3.5 stars

I really enjoyed the unique magical realism setting. Historical fiction, just add magic and dragons and witches. You’re a bit thrown into the story, it almost felt like I was missing some information introducing these characters. It all comes together, though, and I was actually left wanting more detail about these characters in Fern’s life.

There are aspects of the story that do feel a little over-explained. Fern is different, we get it. She wears trousers and digs in the dirt and lives with her gay uncles. Once or twice could’ve covered that, but instead Fern seems to dwell on these points any moment she’s alone. Just driving that point home over and over again.

I would be interested in checking out more of this series. I’d love to know more about the alchemist lord and there’s the mystery of Fern’s father’s death that was not-so-subtly hinted at throughout this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review!
Rating: 4.25/5

The Stormborne Vine was an enjoyable cozy fantasy with interesting worldbuilding and a pretty, atmospheric style of writing. I found it difficult to get into first, but once the plot about the vines and the dragon were introduced, the book quickly became more engaging. However, I felt that this plot should have been introduced a bit earlier in the story or the story should have been longer. The conclusion felt rushed, with loose ends (e.g. Lord Drakeman, the connection between dragons and a specific tree type), and I wish the third act was longer. I know that there's going to be a sequel but these subplots didn't feel explored enough in the first book. However, I am certainly eager to read a sequel and find out more about the worldbuilding and the characters!

The Stormborne Vine is a cosy historical fantasy set in regency era England and is the first book in the Leaf and Scale series.

Fern spends her days as a botanist growing and selling rare plants for gardens and potions. When a storms brings to life a rare man-eating plant and an origami dragon, which is inexplicably somehow connected to the vine, Fern will need to work quickly to separate the connection before they’re both destroyed.

I really loved the premise of this book and appreciated the world building and descriptive botanical and alchemy imagery. I also really enjoyed the magical realism in this story with its magic, dragons and Macbeth-like witches.

The book laid the groundwork to expand on certain characters in future books, particularly the dragon Eurydice and the alchemist Lord Drakeman, and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series to see how the characters have grown. There were also some mysteries that have yet to be resolved and I’m looking forward to reading more about them as well.

Fern Oakby was a likeable character, as were the two uncles she lives with, and I enjoyed the gothic vibes, the snarky dialogue and the Jane Austen shoutout for Northanger Abbey (a satire of gothic novels). I’m definitely reading book two as I’m curious to see how all the different plot points are resolved.

The Stormborne Vine by Tilly Wallace was an enchanting read. I enjoyed the whimsical characters and the small world Tilly Wallace built for Fern. I would have bumped up to five stars with more emphasis on Eurydice and dragon lore.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this lovely book! I found the tale captivating = dragons, magic, strong women and botany - what more could a reader want? I was enthralled and read the book in a day! Looking forward to the next installment!

Fern Oakby is an unmarried (much to society’s chagrin) botanist, supporting herself and her family using knowledge passed down from her late father. On one fateful job at a neighbouring house, she discovers an enormous carnivorous vine that is inexplicably linked to an origami paper dragon now come to life during a magical storm. Lord Warrington is only concerned about removing the monstrous (murderous?) vine before his garden party, but his widowed sister, Millie, refuses to let anything hurt her pixie dragon formed of parchment and ink. Fern has one week to figure out how to magically separate the two, before Warrington torches the whole lot.

This story is short but sweet, with a plethora of interesting characters with unique voices that are the heart of the tale. It’s cosy with relatively low stakes (other than, y’know, a man being eaten by a plant), and set in a world suffused by magic, though in recent years it seems to be dwindling. I loved the dragon concepts and mysteries, and obviously adore both Eurydice and Squib, the two dragons under Fern’s care. I really felt for Millie, trapped in the house as she was, and adored the playful bickering of Ambrose and his partner George - though their science vs magic debates were somewhat repetitive and two dimensional. Lord Drakeman was an intriguing mystery, left for future entries in the series.

That, however, is part of my problem with this book. It feels like half a book. That is not a criticism of the length (as it’s certainly possible to tell a compelling short story), but the fact that almost no mysteries were resolved, no character arcs were concluded, and the ending felt entirely unsatisfying. I imagine that when the second book comes out, the two would have done better as one cohesive story. Some of the mysteries are understandable, such as the lost trees and dragons, set up as a wider series intrigue. However, we are in Fern’s POV the whole book, but she continuously, repetitively refers to a few threads (her disgrace from society, the death of a dragon at Kew Gardens, to name a few) that she would reasonably know or say more about in her internal monologue, or not mention as frequently. It felt cheap and a little irritating to keep dangling the same thread before the reader with no further information each time.

This book is a 3.5 (rounded down to 3) for me - there is a lot of really good and interesting worldbuilding and characterisation, and I am left with the desire to find out what happens next, but the lack of plot substance and resolution has left me feeling frustrated. I’d definitely recommend it for anyone who does want to read a cosy fantasy about saving dragons - although I’d recommend to wait until the second book is out, so that you can read them back to back.

4.7 / 5.0

The Stormborne Vine by Tilly Wallace is a cozy botanical fantasy set in regency era England with magic, science, and dragons.

Reminding me a little of Emily Wilde and a little of A Tainted Cup, this story is inventive and mysterious. It has a vibe reminiscent of Jane Eyre, with a “mad” woman locked in a tower and a FMC that is a societal outcast.

Our FMC is also deeply academic and precise in her way of thinking and behaving. I thoroughly enjoyed this and am happy a new series is coming out this year to continue my library of cozy reading books.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

I absolutely loved The Stormborne Vine by Tilly Wallace! It's a cozy fantasy story set in Regency England, and it had everything I was looking for—exciting characters, interesting special interests, dragons, friendship, and a well-built world. I just wish I could jump right into the next book!

The only small thing I noticed was that the chapters changed abruptly, which caught me off guard a few times during intense scenes. I found myself checking to see if I had missed a page.

Thank you to Ribbonwood Press and NetGalley for letting me read this early copy and share my honest thoughts!

I was expecting to adore this story: the historical setting, cozy vibes with dragons and vines that come alive, and the author definitely knows how to paint the scenes. But there was a bit too much painting of the scenes—too much thinking, description of the setting, and doing of things (like eating and drinking) that do not contribute to the plot. This made everything slow down and we don’t get to the exciting parts until 70% in.

I received an eARC of The Stormborne Vine courtesy of NetGalley, the author Tilly Wallace, and the publisher, Ribbonwood Press. The Stormborne Vine is set in Regency England where ladies should be proper and kempt (and most certainly do not wear trousers), but Fern Oakley is much more than what society demands of a noble woman. She takes up the legacy of her deceased father as a botanist and supports her entire estate by growing and selling rare botanical species to alchemists and magical practitioners alike. She is called in for assistance at the pompous Lord Warrington’s estate to examine why the soil around his property is decaying. During her first night there a storm brings to life not just a carnivorous ivy but an adorable origami dragon. In this cozy, magical realism novel Fern uses her wits and resources to solve the arising issues on Lord Warrington’s estate.

I absolutely relished this book. Magic is real, dragons are real, but the world building was also mixed with the societal demands of 1800s England and I had no trouble immersing myself into the story. I loved following Fern as our main character because she is smart, resourceful, and kind. I adored the supporting characters who brought their pieces of individualism to the plot, such as her Uncles who love her for who she is and not the noble woman she should be, the Oakley estate workers who help Fern in anyway the can, and her knew friend Millie who is being suppressed by her brother Lord Warrington. This book was pleasantly crafted and everything just felt well paced from one chapter to the next.

Thank you again to those involved for giving me an eARC of The Stormborne Vine. 5/5 stars. I can’t wait to read more of Fern Oakley’s adventures and hope her story doesn’t end here.

The Stormborne Vine offers a compelling premise - a gothic tale set in a parallel-reality England, blending magic, alchemy, dragons, and a touch of mystery. The combination of these elements should have been a recipe for a great read, and while the ideas were creative, the execution fell a bit flat.

The atmospheric setting and gothic vibes were well done, drawing me into a dark and intriguing world. However, the story was impacted by its slow pacing and repetitive elements, which made it hard to stay fully engaged. The potential for high-stakes drama and tension was there, but the narrative often felt really slow.

The ending was abrupt, unsatisfying and rushed.

Overall, while I appreciated the inventive world-building and unique blend of genres, as well as strong female main character and feminist ideas, the book struggled to maintain its momentum. It’s a solid read for fans of gothic mysteries, and I will probably continue with the series, but I hope the second book addresses the pacing and repetition issues.

This is a sweet cosy story, but as with Tilly Wallace's previous books, I feel like it never quite manages to reach its full potential because it wants some serious editing. There are a fair few grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, the pacing is uneven, and characters and the narrative often repeat information in a way that is probably just accidental, but ends up feeling patronising, A strong edit would have these books at the top of my cosy fantasy lists!

This was everything that I was looking for from a opening chapter in the Leaf and Scale series, it had that element that I was hoping for and enjoyed the feel of this world. I thought the concept was everything that I was looking for and had that fantasy element that I was looking for. Tilly Wallace has a strong writing style and left me wantng to read more in this series.

"Determined spinster vs carnivorous wallflower...

In a corner of rural England, Fern Oakby makes a living through her knowledge of botany. An unusual case erupts during a storm when a Boston ivy turns monstrous and...carnivorous.

However, the solution is not as simple as hacking down the exceedingly rare and hungry plant. The storm also gave life to an origami dragon and bound it to the vine. When a lonely woman pleads with Fern to save the tiny dragon, she is forced to confront a profound question - what defines the value of a life?

In a world where ancient magic lingers, every life - no matter how small or strange - holds immeasurable worth. As Fern races against time to unravel dark secrets at the estate, the vine continues to grow. She must find a way to destroy it before it spreads or snatches more lives. Nor, as she discovers, is the little dragon the only life in need of saving...

Start a brand new cozy fantasy series from the author of Manners and Monsters. Set in Regency England, explore a world that celebrates friendship and where magic and nature intertwine."

Regency Magic! Muppet arm flail!

This book was warm and fun, cozy with enough intrigue to keep the pages turning. It was very easy to be swept away by the charming and mundane life Fern Oakby shares with her two uncles, and is the prefect entrance point to the larger story.

As tension builds on a vast estate, Fern finds new friends and tests her own resolve in the face of her convictions. This book effortlessly weaves building the main character's...well, character, and developing the plot. The two parts of the story entwine hand in hand, but in a subtle, natural way.

I enjoyed the magic of this world. It is very classic, cosy fantasy, but it doesn't shy away from the darker aspects that come with magic. It makes the world building feel whole and complete, without losing what so many find charming about the cozy genre.

Additionally, I think people will find Fern, the main character, very reminiscent of the classic regency/historical fiction heroines, like Anne Shirley and Elizabeth Bennet.

Overall, I think this was very fun and worth the read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Publisher for letting me read this ARC.

I really enjoyed this story. Fern and her family are very unique and entertaining in this type of fiction. The story had a great way of pulling you in and keeping things open for more stories from Fern.

I am left having more questions and I cannot wait to read the second one. I do wish I had more closure on aspects like the alchemist, Eurydice, and all of the magic in general. Knowing that this is a series I know that it will all be understood in due time.

This is a cozy fantasy set in our world but with magic and dragons. My favourite parts were the little dragons Eurydice and Squib, and the carnivorous monster plant. The scenes involving them were the most exciting - however I found the filler in-between to be a bit slow paced for my liking. The dialogue between characters was great, and I enjoyed Ferns little family and the friends she eventually made. I think the writing style had a bit too much telling rather than showing for my taste - we didn't need the breakfast, dressing and nighttime routine every day.

If you are a fan of books like legends and lattes, this will likely be to your tastes.

Thank you to Netgalley and Ribbonwood press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Tilly Wallace for the e-ARC!

A lovely cosy fantasy set in an alternate regency England. I enjoyed the tie-ins between the history of dragons and true historical events such as Elizabeth I and also the burning of Richmond Palace.

I loved the third person, one POV writing style but felt it could have been a little longer. However, the ending sets up an opportunity for a sequel nicely and I’m looking forward to reading more from this author.

I would recommend this book to those that enjoyed ‘A Natural History of Dragons’.

A charming historical cozy fantasy featuring a confident young woman and dragon companions, The Stormborne Vine sets up a delightful new series brimming with hope and adventure!

This was a nice mix of cute with a stick-it-to-the-man attitude combined with classic animal companions (who, of course, have a bit of endearing snark) and stakes that feel exciting but not too heavy. This story set up a lot of interesting threads and I hope to see them and the characters introduced get even more fleshed out in the next books of the series, as some of them, like the dragon Euyredice, didn't get nearly as much screen time as I was hoping given how important they seemed at the beginning. This was an overall lovely read though, and I'll be looking out for the next story in this universe!

Who doesn’t love a cozy fantasy?! I absolutely loved the story and the characters. I think it’s so important to have strong lead female characters in books. Fern was strong and dedicated and never held back. A true badass. If you are looking for a cozy fantasy book this is your book! I’m looking forward to reading Tilly’s next book! I really enjoyed her writing style.

Be sure to check this out on February 5th 2025!

Thank you NetGalley, Tilly and Ribbonwood Press for the E-ARC!

#NetGalley #TheStormborneVine