Thank you to C. S. Doraga, the publishing team and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was a sweet, simple story with a cosy, almost tribal atmosphere that gave me Native American-inspired vibes—especially in the setting and tone. While the magical elements weren’t heavily developed, the spiritual, shaman-like magic added a gentle fantasy touch that made the world feel grounded and different from typical high fantasy.
The writing style is very matter-of-fact—this happened, then this happened—which made it easy to follow, but it also meant there wasn’t a lot of emotional depth. I often felt told what characters were feeling, rather than being able to experience those emotions with them. The story is quite linear and single-threaded, which can be a plus if you're looking for a light, uncomplicated read, but I found myself wishing for more nuance and layers in both plot and character.
One of the things I really appreciated was the dynamic between the main characters. The love story is led confidently by the FMC, which was a refreshing change. She's grounded and sure of herself, and it’s the MMC who has to learn and grow—and he lets her support him, which I loved seeing.
Some scenes (like the sheep-herding moment) felt like filler and didn’t really add much to the plot, while others—particularly the final fight scene—were packed with so much descriptive detail that they read more like academic accounts than action.
There were also quite a few repeated phrases (I noticed "even still..." a lot!) and some early typos, though I assume those will be cleaned up before final publication.
Overall, the concept has charm, and with some structural tightening and emotional layering, this could become a really lovely cosy fantasy.

This was a young adult cozy murder mystery that was well written - it was correctly paced that kept your interest peaked and desire to read more.

I enjoyed The Apothecary’s Apprentice:A Fanrasy Romance Mystery. It was an engaging story and I found the characters well written and the storyline interesting. I’m not sure if this was meant to be adult or YA; to me it read very YA, almost young YA. My biggest issue with the writing was the use of some modern “casualness” in read I read as more traditional fantasy. The storyline had the traditional village, small shops with blacksmiths, apothecaries, soldiers with leather armor and spears,,and while the characters called each other “miss” and”lord”, the use of words like “mom”, “dad”, and “kids” rather than “mother”, etc was jarring. It brought me out of the story. Also I found 2 editing mistake, one grammatical and one when the wrong word was used. Otherwise is was a quick, fun read, and I was intrigued by the mystery.

Thank you for allowing me to read your book!

I received an ARC (advanced review copy) from NetGalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A murder in Daciana's town sets her and Sorin (a member of the Head Family) on an adventure that pulls them closer together and changes the dynamic of their town. They both have their own issues in their town, but that is part of what draws them together.

Overall I loved this book. It had some great characters; ones I loved, ones I loathed, and some that fell somewhere in the middle. I also really liked the plot of this book, and I can't wait to read any follow ups.

I will definitely be recommending this book to everyone I know!

The Apothecary's Apprentice follows Daciana and Sorin. Daciana is the apprentice to the village apothecary and Sorin is the the head of the village guards. When a murder occurs in their village, they must come together to solve the case. Daciana is as outsider and Sorin is under constant scrutiny to be the best of the best of the best, as the story develops, so do Daciana and Sorin. A fun love story with murder mystery and magic, perfect for the cosy seasons

3.5 stars

A fantasy romance mystery??? I'd never read one of those before The Apothecary's Apprentice, and I wish I had. The plot was captivating and the characters belong in my heart forever.