Big thanks to NetGalley and Orbit for an early e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest, unbiased review!

A very promising premise with a lovely message, but the writing and characters kinda let me down here. This is a cozy-ish fantasy with themes of conservation and acceptance and a sweet sapphic romance. The worldbuilding is quite light, just some fictional fantasy region names thrown next to the magical creatures that call those places home. While it might have been nice to have a more robust world, the insular nature of the story didn’t suffer from it; we’re in a zoo, following zookeepers in their work lives, so I didn’t miss the world politics or magic system per say.

My biggest gripes: Aila REALLY hates herself. While the anxiety representation is important, hearing Aila berate herself after every social interaction quickly devolves from you the reader feeling empathetic for her to just wanting to shake her.

The Villain is VERY obvious. This may not bother some people, but with such a small cast of characters that we get to know, I found myself disappointed in how clearly bad this person was and made any “reveal” about their character lackluster, cutting the tension of some of the climactic scenes in the plot.

I find that I can enjoy fictional swears when they’re used sparingly and in this ARC, that is not the case.
**These numbers are based on the review copy! I plan to check the e-book when this is released to adjust these numbers as necessary**
The worst offenders in this fictional swear-off were “skies and seas” (mentioned a whopping 68 times) and “horns and fangs” (mentioned 21 times). In 310 pages, that means there is one of these fictional curses every 3.59 pages. That is way. too. often. It’s completely overused and really started to feel like a crutch, like characters had nothing else to say.

Do you love cozy fantasy with just a hint of romance? Then this is the book for you!

In The Phoenix Keeper, we follow Aila, the head phoenix-keeper, as she does everything in her power to re-establish San Tamculo Zoo as the lead phoenix breeding program in the world. This book follows along as the socially awkward Aila navigates and overcomes her anxieties to see her dreams achieved.

Let’s not forget about the stunning griffin-keeper Luciana who is Aila’s arch-rival in all things zoo-related! As time passes, and Aila finally asks for much needed help, we see the rivals slowly transition to lovers meant to be together! Aila, a self-proclaimed chaotic bisexual, finds a way to win the girl.

This book was wholesome and cozy and everything I needed as a palate cleanser. I don’t typically love cozy fantasy stories, but the animals of this world and the found family aspect in best friends Aila and Tanya really hooked me! I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a cozy, enemies-to-lovers story with fantastical beasts that take the true spotlight!

TL;DR: This is a super cute standalone about a passionate zookeeper whose world shifts when she has a chance to live her lifelong dream of breeding an endangered species.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for review! The Phoenix Keeper follows Aila, who works at a zoo full of magical creatures (including, obviously, phoenixes). She has spent her entire career - and education, and childhood - wanting to help save the endangered Silimalo phoenixes, and will do anything (work tirelessly, sacrifice sleep, and even go on a date with a fellow zookeeper) for the chance to breed a pair of them.

I really enjoyed Aila’s drive for her birds - her passions and dreams felt real and believable, but also attainable because of her hard work that this book did a great job setting up. I’ll admit there were some points I was pretty frustrated with her one-track mindedness, but in all fairness, that’s a very human weakness and my irritation is probably a sign of how well-written she was as someone on the brink of losing herself in her work.

The side cast was exactly what I (and Aila) needed - a strong, dependable best friend; a too-perfect rival from college; a hot “blah” man whose great hair can’t compare to aforementioned too-perfect rival’s. I liked the way these relationships all unfolded in ways that made Aila recognize her own weaknesses, grow, and then recognize her strengths.

At the end of the day, The Phoenix Keeper had a satisfying plot, ended exactly as expected (in a cozy, comforting way - this isn’t a book you’re going to want to read for intense suspense), and granted me the warm fuzzies inside.

Zookeeper Aila is here for one thing and one thing only: for the joy and thrill of working with magical birds, especially her beloved and critically endangered phoenix, Rubra. She's determined to bring back the phoenix breeding program to her zoo, but she's got to figure her own shit out first...

This was such a frustrating book.

On the one hand, where it dazzled was the worldbuilding and the intimate look into the life of a zookeeper for magical animals and all that that would entail. When the book focused on zookeeping, it was fantastic.

Where it faltered was...everywhere else.

I greatly appreciated Aila's depiction of anxiety. Per the author's intro, it was based very much on her experience with anxiety.

Everything else about Aila—her selfishness, her self-centeredness, her seeing-the-trees-instead-of-the-forest, and her absolute, stubborn naivety, were incredibly annoying to me. The girl was a fucking ostrich, keeping her head ducked into the sand. Like, c'mon. You're a zookeeper who refuses to accept the extreme importance of merchandizing? Public relations campaigns? Budgets? Reports? Staff meetings?? This is what I would expect of a new zookeeper in her early to mid-twenties, but Aila's been there for several years and is late twenties. I just...[insert growl of frustration].

How Aila treated Tanya was downright despicable (granted, there was some codependency there that was never addressed). Aila took her BFF for granted at every step of the way. Sure, Tanya agreed to help, but her volunteer program was always pushed onto a backburner of nonexistence even when it was given page time. I just. Well. The fact that Aila is a tiny, very petite and very weak noodle armed white girl (her lack of upper body strength was mentioned at least four times a chapter) and her BFF she takes for granted is a Black trans woman just sat really poorly with me.

The love triangle aspect was really obnoxious as well, particularly with the weary bisexual angle of rejecting the man (who, naturally, turns out to be the baddie—I don't consider this is a spoiler since it's telegraphed very early on throughout the book and the twist is foreshadowed as heavily as a defrosted mouse to the forehead) in favor of the pretty popular girl who used to be the Enemy (but who actually has feelings because *gasp* she's a human, too!).

Anywho, the storyline itself wasn't anything new.

Three stars because the book really, truly shone in its depictions of zookeeping, the comprehensive and inspired worldbuilding, and the variety of magical animals.

However, as much as the book annoyed me, I know that it will find lots of fans in those who love cozy fantasy. I'm quickly realizing that it is not a subgenre for me.

I received an ARC from NetGalley

I love a cozy fantasy and this was amazing. What I would give to switch places with the MC. This was the type of life a dream about. The romance was so sweet and comforting, had me giggling and kicking me feet(and made me feel so single lol). Genuinely had a great time with the book 😊

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in an exchange for an honest review; unfortunately this one was a let down. Though the plot of the book seemed really appealing for a modern day cozy fantasy about a young woman working at a zoo for magical creatures, execution of story and characters were just not it.

This may take the spot of my favorite read of the year. This is a slice of life, (mostly) cozy fantasy about a Zookeeper at a magical zoo. Aila spent her life obsessed with phoenixes and has landed her dream job as a phoenix keeper. After a break in at another zoo, she's determined to reopen her zoo's breeding program. Meanwhile, she has her friend Tanya, who is one of the most delightful characters I've ever read, a crush on Connor the Dragon Keeper, and a rivalry with Luciana the Griffon Keeper.

Aila is the main character for all of us readers who have special interests, get a bit nervy around crowds or new settings, and unfortunately those of us prone to getting tunnel vision on a goal or task. She is so well intentioned, smart, and kind, but she has a lot to learn about life. I loved watching her journey.

This is a read for lovers of slice of life stories. If you want constant lot twists and explosions, this isn't that. For years, I've told friends that I just want and animal planet style show where dragons just fly around, and this book is very much that. I loved imagining the phoenixes and other creatures and the imagery was so vivid. I know with absolute certainty that I will reread and revisit this story for many years to come!

I am so grateful to NetGalley and Orbit Books for this ARC!

The Phoenix Keeper by S.A. MacLean is an adorable story about a socially awkward zookeeper and the magical zoo she works in. The zoo features unicorns, dragons, griffins, phoenixes, and other mystical creatures. I loved the personalities of the animals and how our main characters care for and protect them. MacLean did an excellent job of taking inspiration from the conservation efforts of endangered birds for the creatures in the book. With her background in ecology, it is clear she knows what she is talking about! The characters are lovable, and the romance in the book is heartwarming. I recommend this book to anyone who wants a cozy romantasy!

The writing style is beautiful and I love the concept but sadly i cannot get myself to finish this. I find it a bit boring. this is mostly my fault though, i know i don’t love low stakes cozy fantasy and i usually need fast pacing. But i have heard great things about this book so if cozy fantasy with animal companions and sapphic friends to lovers is for you then you will love this!

I was drawn in by the cover and the idea of a cozy fantasy focused on animals, but this ended up not being a book for me. It’s 2024, and I cannot stand characters who use their mental health as an excuse for bad behavior and don’t address it. There’s also some serious racism issues going on with the best friend, that just turned me off in big ways.

Listen some of this is my fault - I know cozy fantasy isn't really the genre for me. I need just a little more stakes than what the genre typically provides.

I liked some parts of this! I liked Aila's friend and I liked the rivals/enemies to lovers sapphic relationship. I see some reviews talking about Aila's anxiety - I certainly agree she has some significant anxiety but I also read her as having autism, though I'm not sure if this is intentional or not by the author.

Some of my issues relate to boredom - really nothing happens in the first 3/4 of the book besides the reader getting to know Aila's inner monologue (which I'm sorry but it's a really difficult inner monologue to listen to) and the group renovating the habitat. The other thing that was really frustrating to me was that Aila is supposedly 28 but reads MUCH younger - she's really immature, naiive, and self centered in a way that didn't really match her age for me

Thank you to Orbit books for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I have grown up going to zoos and attending summer zoo camps; and my passion for conservation and animals and wildlife couldn't be higher. I'm always on the lookout for wildlife-centered books, especially those within the SFF genre. I was very excited to pick this book up and every scene with the animals was so fun and I just loved learning about the cool animals that exist in this world. I wish I could visit this zoo myself and spend hours at each of the habitats.

Sadly, the plot didn't hold up next to how dazzled I was by the animals. It felt predictable and the constant selfishness of the Main Character grew tiresome quickly. While she dealt with very real anxiety that I resonated with, Aila's accountability to her actions and how they hurt others seemed lacking. Regardless, I would love to read more from this author, especially in an expanded universe that explores the stories of other zookeepers at this wonderful zoo.

A huge thank you to Orbit for sending me an arc for my thoughts, and to Colleen for buddy reading with me!!

This author has crafted a stunning world where fantastic creatures are real and are sometimes part of zoos, sometimes in conservation efforts. There are also more modern things like phones and security cameras. Aila has wanted to work with Silimalo Phoenixes since she first encountered them at the San Tamculo Zoo at eight years old. She worked hard in school and college after and now has her dream job taking care of the Silimalo Phoenix and some other fantastical birds (and the kelpie Maisie who everyone else is too terrified to take care of). After a tragedy at a neighboring county (country? City? I am actually a little unsure if they are different parts of one country or what exactly) where the new baby phoenixes and mother phoenix were stolen, Aila takes a chance to accomplish her biggest dream of restarting the breeding program by emailing to ask if the male phoenix could join the San Tamculo Zoo.
At times, Aila is very relatable, but other times she tends to be irritating to me, mainly when she just doesn't seem to think about how her actions impact others or, honestly, thinks about other people in general. She tends to be a bit self-centered, especially when it comes to her friendship with Tanya. Tanya goes above and beyond all the time for Aila, and I just felt like Aila never really took the time to truly think about Tanya's needs. We do eventually get to see it a bit, which I appreciated. The "enemy" Luciana is made out to be this mega bitch in the story because we really closely follow Aila even though this is in 3rd person POV. But it really just stems from the silliest thing and Luciana really isn't an enemy at all? I never really felt their romantic connection sadly.
The world building is truly the best part of the book, painting this gorgeous picture of a world that is both similar to our own, but contains these fantastic creatures. I loved all of the animal facts and the personalities of each of the main animals were really fun. I think this book was a little too long for what it is? There is a plot that happens but it unfolds a little too slow, resolves super quickly, and was easily foreseen the who why and what well beforehand. I appreciated the anxiety rep as well. This is overall a book with a diverse cast.
The other thing I hate to say is that I know this is an adult book, but the characters read very young to me for people who are supposed to be mid-late 20s if they've done college and worked at the zoo for like 3 years. Aila especially feels very young for her age, but so does Luciana, who calls everyone a dork. Their animosity towards each other also feels very high school.
All that being said, I did have a good time reading the book and I really loved the world. I would love to see more of it and maybe follow some other keepers or even get a little prequel story of Tanya and Teddy getting together. I think a lot of my meh feelings towards the story overall were just my issues with Aila's character development. But the world is very fascinating and the descriptions are lush.
I think that people who love a cozy fantasy, will enjoy this one!

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 “𝐜𝐨𝐳𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐲.” 𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐞, 𝐥𝐨𝐰-𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 (𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞) 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒉𝒐𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒙 𝑲𝒆𝒆𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐀𝐢𝐥𝐚, 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐰𝐤𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐢𝐝-𝐭𝐨-𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝐬 𝐳𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 “𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐱 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐫” 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐳𝐨𝐨. 𝐈𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐚 𝐳𝐨𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐬, 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐡𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 (𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞) 𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐱𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐣𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤.

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩, 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧𝐞’𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟, 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 (𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐞). 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒉𝒐𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒙 𝑲𝒆𝒆𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐚 𝐟𝐮𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐚 𝐛𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 (𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐲) 𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐀𝐢𝐥𝐚 𝐬𝐨 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐚 𝐛𝐢𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞, 𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲.

𝒯𝒽𝒶𝓃𝓀 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝑜 𝒮.𝒜. 𝑀𝒶𝒸𝐿𝑒𝒶𝓃, 𝒪𝓇𝒷𝒾𝓉 𝐵𝑜𝑜𝓀𝓈, 𝐻𝒶𝒸𝒽𝑒𝓉𝓉𝑒 𝒜𝓊𝒹𝒾𝑜, & 𝒩𝑒𝓉𝒢𝒶𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓎 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒜𝑅𝒞! 𝒜𝓁𝓁 𝑜𝓅𝒾𝓃𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓂𝓎 𝑜𝓌𝓃.

I loved this book & right up my alley with the magical animals & attempts at saving them though heartbreak always accompanies accomplishments in this type of endeavor & line of work. 2016 on to 20 showed how much can be destroyed from decades of hard work & laws with highest level of extinctions since victorian times as well as loss of natural habitat.
This book touches on the very real & bad problem of poachers, the foolish scientists that rally & get precious hand birthed endangered animals released in the wild only to get slaughtered in a day to a month by yohos that hate wildlife or poached for parts & skin. It is also why I feel all endangered wildlife needs to be under federal protection & real enforcement of laws including for pred birds both a base amount kept in secure sanctuaries as well as the wild. I live in an area where they released a couple of cougars when I first moved out here & could feel them. Their energy was magical & they were both killed in less than 2 months, though nothing brought up I saw about it.
Alila is a young scientist that works at an exotic endangered magical animal compound & zoo. She loves and gets along well with animals, easier to communicate to them than people & especially crowds. Her primary exhibit and beloved creature in her care is a female phoenix, Rubra. Aila has been trying to find a mate for Rubra through the endangered species program from other facilities as the birds are on the top of the critical list. Unfortunately, they are a small complex & she is a newbie so though she turned in paperwork to try & get a male to become part of a breeding couple with her bird she has been passed over by larger complexes with more experienced handlers. This is what she got her degree in, not to just work with endangered animals at a facility, but her dream of actual working with a phoenix. Rubra is older & lonely & time is of the essence as every day is another day with less chances of another valuable clutch to bring up the birds numbers. Then tragedy strikes in the phoenix conservation work. Will such create a miracle elsewhere?
Alia has extreme social interaction issues which this book puts a strong light on. Another thing that that condition can represent is self-absorption, though not intentional, but blaring tone deafness of others feelings. Will this keep her from keeping her phoenix or getting a male bird to breed in her complex without losing her? Will her naivety cost her with extreme betrayal & cost her everything ot the same with her refusal to look at other people & their problems and come out of her self centered box?

Where do I begin on this? A socially awkward girl with a hyperfixation that she makes her life? Sold. Sapphic romance? Sold. Magical Creatures? Sold. A realistic portrayl of OCD, anxiety, and social anxiety? Sold .

This book is not cozy, I definitely felt stress on behalf of the characters. However, it could be compared to Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea, Spellshop, and The Honey Witch, so I guess it belongs in the cozy fantasy genre. I definitely recommend it if you like the other books mentioned!

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The Phoenix Keeper by S. A. MacLean is a third person-POV Bisexual cozy romantic fantasy starring a young woman with anxiety. Aila is a phoenix keeper at a zoo for magical creatures along with her best friend Tanya, her crush Conner, and her rival Luciana. In order to help preserve the phoenix species, Aila asks for a male of the species to breed with the zoo’s lone female and starts to grow closer to Luciana.

The art in the book really helps show what the different speeches look like, particularly a phoenix species, peacock griffins, a dragon species, and archibirds. As the title suggests, the animals are a big draw and the POV constantly draws attention to the magical creatures Aila spends time with. My favorite of all of the animals was probably Archie, the archibird, as he is a bit of an agent of chaos but the peacock griffins and kelpies are very cool. I really liked how phoenix biology was utilized, particularly in terms of them burning up after laying eggs only to be resurrected shortly after.

The opening romance is Aila and Connor, who Aila views as perfect and has been crushing on for a while but doesn’t talk to him. He has nice hair, a good smile, and seems perfectly polite but when they finally go on their date, he’s boring and doesn’t really do a lot to bring Aila out of her shell. Aila loves her job, she’s passionate about phoenixes, and it takes up a lot of her brain space and Connor doesn’t really understand that. Instead, he’s into stock trading and doesn’t want to talk about work. In short, it shows that despite Aila’s impressions of him, they are not a good fit as a romantic couple.

Luciana, on the other hand, has a long history with Aila starting back in zoo college and the two never totally got along despite Aila’s initial crush on her. Like Connor, Luciana is described as perfect but there’s a different tone originally until Aila starts to see Luciana in a different light. Like Aila, Luciana is very passionate about her job and about griffins and she keeps a lot of things very close to the chest but she pushes herself to be better and, by extension, pushes Aila to be better. Their romance is cute, it felt organic and natural, and I personally really enjoyed it.

I would recommend this to readers who dreamed of being a marine biologist or a zookeeper as a kid or became one as an adult, fans of cozy and romantic fantasies, and those looking for a Bisexual lead with anxiety who also admits when she’s wrong.

Thank you for the free ebook Orbit Books @orbitbooks_us and S.A. Maclean @authorsamaclean
“The Phoenix Keeper” by S.A. Maclean ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Genre: Cozy YA LGBTQ+ Romantasy. Location: The magical San Tamculo zoo in Mova.

Shy, awkward Aila MacBhairan has a degree in magical animal science-and an anxiety diagnosis. She’s head phoenix keeper at a zoo for magical creatures. Carnivorous kelpies, tempestuous thunderhawks, mischievous archibirds-Aila has no problem wrangling beasts. Conversations with people are much harder. Aila’s dream is to reinstate the zoo’s Phoenix breeding program-unfortunately, Rubra is the zoo’s only Silimalo Phoenix. When a phoenix heist sabotages a neighboring zoo’s program, Aila has 2 months to prove her derelict zoo facilities can take over. She asks Luciana for help (the zoo’s hotshot griffin keeper who happens to be her arch-rival from college). Luciana’s a beautiful, annoying know-it-all. Aila, her best friend Tanya, head dragon keeper (and major heartthrob) Conner, plus Luciana and her crew work feverishly to upgrade the exhibit. Meanwhile, Alia slowly learns about herself-her fears, her strengths, her attractions, her single-minded focus.

Author Maclean has written a YA romantasy, with Aila 3 years out of college, but she seems younger. I’d guess this could also be read by middle-graders as a coming-of-age tale. Her world-building is great. You’ll want to visit this magical zoo with its tiny Purple Pixie Wrens with dragonfly wings, 6 foot tall Thunderhawks, Periwinkle Prairie Geese, golden-furred Merlions, and of course the Phoenix. She includes magical creatures info bites before some chapters to enhance her world building. Maclean’s long book (496 pages) is charmingly inventive. There’s a cozy mystery subplot, but Aila’s growth takes center stage. Her tender and poignant LGBTQ+ coming-of-age plot has a similar spirit to the “House on the Cerulean Sea”. It’s 4 stars from me🌵📚💁🏼‍♀️ #thephoenixkeeper #samaclean

I absolutely adore the premise and setting. I loved every minute of going around the zoo caring for the magic creatures. Tonya's struggles with Khonsu's hidey hole and Archie's Archi-ness and stealing shiny things and sowint chaos were delightful.

I loved getting the breeding program up to scratch and the dedication to trying to rebuild the population of the highly endangered phoenixes. I could read about the husbandry and care of magical creatures all day.

Aila is a bit much. I mean I relate and I have a lot of similar traits, but even I'm like whoa girl stop breathe. She's really too old to be not be trying to get her stuff together and become functional. And the ending you could predict way in advance. But the zoo and its animals and keepers are just enchanting. I really enjoyed this book.

Cozy fantasy lovers are going to love this. As it turns out, I am not a cozy fantasy lover. It’s cute and original.