Publishers Weekly
06/17/2024
MacLean’s tepid debut, a cozy queer romantasy, follows Aila Macbhairan, head phoenix keeper at a zoo for mythical creatures. Her lifelong goal is to save her beloved Silimalo phoenixes from extinction, but the phoenix breeding program at her zoo has been dormant for a decade. Though Aila excels at magical animal science, she becomes overwhelmed with anxiety around other humans. Asking others for help is harder than fighting an archibird off of a shiny object. But after a phoenix is stolen from a nearby zoo, Aila musters her people skills and all the help she can get to prove that her dilapidated complex is up to the task of taking over their conservation program. It’s a cute setup and the fantastical creatures are a delight, but the worldbuilding is disjointed, with extensive new information dropped in sporadically. The characters, meanwhile, are thin sketches, making it difficult to invest in their plight, and the eventual romantic subplot, while sweet, feels almost perfunctory. This is a rocky start. Agent: John Baker, Bell Lomax Moreton Agency. (Aug.)
From the Publisher
"Maclean has crafted a lovely sojourn in a magical world that feels both familiar and wondrous. This mix of zoology, fantasy, and sapphic romance will have readers wishing they could buy a ticket to San Tamculo."—Library Journal
"Delightfully inventive and charming, The Phoenix Keeper is a sweet sapphic romance set in the most magical zoo you can imagine. MacLean's empathy for all living things - from vanishing ducks and endangered phoenixes, to endearingly awkward zookeepers and their crushes - shines through in every word. I couldn't stop smiling the whole way through. Sign me up for a lifetime membership to the San Tamculo Zoo, please!"—Julie Leong, author of The Teller of Small Fortunes
"Fresh, funny, and fantastical, S.A. MacLean's debut introduces an imaginative and authentic new voice to cozy fantasy. By turns witty, poignant, and joyfully romantic, The Phoenix Keeper is utterly transportive!"—Lyra Selene, author of A Feather So Black
"Filled with mystical creatures so vivid I could swear they’re real, two endearingly relatable zookeepers, and the coziest possible combination of intrigue and romance, THE PHOENIX KEEPER is a sparkling debut. I’d give anything for a ticket to the San Tamculo Zoo, and MacLean’s transporting book made me feel like I’d truly gone for a visit. I look forward to whatever’s next from this magically creative new voice in fantasy."—Laura R. Samotin, author of The Sins On Their Bones
"This book has it all: pining, a healthy amount of nerdiness, a cast of characters you'll consider friends, one amazing griffin keeper– and at its heart, a warming story about passion, preservation, and childhood dreams... Spiritually, I'm still at San Tamculo Zoo. Don't miss out!"—Vanessa Le, author of The Last Bloodcarver
"Sparkling with wit and dazzling with joy, The Phoenix Keeper is a delightfully romantic and richly imagined debut. A perfect cozy fantasy!"—K. M. Enright, author of Mistress of Lies
"A super cozy fantasy that follows the story of a phoenix keeper working at a zoo filled with magical animals while trying to save a critically endangered species is pretty much everything I never knew I needed. Bring on the sweet, low-stakes romantasy stories that aren’t driven by trauma or betrayal."—Paste Magazine
Library Journal
06/21/2024
DEBUT Phoenix keeper Aila is devoted to saving the endangered species. When a breeding pair is stolen from a neighboring zoo, she gets her chance to raise the next generation. Through that process, she finds within the strength to overcome her innate shyness and reticence to talk in front of other people—which become clear problems when she becomes the face of the beloved, magical birds. MacLean sets her debut in the enchanting San Tamculo Zoo, home of unicorns, griffins, dragons, and more. The details that she works into the zoo, about its operation and animals, will carry readers through the plot as Aila comes into her own—navigating friendships, her relationship with a fellow zookeeper, and the initially unwanted attentions of a long-standing rival—on top of the travails of getting the phoenixes to breed and the danger that criminals will try to steal her birds. VERDICT MacLean has crafted a lovely sojourn in a magical world that feels both familiar and wondrous. This mix of zoology, fantasy, and sapphic romance will have readers wishing they could buy a ticket to San Tamculo.—Neal Wyatt
