This is such a charming, quirky read that combines magical creatures, determined heroines, and regency-era drama. While it started out a bit slow, Fern (a formerly noble lady who left high society to be a botanist) and all her antics soon sucked me in. I loved Fern's relationships with her uncles and all members of her community and the way they honor nature and all living creatures.

The author does a fantastic job of blending fantastical elements with interesting plot points and high stakes in a way that still feels cozy.

Will definitely be reading the sequel as soon as I can get my hands on it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ribbonwood Press for the eARC!

I picked up The Stormborne Vine expecting a cozy, Regency-era fantasy with a fun botanical twist—and in some ways, it delivered! The premise is unique: a magical storm brings an origami dragon to life while also creating a monstrous, carnivorous vine. Fern, our practical and determined protagonist, has to unravel the mystery behind the plant, the dragon, and their strange connection, all while navigating a world that doesn’t always value women’s intellect.

There’s a lot to like here:
- A cool blend of botany, magic, and historical fantasy
- A cute (and surprisingly emotional) paper dragon
- Mysterious witches and alchemists
- Found family & female friendships

That said, the pacing felt slow at times. There’s a fair bit of repetition, with Fern explaining things multiple times to different people, and a lot of mundane descriptions that don’t always move the plot forward. The themes—like women’s roles in society and the clash between science and magic—are interesting but somewhat heavy-handed. I also felt like there were too many plot threads competing for attention, making the story feel a bit muddled.

Still, if you’re looking for a cozy, low-stakes fantasy with a historical twist and don’t mind a more meandering pace, The Stormborne Vine is a pleasant read—especially if you have a cup of tea in hand!

The Stormborne Vine is a cosy, nature-centric fantasy set in an alternative regency England. The main character, Fern, lives with her uncles in the rural village of Drake’s Bend after a failed debut, spending her time studying botany and helping fellow residents with gardening problems. It is during one such job, while investigating a rusty pipe that’s poisoning the soil, that she meets an overbearing Lord Warrington and his isolated, lonely sister, Millie. A storm hits, trapping Fern at the manor and leaving magical chaos in its wake.

While the storm rages, a giant, unruly, head-gardener-eating plant grows, an origami dragon created by Millie comes to life, and a hatchling dragon is trapped underneath the rusty pipe. Dragons are said to have disappeared years ago, and no such plant has ever been recorded before. However, before she can study them and earn her place at the botanical society, Fern must nurse Eurydice back to health and try to sever the connection between Squib and the Boston Ivy - or else Millie is at risk of losing the first companion she’s had since her husband’s passing.

I was drawn to this book because of the unique concept, and I wasn’t disappointed! It was so charming, and there was plenty of high-stakes action without sacrificing the cosy atmosphere. I loved the found family aspect, especially the budding friendship between Fern and Millie - they really saw and understood each other despite being very different people. Additionally, I liked how Fern was different to other women of that time without being misogynistic about it. She wore trousers and spent her time on “unladylike” pursuits, but she still desired female friendship and never put Millie down for wearing dresses and doing embroidery!

With a colourful cast of characters, magical intrigue, and cute baby dragons, this cosy historical fantasy was perfect to curl up with on a chilly night (cup of tea optional, but encouraged)! I’m intrigued to see how Fern, Millie, Squib, Eurydice and the others fare in the sequel.

What a fun little cozy fantasy start to a new series where dragons and flora seem to be connected and though magic is waning, Fern definitely finds a bunch in this novel! It is both funny and touching with the lengths that Fern goes to try to save two dragons in dire straits, while also uncovering the mystery of why a certain Boston Ivy has turned into a man eating plant during the odd storm. You have quite the cast of colorful characters, from Fern herself (love that she prefers trousers to dresses!) to her charming uncles Ambrose and George, then onto the three witches in the village and the curmudgeonly yet oddly handsome alchemist that Fern goes to for help in separating the paper dragon from the carnivorous ivy. So much excitement (saving a certain damsel in distress!) yet still nicely cozy. I will admit I laughed so hard at some of the actions of the death ivy, especially at the end. Who knew ivy could do that? But it was wonderful!

So, a wildly fun and entertaining book that I really enjoyed reading and I do look forward to seeing what Fern can uncover with her plants and if she can bring more magic back, or at least the dragons!

The perfect blend of regency England and fantasy. When a magical storm blows through, a lonely womans paper companion is brought to life, as well as that of a sentient carnivours plant. Fern our protagonist takes on the task of attempting to break the tie between the two, to save the life of the little companion. Her journey to discovery leads her on a chase for information to three witches, a reclusive alchemist and the lonely woman herself. Hopefully when all is said and done, Fern can save more than the life of the paper dragon.

It was interestingly written, if a little slow at times. But i enjoyed the blend of fantasy and historical fiction.

Fern Oakby is an unusual woman, a trousers-wearing botanist shunned by society in a Regency era in which dragons and magic exist but are becoming more rare. She is called to investigate some struggling plants and spends the night to wait out a storm, discovering the next day that somehow the storm has brought to life both an origami dragon and a massive carnivorous vine that eats a gardener. The two are tied together, and Fern needs to find a way to destroy the plant without killing the dragon. I loved this and can't wait to read more in the series. 4.5 stars rounded to 5

After a failed relationship leaves her shunned by society, Miss Fern Oakby decides marriage is not for her. Instead, she will support herself with her one true love, botany. Her father taught her everything she needs to know before he died. Almost everything.

She is called to an estate to figure out why everything keeps dying in a certain part of the garden.

She was definitely not prepared for what she found.

I love the Regency era! I especially love it when there are characters that just don't conform to the ridiculous rules of that era. Fern is exactly that character. I hope there will be more to come. It was a quick, fun read. And it has dragons!

I’m not a super huge fan of historical cozies, but occasionally I’m reminded that that’s not the case. Such as the case here. This was just quite the most enjoyable historic cozy. I’ve read in a very long time. I will definitely be back for more from this author in this series.

This one took me longer to read than anticipated. The cast of characters is honestly incredible and it gets started out wonderfully. For me it did drag in the early parts of the book after the characters are introduced. Honestly the debate about the dragons at the beginning of the text was quite boring, but I am glad that I stuck with it because it ended up being an awesome read! I would definitely recommend just push past the early chapters because it gets great after chapter 4 or 5!

Thank you to Ribbonwood and NetGalley for the ARC!

Adorable cottagecore fantasy cozy adventure! It was fun, adorable, engaging and a really fun twist and is great for people who want a found family story in the same vein as Dragon Tea Society. I think this was a little slow paced for my liking and didn’t really pick up until the Hal way point. Additionally I feel like Millie’s backstory wasn’t as fleshed out. I wanted more!!!!

Thanks again!

This was so quaint and cozy I loved it. Its such a magical concept of a botonist trying to save a tiny dragon from a deadly plant. Fern (the MC) was an excllent character. She was so practical and down-to-earth about things and how to tackle them. But was also just a lovely person, she was charming and full of joy and love for all things. She clearly loves her job and loves the flora and fauna around her. She has such wonderful relationships with the people around her I'd happily read more storis about her and her work and her general life.

And yet depsite being utlimately cozy, the carnivious plant did add the twist and edge to the plot you needed to keep the story moving forward. It almost added a horror element (if cozy horror can be a thing) and really kept the action and pacing up. This was a super enjoyable read and i'm excited at the way it ended as it leaves open further options to continue exploring in the world.

DNF @ 55% When I picked up this book, I expected a short cozy fantasy in which a spunky middle-aged botanist in Regency England solves a magical mystery involving a carnivorous vine and an origami dragon. Instead I got a tangled mess with half a dozen plotlines stretched out in a miserable cycle of the protagonist saying what she will do, then doing it, then telling someone she has done it, and then perhaps telling someone else, who suggests yet someone else for her to tell. All interspersed with banal descriptions of her doing everyday tasks like putting on her shoes and ruminating about how sad it is that society doesn't treat women as equals and why can't magic and science coexist?

I've been avoiding this book for a week now and it's time to throw in the towel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ribbonwood Press for providing an advanced ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Tilly Wallace and NetGalley for allowing me early access to an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

I must say, I loved this cosy little fantasy read! Whilst the book itself is short in length, the story spares no detail. The premise of the story is a maliciously animated vine and a dragon forged from origami, whose lives are intertwined.

The story follows the character of Fern: a young but headstrong girl with an interest in botany harboured from her late father. Fern continues to cultivate her father’s work, living in the company of her two uncles, and continuously defying society’s expectations of what is “proper” for a woman. Fern is exactly the kind of girl you’d want as a friend- headstrong, intelligent and compassionate, with admirable empathy.

As the story of the dragon and the vine unfolds, we delve deeper into Drake’s Bend and the surrounding estates, where Fern must work alongside very demanding and opinionated men to save her friends from a terrible fate. I loved her, her interactions with other characters and the little references to greater literature (such as Macbeth) and science.

I eagerly anticipate book two and the found family / slow burn tropes that await us- two of my absolute favourites!

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of THE STORMBORNE VINE (Book 1 of the Leaf and Scale Regency urban fantasy series) by Tilly Wallace in exchange for an honest review. Fern Oakby lives in rural England on a small estate with her uncle and his good friend. Miss Oakby helps fund the estate by carrying on her father’s work with rare botanicals. When a rare magical storm converts a paper dragon into a real one, a Boston ivy into a Boston strangler, and ties lives and well-being of the two together, Miss Oakby begins a search for a way to sever the link in order to preserve the existence of the darling paper dragon because the carnivorous vine must be exterminated. In an era where women have very little power, the question is whether she will be allowed the time and resources to solve the problem.

I loved this book and ended up searching out other books by Tilly Wallace after reading this one. I recommend this book to fans of Regency era novels, urban fantasy, intrepid bluestockings, hungry plants, and endangered dragons.

#TheStormborneVine #NetGalley

#TheStormborneVine was a nice, cozy fantasy similar to cottagecore. It looked into themes such as trust and loyalty, and also what makes a life valuable. Filled with magic and some dragons, too, it brings wonder to a Regency time period. Four stars.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Tilly Wallace for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for The Stormborne Vine coming out February 5, 2025. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I’ve read a couple books by this author, so I was excited to check this book out. I really love cozy fantasies. I enjoyed the story, but it felt like the pacing was a little off. There was some repetition and slow spots. The second half of the book wasn’t as interesting to me. I thought Fern was a strong character, but the point felt a little hammered that she was different than other women. It would’ve been nice to see her make friends. I would check out other books in the series.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cozy fantasies!

I was promised a cute and cozy read, and I was given just that! This story and our protagonist were so endearing.

Were taken to a historical fantasy world that is tinged witha bit of magic, but still with all the classism and societal expectations you would expect from that era. Our MC has smashed those expectations during in incident that took place when she was trying to come out into society.

I loved the focus on a heroine who is not some naive teenager. But instead, has responsibilities and a job and bills to pay. She was such a witty and enjoyable MC to read about. I also thoroughly enjoyed the focus on botany magic. I had so much fun with that!

Overall, this was a wonderful cozy fantasy which stil held some takes that a loveable protagonist has to work through. The relationships were sweet, if lacking just a bit of depth to get me fully invested. But they were still nicely written.

I am giving this book 5 stars as I thought it was so cute and cozy. Magical plants, dragons, storms, and a sassy, spitfire, female protagonist hooked me from the very first page and I hope I get more along the way.

Fern is a single woman, with her trousers on, digging in the soil, tending her garden of rare and exotic plants. While living with her uncles, she makes her money by selling some of her more exotic blooms which are used for alchemy and other magical purposes. She also allows herself to be hired by others to help them with garden issues.

On one such expedition, Fern is called to the grounds of a man who has been having issues with a dead spot of ground in his wife's favorite part of the garden. Though unable to fully deduce the reason upon examination, she is forced to stay the night in the manor as a savage storm rages outside.

The next morning, several things have changed. A paper dragon becomes real, a Boston ivy becomes carnivorous, and there's another fledgling dragon trapped beneath a fountain.

Everything about this book made me smiles and want to sink further into the cozy, magical world being created. I can't wait to see what else happens for Fern and the rest of the characters.

4.5 stars

I was given an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book promised me a cozy mystery, and absolutely delivered. I love a historical fantasy that goes beyond the medieval landscape, and this regency-inspired world definitely piqued my curiosity.

In a society where she is expected to be quiet, restrained and dignified, Fern shuns expectations and pursues her passion for botany. However, when ancient magics awaken, her work becomes much more complicated, and she soon finds herself juggling dragons, man-eating vines, and unlikely friendships.

It did take me a few chapters to get into the flow of the worldbuilding, but once I did, I was hooked. It was so refreshing to read a story with such a strong focus on female friendships, and the bonds that are made between those outcasted by society. The magical undertones blended brilliantly with the regency setting, and I'm desperate to learn more about this world of ballrooms and dragons!

Books with similar vibes - The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst, Witchmark by C L Polk, The Curse of the Wolf King by Tessonja Odette, and Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett.

All Fern Oakby wants to do is take care of her plants and earn enough money to support herself and her family. But when a storm unleashes the kind of magic not seen for decades, Fern has to become a lot more active and has to start making some tough choices. The Stormborne Vine is a delightful little fantasy which strikes the right balance between reasonable stakes and coziness. Thanks to Ribbonwood Press and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

If I had to pick a historical, fantastical realm to live in, perhaps it would be Europe teetering on the edge of Industrialisation. I'd imagine it still had that scent of magic to it, but also working its way towards electricity. Admittedly, for this period to be fun, you would have to be part of the upper class, otherwise it very much is not an ideal time. The Stormborne Vine is a Regency era novel, meaning it's set around the turn of the 18th into the 19th century. We have memories of balls, strict customs of what women can and cannot do, and yet also scientific exploration and whispers of growing industries. Tilly Wallace also adds a dash of magic into this mix, creating her own low fantasy world for this upcoming series (trilogy?). I tend to favour high fantasy, the difference being that high fantasy (sometimes also called epic fantasy), such as The Lord of the Rings, for example, creates an entire separate, secondary world, or storyworld, while low fantasy has the same kind of magical elements, but these take place in a storyworld that is based upon our own everyday, regular world. For low, think City of Bones. A case like Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia falls somewhere in between although I'd probably but it in low. For me, high fantasy usually provides the most escape but, in this current stressful time, I enjoyed Wallace's version of our own world, which infused it with magic and mystery.

Fern Oakby is eking out an existence for herself and her uncles through her botanical work after having a disastrous experience in high society. Now shunned by that society and considered "ruined", Fern prefers to wear trousers and muddy her hands keeping her plants happy and alive. So what, if she is also a little bit lonely. But then she's called to a nearby estate to uncover the cause for a dry patch. That night, a wicked storm turns a Boston ivy into a carnivorous plant, alongside some other mischief. It is not just the garden that is affected, however, but also the lord's sister, Milly, who lives a restricted, sad life under her brother's careful watch. Fern now has a variety of tasks in front of her, from figuring out the storm, the new monstrous ivy, her mysterious alchemist neighbour, Milly's situation, and even more I don't want to mention because spoilers. I did like Fern as a character, especially because she was not your stereotypical nineteen-/twenty-year old who has never seen the world. Rather, she is a woman with a past and a job, with longings and bills to pay, with secrets and responsibilities. Because the tone of The Stormborne Vine is, in my opinion, cozy and rather gentle, I happily followed Fern along without every really worrying anything bad would happen.

I haven't read any of Tilly Wallace's previous books and I mainly picked up The Stormborne Vine for the idea of murderous plants, completely missing the little dragons on the cover. As I mentioned above, I did really like the world Wallace created and will probably read the other Leaf and Scale books when they come out. I will say that there was a lot of telling, rather than showing, especially in the first third. The initial 30 to 40% of The Stormborne Vine take a lot of time to introduce us to Fern and the state of her life and almost all of it is told to us directly. This part also introduces story elements which will clearly form something of a longer arc across the upcoming books and while I liked seeing them, they did then get dropped the moment the actual plot picked up. There also is quite a bit of plot, which I only really realised when summing it up above. The book is definitely fast-paced, after the first third or so, and things move quite smoothly from one scene to another. However, it did feel a little rushed by the end and I couldn't quite move past the fact that some things still felt very open. I will say that the main story of The Stormborne Vine is indeed told in this book, it is not as if the questions regarding the storm etc. are left unanswered, but all the other elements Wallace introduces are left to keep you waiting for the next book. I will say that Wallace strikes an interesting balance between keeping the pace quick and yet giving a lot of detail. I always knew what Fern was wearing, even as she was rushing back and forth between different estates, or when the last time was she had washed. I do not know how Wallace managed it, but she did. I kind of wavered on the rating for this one. For me, a rating of 3 means that the book did exactly what I expected going in, but didn't necessarily blow me away. I know that for some, however, a three means it was bad, which The Stormborne Vine is not. As I did find myself getting more invested after the 40% mark and generally had a good time with it, I decided to bump the rating up.

The Stormborne Vine is a cozy, lovely little Fantasy which allows for a delightful escape from grim late-winter weather. Come for the monstrous vines and dragons, and stay for the delightful family vibes and newfound friends! I look forward to the rest of the Leaf and Scale books!