The Phoenix Keeper
S.A. MacLean
A socially awkward but determined phoenix keeper must partner with her longtime rival to save her beloved exhibit from falling into obscurity in this charming, romantic fantasy debut. Aila is a little obsessed with phoenixes. As head phoenix keeper at a world-renowned zoo for magical creatures, her childhood dream of conserving critically endangered firebirds seems closer than ever. There’s just one glaring her zoo’s breeding program hasn’t functioned for a decade. When a tragic phoenix-nabbing cripples the flagship program at a neighbouring zoo, Aila must prove her derelict facilities are fit to take the reins. But saving a species takes more than stellar animal handling skills. Carnivorous water horses, tempestuous thunderhawks — Aila has no problem wrangling beasts. Inspiring zoo patrons? That’s another story. Finding the courage to ask for help from the hot dragon keeper at a neighbouring exhibit? Virtually impossible. And don’t get Aila started on her arch-rival from the glamorous leader of the zoo’s wildly popular griffin show, who’s convinced that Aila’s beloved phoenix would serve better as a performer than a conservation exhibit. Aided by both friends and enemies, Aila must conquer her social anxiety if she is to restore her breeding programme. With the world watching and the threat of poachers looming, Aila’s success isn’t only a matter of keeping her the future of a species depends on her.
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3.75⭐️ Ok so this was cute but longer than it needed to be. This could’ve definitely been a cozy fantasy situation but the author had other plans lol This will not be for everyone. If you loooove animals and a quirky MC then this will be for you. The magical animals and the world was truly colorful and fun and really got me excited! But then the story kept going lol There’s a mystery subplot and then a side romance and it was done well, again this was just longer and I felt myself not necessarily getting bored but just taking longer to finish the book.
0This was a charming cozy romantasy with great diversity and mental health representation. It takes place primarily in a zoo of magical creatures, and it was a pleasure to see MacLean's creativity as she described these animals.
Main character Aila is the phoenix keeper at the zoo and has been trying for years to reboot a breeding program for the endangered Silimalo phoenix. When a neighboring zoo loses their phoenix hatchlings and their mother to poachers, Aila's zoo is given the opportunity to try a breeding program of their own.
Aila has social anxiety, so it's a challenge for her to navigate the national attention the zoo is getting, but her dedication to the phoenixes she has had a lifelong passion for pushes her through. She gets support from a solid supporting cast, including best friend Tanya and rival Luciana. A lot of the characters are POC, and there's sexual orientation and trans representation. Aila's anxiety is handled well, probably in part because of the author's own experiences with it. I loved how supportive and accepting Aila's family and friends are, while still trying to gently encourage her to go outside of her comfort zone.
There's a high fantasy setting, in that this novel is not set on earth. It's a fictional land with fictional/mythical creatures. However, the setting is very modern, with technology and concepts from earth (DVDs, margaritas, a version of Instagram). This threw me a bit at first because it's so unlike other fantasies that aren't urban/low fantasy. Eventually I adjusted to it, and the advantage is that the book is easy to read, without too much focus needing to be spent on world-building. Most of the scenes are set in the zoo, creating an immersive experience.
I really enjoyed this debut novel and will definitely look for more books from S. A. MacLean in the future.
I received this free e-ARC from NetGalley, but my opinions are my own.
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