I honestly really enjoyed this one. The plot was fun and it was absolutely cozy and beautiful! The cover drew me in and it was definitely worth it to request! Also any books with Dual POV instantly gets another star in it's favor for me.

Charting Stars is a cute whimsical fantasy. It did end up reminding me a bit of Narnia with the talking animals. It was a fun read and I now find myself on the edge of my seat for the next book.

I love all things cozy and this book is exactly that. I loved reading this cozy and wholesome book. Every character is so well written, I love them. Definitely looking forward to more from the author.

3.5⭐️
As someone who enjoys cozy fantasy I was really excited to dive into this book because the premise seemed really fun and it reminded of Narnia, and while it was cute and fun this book lacked some things to make it truly memorable. The best part of this book were certainly the characters and their different stories, personalities and backgrounds. However the plot (besides the initial being transported to another realm) had so many slow and random at times that I feel weren’t further explored or seemed relevant to the initial idea of this book. So many things were left unfinished and unanswered in this book that I was almost a bit disappointed (and yes I’m aware it’s a series and this is the first book). My favorite character was definitely Drew (the cat, with Jarret and QB as my second and third) and I would read the second in the series in order to maybe piece together some of the awkward gaps this book left and to revisit the characters. This did have some really sweet, cozy moments and it wasn’t a hard read so I would recommend if cozy fantasy is your jam.

This is such a cute YA cozy fantasy. It does start off a bit slow, but it's worth it, so stick with it. And there's cute animals, which is a bonus. FYI do feel like it reads a bit young.

I adored it! It’s wholesome, whimsical, and features wonderfully written characters—every single one of them. I quickly became obsessed with the cast. The quest and journey through forests are exactly what I love, and Ryckman’s world-building and character creation kept me hooked. This book could easily fall into the “cozy fantasy” category, and to my surprise, I really liked it! It felt like a modern Narnia, filled with adventure, action, delightful characters, animal sidekicks, and a charming awkward couple. The story didn’t drag at all, but it ended too soon, and I’m left eagerly waiting for the next installment.

Unfortunate a DNF for me as the story just didn’t quite grab me and I didn’t connect with the characters enough to be driven by them instead. I think this may be a me problem, however, as I’ve tired of cozy fantasy recently due to how much is out there.

unfortunately the arc didnt send to my kindle and was then archived so i cannot read/review. Will give average rating instead.

This is a perfect heartwarming fairytale fantasy! The characters are very lovable and the atmosphere is so magical. I cannot wait to read the next book!

One of the most wholesome fantasy books I have read. It's so lovely and I couldn't help myself but want to buy the paperback.
It's short, the world building good, the plot not rushed.
I wish I could erase my memories and read it all over again.

This was honestly such a cozy fun read and it is the perfect time to pick this gem up as we head into autumn! I keep seeing Charting Stars by Micheline Ryckman described as a modern day Narnia and that is honestly the PERFECT description!

This is a very classic YA quest filled story with tons of action and adventuring with extremely easy to like characters that I fell in love with instantly. The writing style also made this a very nice smooth read and I found myself flipping through the pages needing to know what happened next! I cannot wait for the next book in this series to come out and will be (im)patiently waiting to find out what happens next!

Thank you Micheline Ryckman, NetGalley and Whimsical Publsihing for providing me an ARC of Charting Stars for an honest review, it was a delight!

This is in someways a cosy, whimsical fantasy but I don’t think the author always got the tone quite right. It begins with the feeling of a cute YA but continues in ways which make it feel as though it’s both YA, children’s and adult? This paired with a lot of telling and not a lot of showing (for example why did she gloss over Maren’s tales!!! I want to hear them!!) made it rather hard to read.

I can see how this would’ve made a beautiful graphic novel but the book versions needs a bit of work.

Stayed for QB and Drew but overall was not a huge fan.

Thank you Netgalley for the review copy!

Oh man I ADORED this book. From the first pages, I fell in love with Talia's warm and spirited personality and felt so happy reading her love story and adventures.

When I first started reading Charting Stars , I knew I would enjoy this book. Reminiscent of isekai anime where a character finds themself transported to a fantastical land, full of magic and strange creatures, this book is truly whimsical and exemplifies what it means to be a cozy fantasy. There are high stakes yes, but the book feels so full of hope and adventure that it was very easy to enjoy. I started and finished this book in one sitting, which so rarely happens these days but I love it when it does. I loved spending time with our main character Talia, the runner Jarrett (both of whom have an adorable crush on the other), some mysterious animal companions, a warrior and a prince, and later someone else (no spoilers from me).

The world building was also quite nice and very easy to understand; I felt like I was walking alongside those characters, going on the same adventures. The only qualm that I have is, I wanted to learn more about this world and all the creatures and the magic that resides in it. I am hoping the next books in the series take us on more journeys in the Nine Realms. And the romance too, very very cute. Talia and Jarrett were crushing on each other so hard and I found that so adorable; sometimes you just want to read a cute fluffy romance and this delivers.

Charting Stars was a lovely start to what I feel is going to be a series I am going to enjoy. I cannot wait to read more of Micheline Ryckman’s writing!!

Oh goodness, I thought this book was so cute. I am a sucker for a cozy fantasy and while that is the tagline that originally drew me in, I actually wouldn't classically categorize this as cozy. This is more like a fantasy adventure with found family vibes to me, there are definitely some suggestive themes and bloody battles so that moves this book out of the cozy realm in my opinion. Either way though, I highly recommend this book! It took me a little bit to get into it, but once they started on their quest, and kept gathering members of their party and learning more about each characters' backstory, and figuring out where they need to go at each twist and turn, I was hooked. I also love that this was originally a graphic novel, I feel like you can tell that from the way everything is written which is really cool. I will definitely be reading book two.

I couldn't get into this at all, I didn't like any of the characters. That said it may be a slow start and something I come back to at a different life stage

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ebook copy of this!

"Charting Stars" is everything I'd want in a cozy fantasy. Atmospheric settings, lush descriptions and loveable characters, plus some romance that might have made me giggle once or twice while reading. I really hope we'll be getting a second book soon!

I adored this cozy fantasy (well cozy with occasional violence, which is my favorite kind). It's beautifully written. Honestly, the descriptions were among the best I've read in a long while. I can definitely see how this started out as a graphic novel.

This book features:
ALL THE CATS
Squirrel animal companion
Dual first person PoVs
Angelic guardians of the Nine Realms
Very Studio Ghibli cozy feeling
Phenomenal descriptions
Super sweet romantic subplot
Found family
Wizard of Oz style storyline
Sweet MMC
He's obsessed with her
Sentient animals

The FMC is a bit of a people pleaser, but it's more that she wants people to be at ease and is therefore future problem solving vs doing things she doesn't want to do. Somehow she's able to maintain being her own person while also working towards making those around her comfortable. She reminds me of a really good friend of mine who was the oldest of twelve children and had mothering ingrained into every fiber of her being. It's not a bad thing. I think it's a very beautiful trait to be honest.

I love the MMC. He's adorable, and I love his relationship with his squirrel found family companion. Their relationship progression is beautiful. I'm excited to see what happens next for them in the next book.

I like that the antagonist didn't wait for them to be healed or relocate to attack them again. That's more on par for the course and a lot of authors have these random moments of reprieve that make no tactical sense.


Content: kiss scene, violence, anxiety, orphan MMC

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy of this book. This review is voluntarily written and the thoughts and opinions contained in this review are my own.

2.5 stars - Thank you Netgalley and Whimsical Publishing for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

I came here for the premise and the cover, but stayed for the squirrel and the cat.

When I found out this was a cosy fantasy, I was so excited!! The premise is so interesting - Talia Benson, just a normal girl living a normal life in Canada realises that somehow, an extra star has appeared on the right of Orion's Belt. Confused and yet, inspired by the enchanting star, she adds it to her painting. Suddenly, she blacks out and finds herself in 1 of the magical 9 realms. She then meets a "runner" named Jarrett, and together with a few others, they set off on a quest to find a magic flute and send Talia back home.

What I loved most about this book were the animals. Each person in the 9 realms has an assigned " allocated animal" to essentially, keep them company and be their best friend. ISN'T THAT THE CUTEST THING EVER??? I nearly died of cuteness every time Drew (Talia's cat) or QB (Jarrett's squirrel) popped up 🥺🥺

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Characters (+ relationships!):
I didn't enjoy that they all had character inconsistencies
~ Talia: She started as an outgoing, albeit confused painter (understandable, she was shoved into a new WORLD with no help) but suddenly spouts words of wisdom about morality at random times?? Her mood switches are also so out of place and never really delved into.
~ Jarrett: His tone either ranged from Talia's kind of upbeat and jovial, or he was completely emo.
~~ Talia & Jarrett: Now this, this was cute. They definitely do care for each other and think about each other a lot! It was a bit insta love-y. But if I was lost in a random world and a hot guy offered to help me out, you best believe me, I would be attracted to him too.
~ Maren: Your standard stoic, feisty redhead who's also a warrior and "doesn't like anyone". No other discerning character traits.
~ Bash: Why was he even here??? Somehow he made his way into the group mid-journey and everyone was like "ok"
~ Moses: Again, WHY WAS HE EVEN HERE???? He joined the group after "stalking them for a few days" and "couldn't resist showing himself after seeing Maren BATHING" like that is a CREEP don't make friends with him???
~ Calystra: For a villain, she didn't really... do anything? She popped in now and then to further the plot and add action scenes but besides that, she was hardly mentioned.

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All that aside, my main gripe with this novel is the writing style and a few plot holes. Usually, insignificant plot holes don't bother me, especially if the writing is immersive enough to distract me. Unfortunately, the rather childish, modern tone of this wasn't enough to hook me in and even made the plot holes more glaring. I also could not connect to any of the characters; they felt one-dimensional. Also, the pacing. Bc wdym the climax was done and over within 8 or so paragraphs???

Mad props to the author though, turning a graphic novel into a novel is HARD. I do think that this novel was just not for me, but I know many readers out there will love it and the whimsical tale that lies within.

This a cozy fantasy, wholesome and whimsical, kinda reminiscent of Narnia or the Wizard of Oz, which happens to be a favorite of our main lady Talia. She finds herself transported to a new world and has to figure out why, she collects friends along the way and is so quirky and relatable. Her love interest is Jarrett, a cutie with a frigging shoulder squirrell bestie. This is just a really light, joyful questing book.