Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore

By: Emily Krempholtz

Narrated by: Emma Ladji

A powerful plant witch and a grumpy alchemist must work together to save their quiet town from a magical plague in this debut cozy fantasy romance about starting over, redemption, and what it really means to be a good person.

Guy Shadowfade is dead, and after a lifetime as the dark sorcerer’s right-hand, Violet Thistlewaite is determined to start over—not as the fearsome Thornwitch, but as someone kind. Someone better. Someone good.

The quaint town of Dragon’s Rest, Violet decides, will be her second chance—she’ll set down roots, open a flower shop, keep her sentient (mildly homicidal) houseplant in check, and prune dark magic from the twisted boughs of her life.

Violet’s vibrant bouquets and cheerful enchantments soon charm the welcoming townsfolk, though nothing seems to impress the prickly yet dashingly handsome Nathaniel Marsh, an alchemist sharing her greenhouse. With a struggling business and his own second chance seemingly out of reach, Nathaniel has no time for flowers or frippery—and certainly none for the intriguing witch next door.

When a mysterious blight endangers every living plant in Dragon’s Rest, Violet and Nathaniel must work together, through their fears, pasts, and growing feelings for one another, to save their community. But with a figure from her previous life knocking at her door and her secrets threatening to uproot everything she’s worked so hard to grow, Violet can’t help but wonder…does a former villain truly deserve a happily-ever-after?

Not Great, Not Awful… Walks the Line Between “Good” and “Just Okay”

I’m conflicted about this debut novel. I wanted to like it… I truly did… because I love the premise.

The cozy parts of this cozy fantasy romance are quite good indeed… I loved the characters and supporting cast, the setting, the interactions. It feels warm and cozy, which is exactly what I’d wanted.

The fantasy part? It’s okay. Some of the names… Karissa the Tempest and Guy Shadowfade, for example… hit like someone’s NPC from Dungeons and Dragons. The rock goblins were engaging, but hard to visualize. It wasn’t as immersive as many truly wonderful fantasy worlds; the reader is always aware that this is a created and crafted world.

The problematic parts, for me, are the prose and the… er… “romance.” The prose and dialogue often come off as slightly stilted or awkward, which is quite typical for a fantasy originally destined for self-publication. The author relies a bit too much on adverbs, and on trying for a “storyteller” narrative voice. Parts just don’t flow- they stutter along, vacillating between sounding natural and organic and… not. But these parts aren’t enough to ruin the storyline; they’re just a bit jarring.

The romance is what I guess kids these days call “spicy.” It’s not what I was looking for in a cozy fantasy; I prefer “fade to black” scenes rather than Harlequin-esque details, and an entire chapter devoted to “the first time” was so awkward and cringey (for my taste) that I ultimately skipped ahead. Other readers may feel differently, but I just don’t feel spicy and blatant sexuality fits with the “cozy” genre. Again, though, people who like that sort of thing would disagree. I wished that the love story subplot had more substance than the physical- there were moments where the characters did make an emotional connection, but those moments got a bit eclipsed by the sexual yearning.

On the whole, it’s clear that this is a debut novel. The author needs to find her stride and smooth out the rough parts in her narrative voice. I was drawn in by the premise and the “USA Today bestselling author” lure, but really had to work at finishing the whole book. There were a few pleasant surprises in the plot crafting, though most of the plot line was quite predictable, and I’m sad that I didn’t love the story as much as I’d wanted to. The story had a great deal of potential, but ultimately left me flat.

Your mileage may vary!

Loved this!!!

I rrad this two days i didnt wanna put it down. When laptop is fixed ill do a better review. Looking forward to more from this author.

Cozy fantasy/romance

Sweet, easy, and charming read. I liked the fantasy elements. Predictable but that was part of its charm. Just what I wanted it to be!

So much more than what I expected

Though confusing at the beginning, this book slowly revealed itself to be more and more as it dropped its skins to reveal the true meaning of good and evil. Though we may think we have choices, when we are steered in the wrong direction we can be blinded to the facts that there are other paths to follow of which we are capable and could be proud to have taken. This was a wonderful book for the lessons to be learned and meaning of forgiveness and responsibility.

slow read

it took over half the book to really get interesting. it was a slow burn and could have done more to get you invested in the characters. it was still fun and worth the listen.