Isabella Nagg acquires the local wizard's book of household gramarye and begins a journey to change her generally unpleasant life as the wife of an unsuccessful farmer who she doesn't particularly like to something new and magical.

There were many things about the book that I loved: Goblins being a type of fungus, Bottom the talking Donkey, and the grimalkin. But there were times were I felt like the pace of the book was so fast that elements were quickly introduced and then moved past without tying into the larger plot. I still thought it was a fun and engaging book.

I enjoyed this fairy tale-ish story. I would rate it a 3.5, rounded up to a 4 due to the author. The author kept me entertained during COVID through his twitter account and so I have a lot of good will towards him. I listened to the audiobook and some of the phrasing was annoying - extended pauses between sentences made it seem more plodding than it really was (even at 1.25x). I wonder how much more exciting or faster paced it would have seemed with a different narrator.

I really really wanted to love this book, and I absolutely did not. Was it the pacing? Nope, I don’t think so. I think it was just the style of satirical writing that missed for me 2.5

I enjoyed Oliver Darkshire's narration of his story for the most part, but the voice he did for the pot of basil was not my favorite. It got grating and I eventually got the ebook from the library to finish it. I also did not enjoy reading from the perspective of Mr. Nagg in the slightest. I'm not a fan of reading about men hating their wives so vehemently. He was just terrible to read about.

This story made me think of a Terry Pratchett book in the way it was written, though it was never as funny as his books are. I would rather reread a Discworld book.

The story kept me invested and wanting to know what would happen with Isabella and I quite liked the world-building. The book entries were a clever way of giving various information. My favorite part of this book was the grimalkin. When I saw there was a talking cat-like creature in this book, I knew I had to read it.

Isabella Nagg and the Pot of Basil had an interesting premise which drew me in. Isabella is a protagonist who kept me invested in her story throughout the entire book, along with her grimalkin companion. I just wish it would have solely focused on her learning magic instead of the goblin side plot.

I’m so conflicted about this book. Was I entertained? Yes. It’s whimsical and comical, and the author’s wit had me laughing out loud. I love that there’s an HOA in this magical realm. I love that a beetle rolling the sun creates the days. But for about 80% of the book, it felt like there was no clear plot. Everything came together in the end, but the story felt aimless for a long time. It also felt a bit myopic. I wanted to see more of this magical world beyond just a handful of characters and locations.

I also didn’t love that the author narrated the audiobook. A strong, expressive narrator could have made this a five-star read for me. Honestly, I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read the physical book instead.

I listened to the audiobook version of this story and I think it helped me read it better. I will say cozy fantasy are a hit or miss for me. Sometimes I love and sometimes I just cannot get into the story and I am hella bored. For Isabella Nagg and the Pot of Basil, I very much enjoyed my time listening! It was a shorter audiobook, which I also liked!

Now to get into the story! Isabella Nagg is married to a useless man (it is literally always the worst men) who ends up stealing a spell book! I should mention that they live on a mandrake farm and I am lowkey here for it! Isabella tries to return the book, but obviously it doesn't go as planned! In comes a donkey, a pot of basil, and a cat, that is also not a cat? Anyways, this was a cozy fantasy read and I had fun while listening to it!

Thank you NetGalley and the author for the audio-arc in exchange for a review!

This book had the vibe of a Terry Pratchett novel, with a lot of quirk and strangeness, but a sense of whimsy and humor throughout. I definitely wouldn't call this cozy fantasy because many people die, but it looks at life through a lighthearted lens. Really fun.

I didn’t care for the author’s narration. I could hear ancillary noises in the background. This being ok would be best read in the physical form.
Special thanks to NetGalley and publisher.

Simply put - I loved it.

The story pulled me in right from the beginning, and though it could have been just another fantastical story, something about this one is just special to me.

The humour, the rawness, the peculiarity of the characters. I already know I will be re-reading this in the future, to pay more attention to everything along the way. The puzzle pieces fell together very nicely. And while I usually can predict where a story is going, this one seemed to surprise me at every crossroads ;)

There was one thing that I will not forgive the author and that made me cry like a baby. Though I do understand that in a story like this, it makes perfect sense.

The ending was like emerging from below water after being panicked about drowning - and taking a shaky breath, ready to dive back under.

I'd also like to share the quote that will be stuck in my brain forever, and I might use it in conversation: "She was no ordinary woman... She was a businesswoman." (might not be word-for-word since I did listen to the audiobook).

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for gifting me an audiobook copy.

I did not expect to enjoy this audiobook as much as I did! This is a fun book! A mix of fairy tales and Shrek!
The narrator does a fantastic job voicing the numerous characters in this tale of misfits, magic, and complete weirdness (in the best way)!
Poor Isabella, a wife who is stuck in a miserable marriage, married to a man who is not very bright! The job of a wife with no appreciation ( a tale that is not old, and many women can identify with today!) And as usual, a woman has to save the day!
The cast of characters makes for a fun story: goblins, wizards, a talking cat and a pot of basil, a book of spells, a walking torso, and a businesswoman who runs a Ponzi scheme and has no morals!

You will have a good time listening to this audiobook! The story is engaging and funny!
Remember, don't eat the goblin fruit!

Overall, I would give this book 3.75 Stars.

I went into this completely blind and had SUCH a fun time. I had zero idea what was happening, but I was laughing! This book follows Isabella Nagg as she goes from haggard farm wife to ambitious wizard. Her good-for-almost-nothing husband brings home a spellbook he stole from the local wizard. And when Isabella goes to return it, she discovers a dead wizard and a grimalkin (magical & ugly cat) who convinces her to become the next town wizard.
I didn’t know until finishing the book that it was based on a character from a Keats poem in 1818 based on a story in Boccaccio's Decameron (IV, 5) which was written in the 1300s. And that really made it all make a little bit more sense. This is written like someone is telling you a fairytale while they’re having a fever dream, and that is the vibe of retelling a story that’s this old.
If you love a traditional fairytale (like The Brothers Grimm level traditional), you need to read this! It’s got tongue-in-cheek humor, silly sidekicks, and a husband just begging to be killed!
Thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape for the free audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

Isabella Nagg and the Pot of Basil by Oliver Darkshire (Narrated by Oliver Darkshire)
Audiobook by Dreamscape Audio

3 ⭐⭐⭐

I stood in a forest of mandrake roots. I carefully gathered myself and attempted to climb my way to freedom. Out of the corner of my eye, I spot a donkey peering at me. "Would you like help?" The donkey asks me. A talking donkey? What is going on here? In my time in the tale Oliver Darkshire has created, I have come to know one thing: expect the unexpected.

The audiobook, also narrated by Oliver Darkshire, serendipitously welcomed my ears to a pleasurable listening experience. Wizards, goblins, and other magical beasts make their appearance in an otherwise drab world painted with the likes of Mr. Nagg, Isabella Nagg, and the ever-scheming Gwendolyn Gooch.

Mr. Nagg pilfers a book of spells from the local wizard and gives it to Mrs. Nagg, who quickly finds himself under scrutiny for this unfortunate decision. Isabella, fed up with her husband’s annoying habits, begins to tinker with the sorcery within the grimoire. This is where the magic happens.

Did I mention the talking pot of basil? Darkshire’s voice narration of the basil had me chuckling, definitely an audio highlight. I digress. Basil, a staple in Italian cuisine with an aromatic quality that makes the mouth water, is, however, in this case, a living organism with roots firmly planted in the confines of its pot and Isabella’s heart. The basil has been a mainstay in Isabella’s life for a considerable time and comforts her in the dregs of her mundane life. In our story, our simple green plant plots and bides its time.

Goblin fruit. A tasty yet potent snack with a unique quality that Gwendolyn Gooch looks to exploit. Ever the professional con artist, she provides the tale with splashes of mayhem in a ho-hum world.

A talking cat. A grimalkin, to be more precise. A lovable feline with a sarcastic tone and unruly wit makes itself at home in Isabella’s life. Lovable, being subjective, of course, because its personality is such a downer that even the comic relief it provides couldn’t protect it from my eye-rolls.

Is this another cozy fantasy novel? “Maybe!” In quotations. I enjoyed the story, but I was trying to figure out the formula—no likeable characters, except one talking Shrek-like donkey. The recipe for disaster is quite high. Legends & Lattes has become my barometer for the coziness factor, with a charming set of characters in tow. Perhaps limitations existed because this story was an adaptation of Boccaccio’s “The Decameron” and a John Keats poem entitled “Isabella, or the Pot of Basil.” Strangely, I reveled in the downfall of all the characters, one by one.

I ate from the mysterious flesh, like maggots feasting on a dead corpse. Satiated with a vast array of lovely flavors, my taste buds danced the cha-cha in their overwhelming acquiescence. I sauntered away wholeheartedly satisfied with the town's outcome. I had not gone a hundred paces before a feeling of bizarreness took hold of me. What is this fruit? Feeling a bit nauseous and snake-bitten, the dark earthen soil began to beckon me. What have they done to me? Had my interpretation of cozy novels cost me my sanity, and my well-being? The world dims, and my review fades into oblivion. Dear reader, an unlikeable cast of characters awaits, but on the bright side, revenge remains sweet as a ripened fruit.

Many thanks to Dreamscape Media for the audiobook through NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion.

This audiobook was the BOMB!!

I laughed so hard and I was so sad when it was over!

Isabella is not a fan of her husbands and everything goes mental after she buys a magical spell book. I had tears streaming down my house! IT was a riot!!

It's definitely more cozy than fantasy but I didn't go in looking for a fantasy book. I was here for the chuckles and this delivered in spades.

Could have done with a different narrator, it took some time to get used to them but all in all... Great characters, great plot and loads of fun!

4 stars

This was cute but overall something about it just didnt click for me, i found myself just wondering how long until it would be over. The characters were good, the writing was witty, it just wasnt my vibe i think.

3.5 stars

Isabella Nagg and the Pot of Basil is an eccentric cosy fantasy chocked full of talking plants, walking corpses, and all types of magic. When Isabella is brought a mysterious spell book, how much trouble could she possibly cause? Isabella goes on a journey of rebellion and self-discovery and I really rooted from her from page one.

There are a lot of laughs offered, and I enjoyed the dynamic between Isabella and her husband. No characters particularly stood out as a favourite, but it's a fun ensemble overall. i think this is pretty standard in this sub-genre, but the world-building isn't great so I wouldn't recommend to hardcore fantasy fans. I'm 50/50 with cosy fantasy so I probably wasn't the target audience, but I had a good time while reading.

I thought it was a fun read, but there was so much going on with the story that it felt muddled. The twist, while silly, didn't feel necessary. Overall, I felt connected to Isabella and I wanted to learn more about Isabella's new life learning about her magic.

Si seguís el blog con cierta asiduidad, veréis que aunque tengo mis autores fetiche intento también salir de mi zona de confort para descubrir autores nuevos. Esto es lo que intenté con Oliver Darkshire y su Isabella Nagg and the Pot of Basil, pero esta vez el tiro me ha salido por la culata. Os explico las razones.


Aunque Isabella aparece incluso en el título del libro y debería ser la protagonista, lo cierto es que el principio de la historia no se centra en ella, si no en un mago que entierra un cuerpo decapitado para que no reviva y olvida actuar sobre él después, dejando al destino qué pasará con ese ser. Años después, la acción sí que cambia al pueblo donde vive Isabella, pero Darkshire prefiere que conozcamos primero a su odioso marido, que malvive recogiendo y vendiendo las hojas de mandrágora de su huerto a los magos. Lo único que Isabella tiene de su vida anterior al matrimonio es la maceta de albahaca que la acompañará en sus desventuras, aunque esconde secretos inesperados que no tardarán en salir a luz. Los distintos puntos de vista sirven al autor para ofrecernos un collage de la vida en el pueblo de East Grasby, un sitio al que recomiendo encarecidamente NO IR.

Los elementos más destacables del libro son el gato que no es un gato, que le servirá de ayudante con una actitud pasivo-agresiva bastante bien narrada y la existencia del Grimorio Mágico, un compendio de volúmenes que reúne todo el saber mágico para convertirse en mago… o perecer en el intento.

La producción del audiolibro me ha parecido destacable, sobre todo en los interludios entre capítulos cuando se leen capítulos del Grimorio mágico, acompañado del sonido de una pluma en pleno proceso de escritura para crear ambiente. El autor y lector del audiolibro, que obviamente conoce al dedillo su obra lleva a cabo una labor encomiable, pero el tono impostado de la voz de algunos personajes es insufrible, con mención especial para la maceta de albahaca.

El libro pretende ser divertido, pero a mí al menos me resulta cargante. Las referencias al mercado goblin prerafaelita son constantes, pero imbuido con un aire de modernidad y un esquema piramidal Ponzi que podría resultar divertido, pero que estira demasiado el chicle como para aguantar la broma. El del autor es un humor muy particular que me temo que o te encanta o lo aborreces y yo estoy entre los del segundo grupo.

Having lived over 20 years in a loveless marriage, a woman comes across a book and a one-eyed cat-like being who will turn her entire world upside-down. Don’t let the whimsey and cozy fool you, this one has dark-ish themes in the way Hocus Pocus. You will fall in love with the FMC and her sarcastic, yet willing, cat familiar. He is the best part of the book, in my opinion. The back and forth between the parts of the book blended with the introduction of new characters gives you a Fourth Wing like formatting vibe, but in a more academic way. It reads more like an adorable bedtime story, albeit full of zombies. I rarely would read a book a second time, but this one, I would.

As I have mentioned before, I am not usually a fan of an author narrating their own book. But no one else could have done this as well as Oliver Darkshire. His voicing of the Basil made me giggle every single time.

I really enjoyed the premise of this book and it's definitely funny in parts. There's something of the Terry Pratchett about the story and writing style. My only issue was I didn't like the voice of the audio and this detracted from my enjoyment. I'd probably have been better reading rather than listening.

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. Darkshire narrates his own book and does a damn great job at it - fantastic listen.