While not the normal book I would go for, people who know me personally would agree that "Wooing the Witch Queen" by Stephanie Burgis is "Dan-Bait." You give me food, a raven, a job, and are planning to destroy my enemies before I even show up? I'll swoon. (Out 25 February 2025)

Three Wicked Queens have formed an alliance to protect their realms from the empire of humans next door. The Witch Queen Saskia has erected a barrier to keep their army out but needs time to experiment to make her people safe. She posts that she has need of a librarian to sort the magic tomes in her neglected library and a dark wizard promptly arrives. Little does she know that us actually her enemy the archduke, who is on the run because he had been a puppet ruler since his teens and kinda just bumbled his way into a job. Beats sending out applications.

Narrated by Amanda Leigh Cobb, I always enjoy when you can hear the narrator having fun.

Reasons to read:
-I like bad witches
-Comeuppance, deserved
-Spice, that makes sense
-Side characters are all interesting in their own right
-Set up for a sequel with a trope I adore

Cons:
-There aren't any nearby witch towers to wander into

Now THIS is my kind of cozy fantasy romance. The plot is solid, the stakes are medium-high, and the romance tension is tensioning. The vibes though... they are cozy as heck. With much of this set in a castle, primarily the library, it gives those cozy bookish but medieval vibes. The crow animal companions are also a wonderful addition.

One note: I usually immediately cringe when modern-day items are found in a medieval setting. But in this case, the author took the care and time to explain the ballpoint pens so I found it quite endearing! This is all it takes, a bit of recognition for these out-of-place items and a bit of explanation of how they came to be. Either remove them or explain them - that simple. This turned what could be a loss of a star rating, into actually being one of my favourite little quirks of the book.

The romance is sweet and has a dash of spice in just the right amounts. You are rooting for them through and through, and the third act conflict wasn't unnecessarily drawn out or painful.

I highly recommend that you add this book to your "most anticipated of 2025" list, particularly the audiobook. The character depictions were impeccable, and overall, it was a fantastic listening experience.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced listener copy. All opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

What a fun, dare I say, cozy read? Not a lot of action really happens in this book but that doesn’t mean the vibes aren’t spot on. With enchanted libraries, little crow friends, and a lovely cast of characters, this book hit the spot. Our two main leads were distinct and complimented each other so well that I feel sad letting them go. I’m hoping for the same impeccable vibes from the next book (although with Lorelei being the lead, I’m feeling dubious.)

Wooing the Witch Queen is a charming fantasy with a captivating plot. Burgis skillfully weaves a tale of magic, royalty, and political intrigue, transporting readers to a world filled with enchantment. The world-building is imaginative and well-developed, adding depth and richness to the story.

However, while the plot shines, the romance between the main characters falls a bit flat. The light-hearted writing style, though enjoyable, occasionally becomes repetitive, hindering the emotional depth of the relationship. The characters themselves, though likable, have an insta-love vibe that could be off-putting to readers.

Despite these shortcomings, Wooing the Witch Queen is a delightful read for those who enjoy whimsical tales with a touch of magic. It's perfect for fans of fantasy with romance who are looking for a quick and entertaining escape.

This audiobook could be better with dual narration.

Oh, this was a fantastic read! I've read a few books by Stephanie Burgis, and while I didn't make the connection that this was the same author until after I'd been approved for a copy of this book until I made this review, I was thrilled to know a book that sounded really good was by an author that I'd previously loved!

We know straight off the bat that what people thought was the Archduke, was the actions of his former Regent. He didn't want to give up power, and we learn this because we were in Felix's perspective, right before he escaped to Saskia, since she was someone the guy was afraid of.

I adored their dynamics, she was prickly, life hasn't been kind of her, but neither was it to him. They were adorable, I loved watching them fall in love, though I knew there was the truth about his identity hanging over their heads.

This world with magic and magical creatures-and humans who aren't the most accepting of those that are different, who have power that they don't have...yeah, that was pretty aggravating! So it was pretty satisfying how things ended up!

Loved reading this book and I can't wait to read more by Stephanie Burgis!

Holy holy witch queens! I absolutely loved this book! How did I find it? Fun story. I was adding Olivia Dade's new book "ZomRomCom" to my 'To Read' shelf when I saw Stephanie's review on the book. I was intrigued, loved the title and cover of 'Wooing the Witch Queen', and simply had to seek out an ARC, and here we are!

This book had me kicking my feet and giggling so hard, I couldn't put it down and finished it in a single day. I'm a huge fan of the series 'Assistant to the Villain' and the books by Kimberly Lemming, give me all the cozy fantasy vibes.

I loved the magical systems in this series, and our FMC's fight for rightness despite being labeled an evil queen. The "who did this to you" on her part?! I literally swooned and had to sit down. Gah, I'm just so in love with this book, and can't wait to have a copy in my hands. I love we have such strong characters in the book, our sweet ArchDuke in distress rising to his own power, owning his voice, claiming his love. Just, I can't get enough.

Stephanie, thank you so much for this absolute treasure of a book. I cannot wait to tell everyone about it.

After the genuine charm of some of Stephanie Burgis's books, this one is a bit of a let down.

Through a case of mistaken identity, two rulers from neighboring countries end up sharing space in the same castle. Both Felix and Saskia have dealt with traumatic pasts and curtailed autonomy engineered by others who lust for power. Both have hearts of gold and would rather avoid responsibility to live peacefully alongside all other beings in the empire. Both are... a little bland, honestly? There's no real villainy to be found here outside of the aggressively evil men who manipulate their lives and thrones and spread rumors to undermine them.

I love the library aspect of the story! even if it is set dressing more than it is a detailed cozy fantasy description of organizing. In fact I'm hesitant to call this one a cozy story at all - there are very high stakes, threats of death, and traumatic histories involving abuse for both characters. The book even starts with one of the characters abruptly deciding not to kill himself, which... I get where it's coming from, but that's a rough beginning.

Obviously sparks fly between main characters Felix and Saskia, because this is a romance. Their interactions are mostly based on admiring each other's beauty from a distance while hardly sharing a conversation. That is to say - it didn't really work for me.

Don't get me wrong - I enjoyed the story well enough. It's fine. I'm sure many people will love it! It just fell flat for me. The characterization I hoped for isn't here and I barely cared about the people or the plot. I do love lil Oscar the crow though. 🖤

Perhaps part of my problem is with the audiobook narrator? Amanda Leigh Cobb does a perfectly fine job! her voice just so happens to have an edge of the vocal quality that usually narrates snarky badass female MCs, and I *hate* that style. So it's a personal issue! Well, other than the "gryPHON" instead of "griffen" pronunciation choice I've never heard before and strongly dislike.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an audio ARC in return for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Stephanie Burgis, and the publisher for allowing me access to the e-Arc.

The audiobook was incredible! I would highly recommend it!

If you love the vibes of Assistant to the Villain then I believe you will enjoy this one. The only thing I didn’t love about this book is I wanted it to be long. It is a cozy fantasy with stakes. There isn’t a ton a world world-building but the characters make up for that. I love a good cast of aide characters which this book had. I can’t wait to read book 2. Unfortunately, it comes out in 2026.

I got to listen to the audio arc of Wooing the Witch Queen and it was super cute!
I love reading books about books! And who doesn't love a library obsessed Queen with hidden secrets and a morally good, hiding-in-plain-sight love interest. I especially loved the narrator of this story. Her voice was very relaxing and I was able to escape the thanksgiving shenanigans into this story. It was so nice and refreshing to read a book with a morally good man. I loved his kind hearted nature, befriending crows and requesting, of all things, a good pen, to complete his made up work of a magical librarian.

Don't even get me started on the sassy troll housekeeper 😂

At the end of the day, this story does a wonderful job of explaining that gentleness is strength.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
1/2 🌶️

🐦‍⬛Gaslamp Vibes
✨Bi Witch Queen
🐦‍⬛Found Family
✨Secret Identity
🐦‍⬛Romance


This book hooked me from the first chapter. I love a good secret identity romance. Mix it with some fantasy and that’s my vibe.

The main character in here was strong and I loved that so much. I loved the characters in here trolls, crows, familiars, fae, witches and more.

One of my favorite aspects of this book is that the male main character was able to crack the walls that the female main character had built. He gets to see her at her most vulnerable.

Twist at the end with the main character I really was hoping what happened and it did not disappoint. If you love gaslamp vibes, fantasy, love, forbidden love, secret identity, and a nerdy MMC librarian then you will love this book.

I listen to the audio for this one. The narrator did an amazing job voicing both characters. I loved how I wasn’t even able to tell it was just one narrator. You can tell the difference emotions and slight voice change which characters are prominent in the scene. I think the narrator did a phenomenal job. I would definitely listen to more books, narrated by Amanda.

This was such a cozy read and I really loved this narrator and the audio to start off the chapters not felt very atmospheric. Saskia was my favorite character, I enjoyed Felix, he was such a good foil to Saskia but I just didn’t find him as well rounded as her. If you love librarians and cozy fantasy, this one is for you!

oh this was such a lovely read! I would almost put this under the cozy fantasy umbrella since it was just such a sweet little love story! I adored out cast of characters, it had such a strong found family vibe that just warmed my heart. The romance was fantastic it wasn't as spicy as I had expected which is a win for me. It was almost closed door honestly, it had a few steamy scenes but nothing overly explicit which was great. I honestly cannot wait for book 2! Intrigued to see how Lorelai's (pardon if its not written properly audiobook problems haha) story will play out since she was very much a chaotic character in the this one!!

Incredible writing, great character's a swoon worthy slow burn romance, magic, animal familiars, found family, strong touch him and die energy, honestly what more could you want in a fantasy romance!?

Narrator was fantastic, the audiobook was great honestly really loved this one and so sad I have to wait till 2026 for book 2 😭

Wooing the Witch Queen is a cozy fantasy romance between a bisexual queen with magic powers and a fearsome reputation, and her dark wizard librarian. Who is actually an archduke in disguise, and while he's trying to escape those who controlled his life, she doesn't know he's the supposed enemy she's searching for. But they slowly develop feelings for each other as his nerdiness and care reaches her softer side...

This was really lovely, and has those cozy fantasy vibes. There are supposed stakes, but honestly they never feel too high because of the way the writing feels, and I'm and entirely okay with that. This is very much golden retriever boyfriend and prickly bi-girlfriend energy. I think a lot of people will enjoy it! I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher, all opinions are my own.

Felix may be the Archduke of Estarion, but he's relatively powerless politically, as his father-in-law, the Chief Minister, has exerted his will over Felix for a long time. In a last-ditch effort to save his own life, Felix decides to throw himself at the mercy of the queen of a neighboring enemy realm. Only, when Felix arrives, Queen Saskia mistakenly believes he is a dark wizard there to interview for the position of her new librarian. Not wanting to endanger himself further, Felix, who has no magical power to speak of, decides to learn everything he can to catalogue her books for her, meanwhile Saskia would prefer to do anything other than be a figurehead of her own kingdom, wanting instead to work on experiments and work through her library with the dashing librarian she can't get enough of.

This is a romantasy with a cozy edge that I actually really enjoyed. What worked well for me was that while the stakes were fairly low, the conflict was not. There is some urgency in the pacing and movement to the narrative overall.

As a romance reader, I appreciated the strong central romance arc and mildly steamy open door execution. As a fantasy reader, I appreciated the way Burgis leans into her worldbuilding. There are enough interesting components, but she still keeps things simple and doesn't overexplain, and i appreciate a writer who leans into their worldbuilding without taking themselves too seriously. It makes it a pleasure to pick up a book like this! Ilona Andrews blurbed this one, and their writing is actually a pretty great comp stylistically to Burgis.

The audiobook is narrated by Amanda Leigh Cobb, and I found it engaging without being over-acted.

Wooing the Witch Queen
by Stephanie Burgis
Narrated by Amanda Leigh Cobb

I received an ARC of this audiobook through Netgalley.

Amanda Leigh Cobb’s narration was excellent.

World- building: ***
Romantic development: **
Character development: ****
Secondary characters: ****
Story: ****

I like the gas lamp world. I tend to love those kinds of stories. And nations and rulers being enemies is great too.

Those tropes work great in Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, A Court of Thorns and Roses, A Throne of Glass, Fourth Wing, etc

I think the romance was entirely believable, and parts of it were good. But, parts were missing too. When did the characters fall in love? What were their thoughts and feelings? What drew them to each other? At what point did they hold themselves back from putting themselves on the line?

I don’t need physical characteristics to make me swoon - but I do need what makes this one person become THE person for them. Is it many little things? Kind gestures to them or others? What is their desire like?

Were they falling in love slowly or fast?

Anyway, those are the parts that went too quickly for me, but I am a certifiable sucker for romance and fantasy.

Even with the quick romance - this audiobook still gets a solid 4 stars.

Definitely recommend!

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.