Thank you NetGalley, Dreamscape Media and Oliver Darkshire for the opportunity to listen to an ALC of Isabella Nagg and the Pot of Basil.

This cozy academic fantasy had potential, particularly with the imaginative touches like the Goblin/mycelium and goblin fruit/spore comparison concept. I usually enjoy whimsy and weirdness however for me this story veered into overly random and disjointed territory.

Despite this book being framed as a cozy fantasy the tone felt unexpectedly dark. I struggled to connect with the characters and didn’t feel compelled to root for any of them.

I also found the narrator difficult to understand at times which may have contributed to my overall disconnect. In the end this one missed the mark for me.

t’s always the husband! In this case the husband’s sticky little fingers on the spell book of a wizard. Isabella’s got it tough, but she does love her little pot of basil, she sings to it and nurtures it when she’s not cooking and running round after her husband and her strange animals. When everything seems so tough, who wouldn’t be tempted to try a little spell from a stolen book. This was a little bit too madcap for me, it was short and it definitely was funny it just missed the mark slightly. Perhaps timing.

The narration was a full performance.

Huge thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ALC 🎧

Ah! What an absolute delight this book was. Cozy fantasy at its weirdest and most wonderful, Isabella Nagg & the Pot of Basil is hilarious, slightly unhinged, and darker than you'd expect—in all the best ways.

In the relatively miserable town of East Grasby (one uncomfortable letter away of being the name of my hometown, but let’s not dwell) you’ll find Isabella Nagg and her husband, who sucks—feckless, as I believe he was described—living on their little cursed mandrake farm. Chaos ensues when Mr. Nagg steals a magical spell book from a wizard. Isabella, being the curious and quietly unsatisfied woman she is, tries to return it… only to discover the wizard is more-or-less recently deceased and his out-of-work, vaguely feline familiar has decided she should keep the book. Ever curious and always looking for more in life, Isabella figures, “Why not?” And really, what harm could a little magic do? What follows is a wildly funny tale full of talking animals, goblins, capitalism, a puddle of porridge, and walking corpses.

Isabella herself is a fantastic protagonist—wry, clever, delightfully unhinged, and refreshingly middle-aged, which I loved. Her journey feels a bit like grown up Lemony Snicket meets Howl’s Moving Castle, with a touch of suburban ennui and a dash of necromancy.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and the author via NetGalley for this ARC! They provided me with a copy of the audiobook, which I thought was absolutely delightful. I’m a sucker for author-narrated audiobooks, and Darkshire brings such a distinct tone and personality to his work that it feels like being told an albeit strange, but very good bedtime story.

Fingers crossed this becomes a series—I could’ve stayed in this world for ages. Highly recommended for fans of weird, witty fantasy with a cozy-but-sinister edge.

I was lucky enough to snag an early listen of Isabella Nagg and the Pot of Basil, and let me tell you – it was an absolute blast! The story is light-hearted, brimming with magical shenanigans, quirky creatures, and just the right dose of charm to keep me hooked. It felt like a story that knew how to have fun while also sneaking in a few characters that made me think, “Oh hey, I know someone like that!”

And the narrator? Chef’s kiss. They brought the story to life with just the right amount of humor and flair. If you’re looking for a book that makes you smile, laugh, and want to keep listening long after you’re supposed to be asleep—this is it.

This was such a fun read! I actually laughed out loud multiple times. This cozy fantasy includes an accidental wizard and a magical Ponzi scheme, that’s all I needed to decide that I wanted to read this. The audio performance is fantastic!

I was excited for this story but it really lost me, multiple times. I zoned out while listening to it multiple times, would try to rewind and zone out again. The basil plants voice was a huge killer for me too.

"Isabella Nagg and the Pot of Basil" is a fantasy comedy novel by Oliver Darkshire. In the vein of Terry Pratchett, it is dark, magical, whitty, and hilarious. I went into this not expecting much—and was so surprised. Zombies, wizards, goblin fruit, and more. Please give me 5 more sequels!! Oliver Darkshire is a wonderful narrator, I enjoyed his narration of "Once Upon a Tome" and was very happy to see him continue to narrate his own books.

Isabelle Nagg and the Pot of Basil is a fairytale style story about a woman who becomes a wizard, a donkey given the power of speech, an Eldridge cat, and a sentient pot of basil. This story has folksy flare and quirky characters, as well as a fast paced plot complicated by goblins running amuck and a swindler who doesn’t yet realize she’s in over her head.

This story takes the twists and turns you’d expect from a fairytale where everything is not what it seems. I was drawn in right away and wanted to see how each character’s story would end. I also appreciated the subtle world and magic system building that felt very organic to the story. An enjoyable read all the way around!

*Isabella Nagg and the Pot of Basil* by Oliver Darkshire is a whimsically dark retelling that captures the eerie magic of its source inspiration while adding humor and modern wit. Darkshire masterfully blends gothic storytelling with quirky characters, making Isabella’s journey intriguingly eccentric and captivatingly unsettling.

The prose is both sharp and atmospheric, pulling readers effortlessly into Isabella’s increasingly peculiar situation. Though some pacing hiccups in the middle chapters slightly disrupt the flow, Darkshire’s lively dialogue and skillful character development quickly reignite the narrative’s momentum.

Fans of literary reimaginings and dark comedies will especially appreciate this playful yet sinister tale. Overall, it's a delightful read—perfect for those who enjoy their stories seasoned with a dash of delightful morbidity.

This was a quirky and fun book. I would call it cozy, but slightly darker than your typical cozy fantasy book.
There were times I chuckled out loud and found myself smiling at things said and done in this book.

There were a couple times that the pacing felt a little slow, but overall it was a fun listen.
The author narrated the book himself, and he did well, but I think this would be a fun book to have a full cast narration or a dramatized version.

It was left open ended in a way where the author could come back and write more stories in this world. I would actually love to get a little more background on some of the characters, like the Greymalkin, so I would definitely read more from this author.

Thank you, NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC in exchange for an honest review!

How to even begin explaining this book!? A quirky, sometimes funny, cozy-adjacent fantasy story with higher than normal cozy stakes is the best I can come up with.

The book jumps between a handful of different POVs but our main character is Isabella Nagg. She is in her 40s and married to a useless lump of a man who constantly needs taking care of. Her husband comes home with a spell book and she can’t help but want to try out a little bit of magic.

The world was just so odd you couldn’t help but love it, with the amount of time in a day changing based on the whim of a beetle, talking plants and animals, a not cat but cat-like familiar and goblins trying to trick people into eating poisonous fruit.

I personally probably would have enjoyed physically reading this book over the audiobook because I found some of the voices the author/narrator used didn’t match the characters or were kind of annoying.

The story itself was a lot of fun and things would take a turn or connect in a way I didn’t expect at all! I loved how creative this story and world was and would return to the world if Oliver Darkshire chose to write more.

thank you netgalley for the advanced audiobook copy of this novel! this was definitely not my typical book and the first few chapters i was hesitant and then hooked. i wasn’t entirely pleased with the ending but it did wrap everything up nicely

Unfortunately this book just didn't work for me. Unlikeable characters, convoluted plot, unnecessary tangents, and analogies that just didn't work giving the feeling like they were trying too hard to be funny.

When her useless husband has the bright idea to steal a book of spells from a local wizard Isabella decides what harm could it be to just give one a try. She soon ends up with a talking donkey, an ancient magically creature that looks rather.lile a cat and a talking pot of basil. A bit cost, a bit of realizing that you can always try something different with your life no matter your age and a lot of classic fairytale vibes.

Isabella Nagg and the Pot of Basil by Oliver Darkshire (book cover is in image) is a delightful read for all of us who like to stroll in a world of dark whimsy With its unique characters, and unusual heroine, readers of T. Kingfisher, Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams, Robert Asprin and Piers Anthony will live this amazing debut fantasy adventure. While I don't usually like narrators with accents, Darkshire did an amazing job giving each character their own voice, and often found myself laughing out loud. This was a fabulous read and I recommend it for all ages.

Thank you Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to listen to this ALC. All opinions are my own.

Rating: 5 Stars
Publication date: May 13 2025

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You will love this book if you:
- like Oliver's Bluesky
- are terminally online and recognize references to memes and lore
- are a fab of quirky fantasy with a bit of a meta narrator
- like talking animals (I have at least one friend who hates them, so...)

Isabella Nagg and the Pot of Basil has the best villain and the best side character (who is totally not a cat) (but likes pets on its head). it is a quirky story, much as Oliver Darkshire's whole internet presence. The fun is situational, mocking of fantasy stereotypes and human nature, sometimes meta.

Oliver does the audiobook narration himself and although his voice is very pleasant and he does bring the characters alive, his pronunciation makes understanding difficult, especially if you are not a native English speaker. I normally listen to 1,5-1,7x speed, even to people with accents, but here I had to stay at 1x to be able to understand him.

Isabella Nagg and the Pot of Basil is a whimsical book. I enjoyed the audiobook and it had me laughing throughout the book. With a talking scuffed up cat-like companion and a talking pot of basil what could go wrong? Oh sweet Isabella. Thank you net galley for the audio.

I don't know if this would have been as good in print because I absolutely loved the audiobook performance, especially the different voices. The author is also the reader and I felt like he did such an amazing job expressing the fun and unusual personalities.
This is probably cozy fantasy and it was short but full of characters I liked-- including, oddly, the basil. That was hilarious to me.

This book is a lot of fun and some good old fashioned fantasy fiction with good and evil and plenty of neutral. A married couple has settled into a mundane life where they barely get along. Things happen to shake them out of their rut and force the wife to take a stand. A cat-like friend and a donkey are there, plus a talking pot of basil. It is the most trustworthy herb, you know!

This fantasy adventure features talking animals, a possessed potted plant, goblin fruit with mysterious properties, and what happens when a book of sorcery gets into the wrong (or right?) hands. Oh and poisonous mandrake plants.
It is lighthearted (for the most part), and the audiobook is well narrated by the talented author. However, different chapters often seemed like different stories while other times they failed to move the action forward. In other words, it was not compelling — just occasionally amusing or interesting. Definitely imaginative.
My thanks to the author, publisher, @DreamscapeMedia, and #NetGalley for access to the audiobook for review purposes. Available now.