This was the cozy fantasy I never expected! It was a magical story featuring anxiety rep, and enemies/rivals to lovers.

*many thanks to Hachette Audio and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

This book blends sweet fantasy with super real struggles, and I am here for it. Aila, the socially awkward yet determined phoenix keeper, is my spirit animal. Like, she’s literally the girl who’d rather be with animals than deal with humans—and honestly, same. She’s got this deep, relatable anxiety that shapes how she interacts with the world, and it hits hard. As someone who feels that anxious energy, it was honestly refreshing to see such a realistic portrayal of those feelings in a fantasy world.

The plot’s cute, too, with Aila trying to save her dream zoo's phoenix breeding program. But it’s not just about magical firebirds; it’s also about friendships, rivals, and conquering self-doubt. Aila's struggle to balance saving her dream and stepping out of her comfort zone felt so real, and I loved the friendships that blossomed along the way.

The romance is a bit on the backburner, which, I mean, I guess makes sense? That said, I loved how much focus was on Aila finding herself and fighting for her passion.

For anyone who loves a cozy fantasy with depth, anxiety rep, and animals, The Phoenix Keeper is the book for you. It’s cute, emotional, and will have you rooting for Aila as she faces her fears (and possibly saves an entire species).

Stephanie Bentley absolutely crushed the narration. She was the whole show. If you’re into fantasy with a side of self-discovery, animals, and anxiety rep, The Phoenix Keeper is a must-listen. Trust me, you’ll be rooting for Aila the entire time.

I think this book really suffers from being too cozy for me. Overall, it would be great for a person who spends more time in a book than me. I just don't love a meandering story most of the time. The premise is cute and i loved the animals. It will be great for a lot of people without a doubt.

I really enjoyed reading about a magical zoo and a bisexual girl with social anxiety. I appreciated the topics in the story, as well as the cuteness of animals. That being said, what made this book a bit irritating was the fact that the social anxiety was sometimes almost caricature. I know it can look differently in others, but I feel like most of my fellow anxiety people keep our emotions inside in order to be invisible instead of squeaking when surprised. Also, the characters felt really young- younger than the story suggested.

Overall, it was a nice, fast, light read that is perfect as a palate cleanser.

The Phoenix Keeper was a perfect cozy fantasy read! I love that this book focuses on a magical zoo for mystical beasts. It was so interesting to read about all of the creatures we commonly see in fantasy book. This was a great perspective on these creatures and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about them. I also really loved the discussions about conservation efforts. It was interesting to see this topic translated to a fantasy book. Overall I really enjoyed the characters. Especially main character Aila. She was resilient, unique, and determined. I loved the representation with her social anxiety. This is the perfect read if you are looking for a cozy fantasy with a hint of romance!

I received this audiobook ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is so freaking cozy!!!! It's a fun mystery and cute romance wrapped up in a bow! I don't think this book is for everyone. The main female character can be a bit whiny and awkward. But it absolutely worked for me.

I would recommend this book to people who enjoyed The Shellshop, and Can't Spell Treason Without Tea.

This book just wasn’t for me. It was cute, but what I found for myself is I want a strong female character. Not a character who is unsure of herself and hates public speaking and would rather be sweeping up animal coops. Even in a cozy book.

I loved the the setting of a zoo in a fantasy world, but meh on everything else.

This was a very cute story, and I loved the setting of the magical zoo — I was so into learning all about the creatures and their quirks at the beginning of the book, but as we slowed down from that and got into the character dynamics I got a little stuck. I fully understand people being anxious and in their own heads, but it got to the point here that I had a tough time continue reading. However, Alia turned a corner just in time to keep me invested, and I was happy with the way things ended up! A good read if you’re looking for something simple and sweet.

Aila is a phoenix keeper at a zoo that houses many mythical creatures-unicorns, Merlin’s, griffins etc and she is also massively socially awkward. Thus follows her adventures with trying to get a male bird moved to her zoo so that mating efforts with the resident female can begin! This is a very sweet storywhich centres around Aila finding herself as much as a new phoenix. Her best friend, Tanya, a fellow phoenix keeper and her boyfrend Teddy are on hand to support and advise, and old rivalries with neighbouring keepers are finally put to rest. The story was pretty obvious with no shocks or twists, and it did take a while to get used to the tone of our narrator Aila and not want to either roll my eyes/strangle her (especially everytime she referred to her "arch rival" Luciana as a witch) but it was nice and cosy overall. The narration was good, each character was individualised and names were accented as appropriate.

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!