Lately, when searching for something to read, I’m gravitating towards cozy fantasy. It’s a somewhat new genre that was apparently inspired by cozy mysteries. (At least that’s what my Google search came up with.)
What is cozy fantasy? It’s light and usually has a plot driven by the main character who resides in a small town. (Or ends up in a small town.) The stakes are low, and the pacing tends to be slow. There is an element of mystery or goal achievement mixed with humor and romance. The romance spice level in cozy fantasy can go from sweet-clean like a Hallmark movie, to full spice.
This interest led me to Max Vale’s Tonic Shop at the Edge of the World. It was also listed as LitRPG (Literary Role-Playing Game). In the book, we meet the main character who’s ready to open his own tonic shop. His recently deceased parents were well known, and he wants to make a name for himself. He visits the Brewer’s Guild to find out where his Tonic Shop placement. He’s a bit discouraged to find out that it’s at, you guessed it, the edge of the world.
The initial start of the book is slow, a typical characteristic of this genre. However, as the story unfolds, the main character’s journey keeps you curious. The world-building is well done and quite intriguing. I was very curious to learn more and I hope this book becomes a series.
With the slow pacing, there was one aspect I didn’t enjoy and ended up skipping it when reading. When the main character finds a plant, the reader gets a detailed description of the plant and its brewing purposes. These parts are short and italicized (making them easy to skip). The descriptions are important as this is LitRPG, but I found them boring after a while. That being said, Max Vale made every plant vital to the story, so the information wasn’t filler content. Kudos to the author for giving each word purpose.
The main character is interesting. He didn’t lose heart despite his discouraging beginning. I found myself liking him because of his positive attitude. It wasn’t saccharine, which can sometimes happen with overly upbeat characters. Vale did present a character with a good balance of ups and downs. However, the character’s overall attitude was, “I’m going to make the best of it”. And he does.
I also enjoyed discovering the world of this book and the characters. While the book did have your standard list of supernatural types, the author made them his own. The unique spin was subtle and kept enough of the established familiar to keep the fantasy element grounded. This gave the story a freshness that made it entertaining.
If you’re looking for something light to read with feel-good vibes, then I suggest checking out Max Vales book, Tonic Shop at the Edge of the World.
K. M. Wray 