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Book: “The Phoenix Keeper” by S. A. Maclean
Publishing Info: Orbit, August 2024
Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!
Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound
Book Description: As head phoenix keeper at a world-renowned zoo for magical creatures, Aila’s childhood dream of conserving critically endangered firebirds seems closer than ever. There’s just one glaring caveat: her zoo’s breeding program hasn’t functioned for a decade. When a tragic phoenix heist sabotages the flagship initiative at a neighboring zoo, Aila must prove her derelict facilities are fit to take the reins.
But saving an entire species from extinction requires more than stellar animal handling skills. Carnivorous water horses, tempestuous thunderhawks, mischievous dragons… Aila has no problem wrangling beasts. But mustering the courage to ask for help from the hotshot griffin keeper at the zoo’s most popular exhibit? Virtually impossible.
Especially when that hotshot griffin keeper happens to be her arch-rival from college: Luciana, an annoyingly brooding and insufferable know-it-all with the face of a goddess who’s convinced that Aila’s beloved phoenix would serve their cause better as an active performer rather than as a passive conservation exhibit. With the world watching and the threat of poachers looming, Aila’s success is no longer merely a matter of keeping her job…
She is the keeper of the phoenix, and the future of a species – and her love life – now rests on her shoulders.
Review: There was a lot to like about the summary for this one. The concept alone sounded intriguing and unlike anything I had read before. Add in a dash of romance and some fantasy creatures, and my interest was thoroughly piqued! I’m also on the never-ending quest to hone in exactly what makes certain cozy fantasies work for me while other don’t. This one may have clarified one factor for me!
Unfortunately, that clarification fell on the more negative side. But let’s start with some positives! Overall, I very much enjoyed the concept of this book. The ins-and-outs of that fantastical zoo were all interesting and exciting to explore. For a book that is light on plot, the author took great advantage of all the unique aspects of her setting and the magical creatures that populated it.
I also enjoyed the main character, Aila for the most part. I thought the depiction of her introversion and social anxiety were done well, neatly exploring both concepts without reducing Aila to nothing but these traits. There wasn’t necessarily a lot of new depth to these topics, however as they are both, especially social anxiety, topics that have been well-covered recently. This is, of course, a decided improvement on the past where characters like this were never seen on the page. However, it does present a challenge to authors going forward to distinguish their own characters and stories from a more dense market. This one wasn’t bad, by any means, but it also did not stand out from the crowd.
The romance was also perfectly serviceable. It hit all of the predictable points that one expects from an “enemies to lovers” romance, and the two characters had good chemistry. That said, while I think romance stories like this often follow distinct patterns, this one was a bit too predictable. That, combined with the lighter plot, did make the entire reading experience feel a bit thin.
And, finally, for my revelation about cozy fantasies (and perhaps cozy-any genre): I think it’s the day-to-day aspect that I personally struggle with. I can think of several authors who write cozy fantasies that I very much enjoy. But when I think about the stories themselves, they all are still heavy on plot while deploying an overall “cozy” style to the writing and world-building. On the other hand, cozy fantasies like this, which are light on plot and tell a very day-to-day story are more of a struggle for me. Of course, this is a very subjective take, and there are readers out there who enjoy this sort of book. But while I like the vibes of cozy fiction, I do still need an actual story attached. And this, like others in the same subgenre, had very little of that to speak of. What action we did see was confined to the last quarter of the book and very predictable. The rest of the book was devoted to the minutia of Aila’s life and, frankly, often bored me.
So, I think readers’ enjoyment of this book will very much come down to their personal feelings on day-to-day type stories. If you like them, this is the book for you (though I still think there are better options to be had, even in this sub-sub-genre)! If you don’t, not so much.
Rating 7: The book accomplishes what it sets out to do: tell a day-t0-day cozy fantasy/romance. However, it fails to bring anything new to the subgenre or the themes its attempting to cover.
Reader’s Advisory:
“The Phoenix Keeper” can be found on this Goodreads list: Best books of August, 2024
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