The Inn at the Foot of Mount Vengeance is a quiet cozy fantasy that sadly didn't capture my interest, despite the very pretty cover and promising blurb.

The main character of this story, Ainsworth, was not my favorite, which is always going to be a problem for me really enjoying a book. I get why he is the way he is, and he does get better through the course of the book, but he's just very annoying to me. I liked the cast of supporting characters, however, and appreciated how they quietly supported the main character through this very silly drawn out hang up on his toxic beau. The romance here was a little lukewarm to me, which was a shame because I did really like Honey as a character. Ultimately, I think our main character Ainsworth really just needed friends, and the overlap between his last guy and Honey needled at me. I always love a fond family story, and this one is a lovely group of people that didn't really need a romance element.

The pacing of this book would likely have made me DNF if this wasn't an arc. The first half was very hard to get through, and the plot only slightly picked up at the halfway mark before becoming interesting to me in the last 20-30%. There were very pleasant vibes, so I at least was struggling amongst the undoubtedly delightful cozy inn atmosphere. Maybe if I had liked the main character more, the introspection and lack of action would have been more tolerable. The fantasy elements were alright but not particularly groundbreaking. I do always enjoy a queernormative fantasy world!

Including some of the recipes of what the crew make at the inn at the end of the book was a charming touch. If you want a very character-driven scenic route cozy fantasy, you will like this book!

Thank you, Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore, for the arc!

A very quick, cute read! Honestly was so sad when it was over I wanted it to be longer. I think that this may only be a one volume and done kind of graphic novel. However, if there were more snippets to make a volume two I’d read that in a heart beat!