twenties, Aila is the head phoenix keeper at a famous zoo for endangered magical animals, living her childhood dream. But the one thing that would make all of her dreams come true is if she could restart the zoo's breeding program to save the endangered birds.
When the theft of phoenix chicks from another zoo leaves them with only the male, Aila needs to prove she can restart her zoo's breeding program. But Aila is fine with animals, it is people that scare her to the point she would rather hide than be around them, let alone ask them for help.
This was a cute, cozy, story; but I had to keep reminding myself that the characters were in their twenties and not teenagers because that was how they acted. Yeah, I get that animals make most adults giddy, but these adults overdid it, but they really cared for their animals.
As to the 'mystery' of the story... I guessed the 'bad guy' pretty quickly.
The romance label I feel is misleading. Yes, there is a love interest, but I feel that it's not front and center for the story, but it does add to it, though not enough for the label.
I loved the idea of a zoo for magical creatures, but I started to get bored about halfway through because there were times it felt as if the story wasn't going anywhere except in a circle, partly because of the immaturity of the characters. The MC I can relate with, but the people around her also came across as immature.
Overall not a bad story, I can see this suitable for the younger YA readers, 13+, and for those older readers who like a simple storyline with a mini mystery but without a lot of action or suspense.
3 Stars
June 2, 2024
I think the rule is “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it?� Yeah?
March 4, 2025
A socially anxious zookeeper working in phoenix conservation gets the chance of a lifetime to breed phoenixes and falls in love with her rival/frenemy from the griffin show in the process. Sounds nice, right?
Books like this one almost frustrate me more than the real stinkers that deserve one or two stars. It's ALMOST there for me. The premise=great. The themes=great. A convergence of genres that I love, plus magical animals and nerds=great. But none of it came together the way I wanted it to, and the writing itself seemed to get in the way more often than not.
I also had no feelings whatsoever for any of the human characters, again because of the writing style, which read as really immature to me, in the way that a new writer or a writer who just doesn't have IT (whatever it is) can't make the leap from words on the page to bringing the story to life in your mind. My edition came with a forward from the author about how much of herself she put into this book, and I honestly think that might also be part of the problem. She was too close to it, and couldn't get far enough away to make it work for other people. I mean, obviously this is just my opinion and the book seems to be working for other people, but I am just so disappointed by it. Absolutely mediocre book for me, and I almost DNFed it about three times, but kept going bc cute animals.
The book is also very, very bloated. A cozy fantasy romance about a zookeeper has no business being longer than 400 pages, and this book hits a whopping 470. There was SO MUCH of this book that could have been cut out, plotlines and scenes alike. And that would have actually made room for more development of the stuff I did want to see, like the romance between the two main characters, and interactions with the cute animals.
Anyway, this was basically a miss for me in how mid it was. Not sure if I will read more from this author. We'll see!
Books like this one almost frustrate me more than the real stinkers that deserve one or two stars. It's ALMOST there for me. The premise=great. The themes=great. A convergence of genres that I love, plus magical animals and nerds=great. But none of it came together the way I wanted it to, and the writing itself seemed to get in the way more often than not.
I also had no feelings whatsoever for any of the human characters, again because of the writing style, which read as really immature to me, in the way that a new writer or a writer who just doesn't have IT (whatever it is) can't make the leap from words on the page to bringing the story to life in your mind. My edition came with a forward from the author about how much of herself she put into this book, and I honestly think that might also be part of the problem. She was too close to it, and couldn't get far enough away to make it work for other people. I mean, obviously this is just my opinion and the book seems to be working for other people, but I am just so disappointed by it. Absolutely mediocre book for me, and I almost DNFed it about three times, but kept going bc cute animals.
The book is also very, very bloated. A cozy fantasy romance about a zookeeper has no business being longer than 400 pages, and this book hits a whopping 470. There was SO MUCH of this book that could have been cut out, plotlines and scenes alike. And that would have actually made room for more development of the stuff I did want to see, like the romance between the two main characters, and interactions with the cute animals.
Anyway, this was basically a miss for me in how mid it was. Not sure if I will read more from this author. We'll see!
September 21, 2024
I fucking hated this lmfaoo I literally kept a note in my phone with everything I hated about this book
To begin with some positivity, the social commentary about zoos and their contribution to species conservation is 👌🏼 It is discussed that OBVIOUSLY zoos wouldn’t exist in a perfect world and yet we don’t live in a perfect world, we live in a world where people are selfish so we have to have animal ambassadors to help what’s left of the natural world. He’s a quote that I quite liked about why zoos are so important;
"Not everyone needs a reason to care…You and I don't. These animals are priceless to us, just for existing. On the other side, some people will never care. Too selfish. They care about what this world can do for them, and nothing else. But other people... Most people are somewhere in between. Not destructive on purpose, but they don't have a reason to care yet. They don't realize why they should care. And no one cares about anything they can't connect to. That's our job, Aila. Connecting people to these animals, giving them a reason to care. Whether it's an exhibit or a show, it's all the same goal in the end."
NOW ONTO THE REASONS I HATED IT
- Aila is immature, annoying, and self centered
- Her weird teenage relationship with Luciana in the beginning of the book makes me feel like i’m reading my about middle schoolers intstead of women in their late 20s early 30s
- Aila treats Tanya like a crux to lean on for her own mental health rather than a best friend. Not understanding how on earth Tanya could ever have her own interests
- Aila never considers anyone else but herself and that’s clear from conversations with Tanya about the volunteer program she wants to implement and the argument with Luciana about college
- “Mortal enemies� because of a misunderstanding in college is fucking ridiculous. YOURE 28
- Nothing happens the first 90% of the book and then the ending is extremely rushed
- The “twist� was extremely predictable and badly executed
- WAY too long
- The sapphic romance was essentially non-existent so don’t know why this was adtervisted as such. Aila spends most of the book drooling over a male co-worker and the sapphic romance is awkwardly introduced as an afterthought 2/3 of the way into the book
It was just bad
To begin with some positivity, the social commentary about zoos and their contribution to species conservation is 👌🏼 It is discussed that OBVIOUSLY zoos wouldn’t exist in a perfect world and yet we don’t live in a perfect world, we live in a world where people are selfish so we have to have animal ambassadors to help what’s left of the natural world. He’s a quote that I quite liked about why zoos are so important;
"Not everyone needs a reason to care…You and I don't. These animals are priceless to us, just for existing. On the other side, some people will never care. Too selfish. They care about what this world can do for them, and nothing else. But other people... Most people are somewhere in between. Not destructive on purpose, but they don't have a reason to care yet. They don't realize why they should care. And no one cares about anything they can't connect to. That's our job, Aila. Connecting people to these animals, giving them a reason to care. Whether it's an exhibit or a show, it's all the same goal in the end."
NOW ONTO THE REASONS I HATED IT
- Aila is immature, annoying, and self centered
- Her weird teenage relationship with Luciana in the beginning of the book makes me feel like i’m reading my about middle schoolers intstead of women in their late 20s early 30s
- Aila treats Tanya like a crux to lean on for her own mental health rather than a best friend. Not understanding how on earth Tanya could ever have her own interests
- Aila never considers anyone else but herself and that’s clear from conversations with Tanya about the volunteer program she wants to implement and the argument with Luciana about college
- “Mortal enemies� because of a misunderstanding in college is fucking ridiculous. YOURE 28
- Nothing happens the first 90% of the book and then the ending is extremely rushed
- The “twist� was extremely predictable and badly executed
- WAY too long
- The sapphic romance was essentially non-existent so don’t know why this was adtervisted as such. Aila spends most of the book drooling over a male co-worker and the sapphic romance is awkwardly introduced as an afterthought 2/3 of the way into the book
It was just bad
September 23, 2024
LESBEANS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <33333333
July 25, 2024
Overwrought prose plus an unlikable heroine makes this a difficult read.
Feel like I'm going to be in the minority when I say I really struggled with this one. THE PHOENIX KEEPER is a debut cosy fantasy follows Aila, the titular phoenix keeper at Sam Tamculo Zoo who gets the opportunity of a lifetime to help save her dying species when a new breeding programme opens in the zoo across town. I went in with middling expectations: cosy vibes, brewing romance beneath the adversarial tension and lots of light-hearted fantastic beast shenanigans.
To say I'm disappointed is an understatement.
Aila is joined by Tanya, her best friend and water phoenix keeper, Connor, the dragon keeper, and Luciana, the hotshot griffin keeper and eventual love interest... and when I say eventual, I really mean it. Bearing in mind this is advertised as a sapphic enemies-to-lovers, Aila spends the majority of the book fawning over bland white boy Connor. It was fine at the beginning, when Luciana still despised her, but beyond the book's halfway point I started to resent the time we spent building a romance everyone knows will inevitably fail, and while Aila and Luciana weren't poorly developed, I don't think the heel-face-turn to love was as organic as it could've been.
I wasn't surprised to learn this was MacLean's debut either, because it shows: the writing is the second major issue I had with this book, cramming extraneous detail onto every page that made each scene feel like a slog. Dialogue exchanges that are meant to be sharp and snappy wade through lines and lines of unnecessary description of the surroundings or Aila's feelings � I promise, I can figure out her emotions by body language alone. By 40% I was skimming the text, and I don't feel like I missed any context I couldn't have gleaned from the dialogue.
Bringing me nicely to my biggest problem: Aila herself was unfortunately unlikable and had the echoes of Not Like Other Girls syndrome. Not the worst, definitely, but she's so insular and focused on herself that she doesn't try to find interest in anyone else's lives, holds ridiculously juvenile grudges and often comes across as judgmental. Was she twenty-eight or eighteen? One time she insists that 'everyone had their shit together in college except me', and I'm like, hello?? College students ??? You are absolutely not special???? Imagine that, people putting on a brave face so not everyone knows they're suffering!!! Lmfaoooo. In general I thought the representation of anxiety was well done, even including a scene where she has a therapy session � but having a mental health issue is no excuse for being an asshole, and while I wouldn't go so far to say that she was utterly horrid, the text always presented these behaviours as a quirky part of her personality. Like, no wonder Luciana didn't like her for so long. I wouldn't.
(She read somewhat neurodivergent to me as well but since it wasn't confirmed in the text I took all her behaviour at face value.)
She does get comeuppance and recognises she's being self-centred, but by that point the damage was done for me, and I didn't care what happened to her either way. The real MVP was Tanya for not only putting up with her but also dedicating majority of her free time to Aila's renovation project more than her own � which, I'll point out, Aila doesn't notice until Tanya points it out to her. What a great friend she is...
I considered three stars for the ending, which finally adds some much needed drama to the dry story, but unfortunately I hated the rest of the story more than I liked the end.
WILL I READ MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR? Not likely. I'll wait a few books at least.
Advanced copy received from Orion in exchange for an honest review. This title releases on the 13th August 2024.
LAST REVIEW
Feel like I'm going to be in the minority when I say I really struggled with this one. THE PHOENIX KEEPER is a debut cosy fantasy follows Aila, the titular phoenix keeper at Sam Tamculo Zoo who gets the opportunity of a lifetime to help save her dying species when a new breeding programme opens in the zoo across town. I went in with middling expectations: cosy vibes, brewing romance beneath the adversarial tension and lots of light-hearted fantastic beast shenanigans.
To say I'm disappointed is an understatement.
Aila is joined by Tanya, her best friend and water phoenix keeper, Connor, the dragon keeper, and Luciana, the hotshot griffin keeper and eventual love interest... and when I say eventual, I really mean it. Bearing in mind this is advertised as a sapphic enemies-to-lovers, Aila spends the majority of the book fawning over bland white boy Connor. It was fine at the beginning, when Luciana still despised her, but beyond the book's halfway point I started to resent the time we spent building a romance everyone knows will inevitably fail, and while Aila and Luciana weren't poorly developed, I don't think the heel-face-turn to love was as organic as it could've been.
I wasn't surprised to learn this was MacLean's debut either, because it shows: the writing is the second major issue I had with this book, cramming extraneous detail onto every page that made each scene feel like a slog. Dialogue exchanges that are meant to be sharp and snappy wade through lines and lines of unnecessary description of the surroundings or Aila's feelings � I promise, I can figure out her emotions by body language alone. By 40% I was skimming the text, and I don't feel like I missed any context I couldn't have gleaned from the dialogue.
Bringing me nicely to my biggest problem: Aila herself was unfortunately unlikable and had the echoes of Not Like Other Girls syndrome. Not the worst, definitely, but she's so insular and focused on herself that she doesn't try to find interest in anyone else's lives, holds ridiculously juvenile grudges and often comes across as judgmental. Was she twenty-eight or eighteen? One time she insists that 'everyone had their shit together in college except me', and I'm like, hello?? College students ??? You are absolutely not special???? Imagine that, people putting on a brave face so not everyone knows they're suffering!!! Lmfaoooo. In general I thought the representation of anxiety was well done, even including a scene where she has a therapy session � but having a mental health issue is no excuse for being an asshole, and while I wouldn't go so far to say that she was utterly horrid, the text always presented these behaviours as a quirky part of her personality. Like, no wonder Luciana didn't like her for so long. I wouldn't.
(She read somewhat neurodivergent to me as well but since it wasn't confirmed in the text I took all her behaviour at face value.)
She does get comeuppance and recognises she's being self-centred, but by that point the damage was done for me, and I didn't care what happened to her either way. The real MVP was Tanya for not only putting up with her but also dedicating majority of her free time to Aila's renovation project more than her own � which, I'll point out, Aila doesn't notice until Tanya points it out to her. What a great friend she is...
I considered three stars for the ending, which finally adds some much needed drama to the dry story, but unfortunately I hated the rest of the story more than I liked the end.
WILL I READ MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR? Not likely. I'll wait a few books at least.
Advanced copy received from Orion in exchange for an honest review. This title releases on the 13th August 2024.
LAST REVIEW
August 24, 2024
This is a tricky book for me to rate.
On the one hand, I didn't enjoy the writing - mainly the dialogue, which felt synthetic at times (the overuse of names and nicknames was painful), and the characterisation. Aila was not a protagonist I connected well with. And while I appreciated seeing the ways her anxiety impacted her life, her work, and her relationships, I found her treatment of others at times difficult to justify.
But on the other...
MacLean says at the beginning of The Phoenix Keeper that she hopes it captures the joy of a good day out at the zoo, and it absolutely delivers on this promise. It was cosy, whimsical, and transportive. I enjoyed every enclosure description, every detour into creature biology and conservation history, and every passage about mundane keeper duties. There isn't another book on my shelves where I can have this same experience, and I didn't realise until I entered San Tamculo Zoo that it was what I had been craving. It is a world I am sad to be leaving.
Overall I don't think I can rate this book down despite its flaws, because it is doing something playful and wholesome and it helped me through a stressful week. If you are looking for a different take on the cosy fantasy genre I would recommend giving this one a try, especially if you are an animal lover. It's nerdy and cute and has some of the best creature descriptions I've seen in a hot minute.
An extra star for Archie <3 and Khonsu <3 because they stole my heart.
On the one hand, I didn't enjoy the writing - mainly the dialogue, which felt synthetic at times (the overuse of names and nicknames was painful), and the characterisation. Aila was not a protagonist I connected well with. And while I appreciated seeing the ways her anxiety impacted her life, her work, and her relationships, I found her treatment of others at times difficult to justify.
But on the other...
MacLean says at the beginning of The Phoenix Keeper that she hopes it captures the joy of a good day out at the zoo, and it absolutely delivers on this promise. It was cosy, whimsical, and transportive. I enjoyed every enclosure description, every detour into creature biology and conservation history, and every passage about mundane keeper duties. There isn't another book on my shelves where I can have this same experience, and I didn't realise until I entered San Tamculo Zoo that it was what I had been craving. It is a world I am sad to be leaving.
Overall I don't think I can rate this book down despite its flaws, because it is doing something playful and wholesome and it helped me through a stressful week. If you are looking for a different take on the cosy fantasy genre I would recommend giving this one a try, especially if you are an animal lover. It's nerdy and cute and has some of the best creature descriptions I've seen in a hot minute.
An extra star for Archie <3 and Khonsu <3 because they stole my heart.
September 14, 2024
As a kid, one of my favourite books was about a little girl who lives at a zoo, and all the chaos she gets into with the zoo animals. I didn't know how badly I wanted a grown up version of it until I started read The Phoenix Keeper, but I reached the obsession stage QUICKLY.
From start to finish, this was such a treat for me. I've read books about (magical) zoos before, but they were always more focused on the plot than on the animals, so they always left me wanting more. This one, though, gave me EVERYTHING I wanted. There are so many detailed scenes involving the animals and life at the zoo, the descriptions are so warm and vivid, and I could picture everything so easily. The animals are described so well that they feel like actual characters.
I also loved the main character, Aila, and could relate to her a lot. Her love for animals, her anxiety, everything about her spoke to me. I think it would be easy for people to judge Aila, because her anxiety makes her pretty self-absorbed. The anxiety impacts her brain in a way that makes it hard for her to see outside of her own perspective. This is just one of the "ugly" sides of anxiety, and I loved seeing her learn to move past this and place herself in other people's shoes more.
The plot is centered around the phoenixes, but really, it's centered around Aila learning how to cope with her anxiety through her passion for these animals. To take good care of them, she has to work on herself as well. It was amazing to see this journey.
Based on the synopsis, I did expect the romance to be more central to the story. I love everything this book did, so it's not really a criticism, just an expectation I had to adjust. The romance is lovely, very sweet, but it didn't start until pretty late into the book, so it didn't get as much time on the page as I expected, which I think is good to know before going in.
From start to finish, this was such a treat for me. I've read books about (magical) zoos before, but they were always more focused on the plot than on the animals, so they always left me wanting more. This one, though, gave me EVERYTHING I wanted. There are so many detailed scenes involving the animals and life at the zoo, the descriptions are so warm and vivid, and I could picture everything so easily. The animals are described so well that they feel like actual characters.
I also loved the main character, Aila, and could relate to her a lot. Her love for animals, her anxiety, everything about her spoke to me. I think it would be easy for people to judge Aila, because her anxiety makes her pretty self-absorbed. The anxiety impacts her brain in a way that makes it hard for her to see outside of her own perspective. This is just one of the "ugly" sides of anxiety, and I loved seeing her learn to move past this and place herself in other people's shoes more.
The plot is centered around the phoenixes, but really, it's centered around Aila learning how to cope with her anxiety through her passion for these animals. To take good care of them, she has to work on herself as well. It was amazing to see this journey.
Based on the synopsis, I did expect the romance to be more central to the story. I love everything this book did, so it's not really a criticism, just an expectation I had to adjust. The romance is lovely, very sweet, but it didn't start until pretty late into the book, so it didn't get as much time on the page as I expected, which I think is good to know before going in.
August 7, 2024
Cosyandromantasyare currently my two bête noires, so I anticipated that I might not be the right reader for this book - and I wasn't, but for reasons that had nothing to do with either cosiness or romance. S.A. MacLean's adult fantasy debut,The Phoenix Keeper,stars bisexual Aila, who is in charge of a certain type of phoenix at a magical zoo. Aila struggles with anxiety and so avoids anything public-facing, but knows her phoenix biology inside out, and dreams of acquiring a second phoenix to begin a breeding programme. Her nemesis is Luciana, the beautiful and confident griffin keeper, who seems to be everything she is not - and whom she harboured a secret crush on in college.
First things first: this might be marketed as adult, and Aila might be supposed to be twenty-eight years old, but it's definitely YA. The whole feel of the book is wrong for the adult market, but also, it would all have worked so much better if Aila had just been a sixteen-year-old apprentice. As an adult protagonist, she's impossibly frustrating: naive, blinkered, unable to understand that a conservation programme might need to make money, and intensely uninterested in anybody except herself for at least the first half of the novel. Her difficult backstory with Luciana is practically middle grade. I felt particularly sorry for her best friend Tanya, who continually supports Aila and gets nothing back. This feels especially uncomfortable as Tanya is a trans woman of colour whom Aila keeps objectifying with weird epithets ('Tanya. You magnificent tropical merhorse'.) Aila's character arc follows the typical YA trajectory of simplistically acknowledging and apologising for all her faults about halfway through, after which she becomes more bearable, but she's never a great protagonist.And of course
The Phoenix Keeperwould also have worked better for me if it had been set in a skewed version of our own world (I'm thinking Robin McKinley'sDragonhaven,which is the only other book about magical conservation I've come across), rather than in an incredibly sketchy fantasy world that is basically place names and nothing else. The worldbuilding is so weak that I spent most of the book wondering whether a character being referred to as a 'witch' meant that she was actually a witch or whether this was just an insult. I enjoyed the care-of-magical-creatures material in the zoo and the practicalities of the phoenix programme, but I thought MacLean could have taken this much further, especially given that she has a PhD in Environmental Science. What sort of ecosystems do these animals fit into? How is conserving them beneficial for nature more generally? OK, other readers may not have been as keen on these geeky details, but BRING ON THE MAGICAL ECOLOGY, I say.
Having said all this... I think this is the first 'cosy' book I've read that actually felt cosy to me. It flashed me right back to the kind of fantasy I read as a teenager, and after the midway point, I genuinely enjoyed reading it, despite Aila, despite everything. The romance is low-key but that's perfectly fine with me, and I thought MacLean did a good job of developing Aila and Luciana's relationship. I'd read more set in this world, but I'd want more cryptid ecobiology and a different protagonist. 3.5 stars.
I received a free proof copy of this novel from the publisher for review.
First things first: this might be marketed as adult, and Aila might be supposed to be twenty-eight years old, but it's definitely YA. The whole feel of the book is wrong for the adult market, but also, it would all have worked so much better if Aila had just been a sixteen-year-old apprentice. As an adult protagonist, she's impossibly frustrating: naive, blinkered, unable to understand that a conservation programme might need to make money, and intensely uninterested in anybody except herself for at least the first half of the novel. Her difficult backstory with Luciana is practically middle grade. I felt particularly sorry for her best friend Tanya, who continually supports Aila and gets nothing back. This feels especially uncomfortable as Tanya is a trans woman of colour whom Aila keeps objectifying with weird epithets ('Tanya. You magnificent tropical merhorse'.) Aila's character arc follows the typical YA trajectory of simplistically acknowledging and apologising for all her faults about halfway through, after which she becomes more bearable, but she's never a great protagonist.And of course
The Phoenix Keeperwould also have worked better for me if it had been set in a skewed version of our own world (I'm thinking Robin McKinley'sDragonhaven,which is the only other book about magical conservation I've come across), rather than in an incredibly sketchy fantasy world that is basically place names and nothing else. The worldbuilding is so weak that I spent most of the book wondering whether a character being referred to as a 'witch' meant that she was actually a witch or whether this was just an insult. I enjoyed the care-of-magical-creatures material in the zoo and the practicalities of the phoenix programme, but I thought MacLean could have taken this much further, especially given that she has a PhD in Environmental Science. What sort of ecosystems do these animals fit into? How is conserving them beneficial for nature more generally? OK, other readers may not have been as keen on these geeky details, but BRING ON THE MAGICAL ECOLOGY, I say.
Having said all this... I think this is the first 'cosy' book I've read that actually felt cosy to me. It flashed me right back to the kind of fantasy I read as a teenager, and after the midway point, I genuinely enjoyed reading it, despite Aila, despite everything. The romance is low-key but that's perfectly fine with me, and I thought MacLean did a good job of developing Aila and Luciana's relationship. I'd read more set in this world, but I'd want more cryptid ecobiology and a different protagonist. 3.5 stars.
I received a free proof copy of this novel from the publisher for review.
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