Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Bramble for the advance copies!

Queen Saskia is a wicked sorceress. When a dark wizard arrives at her doorstep, she immediately hires him to organize her library. As he gets to work organizing the shelves, things start to get a little bit flirty and fun. But the wizard is actually, not a wizard at all. He's an archduke with no magic and a lot of enemies.

This book was cozy and fun in all the best ways. It felt pretty low stakes, but was still really interesting and charming. Saskia's character was fiesty and strong, and Felix was more gentle and thoughtful. Their romance was sweet and I loved that it grew and developed throughout the book. It's definitely a slow burn with fun and playful banter. My favorite character was Oskar the crow, but I also loved Mrs. Haglitz the troll housekeeper because she had a ton of personality. Overall, this was a really fun read and I'm looking forward to book two.

I listened to the audio while reading along and loved the Amanda Leigh Cobb as the narrator. She gave each of the queens a distinct voice and really brought the story to life.

This is a low spice, low stakes romantasy with a “hurt him and you die” witch queen. Absolutely feminist in the delivery of the plot which may take some time to get used to if you read a lot of books in the romantasy genre. Our main female character Witch Queen Saskia has come through an abusive childhood and is determined to protect everyone in her castle. That includes a man (Fabian) who arrives there seeking asylum (also from abuse) but ends up being hired as the Castle Librarian under false pretenses instead. Readers know from the start that Fabian is actually Saskia’s arch-nemisis Archduke Felix but the Queen is wholly unaware.

I love the ogre butler and troll housekeeper, and I especially love the crow familiar. And much to my surprise,  I also like Fabian as well as his fountain pen obsession. What I didn’t enjoy were the Queen Allies and the obviousness of the villains. We had clear revelation on who the villains were and there was never any subterfuge or mystery to figure out.

More details here: https://www.wilsonhillworks.com/reviews/wooingthewitchqueen

This is probably 3.5 stars but I've rounded down.

Thank you to Stephanie Burgis, Macmillan Audio, and Neutrally for the ARC copy.

Wooing the Witch Queen is the perfect cozy fantasy book to snuggle up and read in the dead of winter! Felix is an archduke seeking refuge from his tyrant father-in-law and plans to hand himself over to Saskia, the witch queen. After a misunderstanding, "Fabian" (Felix) is hired as a dark wizard to organize her library. Oskar, one of the witch queen's crows, takes a liking to Felix, and it doesn't take long for Saskia to catch feelings for her new librarian either!

I thought the narration was perfect and I'm looking forward to the second book in the Queens of Villainy series coming out in 2026!

Thank you to Netgalley, MacMillan Audio, and Stephanie Burgis for an early audiobook copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Cozy and whimsical with the perfect dash of magic and intrigue, this is no ordinary romantasy.

Both MCs have quite the tragic back story, but by sheer luck with some divine intervention, they fall in love despite multiple kingdoms and conflicting circumstances pulling them apart. Felix is the dark haired, bookish golden retriever you never knew you needed, and he’s the perfect choice to warm Saskia’s cold, scarred heart. The narrator does an amazing job of voicing all these characters which made me love this listen even more. If you need a cozy read to warm your own heart this winter, don’t pass this one up!

Wooing the Witch Queen is a cute, cost and very lightly spicy romantasy. Perfect for people who want and slow burn romance with a lot of yearning but prefer a bit more if a proper romance.
A cute romance between a strong and fearsome witch queen who does absolutely terrible things like giving all the sentient creatures who live in her kingdom equal rights and a dark wizard librarian who is hiding the fact that he can't actually do any magic and is supposed to be her worst enemy. Both working to overcoming the trauma of their past and defying societies expectations of evil to chose kindness.
Great for fans of The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst.

3.5/5 and 1 chili pepper

This was cute! I’m interested to see how the world as a whole develops. The characters had some depth and the romance, while seemingly unprompted, was really sweet. An easy read! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

4.5 stars rounded up

Wooing the Witch Queen is a lower stakes rom-com fantasy with light and approachable world building. Witch Queen Saskia and Archduke Felix meet while Felix is seeking asylum from an abusive family. It results in a case of mistaken identity where Felix becomes “Fabian” and takes a position in Saskia’s queendom as a dark wizard librarian.

I absolutely loved this book. In a market filled with alphaholes, this book is an absolute breath of fresh air. Felix is perhaps one of the most green-flag non-toxic MMCs I’ve read. I love a badass FMC and a cinnamon roll MMC and this book delivers! I also loved how both characters complement each other and grow because of each other. While the overall spice is low, there is tons of angst, tension, and yearning.

The epilogue has a sneak preview of the next book that made me want to immediately pick up the next book but unfortunately I will need to wait until it is released.

Amanda Leigh Cobb did an excellent job narrating and giving each voice a unique flair.

What to expect:
- Bi4bi 🏳️‍🌈
- Companion / familiar crow 🐦‍⬛
- Cinnamon roll 🥐
- Found family
- Secret identity 🤫
- Fierce witch queen 👸
- Female friendship
- Touch him and die 🔪

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and to NetGalley for providing an audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for the advance audiobook. DNF @ 50%.

This is a romance that essentially begins with an infatuation that speedruns its way to the first physically intimate scene that occurs before the 50% mark. Simply not for me because I just know I'd actually love this novel as a slowburn. And I mean a proper slowburn where the the couple bonds through multiple scenes where they get to understand each other, rather than like two(?) instances of them talking and then a fastforward of a few months. Individually, Queen Saskia and Felix do make interesting characters; I liked Saskia's assertion & sass and Felix's gentle demeanor. But I can't get past my annoyance of the borderline instalust and I don't want to taint what pleasant experiences I have with these two thus far. Hence the DNF. MAYBE I'll pick this up again one day, when I'm in an extremely generous mood.

Amanda Leigh Cobb is a great narrator though, and I especially love how she effortlessly gives personality and distinction between three separate women (the series titular Queens of Villainy) talking in the same scene.

This cozy romantasy was a quick enchanting read! It was a nice bit of fun after a long week. I could easily follow the story and the found family was the cherry on top.

I was immediately drawn to our protagonist, the "evil" queen and could identify with her desire to be left to complete her experiments and improve things for her people. This was a cute romance while also allowing our main characters to come together to fight their foes. I also loved all the side characters in this, seeing them come alive and have in-depth roles in the story was great! I am excited to see where this story goes in the next book.

The audio narration was so fun and gave each of our characters distinct personalities and qualities that brought the story alive. It was very enjoyable to listen to this.

If you are looking for a low stakes cozy romatacy I would definitely pick this one up. For me the tone of this really stood out. I would recommend it for moments that you just want to feel comforted! Thank you to the publisher for providing an ALC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Found family, Accepting yourself, Realizing your own power, Rising above prior hurts...these are all themes that you will find in Wooing the Witch Queen. I loved this book! I listened to the audiobook (thank you NetGalley) and the narrator did an excellent job- she really brought life into each of the characters. I will absolutely read/listen to the second book of the Queens of Villainy series when it releases. I love a morally gray MMC, but this book has the morally gray FMC and it is done so beautifully. I was afraid that it would make the MMC weak, but the author did such a great job making him strong in his own right. Other things to note: I love that the MMC is obsessed with fountain pens, and that both the FMC and the MMC are obsessed with libraries/books and have commonplace books.

4.5/5

This is such a fun, quirky story. Great for those who love Assistant to the Villain. The romance is slow burn, miscommunication but not in the horrible way. It does have a simple world building but the characters are great and a mix of different magical creatures. It's a sweet, low stakes fantasy, that's a quick listen. There is great build up on the romance and the interaction with other characters seems developed it's a super easy read with little spice. Very much loved listening to the story and the narrator does give emotion and voices.

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to this book.

There was like no world building, supposed to be a bad witch but doesn't do anything bad theirs like no connection between the characters just felt like a knockoff assistant to the villain to me in a bad way.

In Wooing the Witch Queen we follow Felix who after years of being the Puppet leader controlled by his abusive father-in-law, decides he’s had enough and runs away to Kadaric Castle, home of the evil and terrifyingly powerful Witch Queen Saskia. Expecting to be immediately arrested and ready to throw himself upon Saskia’s mercy, Felix finds himself shocked to be mistaken for a dark wizard arriving to the castle to organize Saskia’s library. Donning a mask Felix takes on the persona of Fabian he decides to get to work.

This was a wonderful listen, Felix is an incredibly kind individual who manages to win everyone around him over by just being a caring individual. Saskia who has been portrayed by her uncle as an evil magical person, when it fact she’s a deeply passionate and caring person who is trying to make sure non-human creatures have equal rights to humans. The two compliment each other beautifully and the two characters who both have different yet similar upbringings bring the best out in each other.

Amanda Leigh Cobb does a wonderful job bringing the characters and the world to life along with imbuing a warm and kindness into Felix and passion into Saskia

Cute, cozy fantasy- it’s a time of war and invasion. Three queens come together for an alliance to save their land. One queen, Queen Saskia stole the throne from her uncle who had a harsh and evil rule. Her first challenge is working in her lab to improve her spells and enchantments.

Fabian (Felix) shows up with an offer to work for her and is hired as a librarian. They start to build a connection, but is it genuine ? Fabian is hiding secrets and his true identify from the queen that could impact everything.

This is cozy with some war / invasion tension but not enough to have you sweating, the romance and love is sweet and nice. It was a nice break from more heavy and action packed fantasy and this is a short read (300 pages).

Audiobook narration was good-
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review. Release date 2/28/25.

DNF

It's not you Stephanie Burgis, it's me. It's time for me to admit that I don't like fantasy romcoms. I love romcoms. I love fantasy. But combine them and I don't like it. I like my fantasy kinda dark and my contemporary romances bright and bubbly.

Some of my friends are loving this because it "doesn't take itself to seriously," so if that sounds like something you think is fun, I think you should try it! I'd recommend it to fans of Apprentice to the Villain or Long Live Evil.

ALC Review: Wooing the Witch Queen by Stephanie Burgis
Pub Date: February 18
Narrator: Amanda Leigh Cobb

I mostly enjoyed this one while listening to it but a few weeks later sitting down to write this review, nothing is really memorable for me unfortunately.

I did enjoy the narration by Amanda Leigh Cobb.

Thank you to MacMillan Audio for the ALC.

This was a very cute fantasy love story. The main characters were hard not to fall in love with. If you are looking for a cute cozy love story set in a kingdom with magic and orcs then I highly suggest this book for you.

Wooing the Witch Queen was cozy and sweet, but the relationship and romance between Felix/Fabian and Saskia was a flop.

My thanks for the audio ARC goes to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio. I'm voluntarily leaving a review, and all opinions are my own.

Genre: Romantasy, Fantasty, Cozy Fantasy
Spice Level: Mostly closed door
Language: A bit of profanity (which includes some F-bombs)
Representation: Multiple gay or bi characters. The main romance is M-F.

WOOING THE WITCH QUEEN came into my life at the exact right moment, where I could fall in love with a feisty woman who's jaded and a "wizard" heir afraid for his life.

This book is FUNNY! There are moments when I laughed aloud. The other wicked women are so diverse in their approach to life. And there is a moment when I said, "No, you did not go and do that!" Yes, she did. BUT this entire blip (which I'm avoiding revealing) went an entirely different direction than I expected.

Give me more clever and books that play off twisting tropes!

Happy reading!

I just really couldn’t get into this book. This was my first book by Stephanie Burgis. Her novel as a whole lacked setting of world building. The novel is really hurting because it is deficient in just building a relationship between the characters. It is also contradicts itself by Saskia describes herself as evil and wicked, but we see none of it. The author shows us no reason that Saskia is wicked. Overall, I was just really disappointed.

I want to thank NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.