Sat down, and finished this in one day. Really cozy and lovely.
Synopsis: Head phoenix keeper at a magical creatures zoo, Alia is quiet, anxious, and has dreamed of phoenixes her whole life. The breed is quite endangered, and after a neighboring zoo has its new phoenix chicks stolen by poachers, Alia is determined to start up her zoo's breeding program after 10 years. But, she only has two months to make this dream come true. So unfortunately, she must get over her deep grudge for fellow (perfect) zookeeper Luciana, and ask her rival for assistance. Impossible. Especially when Luciana is more concerned with using phoenixes in her show rather than a conservation exhibit. Now not only does the breed's future fall into her hands, but also the fate of her job, and maybe the fate of her love life.
Plot: I wasn't really sure how I was going to feel about this since it's a very light fantasy with a smaller plot, but I was very impressed and stayed intrigued the whole time. The entire vibe was so cozy and magical but still felt rooted in reality. There were many real and important conversations about conservation, anxiety, and overcoming fears. Although the pacing was a little slow throughout the entirety of the book, I feel as though if you know you're heading into a cozy fantasy, then the pacing is fine. I also was truly not expecting the twist and the ending to come to such an action sequence, but it didn't feel strange or out of character. My only real complaint is that I wish the world was expanded a bit more. There were a lot of magical creatures that were mentioned and ones that were completely new to me, which was fun, but the rest of the world, apart from names mentioned, felt like a mystery. Alia didn't even leave the zoo for the first 100 pages, making the world seem quite small.
Characters: With cozy fantasies, the characters are the ones that have to bring it together, and they did not disappoint here. Aila was really easy to fall in love with, and watching her struggle with her anxiety and fears and attempting relationships was really heart-warming. Luciana was also a really great character and balanced out Aila really well. Although I wasn't giggling and kicking my feet over the romance, it was still overall really sweet. For me, the story is about Aila and her journey within relationships, not necessarily the relationship itself. The supporting cast was also great, and I feel a large part of that supporting cast was actually the animals themselves. I grew very attached to a lot of them, and as an animal lover myself, this really scratched an itch I didn't know I had.
3.5 stars. (Rounded up to 4).
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for this ARC. And thank you to Fairyloot for creating the most beautiful edition of this book.
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