Love, love, love. This is the exact type of book I love to read. Doesn’t take itself too seriously but at the same time is able to hit important and vulnerable topics. Also, Oskar!!!

I really loved the idea and concept behind this book and the cover is stunning. I think what I had an issue with is that sometimes I have harder time to connecting with characters that are so young, especially our MMC. I'm only 30 but even still more then half the books I read in adult fantasy no one seems to be over the age of 27. Despite this little hiccup for me the world was built at an appropriate scale for the story that was being told, and the characters were interesting enough to keep the flow of the story going.

I also wasn't a fan of the instant lust. I like a little build up some tension and pining and not the instant "I'm so enamored with this person I would do anything for them". The spice was good and the conclusion felt good as well. Despite some of the hang ups that I had with this book I still enjoyed it and I would read the next ones in the series. All in all a good romantasy to read when you want all the romance and a comfy blanket.

Thank you to Bramble and Macmillan Audio for my ARC copies of Wooing the Witch Queen by Stephanie Burgis which released on 2/18/25!

This was my first novel by Burgis, and I fell in love with her smart, witty dialogue, and cozy found family vibes. This is book 1 of a new Queens of Villainy series, which will connect with readers who enjoy the vibes found in the Assistant to the Villain series, or anyone who has ever truly loved a new fountain pen!

Queen Saskia is known as a wicked sorceress, feared by all, but she'd much rather work on her spellcraft than be bothered by the boring administrative tasks of running a queendom, or organizing her library. When Fabian, a dark mysterious wizard, arrives at her doorstep, Saskia hires him to put together her library while also searching for a unique spell that will assist her in locating her enemy, the Imperial archduke. Fabian is running from his own secrets, including his identity as the archduke Saskia seeks, but the longer he works for Saskia, the more he falls for her, while exploring his own magical identity.

You can expect:
Hidden Identity
Magical familiars (Oskar the crow!)
Hurt/comfort; finding safety in a partner after abuse
Cinnamon Roll MMC/Black Cat FMC
Slowburn romance (all the whimsical gestures.... "You deserve poetry.")
Bisexual representation
Political intrigue and twists

Narrator Amanda Leigh Cobb did a wonderful job capturing the variety of characters, including the troll housekeeper, and bringing Burgis' irreverent writing style to life. From the nuanced poetry of sweet, gentle Felix, to Saskia making a grand entrance wearing a crown of bones, Cobb delivered the ups and down of the action perfectly.

Wooing The Witch Queen by Stephanie Burgis is the start of the Queens of Villainy Series.
 
I always love witchy stories and here this is combined with a villain aspect and that was really cool. Queen Saskia is a wicked and powerful sorceress, and she is feared by many. But she’s actually very sweet and only wants to protect her citizens and to assure that she experiments with spells and that was such a unique aspect of magic that I’ve never seen in a book before. I liked how this book blurred the lines of who a villain is and how leaders are perceived. Saskia is just so confident and strong, and I love her.
 
Her library is a mess, and she can’t find anything there and that’s why she hires Fabian. He is super sweet and loves poetry, music, and art in all of his forms. But he is actually in disguise, and I loved seeing more of him and his secrets. He has also experienced grief and his moving on with his life in a different way and I appreciated how this was shown.
 
This romantasy is cozy and has so much heart. The best way I can describe it is it feels like Assistant to the villain but with reversed roles and a bit of Maleficent mixed in. And there were so many cool extras like the raven companions. And I loved all the little moments between Saskia and Fabian, and it was a great start to their romance, and I can’t wait to see more of that in the next books.
 
If you’re in the mood for a slow-burn romantasy with lots of magic and heart, you need to check out Wooing The Witch Queen. I adored the characters and can’t wait for the next book. 4 stars.
 
(Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an arc.)

(4.5/5 stars)

Wooing the Witch Queen by Stephanie Burgis is a fun cozy fantasy romance.

Queen Saskia successfully wrestled her throne back from her evil uncle, and formed an alliance wither two other witch queens in an attempt to keep her people safe from a nearby empire. She'd much rather spend her time in her workshop, so to bring order to her chaotic library of magic she begins seeking a new librarian. The "dark wizard" who shows up at her door isn't what she expected, in more ways than she initially understands.

I love a good enemies to lovers story and really enjoyed my read! I also always love a good prickly heroine, and I think the slow burn romance was really well done. I inhaled this book, and finished the audiobook in one day. The narrator does a really wonderful job!

There are definitely some stakes in this book, but it really feels like it's kept on the back burner and is handled fairly quickly in the end. At least for the time being! I really enjoyed Saskia's crow army and wish I had one of my own.

There's good bisexual representation in Saskia, which is lovely to see. Her ex-girlfriend is one of her cabinet members and I could totally see why they were together at one point but are friends now. I also really hope that her ex-girlfriend is the potential love interest for Saskia's ally, the Winter Queen.

If you're a fan of cozy fantasy romance you should absolutely give this one a try!

Tropes in this book include: enemies to lovers, hidden identity, slow burn, bisexual representation

Did not finish. The plot was intriguing but the style of writing was not for me. Will be very popular with fantasy romance readers.

Queen Saskia is a wicked sorceress. When a dark wizard arrives at her doorstep, she immediately hires him to organize her library. As he gets to work organizing the shelves, things start to get a little bit flirty and fun. But the wizard is actually, not a wizard at all. He's an archduke with no magic and a lot of enemies.

This book was cozy and fun in all the best ways. It felt pretty low stakes, but was still really interesting and charming. Saskia's character was fiesty and strong, and Felix was more gentle and thoughtful. Their romance was sweet and I loved that it grew and developed throughout the book. It's definitely a slow burn with fun and playful banter. My favorite character was Oskar the crow, but I also loved Mrs. Haglitz the troll housekeeper because she had a ton of personality. Overall, this was a really fun read and I'm looking forward to book two.

Many thanks to Bramble for the advance copy!

I had such a great time reading Wooing the Witch Queen!!

I loved the characters, Saskia is this badass queen doing everything she can to keep her people safe, and I loved seeing her marshmallowy heart under all that power she wields. Fabian aka the archduke, is adorable and nerdy and I loved seeing him grow and fall for Saskia. THEY ARE SO CUTE TOGETHER!!! The writing and world-building was amazing, it had me sucked into the story immediately and rooting for our main characters.
There are some great heartfelt moments, I laughed out loud, and was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen next!!

I can't wait to read the next book in the series!

3.5 Stars

This was a sweet and cozy romantasy—light, fun, and full of witty banter. While the its a first of a series meant limited worldbuilding, the political intrigue felt underdeveloped and mainly served to push the romance forward. As a result, the enemies-to-lovers dynamic wasn’t as strong as I prefer, but Saskia and Fabian’s chemistry was still charming. I loved how they supported each other’s growth, making their relationship feel heartwarming.

Highlights:
✔ Engaging writing—natural dialogue, fun banter, and satisfying character development.
✔ Oskar, the crow—adorable and perfect.
✔ Strong female friendships—Saskia’s bond with the "villainous queens" was a delight.

Minor Quibbles:
✘ The "Villainous Queens" didn’t feel all that villainous.
✘ Ailana intrigued me more than Lorelei—wish her story came first!

Overall, it is a fun, cozy read, and I’ll be checking out more from Stephanie Burgis!

Thanks to Stephanie Burgis, Tor Publishing Group | Bramble and NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book. “Wooing the Witch Queen” is on sale now.

Wooing the Witch Queen was the cozy fantasy romance of my dreams. The characters were fully developed, the pacing kept me engaged and the dialogue felt very natural. The stakes never felt high, but it worked, and I think it was more enjoyable than if they had been.

Stephanie Burgis is a masterful storyteller, and I can't wait for the next installment in the series. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves an enchanting, whimsical world and a perfectly torturous slow burn romance.

Thank you to Tor Publishing, Bramble and NetGalley for an eARC of this book.

Overall this was a cute book, with an interesting premise, a fun romance, but an ultimately weak plot. I thought the actual writing was good, but the book just wasn’t long enough to dive into the political maneuvering, or the romance either. But I enjoyed the story all the same and I will definitely be reading the next book!

🌈Queer rep: Bi female main character, previous FF relationship in the past

I adored this book, particularly the role reversal of the male protagonist hiding in plain sight from the strong and capable female protagonist. A grumpy and sunshine romance, this was a beautiful start to what I hope is a longstanding series!

I wasn't sure what I was signing up for in requesting this one, but I am so glad to have read it. The nuance surrounding abuse and the PTSD that comes from it are not light subjects, but Burgis handled these topics in a way that had me tearing up and rooting for these characters the whole time. The twist at the end? Lovely. The fact that there was *barely* if any a third act breakup? My absolute favorite. A hot librarian? Sign me the heck up! I loved this book.

5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Wooing the Witch Queen
Author: Stephanie Burgis

Thank you so much Tor Publishing for my copy of this amazing read! Absolutely devoured this one. I finished it in one day. 😂. Saskia is a witch queen that has taken back her kingdom from her evil uncle. A mysterious wizard arrives at her castle and she ends up employing him as her librarian to help organize her magic library. Also told from our librarians POV, he is actually a famous archduke in disguise that is using her palace as a hiding place. With trolls, and ogres in her employ, and her two other witche accomplices she has an alliance with, the magical side cast of characters was to die for. I loved the vibe of the whole book, and the fantasy elements made me feel like I was there. I loved Saskia and our librarian as MCs. Both of their own stories made me want to keep reading. We have a spice level of maybe 🌶️🌶️/5. Can’t wait for more of this series. Thank you so much for the read! This just released on 2/18/25!

Cute, fun, slow burn & magic? Count me in! This was so much fun to read, I loved the twist mixed with suspense and great world building.

🩵💚 Wooing the Witch Queen ARC Review 💚🩵

Thank you so much to Stephanie Burgis and Tor Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book!!

Wooing the Witch Queen is a fantasy romance and book 1 in the Queens of Villainy series. Queen Saskia is the notorious Queen of the Witches but all she wants to do is keep her people safe. When a mysterious man arrives at her castle, she immediately hires him as a librarian. But what if he isn’t the person he says he is???

This was such a fun read! Saskia was a wonderful character and I really enjoyed reading her story! Felix was such an unexpected delight and I adored the growth of the relationship between him and Saskia. This was such a fun magical world and I adored the magic system.

Overall this was a solid four star read! I enjoyed the story and the world! This book did have some potential triggers, so please check if you’re sensitive. This book was a bit of a slow burn and the smutty moments were a little vague in their descriptiveness, so overall two flames for spice

If you’re a fan of fantasy romance with low angst, fun world building and strong characters, then absolutely pick this one up!

I loved this cute and fun fantasy romance! It’s especially nice to see the sweet innocent captive be the male in the romance for once, and the dark broody one the woman. And I do love a librarian! Wooing the witch queen has a silly title that hides its deeper story. Felix and Saskia are loveable and their romance feels natural. Not quite enough of the politics for my taste. Can’t wait for the next one!

Thank you to NetGalley, Bramble, and Ms. Burgis for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

Things I loved:
-The writing, in general. The plot and dialogue were engaging and felt remarkably uncontrived for a fantasy romance. Saskia's exasperation and frustration with her situation felt so genuine, and Felix/Fabian's character growth from a repressed figurehead to full agency felt so satisfactory. The pull between them felt very natural and I appreciated that Ms. Burgis took her time letting it grow.
-Oskar. This book played RIGHT into my (a) longterm love of crows and (b) secret (or not-so-secret) desire to have a pet corvid of my very own. UGH, Oskar was so cute.
-The friendships between Saskia and the other "villainous Queens", and the way they were determined to draw her out of her isolation.

Things I loved less:
-The cover, I'm sorry, it was a little awkward looking. Felix kind of looked like a cleaned up Billy Butcherson ( ">﹏< )
-The nickname "Villainous Queens". They don't really seem that villainous? *shrug*. A little bummed that the next book is clearly Lorelei's, as of the two, Ailana was my favorite (Queen Elsa vibes!!!!). Oh well, it's a save-the-best-for-last situation, I suppose.
However these are really minor quibbles and nothing I can't overlook.

Overall this was a lot of fun. I will be adding Stephanie Burgis to my list of authors whose back work I'll be looking up, and whose forthcoming books I'll be adding to my list.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I don’t read a lot of romance unless there’s a touch of the fantastical — magic, supernatural creatures or spacefaring adventures are a must! (If you have recommendations that fit this bill, send them my way!)

Bramble Romance consistently delivers fantasy and sci-fi romances I enjoy, so when I saw Wooing the Witch Queen on NetGalley, requesting it was a no-brainer. That Stephanie Burgis wrote it only made the decision easier — I’ve loved several of her historical fantasies through the years and this one was no exception.

The story kicks off with an archduke fleeing his kingdom to escape his abusers, only to be mistaken for a dark wizard seeking employment by his homeland’s greatest enemies. Sparks fly — both literal and magical — as he and the formidable Witch Queen find themselves drawn to each other.

This book was pure fun. Burgis builds an enchanting world filled with found family, magical mishaps and characters whose personal histories shape their every decision. Saskia and Felix make a fantastic pair, but I have to say, Oskar the crow might just be my favorite.

If you love villainous queens who may not be as wicked as they seem, softhearted heroes who just want to be loved and fiercely loyal friends, Wooing the Witch Queen is a must-read. I can’t wait for the next book in the Queens of Villainy series!

I am a sucker for a sprayed edge and I was completely pulled in by this cover for Wooing the Witch Queen! Queen Saskia, a feared sorceress, is focused on on her work, but when she hires a mysterious librarian, her and Fabian find themselves in an unexpected attraction—only Fabian has a secret that could destroy them: he’s actually Felix, the Imperial archduke who Saskia is determined to take down. This is a quick read, coming in at just under 300 pages. It’s a cozy fantasy with a soft romance and a strong, fierce FMC. Both are riddled with their past traumas and are trying their best as rulers, while also falling in love. I would have loved more moments of these two sharing and growing, but I loved the gentleness in the romance; there’s a softness to it that I just wanted more of. I also thought the trust they developed was so good! The side characters were so fun, and it’s a really whimsical read. I did want more development in the romance, but I liked the growth of these characters, and I loved how the fantasy unfolded. If you’re a cozy romantatsy reader, you won’t want to miss this one!