Cozy fantasy is NOT an easy genre to write. It is hard to write about something with actual stakes, but that doesn't seem like TOO many stakes, if you know what I mean? There has to be some conflict, but not enough that the reader is actually worried in the Ned Stark is about to lose his head sort of way. Legends and Lattes was quite good, but the follow-up was a snooze. People recommend the Monk and Robot series for cozy fantasy and, while I do like Becky Chambers a lot, maybe the first book was a little too cozy for me? I think Sarah Beth Durst is actually quite good at it. Sea of Charms is the third book in the Spellshop series and if you're looking for something to distract you from reality, these books are just the thing.
Marin is a sailor. She runs supplies from island to island in an attempt to pay off the debt her parents took on to help pay for her boat after Marin had a broken engagement. Suddenly, she has a crew of a talking plant and this composer named Dax who is fleeing from the war-torn city of Alyssium. She has a pet sea serpent. A PET SEA SERPENT. Can they pay off her parents' debt? Can they safely escape the danger from the war?
OF COURSE THEY CAN. THIS IS COZY FANTASY.
I don't think Dax is as good a male lead as the grumpy gardener in the second book, but not every book has to be grumpy/sunshine to parallel my own real life.
I love the world Durst is creating. I love how simple everything is in these books.
Do I want every book I ever read to be like this? No, of course not. But as a diversion as I'm going to bed, I absolutely do want it.
4/5 stars
Lines of note:
Sure, the city was lovely, in the same way that a many-tiered cake covered in fondant and spun sugar seemed lovely if you didn’t know it had been baked with fish inside. It soured if you sniffed too hard. (location 182)
“People think pleasure is the source of happiness. I have found that it is not. It is purpose. Purpose and passion.” (location 5627)
Hat mentions (why hats?):
he wore a stiff box-shaped hat on top of slicked-down hair (location 5340)
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Are you a cozy fantasy fan? What's your favorite in the genre? What's your favorite mythical creature?
I enjoyed these books a lot! ( Yiu recommended the Spellshop and I got hooked.) I didn't think I was a fan of cozy fantasy, but these pulled me out of a reading slump.
ReplyDeleteI'm really more of a mystery person- I like stories that have some action and an end.
Winged cats for the win! The sea serpent wouldn't fit in my house. And the sentient plants would freak me out.
I'm with you - I generally like a lot more plot than these books have, but they are great palate cleansers. I wouldn't want to ONLY read cozy fantasy, that's for sure.
DeleteI would talking plants! And winged cats! And tiny dragons! I just think this world sounds like a great place to be, falling of the government aside.
I wouldn't say I'm a cozy fantasy fan, but I could imagine reading something like this and enjoying it. I'm wondering if the book I'm reading right now would be considered "cozy"- it has some heavy themes, but there are talking animals (AND A FOX WHO WEARS A MONOCLE). There's adventure, but I'm pretty sure everything is going to come out all right in the end.
ReplyDeleteWell, if there's even a smidgen of doubt if things will work out in the end, it's probably just straight fantasy and not cozy fantasy. But a fox wearing a monocle sounds adorable!!
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