Thanks to NetGalley for the Audio ARC!

Narrator and production quality - fantastic, loved it!

I can say with confidence that The Phoenix Keeper has become one of my favorite cozy fantasies. A female main character with anxiety, stage fright, intelligence, and is highly self-motivated?? Sign me up, I resemble this remark! And a magical zoo....I never knew I needed this book but boy howdy did I.

I laughed, I cried, I squealed, I sighed, I hated the poachers and loved the mischievous birds. I loved every second of this story and the characters and the setting and I left feeling like I had a warm hug and I really, really wish this zoo was real.

For a cozy fantasy, I loved the soft elements of course...how tender the relationship between Tanya and Aila is and how warm I felt thinking about Aila's pride in her phoenixes.....but I'd be lying if I said one of my favorite parts wasn't the bite of the romance. The banter (before and after getting together), the spicy thoughts of the meek and anxious FMC.....it was the perfect balance the rest of the cozy and it was SWOON worthy for sure.

Seriously I have no notes, this was exactly what I wanted and I sorta wanna start over and read it again right now....I can't recommend this highly enough!

Thank you to NetGalley & Hachette Audio for the ALC.

This is a cozy fantasy about a young woman who’s a Phoenix Keeper at a zoo with magical creatures.

The narrator was wonderful and I liked the idea of this, but the FMC drove me nuts for the first 60% of the book. She has almost crippling social anxiety and at times I wondered if she was actually written to be neurodivergent with how she interacted with others, but that felt like something that would have been mentioned then as she’s been seeing a therapist for 3 years by now. She just came off as so self centered. Everything was about what she wanted, her best friend was helping her to fix up the Phoenix area to try and relaunch the breeding program, while also trying to get her own volunteer program going. Alia couldn’t be bothered to even remember this and even had the audacity to be upset when Tonya had things to do for it after work instead of helping Alia with her pity party.
Also, as she was trying to get things set up, under a severe time crunch and after multiple times insisting she’d do what she needed to for the birds, she refused to ask for help from another character because she didn’t like her…

Honestly, if it wasn’t for the other characters, I probably would have DNF’d this book, but I loved her friend Tonya. Alia does finally realize what a self centered jerk she’s been but again, it was 60% of the way through the book. The rest of it was pretty predictable, from how the love interests would play out, to who the villain of the story was and why.

That being said, there were some cute moments and I loved the queer rep in this story. Again, the narrator did a wonderful job, she’s probably part of what kept me engaged.

For all those with fantasy in their hearts, who dream of seeing queer-love expressed in fantasy, this is the one for you. Magical zookeepers, queer love - must I say more?!

I really enjoyed this book. I read both the physical version and the audiobook version. I thought the audio was very well done. The narrator really brought the world to life. I loved the physical version as well (I got the Illumicrate editions with beautiful artwork). I think this story would have done well as an anime-- there are such good visual descriptions of the different magical animals. It was so colorful, I could imagine it would be so beautiful to see it in an animated version.

This is a cozy, fantasy story. The stakes are low (we are saving endangered species not the world). Though our main character would say the stakes are very high! It took me a bit to get into (maybe 20%) but once things started happening with the phoenixes I was hooked. It was such a cute, wholesome story. Hearing about the different magical creatures was a delight. And it was fun seeing Aila grow into her roll as phoenix keeper. I loved seeing her grow more attached to the humans at the zoo, not just the animals. I has to re-read the blurb. I feel that the marketing bills this as a romance and the romance is very much just in the background. So if you go in expecting a love story, don't.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for providing an eARC of this audiobook.

Gosh this is so fun and sweet and cozy. The narrator right away makes you engage with the socially awkward nerd of an MC and the entire magic creatures zoo. The cast of characters are so personable as well. Really enjoyed this one as a restorative book between heavy reads, but not without some serious points about animal rights and conservation. Will look forward to more from the author in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio | Orbit for the opportunity to listen to The Phoenix Keeper by S.A. MacLean and narrated by Stephanie Bentley in exchange for my honest review.

This book, while intriguing on the surface with its unique premise of magical zookeeping, ultimately left me with mixed feelings. The story follows Aila, a head phoenix keeper struggling to save a critically endangered species while dealing with rivalries, zoo politics, and a love triangle. The concept is imaginative, with an array of mythical creatures, including phoenixes, dragons, and thunderhawks. However, the execution felt more YA than adult, despite the protagonist being in her late twenties.

Aila is where the story falls short for me. Her stubbornness, naivety, and general immaturity make her difficult to root for. Her reluctance to engage with essential aspects of her job, like marketing and public relations, felt unrealistic for someone in her position. Her treatment of her best friend, Tanya, was frustrating, as Aila consistently took her for granted, sidelining her efforts.

The romance doesn’t fully blossom until the final 20-25%, although there's mention of a love triangle there never really is one. This might disappoint readers expecting a stronger romantic element throughout. On the fantasy front, while the magical creatures are a delight, the world-building didn’t go much beyond them. The setting felt underdeveloped, which was a missed opportunity given the potential richness of a world populated by such fascinating beasts.

The narration by Stephanie Bentley was a bright spot. She brought Aila’s anxiety to life with sharp, high-pitched yelps that effectively conveyed the character's emotional state but also became grating at times.

Overall, the book shines in its portrayal of zookeeping and the magical creatures, but the plot and character development left much to be desired. The story’s twists are predictable, and the pacing makes it difficult to stay engaged. This book might appeal more to a younger audience, but as an adult fantasy, it misses the mark.

I had no clue I wanted to read a zookeeper romance, but it was exactly what I wanted. There is so much information about the animals, plus their personalities. It is easy to fall in love with the animals, but especially the birds. Aila has so much social anxiety to overcome, but in the process she finds people she can count on as well as those that challenge her. I was pretty sure of the bad guy early on and it made sense that Aila didn’t see it coming. I loved the way she was able to use her skills to keep all the animals safe. Overall it was wonderful to spend time at this special zoo.

Cute animals, cute love interests, and cute plot. Aila struggles to find the confidence to ask for help, talk to the cute boy she likes and brave speaking publicly. All while dealing with someone she was humiliated by. Her dream is to breed phoenixes but she needs help to get her only chance. Her best friend, the cute dragon keeper, and her college enemy are the help she gets.

I have never read a cozy fantasy before but it fits the description perfectly. You’re rooting for Aila from the start and you can generally see the twists and turns coming but love them anyway. The story flows beautifully and brings conservation alive in a way I didn’t feel possible. I really wish I could visit the San Tamculo Zoo.

I really loved how the narrator (Stephanie Bentley) showed off Aila’s quirks and anxiety while still being clear and enjoyable. It really brought the story to life and made me want to keep listening (even when I should really but it down). It was clear when someone else was talking and what was happing in the story. The only downside for me is not having the map and images and animal information that appear in the book and ebook.

Although Aila is 28, the book is perfect for YA and older readers alike, I would happily recommend this to students, colleagues or friends. The writing doesn’t come across as too mature for younger audiences or too childish for older. Thank you to Orbit and Hachette Audio for the audio version of this book via NetGalley.

How about a cozy fantasy set in a Zoo for magical creatures with one of the cutest sapphic romances ever? If that sounds amazing then you definitely don’t want to miss this book.

I am finding that cozy books have a hard time of finding balance between fun character and relationship development, slice of life comfort, while still having a meaningful plot that continues to move the story forward. The Phoenix Keeper does all this very well and at just the right pace. I loved the story, the characters and all the animals.

If you are looking for a feel good book you can binge in a day or two, this is about the best cozy book I have read I a while!

I was able to listen to the audiobook as I read a long thanks to Hachette Audio for allowing me access to an ALC through Netgalley. This audio is very well done and really captures the tone of the book well. Stephanie Bentley does a fantastic job of creating different voices for each character. It enhanced my reading experience a great deal.

This cozy delight was soooo good! Sweet zoo keepers care for mythological creature residents at the zoo - they have magical attributes that humans hunt them for. As a result, they are critically endangered. The zoo is working within a network to try and rebuild the creatures’ dwindling numbers. Poachers and oddity collectors threaten newly hatched baby phoenixes. Those sweet zoo keepers would give their own lives to keep that from happening. Aila is a passionate phoenix scholar with abysmal social skills. She was a dynamic and interesting main character to follow. Her best friend and other supporting cast members were equally endearing. I had fun in this world and recommending it anyone looking for a cozy fantasy with an animal heavy theme.

The narration for this audiobook performed by Stephanie Bentley was highly enjoyable. I thought she embodied Aila really well. I also really enjoyed how Bentley handled the humor throughout the story. I absolutely recommend the audiobook version of this story if you have access to it!

Thank you NetGalley, S. A. MacLean, Hachette Audio, and Orbit for the audiobook ARC and eARC of this super sweet delight.

There's a lot to like about this book including the setting and some of the side characters! Slightly uncomfortable and weirded out by how often the MC mentions how pale she is and her spice tolerance for food. The romance was such a small part of the book, but the marketing made it out ot be much larger.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Hachette audio for providing me a review copy!

I want to start off with the things I enjoyed about this book before I dive into the issues I had, so on that note, the easiest praise I have is for the cover: ABSOLUTELY STUNNING. The cover artist nailed the phoenixes, and the style is so simple yet intricate - as a person who unfortunately judges a book by its cover a lot of the time, I'm always appreciative of an eye-catching design. I also want to compliment the narrator, who did a wonderful job bringing the story to life and whose voice offered both clarity and quirkiness to the individual characters. The audio quality itself was also very crisp, and a delight to listen to overall.

Now for the actual story. I had...a few issues with it, to say the least. Firstly, I think this book suffered from a marketing campaign that steered readers' expectations in a direction that is quite different from the plot. When I began this book, I thought it would be a cute, cozy, sapphic romantasy (as per the promotional material), and what I got was a slow-moving, dull story barely able to call itself 'fantasy', and definitely with more of a YA feel than anything else. Maybe if I had gone in with accurate expectations I would have a higher opinion, but sadly that just wasn't the case.

To call this a 'romance' is such a stretch. Is there romance? Sure. Is it a significant enough element for the book to brand itself as 'romantasy'? Absolutely not. But, again, the misleading marketing has pitched it as sapphic romantasy, which is baffling when A) for the first 60% of the book, the main love interest is a guy, and B) the queer romance is underdeveloped, rushed, and overall a small part of the story. This book is more about animal conservation than anything else - obviously, an important topic that deserves attention, but why not flaunt that as the main selling point, then? Also, Luciana

In addition, I struggled with the whole 'fantasy' aspect of the book. Mainly because the only magical elements (literally, at all) were the creatures at the zoo, and even then they were hardly worthy of the name. It was cool seeing these unique animals, but I feel like urban fantasy was the wrong choice for the setting - why not steer into the magic of it all, and create your own high fantasy realm? Especially if the only magical thing about the creatures themselves is their appearance. For the most part, it felt like an ordinary zoo, and the author's lengthy descriptions about these mythical creatures' wonder grew tedious when they all acted like ordinary birds from the real world.

Another issue I had was the 'coziness'. Sigh. I love a heartwarming, low-stakes story, but there is a difference between cozy and boring, and unfortunately I found this book to fit into the latter category. I feel like nothing happened for most of the book, and the things that did happen were so painfully slow or dull that I struggled not to put the book down. Not only that, but it's hard to feel any semblance of a 'cozy' atmosphere when the main character's immaturity is making you cringe every other page. As a neurodivergent, I appreciate the anxiety rep, but having Aila's fears and spirals put under a constant spotlight was mentally exhausting, and only steered me further away from a positive reading experience. She's also just an arrogant, self-centred person for most of the book, not to mention a horrible friend and terrible employee. Anxiety doesn't make you a bad person, but Aila hides behind her mental health issues like she can lay the blame of all her problems on that and her introverted nature. She's a truly exhausting protagonist (who also acts like a sixteen-year-old rather than someone in their twenties?)

The majority of the book was spent getting ready for these big things to happen, and then when they did, these big things would just fall flat and fail to pack the punch the author intended. For example: Aila's zoo getting a new phoenix. A key aspect for the zoo's phoenix program, but it really didn't change what we as readers experience; we still see Aila fussing over her birds (except now she has one more), stressing about everything, and caring for the animals like normal. There was nothing new or unique to draw us in, just more of the same cycle where Aila observes her animals and finds new problems. Then we have an action sequence at the end, which was both predictable and just...meh. We knew nothing bad was going to happen, and I find it really hard to believe that the security would have been poor enough for a break-in to happen. Like, the author rationalised everything with cut camera cords and drugged guards, but considering these phoenixes have already been targeted once, as if they wouldn't have more stringent protocols in place.

I wish I had kinder things to say about this book, but all in all I was quite disappointed once I'd finished. There were certainly some highlights, just not enough to outweigh the sluggish narrative and misrepresented plot.

Thank you Hachette Audio and Netgalley for an early copy of the audiobook for review!
I had really high hopes for this on as an animal lover (especially magical animals) but sadly I was not a fan of the main character. It's 100% a cozy fantasy (although romance is a big part of the plot) and in general cozies are either hit or miss for me- with this is being the latter unfortunately. There were low stakes, and I was further bored by the flat characters that acted like caricatures. I was able to predict the plot within the first 15% so the "twist"/ reveal felt like it took ages because I found it obvious.
The humor wasn't my kind of humor and it read young- the main character (Aila) felt more like 16 as opposed to 28, which is only added to by her severe social anxiety and inability to communicate with anyone. I'm a socially anxious girlie myself so I get it, but this was next level and constant secondhand embarrassment was painful. Like there's a scene where she's trying to flirt with her crush and does it by calling him smelly 😖.
The side characters weren't much better. Luciana's version of flirting is being mean (very high school) and the enemies to lovers felt so forced. Actually both relationships felt rushed and forced. It’s just not a long enough book to introduce a fantasy world with magic, introduce and build romance between a couple, have something happen, then romance with a different pairing all in 500 pages. Not to mention, it’s not until halfway through the book that she even goes on her first date.
It wasn't all bad though- I thought the audiobook narrator did a great job and the bits with all the different magical animals were fun (I always love a unicorn cameo). I also appreciated the rep in this: we get a bi main character, as well as lesbian, bi, and trans side characters. I definitely would read this authors' future works because even though I had some issues, this was a debut.

The Phoenix Keeper


Since Aila was 8 years old she wanted to be a phoenix keeper. Now she is the head phoenix keeper at a world-renowned zoo for magical creatures. Unfortunately, phoenixes are endangered and her zoo is not equipped to breed them. After a heist at a neighboring zoo with the only successful phoenix hatching. Alia will need to prove her run-down facilities are the best place to attempt to breed her phoenix. She will need to get passed her public speaking fears and work with Arch from college nemesis who happens to also be stunning.


“Horns and fangs”


I listened to the audiobook which is narrated by Stephanie Bentley. I received this audiobook as an ARC from Netgalley so I listened to it on their platform. This meant I did not realize I did not have the speed up to 1.5 so I did not like the narration at all at first. But once I realized that I enjoyed the book. It is a fun cozy fantasy with some romance. Also addresses social anxieties well.

I love a good cozy fantasy, and I was really excited by a cozy fantasy set at a zoo and about conservation of magical creatures. I enjoyed a lot of the descriptions of the zoo and of the phoenixes, but this didn't pull me into the world as much as some other cozy fantasies I've read. It was a very slow read, and I felt like the romance took way too long to develop. I was also frustrated by how long it took Aila to realize things that were quickly obvious as a reader.

This was a very cosy, fantasy story about Aila, a zoo keeper who's trying to accomplish her biggest childhood dream: being the caretaker of phoenixes. However their population is severely dwingeling. Alia desperately tries to revive the breeding program of her zoo after their sister zoo suffers tragic theft of their baby phoenixes.
Alia is a very relatable character with social anxiety who rather spends the whole day interacting with her birds than her colleagues or the visitors. It's such a delightful cosy story that was never boring a'd had me hooked from the very first page.
The audiobook was just amazing. The narrator really brought the character to life and made me feel immersed in the magical zoo with all its amazing magical creatures.

This story was so dang cute and wonderful. I absolutely loved how effortlessly diverse and healthy this story was. The story was perfectly cozy but never boring. The pacing was great and I felt immersed in the story and world but never like the stakes were too high or stressful. I just adore this and have already recommended it to everyone I know.

I’m a sucker for a good cozy fantasy, as I only just discovered last year, thanks to Travis Baldree. And the only way to improve on the cozy fantasy sub-genre is to add a queer romance to the story, especially when it’s described as “soul-restoring.” How could I possibly resist this book? It’s like it was written for me. Plus, I got approved for the audiobook version in addition to the book version, so it was a win-win, since I could listen to it when driving or doing chores and read when I couldn’t listen.

The book opens with gorgeous, vivid, and descriptive imagery. I love when a book can transport me to a whole other world while I’m reading, and that is one of the strengths in this book. Maclean’s writing is flowery and detailed, but not overly so—she strikes the perfect balance and never crosses into overkill. It almost reads like if Emily Wilde struggled with social anxiety rather than being on the spectrum, was obsessed with mythical birds rather than faeries, and was snarky AF. Which is a book that sounds really good to me.

In addition to the descriptive writing, MacLean treats readers to expansive world-building. Each of the animals in the zoo comes from a different location, and as individual animals are introduced in the story, a description of the area they come from is given, including the climate, geography, and some information about the species itself. It felt like going to a regular zoo and learning about all the animals featured there, so it was done perfectly. This is what caught my attention in the beginning, when everything was getting situated.

I really liked Aila’s character. We get to see her in her natural habitat (sorry, science nerd pun) when she’s talking to her bestie, who works at the same zoo with her. She’s able to speak normally to people she’s comfortable around, but any time she has to speak to someone she doesn’t know, or even worse, speak publicly (which is a part of her job), she clams up and can barely speak. Also, she’s bisexual, which I didn’t realize when starting this. If you go into this simply expecting a sapphic romance, you’re going to be disappointed, because that doesn’t come in until later into the story. There’s a weird love triangle thing going on in the story, mainly due to the timing, between Aila and a man and a woman.

The story is a slow-moving one, that is much more character-focused than plot-oriented. I did enjoy seeing Aila grow over the course of the book, and watching her interact with the other characters. The enemies-to-lovers romance is mainly just enemies for most of the book, but once it switches, it was worth the wait. The writing pulled me in immediately, and I really enjoyed reading this one despite many of the plot twists being predictable. That’s one of the joys of cozy fantasy, and I’ll definitely be watching for anything more that MacLean writes.

Did not finish book. Stopped at 40%.
DNF @40% (I initially rated this as 2.5 but the more I wrote this review the unhappier I got lol)

Nearly halfway through and I’m horribly horribly bored. Mostly beyond the absence of world building while simultaneously info-dumping on magical creatures, I find the main character very, very irritating and immature.

Went into this thinking this was going to be an F/F enemies to lovers but instead she spends pages upon pages thirsting over her male coworker that’s just standing there and doing his job. It was giving me the ick how hard she was drooling when there was no buildup or chemistry. He shows up and suddenly she’s off into lalaland taking off her panties. The a-spec in me was crying.

I do wish this was marketed as bisexual fantasy and written for a YA audience (cause tbh she acts like a 14y/ rather than the 28y/o she is) and even 40% in and if the summary didn’t tell me who the intended female love interest was, I wouldn’t have even known cause she’s barely mentioned.

I heavily wish this WASNT cozy fantasy as the themes exploring the poaching, exploitation, and extinction of living creatures seem to just get glossed over to stay consistent with the whole “cozy fantasy” label. Adding such heavy topics to the bones of the story while seeming to write a book in a genre that operates under the idea of ‘escapism’ while all the while ignoring that the poaching and exploitation of animals is a real life and ongoing issue.

Not to mention that zoos IN GENERAL are harmful to animals in a variety of ways. And it seems that the magical zoo in this book is patterned after the majority of zoos with animals used for profit with people ogling the animals left and right and having the occasional show pony performing to raise money. And then after which, the author just… goes on and ignores the cost of confining animals and the violations that the animals can face, cause after all it’s a cozy fantasy.

Again, I did DNF at 40% so tbh, I’m not quite sure if these topics that are fundamental to the framework to the story are discussed and broken down later on and explored in the last half of it. But the way it was brought up, mentioned briefly and then briefly again and again, and then subsequently ignored left a sour taste in my mouth.

And finally, I don’t think this was edited well. By 40% I was very annoyed by the expression “skies and seas” and there were a bunch of times that I twitched at off putting grammar or sentence structure even as I read on audio.

This is a cozy fantasy novel about the day-to-day struggles of a socially awkward avian keeper at a magical zoo. Add in a rivals-to-lovers sapphic romance, an incredible best friend, an entire menagerie of magical creatures, an endangered phoenix or two.

The second-hand embarrassment is strong with this one. I cringed on Aila’s behalf so many times! She just struggles with social situations so much. I just wanted to grab her and give her a hug! That being said, Aila felt very relatable and I really appreciated the positive portrayal of therapy as a way to manage anxiety. Also, Tanya is amazing. She’s extremely patient and supportive, but isn’t afraid to give Aila a push if needed.

The audiobook is narrated by Stephanie Bentley. She did a great job portraying Aila and her adventures.