3.5 rounding up.

This is a perfect book if you enjoy Terry Pratchett and want something humorous with an undertone of darkness that never gets TOO dark.

The characters aren't super likable, but the storyline itself is interesting/fun enough that it doesn't really matter. The one very likable character is the grumpy "cat"/familiar, and the poor donkey who suddenly finds himself painfully aware of his own existence.

I loved all the footnotes at first, but they did get a bit overwhelming at one point. Some of them were really pointless and didn't add anything to the story, while others made me laugh out loud.

For a rather cozy fantasy read, there was a lot going on, and being in the mind of mostly miserable characters wasn't always that fun. It's a read that I think will divide people on enjoyment, but mostly it was a chuckle out loud good time for me!

There are some scenes towards the end that are surprisingly dark regarding necromancy, but it never crosses into horror territory.

To be honest. My arc copy of this was so badly formatted that it was unreadable—just whole paragraphs in the wrong order. But this is not the books fault so I patiently waited for the actual release and picked it up from the library, with all the words in the correct order. And it turns out to be a fun fantasy, it’s giving modern day Terry Pratchett. Really liked the fungal interpretation of goblins as well, a very interesting take.

Ahoy there mateys! The cat on the cover and the idea of a sentient basil plant is what led me to this book. I started reading it in February 2025, made it to 36%, and could not get through it no matter how much I tried.  So I officially gave up at the beginning of June.  In reading reviews of this novel, many folks describe the humor as being along the lines of Terry Pratchett or Monty Python.  Had I originally seen those comparisons, I would not have tried this book as that humor style doesn't generally work for me.  It is a bit too silly.

Other problems included that fact that I hated Mr. Nagg's misogynistic point-of-view chapters, the footnotes that were distracting, and the amount of tangents and exposition made the plot meandering and somewhat confusing.  I did not particularly enjoy the whole goblin fruit subplot or the machinations of Gwendolyn Gooch and her Ponzi scheme.  I did enjoy Isabella, the cat-creature, and even the donkey.  Lots of readers lot this book but ultimately the writing style was not for me.  Arrr!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Unfortunately this book didn’t work for me at all, but I think I’m just not the right reader for it. I think this book will find its audience and be very successful. I think readers who enjoy cozy fantasy with dark yet whimsical vibes, like T. Kingfisher or John Wiswell, may want to give this one a look.

This book was clearly inspired by Discworld and was positioned as a wholesome, gentle, quirky story, but unfortunately it landed very differently for me. The prose was striving for a wry, clever tone in the style of Terry Pratchett or C.S. Lewis, or maybe Neil Gaiman. Instead, it felt overworked and overwritten, with a level of forced whimsy that really didn’t work for me. The many footnotes detracted rather than adding to the story. An excellent concept was left mostly unexplored. And more than anything, I found this book way too dour and sad to work with the purposefully light-hearted prose.

Throughout the book there was a level of darkness that the narrative seemed almost unaware of. The lead character was completely downtrodden due to a long horrible marriage (which the narrative positioned as "just one of those funny things that happens!"). Everyone else completely sucked as a person. The villain was an awkward cross between Dolores Umbridge and Donald Trump.The undertones were just so sour and awful, with no humanity on display. Add to that some challenging pacing and a meandering plot, and I unfortunately struggled to finish it. It did have some great moments, but for me they were ruined by the overarching sour tones and cheap characterizations. I truly wish I had more positive things to say about this book, but I truly appreciate the opportunity to read it, and hope it is a big hit!

Thank you to Oliver Darkshire, W.W. Norton & Company, and NetGalley for generously providing an ARC for review.

Isabella Nagg and the Pot of Basil is a cozy fantasy take on one specific tale (IV, 5) from Boccaccio's Decameron. While Isabella and the basil pot are inspired by the tale, much of the rest of the story seems to be Darkshire's own invention. I think he had perhaps 1-2 too many of those for this specific novel. Isabella's sudden induction to magic makes for a comical tale, and her familiar (or famulus) the Grimalkin can be occasionally witty. I liked how impractical Isabella found the spells and how she could come to equally good solutions through her own herblore. I particularly enjoyed both the footnotes and the excerpts from the Gramarye included. However, when this is combined with the odd goblin lore, the market, and the industrious business woman Gwendolyn Gooch it becomes a muddled story. Gwendolyn is fairly unnecessary and rather anachronistic feeling. I skimmed her parts. Despite the many complications and side pieces, the plot still moved at a snail's pace. I kept waiting for something to happen, and was only satisfied in the last approximately 10% of the novel. A miss for me unfortunately.

A lovely, cozy fantasy with warm vibes reminiscent of The Spellshop and The Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping—though I must say, those titles pulled it off just a bit better. Isabella Nagg & the Pot of Basil doesn't quite reach the same emotional depth or character development, but it more than makes up for it with delightful British humor and charm. It’s a gentle, whimsical read that fits right into my current cozy fantasy era. Definitely keeping Oliver Darkshire on my radar for future reads. The cover art of this title is fantastic!

Unfortunately, and despite being very excited to read it, I have to DNF this book. I’ve read enough that I feel I can leave a review, however.

I love a cozy, whimsical, funny story and this should have been right up my alley. At first, it felt perfect, as I started out laughing and having a great time. But over time, I found that I went from laughing often to being almost annoyed by the humor. A lot of the quirkiness felt like it was just ridiculous for the sake of being ridiculous, and not because it actually meant anything.

The thing that ultimately did me in was the footnotes. I typically enjoy them in a book, but they were not working for me in this one. Initially, I thought it was because it was an ebook, because I’d never read an ebook with footnotes, but coincidentally, the next book I read after this one had footnotes and the formatting was perfect. I had no issue in that book or its sequel, which was an ARC, whatsoever.

Isabella Nagg’s footnote formatting was really bad. Either I kept reading and forgot what they were referring to by the time I get to them, or I tapped forward to the footnote immediately, read it, and tapped back, losing my spot and feeling like I’ve been ripped from the story. I didn’t want to skip them because I enjoyed them and it didn’t feel right to do so, but reading them didn’t exactly feel good either, especially since the footnotes weren’t numbered.

I’m assuming (and hoping) the footnote situation is just a formatting issue with the ARC as I know it’s not a finished copy, and I don’t expect an ARC to be perfect by any means, but I think it needs to be readable for us to give accurate reviews.

Oh what an interesting and engaging story. Oliver Darkshire can write entertaining fiction AND nonfiction, not all authors can. Is he going to write more about this world? I would enjoy more about this world. Also, excellent use of footnotes, made me miss Terry Pratchett in a bittersweet way. There is a bit with the way gender is handled at the end that I respect and it made for e very interesting / likable twist, but I'd like to know if it works that way every time, if there are some instances where that doesn't happen, if there are some instances where... things are neutral? (this is me trying so hard not to spoil things for anyone, I apologize). Yeah, I had questions, but I think more stories about this world could clear up those questions and I would definately pick them up. Meanwhile, if you haven't already, read this book.

Thank you W.W. Norton for this arc.

This sounded whimsical and charming and it has a cat – or a grimalkin. That’s all I needed to know.

The book starts with a lot of telling and for the first third, things dragged. I was mentally making the hand waving “get on with it” motion. After two to three pages of description of the slightest detail about basically nothing, finally something would actually happen. Then there was the vast abundance of footnotes. I think they were supposed to be part of the “delightful” description for the book but after a while, I skipped most of them and did just fine.

Most of the characters are, at times, unlikeable. Isabella and her feckless lump of a husband are unhappily married and seem to enjoy making each other miserable. TBH, Isabella does her fair share of this. The townspeople are under the thumb of one of those totally organized women who, in our world, would run a lifestyle Instagram/YT/social media empire of unattainable perfection. Everyone hates her. The one thing Isabella’s husband does for her is to take a volume of a local wizard’s spell books which Isabella begins to tinker with. A crusty grimalkin comes with the other volumes which Isabella goes to fetch. And despite its words of warning and eye rolling, Isabella proceeds to half-ass her way through learning and casting spells only to discover that she’s got a knack for it.

All hell, as the saying goes, soon breaks loose. Yes, there’s a talking plant, a sentient donkey, a walking headless corpse, evil goblin fruit that (eventually) kills anyone who eats it, and a bizarre elfin woman with a business plan and aims to join the 1%. Things are Dark, in case this has slipped by.

I admit that I pushed through the first part of the story. But, and it surprised me too, I did end up liking a lot of the book. Once things got going, I didn’t want to stop. It’s a fast read and wacky enough that I just had to find out what was going to happen next once things actually started happening rather than just be described in detail. For those who survive, and not everyone does, prices have to be paid and I felt this was just, only I think Grimalkin has paid its share. The final section is sort of a horror comedy.

To go with the unlikeable, several characters are deeply morally gray. Terrible secrets come to life. The one mostly good character is the donkey who has opinions on sentience and friendship. I’d advise skipping the footnotes – unless you find you like them more than I did – and settling in for more darkness than coziness. B-

I really love this book. It was my perfect combination of dark, mysterious, humorous, and cozy. I loved the character of Isabel nag and her journey getting magical powers. I was slightly confused by the ending, and I am hoping for another book in this series or by this author.

Isabella Nagg and the Pot of Basil is a delightfully comedic, engaging read. I was immediately drawn to its cover design and beautiful typography, and am glad to have been able to read it! Set in a pitiful village in the small window of time preceding annual disturbances, the story follows a convergence of magical ambitions, desires, and opportunities and their compounding consequences for anyone in the vicinity.

A large portion of events revolve around a magical text, of which pages, excerpts, and illustrations have been included throughout. These additional visuals along with a multitude of footnotes and references were major contributors to strong world building and were highly engaging. I loved the author's humor: the writing style felt appropriate to a historical fantasy but had excellent modern social commentary.

I felt that the ending culminated rather quickly, but that may be a quality of this style of book (of which I haven't read many) as well as my reading it over a longer period of time. I'd recommend to anyone seeking a good balance of dark humor and lighthearted fantasy with charmingly flawed characters: 4.5 ★

Thank you NetGalley and W. W. Norton & Company for the ARC!

In a word: delightful.

ISABELLA NAGG AND THE POT OF BASIL goes beyond the smile-inducing expectations of cozy fantasies (and, be assured, I read the entire thing with a huge grin on my face) and offers readers pure magic. The magic of equally hilarious and biting characters. The magic of a bizarre world made flesh through Darkshire's cheeky storytelling and clever asides that charm as much as they do inform. ISABELLA NAGG is a fantasy through and through -- but it's so much more than that.

Tucked within this fantasy romp is a pinch of science fiction and a dash of body horror, for spice. Pastoral sensibilities of the genre blend beautifully with meditations on capitalism, gender, and transformation that flash the cutting edge of the modern.

This will be a 2025 favorite and I cannot recommend it enough!

Oh to be a 40 year old wizard with my books and my weird cat thing (it’s hard to explain what he is, don’t worry though, he doesn’t bite) plus I get to cut the head off of not one but two men. The dream.

It’s funny I tried to pick this book up last month and I couldn’t get into it at all and then this time I picked it up and it just clicked for me. I believe books call to you at the time you need them most, almost like magic some might say. I really enjoyed the silly whimsical nature of this book, I loved the footnotes, and how everything tied together.

If I had to nit pick some things it would be these:

1. I’m not saying the Naggs didn’t both make me laugh but how did they come to be married? The book tried to explain it to be fair but it still didn’t make sense to me, personally. Also sometimes their behavior was giving boomer “I hate my spouse” humor. Like again, why are they married? Please explain it to me like I’m five, I am begging.

2. No spoilers but Isabella does something that subsequently affects her grimalkin and is like oh wow, my actions have consequences. And then does the same thing two more times. Why? Why have her realize the cost of her actions if she doesn’t care?

3. Last one is lighthearted but it would be fun if The Household Gramayre sections were actually annotated rather than told through footnotes. Guys, more books need to include annotations from other characters, idk what to tell you.

Super cozy, funny, and chock full of whimsy, I love a fantasy that doesn’t subscribe to any fantasy tropes. It makes the reading experience refreshing and original. Plus the fourth wall breaks? I love it. I LOVE IT.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Oliver Darkshire definitely has a unique voice—there’s this dry, slightly macabre humor that I actually really enjoyed. The writing had a certain charm to it, and the weirdness of the whole thing gave it a kind of whimsical, gothic energy. If you’re into slightly offbeat, literary oddities, there’s something here for you.

That said, the plot felt a little thin in places. It kind of meandered, and while that can work when the tone is strong enough, there were a few moments where I was like, “Wait, where are we going with this?” I was entertained, but not fully hooked, if that makes sense.

Isabella as a character was fun—dry, sharp, and not overly sentimental—but I didn’t feel super connected to her journey. The Pot of Basil itself had potential for a wild, mythic sort of story, but it stayed more quirky than compelling.

This was not for me. I have a few quirks with books...no quotation marks and long rambling footnotes. This falls into the later camp. It is too distracting to get through.

Fascinating, fun, and a change of pace. I love an unusual/middle aged/grumpy protagonist, and Oliver provides us with that person in Isabella Nagg. The format for this ebook was really tricky to read so hopefully that gets fixed before they publish. Otherwise a fantastic read, highly recommend.

Such an incredibly fun book. Oliver Darkshire's writing style reminds me of a more upscale version of Douglas Adam's (which I absolutely adore) bringing in obscure humor, odd factoids yet otherwise very textbook (in all the right ways) style writing. I truly enjoyed his writing style and now cannot wait to get a hold of more books. Getting to the story I adored the multiple POV's lending to quite incredible character development even for the likes of a donkey. I loved that the main character was a women in her middle age, its such a wonderful deviation of the norm. I really enjoyed the minor plot twists, enough to make me go "dang!" without it deterring from the main story line.

To circle around, if you love stories with humor, theories on golbin lineage, talking animals (and plants), the undead and the unlikely becoming a wizard you need to pick up this book.

Magic causes a lot more problems than it fixes in Oliver Darkshire’s delightful fantasy novel, Isabella Nagg and the Pot of Basil. When a forgetful wizard retires, Isabella Nagg—a humble but resentful farmwife—steps into the role. Unfortunately, she has no idea what she’s doing. All Isabella has is a fascinating collection of books called Household Gramayre and a grimalkin, the former wizard’s familiar, for a tutor. Just learning how to do magic would be enough for anyone but Isabella also has to contend with goblins, passive aggression, a talking donkey, an ultra-capitalist/con-woman, and a husband she feels duty-bound to rescue even if she’d be better off without him.

Isabella Nagg’s husband, Henric, is the hapless catalyst for Isabella’s transformation into a wizard. The only thing that grows on the Nagg farm is mandrakes. The local wizard is the only person who purchases these but, when Henric arrives at the wizard’s cottage with the latest harvest, he is nowhere to be found. Henric snatches a volume of Household Gramayre by way of payment. This, of course, is a very stupid thing to do—especially since the wizard has a reputation for turning people who annoy him into weevils. Henric wanders off to accidentally cause more mayhem, leaving Isabella to figure out what to do.

Isabella Nagg and the Pot of Basil is the kind of book that sprouts plots and subplots like an unruly houseplant. Readers need to pay attention to every detail because everything will be relevant by the end of the book, even the excerpts from Household Gramayre about goblin ball and crossroad hounds. I assure you, however, that as silly as this book sounds (and it is silly in places), Darkshire pulls all of this off with surprising emotional depth. Isabella and Henric have incredible backstories. Above all, the way that Isabella grows as a person is absolutely stunning.

Darkshire has a comically erudite way of writing that reminded me strongly of Terry Pratchett. Darkshire even peppers his tale with footnotes and excerpts from the Gramayre to build up the lore of his off-kilter world and make us laugh. Readers who miss Pratchett’s Discworld will find a lot to love in Isabella Nagg. I certainly did. This book was a balm for my bookish soul.

"In a tiny farm on the edge of the miserable village of East Grasby, Isabella Nagg is trying to get on with her tiny, miserable existence. Dividing her time between tolerating her feckless husband, caring for the farm's strange animals, cooking up "scrunge," and crooning over her treasured pot of basil, Isabella can't help but think that there might be something more to life. When Mr. Nagg returns home with a spell book purloined from the local wizard, she thinks: what harm could a little magic do?

This debut novel by beloved rare bookseller and memoirist Oliver Darkshire reimagines a heroine of Boccaccio's Decameron in a delightfully deranged world of talking plants, walking corpses, sentient animals, and shape-shifting sorcerers. As Isabella and her grouchy, cat-like companion set off to save the village from an entrepreneurial villain running a goblin-fruit Ponzi scheme, Darkshire's tale revels in the ancient books and arcane folklore of a new and original kind of enchantment.

A delightful and entertaining story of self-discovery - as well as fungus, capitalism, and sorcery - Isabella Nagg and the Pot of Basil is a story for those who can't help but find magic even in the oddest and most baffling circumstances."

I mean, I was already sold on the book because, come on, that cover, but then there's a goblin-fruit Ponzie scheme!?! Doubly sold!

A fantastic romp through late 13th century England as a wife ends up nicking a local unhinged wizard's Grammarye, and is dealing with, among other things, an encroaching Goblin Market run by a girlboss, a plotting pot of basil, her ain't shit husband, and all the wild ongoings of discovering magic for yourself. Darkshire's humor is impeccable (but if you've played any of his one sheet RPGs during the pandemic you'd know that already), and the excerpts from the Grammarye are particularly wonderful. (I will note that the ARC rough on formatting in some places, but the version we received had notes directly to the printers that struck me as charming, so I'm fine with it.) Comes out this May, and highly recommended when it does.