On the shelf: Cozy fantasy of the world

By Courtney Warren

I have recently discovered my love for cozy fantasy stories. It’s no secret that the world we live in is high octane and full of the many anxieties that come alongside being a human.

As an avid reader, I find that I don’t enjoy thrillers, horror stories or high stakes realistic fiction. I love fantasy and romance, but I recently discovered a genre that is rising in popularity - cozy fantasy.

Cozy fantasy involves low stakes, cozy settings and wonderful characters. Think a Hallmark movie with magic. I can honestly say, these books have changed reading for me for the better.

When the world is a little too much, being able to curl up under a blanket with a book, a cup of tea, and lose yourself in these stories makes everything seem a little easier. If you want to escape into a wonderful story with adventure but still safe parameters, these are the books for you.

The Spellshop, by Sarah Beth Durst 
According to the publisher, Kiela has always had trouble dealing with people. Thankfully, as a librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium, she and her assistant, Caz—a magically sentient spider plant—have spent the last decade sequestered among the empire’s most precious spellbooks, preserving their magic for the city’s elite.

When a revolution begins and the library goes up in flames, she and Caz flee with all the spellbooks they can carry and head to a remote island Kiela never thought she’d see again: her childhood home. Taking refuge there, Kiela discovers, much to her dismay, a nosy—and very handsome—neighbor who can’t take a hint and keeps showing up day after day to make sure Kiela is fed and to help fix up her new home.

In need of income, Kiela identifies something that even the bakery in town doesn’t have: jam.

With the help of an old recipe book her parents left her and a bit of illegal magic, her cottage garden is soon covered in ripe berries.

But magic can do more than make life a little sweeter, so Kiela risks the consequences of using unsanctioned spells and opens the island’s first-ever and much-needed secret spellshop.

Like a Hallmark rom-com full of mythical creatures and fueled by cinnamon rolls and magic, The Spellshop will heal your heart and feed your soul.

The Good and the Green, by Amy Yorke
According to the publisher, with the help of her late father, Alison Lennox has carved out a promising career path in a kingdom dominated by land-hoarding elves and industrial tycoon dwarves. But her salary barely covers the rising rent, let alone the luxury lifestyle she dreams of.

So when she unexpectedly inherits a neglected property in a distant land, it seems like the solution she’s been seeking.

All she needs to do to keep her life on track is get in, flip the cottage, and get out, hopefully with a pocket full of coins for the effort.

Upon her arrival, Alison quickly discovers she isn’t immune to the village’s charms. But maybe she could look past the quaint shops, the sweet little old ladies and the adorable talking cat and stick to the plan - if it weren’t for Keir Ainsley.

At first, she finds the former doctor and town recluse good and irritating, and he’s definitely wrong about where his property ends and Alison’s begins. But then he has to go and save her life from a DIY disaster. And then he shows her that, under his bristly exterior, there’s a tenderness that feels familiar and right.

Not good.

But the town does have a problem. A mysterious vine is spreading through the land, choking out everything in its path. “Cute cottage; minor overgrowth issue—probably not poisonous” isn’t going to work as a real estate listing, but that’s not all that’s wrong. The deeper her connection to Keir and the town grows, the further she strays from the life her father wanted for her. And she’ll have to dig deep into the town’s thorny past to have any hope of stopping the vine.

A Fellowship of Bakers Magic, by J. Penner
According to the publisher, in the heart of Adenashire, where elfish enchantments and dwarven delights rule, Arleta Starstone, a human confectionist, works twice as hard perfecting her unique blend of baking and apothecary herbs.

So when an orc neighbor secretly enters her creations into the prestigious Elven Baking Battle, Arleta faces a dilemma. Being magicless, her participation in the competition could draw more scowls than smiles. And if Arleta wants to prove her talent and establish her culinary reputation, the human will need more than just her pastry craft to sweeten the odds.

While competing, she’ll set off on a journey of mouthwatering pastries, self-discovery, heartwarming friendships and romance, all while questioning whether winning the Baking Battle is the true prize.