This cover caught my attention and the synopsis about a wicked queen and a quiet librarian romance sold me. It took me awhile to become invested in the story but at some point I finally connected. I loved the cinnamon roll mmc and the wicked queen with a good heart. They had good chemistry together and his attempts to woo her were so sweet. The crow familiar was delightful and the library setting was magical. I did think more from his backstory could have been delved into and some actual spice on her end could have upped the tension but overall this ended up being a cute romance. I wasn't a fan of the narration, some characters sounded super whiney and it would have been better as a duel cast narration. I doubt I'll continue on with the series since none of the side characters really hooked me though. 4 stars

Although the premise had potential, the execution felt a bit lackluster for me. The romance was nice but didn't have much tension or chemistry. The interactions between the main couple felt somewhat predictable. The audiobook performance was average

This cozy romantasy contains witches with magic, politics and power plays, a mistaken identity, as well as found family, crow familiars, and a library.

The two main characters are well done - a misinterpreted witch queen and an archduke who has been relegated to puppet. One is a widower and the other has a long term relationship in her past. This type of relationship is not usually described in fantasy books and I found it refreshing. So much more typical is one character described as inexperienced or a virgin while the other has had lots of past partners.

Some of my favorite tropes are turned around gender-wise - the fierce protectiveness and who did this to you vibes for example.

The audio version was enjoyable to listen to - the single narrator did a good job of delineating the different character voices throughout the book.

It appears that this will be a series that focuses on different main characters in each book. While this can be read as a completed arc for Saskia and Felix, I look forward to reading more about other queens from this world.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the advance copy; all honest opinions are my own.

Wooing the Witch Queen was a book I was so excited for. Unfortunately, it fell a little flat for me. I thought about this a lot; I think it is a me problem where I don't enjoy this on a craft level. Nothing is "technically" wrong; it's actually very well written. For me, something in the flow of the plot was off. Scenes transitioned in a way that somehow didn't work and made scenes feel disjointed from each other. I also didn't love the main characters as much as I wanted to. I found them somewhat distant and hard to want to root for. Both of these issues made it hard for me to want to pick this back up. Overall, I think this is a fun cozy story that many readers will love.

A Middle-of-the-Road Read

I recently finished listening to "Wooing the Witch Queen", and while it had some promising elements, it ultimately didn't resonate with me.

The story follows Archduke, a young man on the run from his abusive in-laws, who flees to a neighboring country to beg asylum. However, his mistaken identity leads him to be hired as a librarian for the witch queen.

While the premise showed promise, the execution felt somewhat flat for me. The romance was pleasant but lacked real tension or chemistry. The interactions between the main couple felt somewhat predictable, and even the most significant moments in the library didn't quite live up to my expectations.

That being said, this book may still appeal to readers who enjoy lighthearted, predictable romance. The narration style was clear and concise, making it an easy read. Ultimately, whether or not you'll enjoy "Wooing the Witch Queen" will depend on your personal reading preferences.

The audio book performance was mid. It lacked personality.

If you love gentle heroes and badass heroines, this book is for you! It's also a bit of nerdy guy gets the girl vibes.

This is romantasy so the fantastical elements were definitely there. I liked the world building and the magic. I thought it was well established and still had interesting ideas and twists.

The romance is slow burn. I enjoyed all the little moments between them. They were really cute and I liked how their relationship developed.

Narrator Amanda Leigh Cobb did a wonderful job. I really liked her voice and characterization of the characters.

Enjoyable read!

Thanks to Macmillan Audio for this ALC for an honest review. I throughly enjoyed this audiobook and the narrator did a great job bringing to life this story. I liked all the different voices she did and never got confused about the cast of characters.

This was such a charming cozy romantasy, i’m not a huge cozy fantasy reader but i adored this one so much. It had a slow start but after that it was a fun read. The fmc is known as the wicked witch queen because she will do anything to protect her kingdom. Shes a witch that has powers and alliance with a group of villain queens’. The mmc is the gentle soft spoken wizard librarian who wears a mask is working on learning spells.

The mmc is such a green flag and the sweetest ever even with all the mystery surrounding him. I loved the dynamics between the main characters and how shes the overprotective queen who will burn down the realm for him and her kingdom. There were so many who did this to you moments and it was the fmc that said it. There’s a bit if steam and i think it was the right amount for the story. I loved the cozy world and plot especially the side characters everything was so enchanting. Im waiting to see who in the villain queen alliance will get a book next cause they are so interesting.