Excellent world building, fantastic character development. A cozy magical read with an even paced story and relatable characters. I enjoyed this very much.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

The Phoenix Keeper was such a fun and cozy book to read! Our main character Aila is a passionate zookeeper specializing in a rare and endangered breed of phoenix. There are only a few left in the world, and they are kept safe in multiple zoos. Her goal is to aid in the breeding process of these beautiful creatures and help preserve the species. But of course there are some horrible humans out there that are bent on stealing these precious animals to sell for exorbitant amounts of money.

Immediately we can see that Aila is a sweet human with sooo much anxiety. A lot of it is social anxiety, and she is very hesitant to become friends with anyone around the zoo or even giving talks to the zoo patrons. The portrayal of social anxiety was spot on!! Her stream of consciousness during some scenes was so relatable. Her one and only best friend Tanya is an amazing sidekick and I loved seeing their friendship throughout the book!

We also get to see Aila struggle with her dating life, but by the end you are cheering for her! You can't help but being proud of what she goes through and how she stands up to people.

The story is mostly slow and cozy. Not much happens until the 80% mark, so don't expect to go into it with tons of action. It was refreshing to read a cozy fantasy that focuses a lot on beautiful magical creatures. Although, the final 20% was hard to put down!! Everything from the beginning of the book comes back to fuel the ending and I really appreciated seeing all the little details become super important!

There was also some beautiful art throughout the book which I appreciate 😍 I cannot wait to see this book in person when it's released!!

Enjoyed this book and watching an introvert get out of her shell a bit. Would have liked more magical animal descriptions and interactions. Well done though.

This book was everything I wanted it to be!

It is a fairly low stakes fantasy following Aila, a Phoenix Keeper at a zoo, as she tries to help the conservation of these Phoenixes by breeding them. We quickly learn how passionate she's always been about this and it really comes through.

Aila is a flawed and relatable character which is nice to read about for a change. She struggles talking to people, has major stage fright and has few friends, instead preferring the company of the animals she looks after, both at work and home. However, I loved seeing the relationship between Aila and her best friend, the only person who she's herself around. I loved seeing the character growth over this book and it happened in a believable way with small steps.

The animals were a great part of this book for me. I became attached to them from the very start and I love them with my whole heart! It made me want to quit my job and work at the zoo just so I can look after these animals that are so innocent (mostly) and all have their own personalities. The fact that they're magical makes it even better!

While the ending and main climax of the book were fairly predictable, I hadn't predicted how it would be resolved so I still thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm now desperate for more within this world and to see what happens to these characters next.

Thank you to Orbit and Netgalley for this eARC for review.

2SLGBTQIA+ Fantasy Romance which finds the head phoenix keeper at a zoo for magical creatures teaming up with the griffin keeper to conserve the critically endangered firebirds.

5/5 stars: MacLean's 2SLGBTQIA+ Fantasy Romance that features a zoo for magical creatures' head phoenix keeper who has the chance to jump start her zoo's floundering breeding phoenix program. After a neighboring zoo's theft, she must prove her derelict facilities are up to par to get the breeding male and will have to team up with the hotshot griffin keeper to help her show the world the majesty of the endangered firebirds. Oh and along the way she'll fall in love and face down poachers. MacLean's writing and character work are excellent; the characters are well-rounded, complex and yet remain incredibly likable. Aila's incredibly relatable and I love seeing her love and enthusiasm for her charges be they mischievous archibirds, carnivorous water horses or her beloved phoenixes. It's also great to see her managing her anxiety and growing as a person. The mythical creatures take center stage and MacLean's schooling and background show through. The many mythical beasts have unique characters and play a huge role in this book. As for the romance, the first 50% of the book has Aila crushing on Connor, the dragon keeper, but she soon realizes they aren't a match. From the start she and Luciana, the griffin keeper, clash over everything. But as they work together to show off the phoenixes, they actually get to know each other and their relationship changes. In the end it's a lovely no steam cozy romance. MacLean touches on some sensitive subjects; so take care and check the CWs. While this is a chonky read, it's worth every page. Highly Recommend!

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Orbit Books | Orbit in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

A really sweet cozy book with whimsical creatures and incredibly lovely characters. I loved the main character who through everything is incredibly devoted and loves her job so much. The book is unique not only in the magical creatures aspect but also in the way it shows the incredible dedication that it takes to do what the main character did for the animals. I would definitely recommend giving it a read!

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A Magical Zoo Adventure

The Phoenix Keeper by S. A. MacLean

July 19, 2024 by Tracy Leave a Comment (Edit)

This was a charming cozy romantasy with great diversity and mental health representation. It takes place primarily in a zoo of magical creatures, and it was a pleasure to see MacLean’s creativity as she described these animals.

Main character Aila is the phoenix keeper at the zoo and has been trying for years to reboot a breeding program for the endangered Silimalo phoenix. When a neighboring zoo loses their phoenix hatchlings and their mother to poachers, Aila’s zoo is given the opportunity to try a breeding program of their own.

Aila has social anxiety, so it’s a challenge for her to navigate the national attention the zoo is getting, but her dedication to the phoenixes she has had a lifelong passion for pushes her through. She gets support from a solid supporting cast, including best friend Tanya and rival Luciana. A lot of the characters are POC, and there’s sexual orientation and trans representation. Aila’s anxiety is handled well, probably in part because of the author’s own experiences with it. I loved how supportive and accepting Aila’s family and friends are, while still trying to gently encourage her to go outside of her comfort zone.

There’s a high fantasy setting, in that this novel is not set on earth. It’s a fictional land with fictional/mythical creatures. However, the setting is very modern, with technology and concepts from earth (DVDs, margaritas, a version of Instagram). This threw me a bit at first because it’s so unlike other fantasies that aren’t urban/low fantasy. Eventually I adjusted to it, and the advantage is that the book is easy to read, without too much focus needing to be spent on world-building. Most of the scenes are set in the zoo, creating an immersive experience.

I really enjoyed this debut novel and will definitely look for more books from S. A. MacLean in the future.

📣 a cozy fantasy set at a zoo of magical creatures

Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

📖 if you could work at a zoo that housed magical creatures, what animal would you want to work with? I’m thinking I would want to work with Griffins or Unicorns—seems like it would be fun & useful to work with something that could fly!

A fantasy with an anxious protagonist who works at a zoo of magical creatures?! Sign me up.

In reality, The Phoenix Keeper by S. A. MacLean is occasionally too slow for me. But it’s also cozy, soft, & inspiring, as protagonist Aila—who really struggles when asked to put herself out there (not to mention who hates the publicity components associated with her Phoenix keeper job!)—tries & succeeds as the book progresses.

With sterling friendship rep & animal appreciation, The Phoenix Keeper is a rewarding fantasy with a touch of romance & danger. If you want a read that demands that you slow down & savor the details of a magical creature-zookeeper job, check this one out!

4.25 ⭐️. Out 08/13.

CWs: social anxiety & past trauma associated with that; attempted violence; trans rep, transphobia isn’t discussed in great detail.

[ID: Jess holds the ebook in front of a waterfall.]

Aila is the head phoenix keeper at a world-renowned zoo for magical creatures. It was her dream to save critically endangered firebirds at her zoo and it becomes a reality when a tragic phoenix napping happens at a neighboring zoo. Aila needs to step up to show the world that she can successfully breed these beautiful birds even if there are threats looming on the horizon.

First off, I will say, this was not what I was expecting when going into this book. I loved the contemporary (urban?) setting of the story and how it could exist in our own world. The world building of the zoo was fantastic and I liked that the main plot stayed within the zoo, only to venture out at times to places like Aila or Tanya's home, but not linger there.

All of the characters are unique and distinctive, and you could feel Aila's nervousness and anxiety about everything needing to be perfect through the pages. Tanya is the best friend we we always wanted.

I will say that some of the pacing was a little slow in the beginning, but it was necessary for the overarching story. MacLean's writing style is just so easy and cozy that this book went above my expectations. The detail of the processes were great, the understanding of all the different creatures in the zoo. You meet some great creatures. It felt like a movie playing in my head while reading it.

Would I recommend this book? Yes, absolutely. Would I reread it? Yes if I need something cozy to read.

Thank you NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Phoenix Keeper is another installment in the queer cozy fantasy cannon. It’s a sweet story that very much deals in the mundane aspects of human life such as relationships, mental health, and zookeeping bureaucracy. I liked this book but didn’t quite love it. The main romance took some time to really get started and I found the pacing to be a bit off as a result. The actual fantasy elements are low with the exception of the magical creatures, and I found myself getting bogged down in the everyday details that our main character, Aila, deals with on the page. I think this book is a nice debut and while it won’t rocket to the top of my favorites list, I enjoyed reading it. I would recommend this book to fans of Travis Baldree and Rebecca Thorne with the caveat that the stakes are even lower than they are in those author’s books.

I loved this book!! It took a bit to get into, so I struggled with the first of the four parts that this book is broken into. After that, I was obsessed with this book! I loved both the anxiety and bisexual representation.

I want to like cozy fantasy but i just cannot get into it. The premise is cute but i just couldn’t get into . This is my third and last cozy fantasy attempt i think. I just need higher stakes i need the anxiety.. DNF

The future of the phoenix species rests on Alia's shoulders. I absolutely devoured this cozy fantasy novel about a phoenix keeper who has to work with her annoyingly enjoyable enemy from college. Cozy fantasy, romance, and amazing creatures are the recipe for success of this book.

The Phoenix Keeper follows Aila, a socially awkward but very passionate zookeeper at the San Tamculo Zoo. Aila's lifelong dream has been to help the critically endangered Silimalo phoenix population make a comeback, and now that she's head phoenix keeper at her zoo, her dream has never been closer. But the zoo's breeding program hasn't been active in years, and every time Aila requests a male Phoenix to pair with the zoo's female, Rubra, she gets denied.

When a clutch of eggs at another zoo is stolen by poachers, Aila is desperate to do whatever she can in order to save her beloved birds. But in order to do that, she must conquer her crippling social anxiety and enlist in the help of her fellow zookeepers, including her nemesis - the (annoyingly) beautiful and talented Luciana.

If you like a cozy read with some stakes, this is it! The Phoenix Keeper is a bit slow to start as we follow Aila in her daily tasks as a zookeeper and getting to know her magical charges, but the threat to the Silimalo phoenixes feels very real throughout the book and results in an exciting climax.

My only complaint is that I wish the romance had more time to develop. The two spend a lot of time on page with one another, but the romance aspect really only exists in the last quarter of the book or so. I understand this is due to plot reasons, but it ended up feeling a bit rushed. I did think their dynamic was cute though, and I was rooting for them the whole time.

Aila is also a sometimes frustrating protagonist. I had a similar complaint about The Spellshop, both MCs are shy and awkward to the point of being absolute assholes to people at times, and that never fails to make me cringe. That said, she does experience a good deal of character growth, which I appreciated.

Despite a slow start, I had a good time with this one!

I really enjoyed this book-it was something unlike any other, not filled with fae or shadow daddies or any of that stuff, but was genuinely a feel good book with sprinkles of magic and sapphic love. This book, if anything, proves that you don't need spice to make a good book.

This follows a young zoo keeper who aspires to respark the endangered pheonix breeding program within their world renowned zoo. Dangerous magical species trades foils this plan to spark this dwindling population of pheonixes, and our main protagonist ends up pairing with the most unlikely ally to get her birds back!

This is the kind of book you can curl up and drink tea too, and occasionally gasp with excitement.

The Phoenix Keeper follows Aila (head phoenix keeper) at a world renowned zoo for magical creatures. Aila has a chance to save her beautiful (and endangered) firebirds from extinction, but she’ll have to face many challenges along the way.

The Phoenix Keeper is the most adorable cozy romantasy book that I’ve ever read. This book is full of love, adventure, and magic. I loved the characters in this book, and I adored reading about all of the magical creatures (dragons, unicorns, phoenixes etc.) This book held my interest from the first page, and the love story was so sweet!

I honestly can’t even put into words how lovely this book was. It’s a book I’ll read again and again.

Add this book to your TBR immediately if you love cozy fantasy, romance, strong character development, magical creatures, and beautiful world building.

Can’t wait to get my illumicrate edition of this book!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publishers for a free eARC of this lovely book! My review / opinions are my own.

Review will be posted to social media closer to publication day.

I was a little let down by this one. I'm forever on the hunt for cozy fantasies to fall in love with, but this one missed the mark by a mile. While it was pitched as a cozy fantasy, in the end I didn't find it cozy at all-- just boring.

The concept of this book really intrigued me- a cozy fantasy book with a zoo full of magical creatures. Main character Aila is the titular phoenix keeper is trying to fulfill her childhood dream and revive the phoenix breeding program at her zoo. There is the threat of poachers looming after the chicks were stolen from another zoo and her own zoo had dragon eggs taken. Aila struggles with anxiety and don't want to ask for help, especially from her college "nemesis", the hot shot griffin keeper.

Things I liked:
-All the animals and magic. I LOVE zoos
-The representation of someone with anxiety that feels very much like my own
-The stakes being both low and high enough

Things I struggled with
-Way too much description of the zoo exhibits, weather, plants etc. It was fine at first but I started skipping whole descriptive paragraphs at one point because it didn't impact the plot
-Almost TOO much anxiety! sometimes Aila was awkward to the point I had to pause reading.
-We don't get any of the main romance until like 75% in! The book is marketed as FF romance but the majority of the book is spent with her being too shy/awkward/busy or involved with a man.

In the end- somewhere between 3 and 3.5 stars.

This book was very sweet and a nice, cozy read. I did have some issues with pacing; the beginning of the book was a little dry and info-dumpy for me. But the characters were sweet, and I couldn't help but root for Alia. If you're looking for a low-stakes fantasy novel with neurodivergent queer characters, this would be an excellent book for you.

Alia has always wanted to be a zookeeper, specifically a phoenix keeper. Even though she struggles with social interactions and would rather die than give a zoo talk, she loves her animals. When a neighboring zoo has their phoenix babies stolen by poachers, Alia seizes the opportunity to apply for a transfer of their male bird. The story from here is about the confidence Alia gains and the love she finds along the way.

There are so many little details that make this book adorable. The small drawings at the beginning of each section, the overwhelming care the author put into describing the mental hurdles Alia faces, and the worldbuilding; all these factors make a well-rounded story. I just wish the beginning wasn't so dry; it made it hard for me to latch onto the story.

If you like a good, cozy fantasy and you're an animal lover, this is a book for you.

Thanks to Orbit and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

This is a cozy fantasy about endangered magical animals.

Aila has dreamed of being a Phoenix keeper since she was eight years old. Now, she is 28 and working in her dream job. The only problem is she only has a female Phoenix. She needs to find one of the few remaining males so she can restart the breeding program at her zoo.

Aila will need to overcome her shyness and stand up to her college nemesis if she is to succeed.

This was such a fun read! So heartwarming and it also does a great job getting the message across concerning endangered species. Aila is a great character. She's human and has flaws that she's working hard to overcome. The animals are fantastic characters as well. As with my own furr babies, they each have very individual personalities.

I loved this! It's just fun, fast-paced and cozy!