A very cute cozy fantasy. I loved learning about all of the zoo’s creatures and the relationships in this were soo cute. The narration was very very good.

Thank you NetGalley for the audiobook arc. Super cute book about a zookeeper working at a mythical creature zoo. While trying her hardest to over come her introvertedness and trying to convince her so that they need to be part of the breeding program.

“Falling in love never burned so bright”

I loved this one about a magical zookeeper. It was fun and a unique spin on a zoo. I loved the anxiety representation also! This is definitely going to be one of my favorites this year!

This book is for the introverts. The Phoenix Keeper follows Alia who would be perfectly fine never talking to people and just chilling with her Phoenixes. Alia is trying to save her zoo breeding program that hasn’t functioned in a decade. While practically saving an endangered species (no pressure).

This book was the epitome of cozy, your just filling days in Alias life. If you go into this expecting that & at a time where you’re just in a chill mood, you would really enjoy it. There’s also sapphics so it makes the book 1000 times better!

The audiobook also felt very cozy, the narrator had a perfect voice for this book.

The narrator absolutely nailed it—every character had their own vibe, and you could feel the emotions in every scene. It made the story so much easier to get into, like you’re right there with the characters.

The pacing felt just right, and the sound quality was top-notch. No weird pauses or background noises, just smooth storytelling. If you’re on the fence about audiobooks, this one’s a solid choice to dive in. Highly recommend!

I did not know I needed a cozy fantasy about a magical zoo, but I really did. This was spectacular and I loved every moment of it. I was worried it would be too romance heavy for my taste as I am not a huge lover of romance, but the romance was a subplot and at just the right level. I think all fantasy readers should give this a shot

This book was absolutely delightful.

In the Phoenix Keeper we follow Aila, a passionate magical zoo keeper as she navigates her professional and personal life with social Anxiety. Aila is following her dreams of working with and trying to save the rare Silimalo Phoenix, working at the San Tamculo zoo which used to be home to one of the very few remaining Silimalo Phoenix breeding programs but has been closed for years. When a tragedy hits one of the other breeding program, Aila takes and risk and pleads to be given a chance to revive her zoos breeding program. When she is given her chance she finds herself working with her best friend, Tanya and her college rival Luciana to make her dreams come true.

This book was delightfully cozy and I loved all of the descriptions of the various magical creatures, I truly loved Archie and his antics, I also really loved Carmesi . Tanya is a real bright spot I love her characterization and relationship with her boyfriend and Aila.

The narrator does a good job keeping the book feeling pretty up beat and is easy to understand

The story was emotionally raw and highly enjoyable, an important story about the importance of being who you are and overcoming the odds, a very real depiction of anxiety and a very real look into the importance of environmental conservation and protecting endangered species, and also the adorable sapphic romance was very appreciated

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

I just finished listening to the audio of “The Phoenix Keeper” by S.A. MacLean, and I absolutely loved it! The narrator did an incredible job bringing the rich world and vibrant characters to life, making the story even more immersive. The blend of fantasy and adventure kept me hooked from start to finish. The plot twists and emotional depth really stood out, and I found myself completely invested in the protagonist’s journey. I could totally see this as a movie—imagine the stunning visuals and dynamic characters on screen! Overall, this audiobook was a fantastic experience that left me wanting more. If you’re a fan of engaging fantasy tales, I highly recommend giving it a listen!

The Phoenix Keeper was a joy to read! I cannot think of a better cozy fantasy to pick up if you are an animal lover! A magical zoo and a determined zookeeper! Alia is to be very relatable as the main character. She is anxious, introverted, and prefers to hangout with her birds than people. I appreciated the anxiety representation and thought it was done in a respectful way! Alia and Tanya’s friendship took the spotlight and the relationship was on the back burner which worked for me! I think this book made a wonderful audiobook and the narrator did a great job! If you are looking for a cozy lighthearted read with anxiety representation, a bit of romance, and a zoo which includes magical creatures this book is for you!

I loved so many things about The Phoenix keeper. The worldbuilding is beautifully done. The romance was absolutely lovely. Excellent narration. One of my top books this year and I can’t wait to see more from this author.

DNF

I think this would be great for readers looking for their next cozy fantasy but it just wasn’t engaging enough for me. I think I would come back to this when I need a fun pallet cleanser book but it’s just not for me right now

***3.5 Stars***

Overall,
A Delightful almost cozy read about a very anxious zoo keeper and her dream of keeping an endangered species alive and thriving. I enjoyed the premise of this book, the characters were pretty fleshed out. I love the idea of magical animals. I would have liked a little more world building and there was pretty much nothing surprising about the ending, I saw it coming from the very start. The narrator did a good job, the book is all from a single point of view, so there were not very many voices that needed to be done. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a light fantasy with exotic fantastical animals, some decent comedy, disability rep, and lgbtqia representation. This book is not rated YA, but it could easily be read by a 14 and older person.

I'm still trying to figure out why I continued to read the entire book. I think it may be the "perfect for fans of House in the Cerulean Sea & Legends & Lattes". ...which this book was neither. Alia was annoying and naive to the point that I kept thinking she was a teen instead of a supposed adult. Everything tied up very neatly at the end and was very happily ever after. Bleh.

“Aila MacBhairan’s favorite time at the San Tamculo Zoo was early morning: cool, quiet, and –best of all– not a person in sight.”

I kept The Phoenix Keeper selfishly close to my heart for weeks. I took my time to listen to the ALC (and read the ebook, all at once), because I needed it to last, and then needed to let Aila, Lucianna and all the others settle for a bit. Not that it changed anything. They now live rent free in my head, taking the space left vacant by others.
This is my new comfort book. I started to have eyes on it at the moment of the cover reveal, and grew impatient as months passed. As a former vet -and trained behaviorist- but also an autistic and queer person, this book had anything I needed to please me on paper. A main character who has trouble with her peers, works with animals, some “science” intertwined… It had –has– everything. The world building is absolutely amazing. It ignites some sparkles of magic in a world so relatable. Which book has an opening scene with some enrichment (and such an opening line)? Some true-false science papers? Some relatable magical abilities?
But it's –of course– more than that. The story is addictive, the characters adorable and very fleshed. The love triangle has the perfect balance to make the story move perfectly, as we follow Aiyla's relationships evolve as much as her Phoenixes’ preservation program.
If you want some queer joy (esp some bisexual panic), magic anchored in the ordinary, fantastic and magical creatures, a mischievous pilferer bird, an anxious MC, an entire cast of multilayered characters and a bit of mystery and action, the whole packed into true Natural-Science vibes .. well pick this one. I'm sorry I don’t make it justice with my review.But –just believe me– it's worth the ride.
I won’t lie and say I'm a bit sad SA MacLean's next book won’t be set in the same universe (I loved it so much!), but I can’t wait to read it anyway, as beyond all the story points, I loved the neat writing style, allowing emotions and feelings to spread their wings all along the story. I laughed, cried, got angry at the characters every minute, thanks to the writing but also to the great narrator in the audiobook, who enhanced everything.
I can’t wait to read it again, to listen to it again. I'm grateful to have this positive story in my life.
(and YES, it’s a more than 5* for me, and in my ex-aequo top3 for this year)

Thank you Hachette Audio, Orbit, S.A. MacLean and NetGalley for the ALC. My opinions are my own.

I love cozy fantasy and books with magical creatures. The Phoenix Keeper delivers on both.

Aila struggles socially, which I definitely relate to. I also don't have a huge circle of friends but really lean on my few close ones, so I really loved her friendship with Tanya. And I appreciated Aila's personal growth in this story - she came into her own at work, saw how she could be a better friend to Tanya, and also found more understanding for some of the other people at the zoo. The romance is not as prominent as I was expecting but I loved the focus on Aila and the zoo.

The climax was pretty heart pumping and high stakes though, so just FYI. The overall vibe of the book was still cozy to me though.

Read if you like:
-books revolving around animals
-second chances
-heartwarming, cozy vibes
-queer rep (bisexual MC)

Thanks to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for the advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Phoenix keeper is a hard book to review. I have very mixed feelings but I will try to be aa clear as I can.

The first 70% of the book is insufferable to read because if the mcs attitude. She hates on everything and everyone and it feels more like a moody teen than a 28 year old woman. At one point she thinks a child asking questions at the zoo is annoying and to me that just shows she isn’t right for the job.

This does change in the last part of the book and im happy for that but by the time she stops being such a hater its too late. If it wasn’t for my audio arc I would have dropped it.

I did like the bi rep and romance. Not too many notes there

I really liked Luciana as a character. I do have one big issue with how she is portrayed and that is the book saying her skin is brown while the authors own art shows her very pale. I think that’s incredibly odd and either she’s lying in the book or she’s white washing her own character. Both options are bad in my opinion and it made me feel very turned off from the book.

The animals were fun but not enough to save the book.

It's a cozy fantasy with a girl who loves her job at the zoo filled with amazing beautiful magical animals. I loved the audiobook. A lot of times I got angry at the main lead Aila because she thinks everything just revolves around her without giving thought to the fact that other people also have problems of their own. Also, I loved the scenes of Aila and her Archie bird (I apologize if I am spelling it wrong because It was the audiobook). Anyway, a good read I would say. It was a 3-star read for me but because of the magical creatures it's a 4 stars.

4.5 stars // Wowowow. I used to really struggle with second hand embarrassment in media, but I fell in LOVE with Ayla (unsure on spelling because audiobook) and her nerves and fumbling. She shone when it came to caring for her animals, and I loved it. This was cozy, comforting, and just a hint mysterious; in short, it was perfect. I'd die for Tanya, and the workplace rivals to lovers was done exquisitely.

rep: bisexual MC of color, side characters of color, queer side characters

spice: none

tw: kidnapping attempt, death of an animal, threat of violence, forced imprisonment