Member Reviews

I really tried to push through this, but I just couldn't. It was OK. I will have to try reading this, but overall the audio was boring

Was this review helpful?

This book is very slice-of-life but make it magical. It’s a great change to what I typically see in the fantasy genre. While the overarching plot of the book is not groundbreaking, the vibes are great. I know this style of book isn’t for everyone and also, I would have said it wasn’t for me before I read it but, I was wrong. I listened to the audiobook and found it to be a very cozy and comforting read/listen that is perfect for the fall. The romance felt a little bit “insta-lovey” and not much time was dedicated to getting the reader on board with the relationship, but I found that I didn’t mind it too much. If all of that is up your alley, then I would say definitely give this book a shot!
Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Select for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

"A Drop of Fortune" by Danielle Garrett is a light, relaxing, cozy romantasy. It also has a mystery to be solved. I enjoyed this book, and it was an excellent balm following a highly stressful book.

Evelyn Rosewood is a sister witch in the Coven of Kael. She serves the King. When he commands that she brew a poison and she refuses, he threatens her life. Lady Kilgower, the King's Royal Advisor, sends her away to Shyglass, a far away port town, to save her life. Evelyn is given the mission to solve the blight on their crops, if possible.

Evelyn has a familiar, a small owl named Archie. He is the comic relief. They get to the city and start to meet the rest of the cast, some friend and some foe. Evelyn is a potions healer primarily, so she starts doing this for needy townspeople. Eventually, a romance starts.

Characters - 5/5
Writing - 5/5
Plot - 4/5
Pacing - 3/5
Unputdownability - 3/5
Enjoyment - 4/5
Narration - 5/5
Cover - 4/5
Overall - 33/8 = 4 1/8 rounded to 4 stars

Amanda Ronconi is the excellent narrator for this audibook, which runs 10 hrs 5 min.

This book is like a Snickerdoodle cookie. It's light and sweet. Recommended for fans of romantasy.

Thank you to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media, and Danielle Garrett for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Was this review helpful?

This was cute and I enjoyed it but I felt like it was way too long for this type of story. I felt like there was a whole lot of nothing happening at times and would lose interest for awhile. I think the majority of the middle could have been cut out and even ended sooner and it would have been a more powerful story (I mean, it is cute!). Would still recommend it for those who like a slow paced, cozy fantasies but if you need action or faced pacing this is probably not for you!

Was this review helpful?

This book was my first in the cozy fantasy genre, and I found it to be an enjoyable and charming read. The story is light and heartwarming, perfect for when you're in the mood for something relaxing and comforting without high-stakes drama. The characters are endearing, and the found family dynamic adds a sense of connection and warmth to the narrative.

One of the highlights was the cozy, small-town atmosphere that the author vividly brought to life. I loved the detailed descriptions of the harbour town setting and day-to-day life.

However, the low stakes left me feeling disengaged in various sections of the book. While the characters were cute and the relationships sweet, I would have liked to have seen a bit more tension or mystery. The lack of any real conflict or plot twists made certain sections feel a little slow, and by the time I reached the end, I was left wanting more resolution or depth. The conclusion, while fitting for the tone of the book, didn’t leave me fully satisfied.

If you’re a fan of cozy fantasy and enjoy books centred around themes of friendship, found family, and everyday life with minimal conflict, I would recommend this book.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me access to the audiobook ARC.

What a lovely book. If you’re looking for a cozy fantasy with found family, enough of a plot to keep you entertained, and low stakes, this book will satisfy all of those desires. Evelyn is a witch forced into service for the king. When she is sent away from the castle to break a curse on farmland, she finds a new home among the quirky residents… and maybe even love.

This book contains brief fade to black content, but no explicit spice. It’s a great read for ages 13+ (with parent permission) through adulthood. Though this is said far too often, I really would compare this book to Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldtree and to its fan base. Much of the book follows the daily life of Evelyn settling into a new village and meeting its residents. If you’re looking for a really distinct main character with a strong voice, Evelyn falls a bit flat, while remaining likable and interesting enough.

Overall, this book was enjoyable, though perhaps not an all-time favorite. It was a solid 3.5 stars—cozy, autumnal, and relaxing, but not especially memorable.

Was this review helpful?

If you're looking for a cozy fantasy with witches and fairies and curses and portions, this may be for you. I was in the mood, but this book didn't pack enough punch and at one point I did some digging because I suspected it was YA, the plot felt so juvenile. If you edited it a bit, it could've been a kids' chapter book. In my mind, as I read it, I pictured the entire thing as a cartoon, strangely. I couldn't get my brain to make it live action.

Regardless, it was cute. It's more potions than magic, and the fairies are mentioned but do not appear on page. It's a lot of dialog with characters I didn't find that memorable or compelling, and the romance is sweet but predictable. I think this definitely has an audience for fans of Legends & Lattes or Drinks & Sinkholes.

Was this review helpful?

This was my first Danielle Garrett book and I found it cozy if a bit slow. I enjoyed the audiobook and I think it helped me stay interested. Cute romance and lots of fun fall tropes.
Add it to your TBR if you love:

🦉talking familiars
🍁cozy mysterious fantasy
🍂found family
🦉Potions, magic
🍁fall vibes

Thank you for the ALC courtesy of Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for allowing me to listen to the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

This was such a cozy fall audiobook to listen to! Honestly, I think the audiobook enhanced a lot of the details in this book; there is a lot of set up for the shop and potion making which I found sweet and comfoting to listen to. This was a pretty low-stakes book, and I could've done with a little more action in the later half but I still enjoyed it!

The romance was so so sweet and I adored how there was nothing but pure love between them and within friendships!

Review posted to GoodReads 10/13 and @evelynlainebooks 10/14.

Was this review helpful?

Unfortunately, this book just didn’t capture my attention. The characters were forgettable, and the pacing was incredibly slow, which made it difficult to stay engaged. I often found myself zoning out while listening to the audiobook, which is never a great sign. It wasn’t terrible by any means, but I was just… bored. It had potential, but ultimately, it wasn’t for me.

Was this review helpful?

A Drop of Fortune 🔮 is a great cozy fantasy book perfect for your autumnal TBR. I was fortunate enough to have received an audiobook arc of this one.

Narrated by Amanda Ronconi who does a phenomenal job at bringing the story to life. This book features witches, talking familiars(smart mouthed owl 🦉), a blight, town drama, and romance.

The story follows a witch named Evelyn who is tasked by the King to find out why a once-thriving town has a curse upon them. While settling into the new town she finds herself a cottage to live in that doubles over as a potion shop, which she uses to help the town’s people. Along the way Evelyn finds herself making friends (found family vibes) and falling in love with a mysterious farmer. This interesting cast of friends come together to help remove the blight and save the town.

Add it to your TBR if you love:

🦉talking familiars
🍁cozy mysterious fantasy
🍂found family
🦉Potions, magic
🍁fall vibes

Thank ALC courtesy of Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for allowing me to listen to the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

A sweet slice of wholesome fantasy literature. While I'm not one to turn down a shadow daddy, there was something refreshing about this story that me think about being a kid watching Fern Gully.

Was this review helpful?

This was cozy and cute just as expected. The narrator did a great job. I don't think i would have loved the book as much if I had just read it.

I'm a sucker for found family, slow burn romance and animal sidekicks so this was right up my alley

Was this review helpful?

Slightly boring and very slow.

Have you ever had someone tell you a long, detailed story that could have been summed up rather easily. Well, that's what this felt like. The story was just not interesting enough. The main problem was fixing the land, but even that part of the story was like watching snails move. There was so much opportunity to put side conflicts/storylines with the other characters. How can a story be boring with witches, elves, darves, and fairy land?

Then, the epilogue made it both better and worse. The last few minutes of the story, the reader finds out that there was a hidden baby thought to be dead, a king got overthrown, and a whole awesome story happening while we were reading about purple roots in the dirt... 🤦🏽‍♀️ why was none of this part of the story? This should have been the story with the land issue being a side note.

Even the narrator, who I usually love, was off. The owls voice just didn't hit the spot. The female characters sounded too similar. It just felt rushed from the writing to the reading.

It's not my favorite of D.G. but I'll be back for her others.

Thank yiu Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy for review.

Was this review helpful?

A cute mystery overlaid with romance and a found family vibe.

Evelyn acts as a healer but is really on hopefully one last mission from the royal witches to find the reason for a blight in a coastal town. What she finds, along with her owl Archie, is prejudiced folks as well as some really nice ones. She also finds someone who could be her forever person in life.

I listened to the audiobook, and I found it a little hard at times to maintain focus, but overall, this was a sweet, fast-paced book.

#netgalley #ADropOfFortune

Was this review helpful?

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

A slow and cozy fantasy with a little bit of mystery, a dash of romance, and whole lot of found family. There was enough plot and enough stakes without things getting tense. The characters were fun, but nothing very special or stand out. I did love Archie, Evelyn's owl familiar. He was very funny.
I will definitely be reading any others in the series, which I assume will follow the other royal witches finding their place in the world and love.
This was a really nice listening experience. The audiobook narrator was great and worked well with making different voices for each of the characters. And it was a quick and easy to follow story.

Was this review helpful?

This was such a great cozy fantasy. It was low stakes but still entertaining. It had a great mystery and sweet romance. I loved the cozy town and I can't wait to see who we will follow in the next novel. I enjoyed this so much that I'm now plan on what book I want to read next in Danielle's backlist!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ALC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

⭐⭐☆☆☆

Although A Drop of Fortune by Danielle Garrett had a cool concept, it didn’t quite capture my interest. Although the world-building was engaging, the story felt hurried, and the characters lacked complexity. The predictability of the plot made it difficult to stay engaged. It wasn’t bad, but I anticipated more and didn’t feel a deep connection with the characters.

Was this review helpful?

Cute cozy witch story she is sent to another land to cure a blight for the kingdom in exchange of her freedom. Turns out some people don't like witches however the town needs a healer while theirs is away. Evelyn will work her way to the farmers hearts as to some thinks she is a nuisance. This story is full of found family, magic, talking owl that loves his orange marmalade. I listened to the audio, and I enjoyed the narrator's performance

Was this review helpful?

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Another solid Fantasy read from NetGalley! This felt like a very cozy fantasy! It reminded me a lot of The Spellshop, very similar premise but still managed to stay unique.

The magic system was interesting to say the least. It felt like a realistic type of magic and potion making with all her brews and such. I felt for Evelyn and everything she had gone through in her past.

As usual the animals steal the show! Her familiar is an owl that is such a great addition to the story. The whole concepts of familiars was something I haven’t seen in my fantasies and I loved that addition!

The relationship in this was adorable! Their first interaction is fun and sets the tone for the rest of their relationship. And the lack of third act break-up was such a nice change!

My Rating: 4.25 ⭐️

Was this review helpful?