This was so cute! I loved the world and the magic, and despite all the poison it was very cosy. Perfect YA read for actual teenagers!

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 stars
This was such a lively, romantic and cosy read! After soaring through her debut adult romance, I was so happy to get an ARC of her YA cosy romance. Qureshi definitely delivered on the cosy and Howl’s Moving Castle vibes! While it was a tad predictable in some areas, it was low stakes and enjoyable enough to read in one sitting. It’s great to fill the well until A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping, Sangu Mandanna’s next book after The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, releases!

Yet again, Aanma Qureshi does it again with the cosy! This time, I do feel like the stakes were slightly higher, but the cosy was felt throughout!

Bisma was such a lovable FMC who cared for all of her sisters. For someone so young, there was such a lot of pressure on her for things to go right, and so many people’s needs having to be met. But she really tried. I liked finding out all the backstories of how the girls ended up there, and the characters felt so fleshed out because of it.

As with any cosy fantasy romance, there is a romantic element to it, and the MMC didn’t disappoint. He was charming, and definitely the sunshine to their grumpy x sunshine romance.

I found this read a solid 4⭐️ I loved all the potion making and forest witchy elements to it. However, I find some elements of the plot quite predictable. Buuuut I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Thankyou so much to NetGalley and Hodder for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book. A gorgeous 4 star read book from me. What an exciting plot, vivid storytelling and relatable, rich characters. I could put this book down – absolutely loved it.

Rating - 4.75⭐️

I think this might be the cozy fantasy of my dreams!! I highly recommend this for fans of Howl’s Moving Castle and Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries.

From the very first chapter, I already had a feeling I was going to love this book😌. It had the perfect amount of wholesomeness that made me cry tears of joy, while also having many emotional moments🥹.

Bisma is a garden-witch with a poison business and she lives in a sentient magical forest with her sisters who are known as the “Unwanted girls” by their village. Brimming with girlhood and sisterhood, all the interactions between the girls made my heart melt😩. They continuously made me go “Awww🥹” throughout the book.

Bisma also has to deal with a lot of pressure and responsibility of being the eldest and having to take care of her 5 younger sisters. I admit I cried a few times because I really felt for Bisma as an eldest daughter myself✋🏻😔.

The romance between Xander and Bisma is a reverse grumpy x sunshine (one of my fav tropes🙂‍↕️). Xander is dramatic, romantic and an incorrigible flirt bursting with golden retriever energy. You’ll definitely love him if you also love Howl Pendragon and Wendell Bambleby🤭. And did I mention he falls first?🥰

Great Ya read full of supernatural adventure and excitement. Highly enjoyed this one! Definitely check this one out!