This was a cute read! I felt at times that the plot dragged a bit in the middle, but it raised interesting questions (and answers) to the ethical concerns around zoos. It managed to do this, while still being a fun little book about a shy woman finding her confidence and that was a good time.

This was an excellent queer, cosy fantasy. I was definitely invested in all the characters (even the secondary ones!), but the animals were the true stars of this book. I will be hyping this to anyone looking for a low-stakes fantasy read.

please, I formally request more cozy zoo settings and magical animals in sight!!
This story was so heartwarming! Set in a magical zoo, where mythical creatures and everyday wonders come to life gave a unique world-building opportunity and all the whimsy vibes. The cozy setting perfectly complements the tender, slow-burn queer romance, creating a story that feels like a warm hug with just the right touch of magic.

This was a super cute cozy LGBTQ+ romantasy. I loved watching the FMC, Aila, come into her own and fulfill her dreams after watching her work so hard to get to where she was. And the rival-to-lovers romance with Luciana was cute. I like stories where the MC is alone but learns to build a network of friends who they can come to rely on.

This gorgeous cover and the cozy fantasy vibe are what first initially attracted me to this standalone novel.

Set in a fantastical world similar to our own with a zoo of mythological magical creatures, Ayleth is an introvert who suffers from anxiety and social awkwardness, but absolutely loves her phoenixes and other magical birds that she is a zookeeper to. Along with her bestie Tanya, The Phoenix Keeper follows Ayleth's desire to restart a breeding program for an endangered species of phoenixes, but must overcome her fear of social interaction in order to successfully do so.

This is a heartwarming slow burn enemies to lovers romance with no spice, but lots of cozy vibes. As a mom of a child with sometimes crippling anxiety and another with severe social ineptitude, Ayleth hit me with all the feels as she struggled to navigate and balance her love life, work, and friendships. Her character arc was accurately portrayed and I felt myself rooting for her the entire novel. Although I personally am not a fan of birds in general, I understood her relationship and ability to bond with animals more than humans.

My only issue with this book was the names of the regions. Due to the similarities to real life locations, my brain kept adding extra syllables to the pronunciations that shouldn't have been there and I would go back and try to correct myself. The words just simply did not glide off the tongue and anytime I encountered them in the story, I found myself stopping and stuttering over pronunciations until I just finally gave up. A small issue that is frequently encountered in fantasy writing, but this one seemed to leave me more frustrated than usual.

For fans of cozy romance with little to no spice, fantastical creatures, and neurodivergent reps.

Thank you to NetGalley, S.A. MacLean, and Orbit Books for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is for the introverts. The Phoenix Keeper follows Alia who would be perfectly fine never talking to people and just chilling with her Phoenixes. Alia is trying to save her zoo breeding program that hasn’t functioned in a decade. While practically saving an endangered species (no pressure).

This book was the epitome of cozy, your just filling days in Alias life. If you go into this expecting that & at a time where you’re just in a chill mood, you would really enjoy it. There’s also sapphics so it makes the book 1000 times better!

Thank you orbit books and the author for an advanced copy of this book.

A cute cozy fantasy with a bit of mystery.. Sometimes fantasy can just be a girl who is obsessed with birds that falls in love with another girl that is obsessed with birds.

I found this is be actually hard to get through, although I thought the premise was promising. I enjoyed the heist part actually and thought it was a fun part of the book. The sapphic romance was cute, even if it was obvious that’s what was going to happen. I honestly am tired of the whole “i have anxiety and that makes me really weird” thing. I also found this to be to leading and predictable.

The Phoenix Keeper is a queer, cozy fantasy following a magical zookeeper. It is perfect for lovers of cozy fantasy and queer romance

I DNF'd at about the halfway point, but it was for a somewhat personal reason that I know won't affect all readers so I'm giving it 3 stars and moving on.

Anxiety rep is important to have in books of all kinds, but I just cannot handle being in Aila's mind when she goes into her mental spirals and bouts of overthinking. But I really loved the world MacLean was building with San Tamculo and the magical creatures that populate the world. I could tell the author has put a lot of work into not just the lore and biology of the creatures, but also how the world would integrate and misuse their magical properties. I would love to try another book by MacLean, hopefully with a different protagonist next time.

This was a really cute cozy fantasy read. I loved all the magical animals. There was a low stakes mystery, but overall it was a light and easy read. I appreciate the mental health and lgbtq+ representation by the FMC.

I LOVED the animal aspect of this story. Any book that has creatures, especially the magical (or mythical) variety, makes it even better. The setting being at a zoo was so fun too.

The only thing I can relate to with Aila is her undying love for the creatures. I'm just as obsessed with animals.

The Connor thing was pretty predictable from the very beginning. Saw it coming from a mile away. Overall, i enjoyed the book.

This book was so cute! Exactly what I signed up for: cozy fantasy, cute romance, and relatable characters. I loved that the fantasy elements were seamlessly integrated without any intense world-building, allowing me to dive right into the story. A magical zoo? I want to go visit now! And meet my own cute zookeeper.... I'll be recommending this for sure when people ask for recommendations of fantasy, but nothing too intense.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the electronic advanced reader copy. This was a very cute tale, perfect for fans of cozy fantasy without being boring. Loved the zoo and fantasy animal setting - a unique setting compared to lots of other fantasy books coming out.

This book is a captivating and immersive read that hooks you from the first page. The writing is beautifully crafted, with vivid descriptions and strong character development that makes the story come alive. The plot is well-paced, balancing moments of tension with quieter, reflective scenes that allow the characters to grow. The themes explored are deep and thought-provoking, resonating long after the final page. Whether it's the emotional depth, the twists and turns of the plot, or the unforgettable characters, this book is a must-read for anyone who enjoys rich, engaging stories. Highly recommended for fans of fantasy.

This cute cozy fantasy novel is an enemies to lovers story set in a magical zoo. Head phoenix keeper Aila understands animals; people, not so much. But when she's granted the chance to start a new phoenix breeding program for a highly endangered species, she realizes she can't do it all on her own.

Aila's lack of people stills ring entirely true and are also incredibly frustrating at times. You just want to scream at her at times to give back as much as she's getting, and also accept help more readily, and stop judging people so much. But it's all a part of her journey. I enjoyed this book, especially the friendships and queer romance.

I loved this! It gave me Fantastic beasts and where to find them energy which I absolutely adored. The love for the fantastical creatures and the representation in the book really made me adore it so much more as someone who is similar myself! I wish I lived in a world where these amazing animals were real!

One of my all time favorite cozy fantasy reads! It was such a nice break for trauma, murder, war. This story is about a women who is fighting to save the endangered Phoenixes. She has to work closely with her very attractive female, college rival. It’s cozy, queer, and fun!

I loved the idea of this story. All of the different animals were fun. The descriptions were great and I appreciated the world building.

The plot was interesting and I wanted to see how things unfolded but I found myself frustrated.

Unfortunately the FMC just didn't land for me. I went into this book knowing she was quirky and fun. In the beginning I enjoyed her character, how much she loved her job and how invested she was into caring for the animals. But as the story progressed she started to feel less quirky and free spirited but extremely immature. She felt a little too childlike and I found myself just wanting to skip to the end.

I had a decent time over all but as a personal preference, adult main characters who appear a little too immature just isn't for me.

Thank you netgalley for allowing me to read the ARC.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

This book is a cozy fantasy with a small romance subplot. Our main character briefly dates a man before briefly starting a relationship with a woman. It's the general vibe of romance, but the story is primarily about the FMCs dreams and aspirations. This book felt very YA which is fine as I enjoy the genre, but I believe it was advertised as adult.

I will say I was confused a bit about the nemesis aspect of this book. There was all this I don't like her vibes going on for something silly that happened back in college. The whole what happened vs the reaction didn't land with me.

If you ever wanted to explore a book about a fantasy zoo, look no further!