Synopsis:
A plot is brewing between the adventure and romance aisles.
When visiting Twig’s Traveling Tomes, customers will get the exact book they need, even if it isn’t the one they want. As for the proprietor and renowned Book Witch, Louella Twig lives her life sequestered with her stories, just as she likes it.
When devilishly handsome rogue Everett Sharp stumbles in looking to remove some handcuffs—closely followed by Louella’s former tutor, whose prized grimoire has been stolen—her literary sanctuary is fully upended. Only Louella’s magic can locate the grimoire, and teaming up with Everett is her best chance at retrieving it . . . but how can she trust that the man behind the wolfish grin isn’t interested in stealing the book for himself?
With a host of friends old and new, Louella sets off on an adventure she never thought she’d take—and starts to realize that, just like her books, what matters most has always been what’s under the surface.
Review:
Twig’s Traveling Tomes by Gryffin Murphy is a delightful cozy fantasy adventure that draws from a wide variety of genres and tropes. I found Twig and her unexpected romance with Everett Sharp to be a solid foundation to the book and one that I would follow into future volumes if Murphy decides. I could go on and on about all the slight references I found throughout the novel, but I’ll leave it at this — if you enjoyed Flynn Rider and his “good person/bad boy” persona in Disney’s Tangled, this book is absolutely for you.
So, we’re introduced to Louella Twig, a Book Witch in a world where books shouldn’t be magic sources. She’s declared defunct and has to use her magic outside the bounds of traditional witch and wizard society. But, she’s made a lovely little life for herself, selling books across the land, connecting readers with the books in her shop that “speak” to her. But, that life is private and solitary. She thinks she’s content, but she barely leaves her store or interacts with the world apart from the variety of customers who enter her door.
In the same day, Everett Sharp, a known thief, as well as her former mentor and tutor, Feralorn Rags, enter her shop and upend her life. Feralorn needs her help (in spite of her “bad” magic) and they start a journey to collect the ten separate parts of Feralorn’s grimoire.
For me, this part — the first third to half of the story just sailed by as our leads found the chapters of the book while doing a fair amount of flirting and getting to know one another along the way. But as each book segment was located, Twig (often unwillingly) adds more and more people and creatures to her cast of characters and traveling companions. All play a part to a certain degree, but the book did feel a tad over-stuffed as we reached the end. Some of the side characters worked really well and others were a little flat with little characterization. But, all added to the outside world that Twig rarely encountered before now.
I did enjoy Twig’s Traveling Tomes and for a fantasy cozy book it brought some really interesting ideas and plot points to the table (Twig’s trans-locating bookshop was inspired!). At times it felt like maybe we should have focused a little more on the romantic leads rather than adding yet another side character, but overall it worked. If you want a fun adventure with some heist-y action in a cozy fantasy setting, give Twig’s Traveling Tomes a try.
Thank you to Bindery Books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
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