This book was an amazing surprise. I don’t think I expected to enjoy it as much as I did, and I definitely did. World building and the characters were good, but I really love the humor. I was quickly drawn in to the story and I never got bored. I enjoyed the will they, won’t they aspects of the main romance. They were very cute together, and complimented each other very well. I also love Felix so much and I would love to get my own Oscar. Saskia was a great MFC. It was fun watching her grow more confident in herself and her decisions will still remaining to true to who she was. . I’m very excited to see what the series goes. So if you’re looking for a cozy romantic, witchy read look no further. I will definitely be recommending this book to everyone. Amanda Leigh Cobb narration was excellent as always.

4.5 ⭐️

I want to thank NetGalley and Macmillian Audio, and Team Stephanie Burgis for this audiobook!

"Wooing the Witch Queen" by Stephanie Burgis was a fun and delightful romantasy featuring a bisexual witch queen and her dark wizard librarian. I enjoyed the well-written characters, simple world-building, and slow-burn romance. The presence of mystical creatures like ogres and goblins added an enchanting touch to the story.

Amanda Leigh Cobb's narration was engaging, giving each character a unique voice. While the stakes were high, the story felt cozy and low-pressure. Overall, this was a fun and charming audiobook that left me looking forward to the next installment. I felt like this book had the same fun magical vibes as How to Summon a Fairy Godmother by Laura J. Mayo, so definately reccomend if you enjoyed that one (or reccomend that one if you enjoy this one 😂).

If you’re looking for a cozy fantasy romance between a bisexual witch queen and her dark wizard librarian, this is the book for you! I had such a great time reading this book. The characters were great, the storyline was well written, and the world building was simple and fun! There’s ogres, goblins, and many other mystical creatures who complete this cozy fantasy.

The romance was slow, sweet, with a bit of spice thrown in.

I want to thank NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for the ARC!

‘Wooing the Witch Queen’ by Stephanie Burgis is a delightful romantic fantasy. The lighthearted story and slow-burn romance make it a perfect choice for cozy fantasy fans. The likable characters and easily resolved conflicts were enjoyable. Amanda Leigh Cobb did an excellent job with the narration and gave each character a unique style and sound. Very much loved listening to the story.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ALC of this book. All opinions are my own.

If you heard screaming, it was me over this book. I loved this so much! It's such a fun, cozy fantasy. It may have had high stakes, but it felt cozy and low stakes. I loved the reversal for certain tropes and the relationship that unfolded. This was just so fun. I had such a great time listening to this! I think the narrator did such a great job and loved how she read this. I can't wait to see what happens next. This was so good. I also love Felix so much and I would like my own Oscar.

Wooing The Witch Queen:⁣
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Thank you @macmillan.audio for my gifted copy! #MacAudio2025!⁣
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This book was.. dare I say.. bewitching? It was so charming!!⁣
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I obviously did a running and reading for this since Georgia decided it wanted to be 72 degrees this week. I finished in about 3-4 days and I didn’t want it to end. The audio was decent. Wasn’t my favorite audio, but it didn’t hurt my ears! If you’re in the moving and grooving phase, check this audio out. ⁣
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It was whimsical and fun. I adored the characters and also used the word dastardly to describe Count von Hertzendorff (who am I?) I loved Felix. He was just so kind and gentle. I mean, he cried the first time we met him and I thought, “wow, I actually love this”. ⁣
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Honestly, it made me want to go find a fountain pen (a legit one) and wave hi to the crows instead of be terrified. ⁣
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Out Feb 18th, this was a warm hug with a little kick of tamale.

{ Wooing the Witch Queen }
by Stephanie Burgis

★ ★ ★ ★
Narrator(s): Amanda Leigh Cobb
Length: 8h 34m
Source: ALC - NetGalley, Macmillan Audio
Release Date: February 18, 2025

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Fabian, aka Prince Felix, has been the punching bag for too long so he flees to the neighboring land that belongs to the terrifying Witch Queen, Saskia. She mistakes him for a dark wizard to organize her library and Felix officially becomes Fabian.

This was a cute story. I really liked how Felix got to know the real Saskia. Their relationship was founded on friendship which was a nice change of pace. The way SHE protects him is just—superb!

I loved the side characters and how Felix came to care for all the beings he misjudged. The other Villainous Queens cracked me up, especially the fae queen. She was nuts and I believe her book is next. 😂

Overall a really cute fantasy—maybe even a cozy fantasy because there was very little drama and lots of swoon with a rating of pg-13ish.

𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩:
🐦‍⬛ romantasy
🩵 hidden identity
🐦‍⬛ slow burn pg-13
🩵 no 3rd act break-up

{I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook. All reviews are my own.}
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Wooing the Witch Queen is the first novel in the “Queens of Villainy” series. Thanks to Netgalley for an opportunity to listen to the audiobook narrated by Amanda Leigh Cobb. It’s a fun Fantasy about an Archduke, disguised as a Dark Wizard Librarian, who falls head over heels for the Witch Queen. Quick read and sure to please readers of Romance/Fantasy.

This book was light and fun. The narrator does a good job and kept me invested. It’s nothing deep or groundbreaking, but it was fun and I will read the other two.

I thought this was such a fun romantasy to read! It was filled with witty banter, forbidden love and magic! This was a strong start for a series, and I can’t wait to read the next book!

Thank you Net Galley

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

DNF at 40%. I liked the premise of the book, but I could not get past the blatant and continuous mispronunciation or the emphasis on the wrong syllable of some words.

3.5/5 stars

I've never read anything from Stephanie Burgis before after this I will. I really liked the writing style, it reminded me of Assistant to The Villain.

This was a great audiobook listen!

This is a fun world of humans, witches, wizards, trolls, goblins and so much more! The overall vibe is more of a cozy fantasy romance but there are also some darker themes which added depth to the story.

I loved our evil witch and duke in hiding! They were both interesting and complex characters and I found myself so invested in both their happiness!

The narration was phenomenal! The intonations were perfect and I can’t imagine this book being done by anyone else!

I definitely be recommending this book and audiobook to friends!

I was looking forward to this book and while I did have a decent time in this story, it was not at all what I expected. It was definitely more quirky and trying to be funny. It did remind me a bit of that vibe from Assistant to the Villain, so if you really enjoy that slap-stick interactions between characters, this might work better for you. I do not think I will continue on. This story does come to a conclusion and the snippet we get for book 2, is it follows some side characters from this book.

Stephanie Burgis never fails me. I love this new series and I cannot wait to read more of it! Felix and Saskia make a great couple and I loved how they handled their secret.

What a fun cozy fantasy book to read over the winter. I adored the audiobook narrators and who doesn't want to read about a powerful queen and a handsome librarian wizard. The MMC gave golden retriever energy and I was so here for it!!!

“Wooing the Witch Queen” features an absolutely captivating storyline—I couldn’t stop talking about it to anyone who would listen!

Queen Saskia and librarian “Fabian” are such unique and memorable characters in this medium-stakes fantasy. The best part? Neither of them realizes that the other’s reputation doesn’t exactly align with reality!

I absolutely loved the warm, bookish vibe of this story. With much of the plot unfolding in the castle’s library, it felt wonderfully warm and cozy—even amidst the political strife brewing both inside and outside the castle walls.

“Wooing the Witch Queen” unfolds over the course of a few months, allowing Saskia and “Fabian” to naturally grow from strangers to friends while uncovering secrets about themselves and each other. The author did a phenomenal job bringing these two to life—I felt such a deep connection to both characters, and I’m not ready to say goodbye to them!!

I received the Audiobook for review and the narration was INCREDIBLE. Amanda Leigh Cobb did a phenomenal job bringing the two main characters to life and I felt like Amanda's voice fit Saskia perfectly. The pacing was perfect and I didn't have to alter the speed in order to have an enjoyable listening experience!

Thank you to netgalley, Macmillan Audio, and Team Stephanie Burgis for this audiobook!

I recommend this book to readers who enjoy:
📚 medieval vibes
✨ witches/wizards
📚 magic
✨ Sci-Fi aspects
📚 royalty
✨ friends to lovers

If cozy romantic fantasies are your jam, then do I have good news for you! This was such a comfy, fun, relatively undemanding story that nonetheless managed to keep my interest the entire time. It's certainly not my normal type of read, but I was pleasantly surprised by just how much I enjoyed it.

Saskia has gained a (mostly earned) reputation as an evil witch queen, ruling over a land protected from outside forces by a magical barrier that she maintains and full of all varieties of different creatures labeled as "lesser" or "wicked" by the wider world. But the reality is more that she retook the throne from her scheming, murderous uncle and inherited the rocky relations with the empire next door. And all of her woes keeping her from her studies can be blamed on the archduke neighboring her land. Little does she know that Fabian, the soft-spoken, gentle dark wizard she just hired to be her librarian is actually Felix the archduke in disguise - on the run from his own murderous in laws and desperate for any refuge.

This book was just so comfy and soft! While there is a plot and some sense of urgency surrounding it, it certainly was not the main focus of the story - instead being centered entirely on our two leads. I was anxious going in about a story centered on the misunderstanding/lack of communication about Felix's identity, but it was just SO good. For two characters who trust so few, Felix and Saskia genuinely bond and start to let down their walls, flirting over poetry and bouquets left in shared spaces and the recent invention of fountain pens. And crow familiars. Seriously, so sweet.
And the cast of secondary characters, including Saskia's castle employees (and found family), are all delightful. I have a partial soft spot for Crack the goblin. I wasn't quite as sold on Saskia's friendship with her two fellow evil queens, Lorelei and Ailana, but I'll be curious to see how that is fleshed out in the sequel focusing on Lorelei - who was my least favorite of the three. Maybe her book will convince me otherwise!

Amanda Leigh Cobb made for a wonderful narrator, bringing so much nuance to each of the characters to make them distinctive pieces in the story!

First off, thank you to Macmillan audio and Netgalley for this audio copy!

Unfortunately, this story just isn’t quite grabbing me. The stakes don’t feel high enough, but it also isn’t landing the same way my favorite low stakes cozy fantasies land. I think it might just not be the right time for me, but I’m suspecting it’s just not my fantasy sweet spot.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC audiobook for early review!

This isn’t my type of romantasy. The tone of this iaudiobook makes the book feel snarky and the humor within just didn’t click with me. I believe someone who reads a lot of romantasy would really enjoy this as a palate cleanser. Not for me, but pretty good all together.