Review: Witch in the Lighthouse by Azalea Forrest

Blurb:

Witch in the Lighthouse is a warm cup of tea full of magic, hope, friendship, and forgiveness.

Moving to Lightview was supposed to be a new beginning for Magnolia Hanna, a piece of closure, a connection to her past. Inheriting her uncle's lighthouse wouldn't make her life easy, but she never expected such hostile neighbors. She was a witch from the hidden mountain hamlet of Emelle, after all, and Lightview hadn't housed a witch in more than a decade.

Unfriendly villagers are the least of her problems, however, when a witch named Basil Olivander arrives on her doorstep, weighed down by his own grief. Maggie soon learns why Lightview harbors such disdain for witches — and who is to blame for her troubles in this new town.

Book One in The Witch of Emelle Series

Review:

Sometimes you need a break from the high stakes and morally gray characters of grimdark fantasy or the spine-tingling bloodiness of dark fantasy. Enter cozy fantasy!  Nothing is as calming as reading about nice characters interacting with their friends, drinking their hot beverage of choice, and dealing with the low-stakes issues of day-to-day life. And Witch in the Lighthouse does this so well! 

However, there are still some stakes, so I’d call this cozy-adjacent.  It’s not all making tea and crumpets, okay?  There are conflicts and villains of sorts, even if none of the villains are intent on destroying the world. 

The best way I can describe this book is Stardew Valley meets Legends and Lattes, with a healthy dose of witchcraft. Potions, cups of tea, and baked goods all make this a compellingly cozy read.  Some of the press I saw for this book mentioned Studio Ghibili similarities, which may well be the case, but I’m far from an expert on those films. What I do know is that this was a fun, calming experience that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Characters: 

Magnolia (Maggie) Hanna: A kind young woman who moves from her home village (all witches) to the a different town (no witches) and struggles to fit in with the locals, who have built-in prejudices toward her kind, Her uncle was the lighthouse keeper in the town, and after his death, she moves there to carry on his legacy. She’s sweet, caring, and always willing to help the people in her new home, even those who discriminate against her. Maggie is a wonderful protagonist and someone I enjoyed following. She’s well developed, has complexity and motivations, and is that plucky heroine you can’t help but love.

Basil: The villain of the story, who gets a decent amount of POV time. I wasn’t as invested in him and often found him a relatively generic pseudo-villain. He’s committed atrocities, but didn’t really mean to. He was angry! He has quite a bit of angst toward the people of the village, but during his POV sections, I found myself waiting to get back to Maggie.  He does have some complexity, especially as the story moves along, but I feel like a lot of his anger could be solved if he just learned how to communicate.

There was a good cast of smaller characters who all added some fun to the town: Honorable mention to the produce seller in the town, who had some great moments!

Story:

The story is at its best when it focuses on Maggie’s day to day life in the village. Think Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing. There are baked goods, shopping trips, and moments of what could blossom into romance. Speaking of romance, that’s something I hoped for a bit more of. Maggie is twenty-one and seems to be growing quite close to a boy in the village, and I was slightly disappointed that there wasn’t any romance between them. Also, I felt like there were hints of a romance between Basil and Maggie’s Uncle Tom, but again, nothing explicitly stated. I didn’t need the book to become a full on romance novel, but I would have liked just a bit more!  Also, Basil’s redemption arc may have happened a little too fast for my taste, but everything ended with a satisfying conclusion. 

Worldbuilding/Magic System:

The story is set in a world that seems similar to our own, but with witches. They can fly and make potions, and Basil has some higher level powers, but the magic system isn’t fully explored beyond that. Maggie mentions to her friend that anyone can become a witch, which I like; it’s refreshing to see a story where the magic is available to all who are willing to practice. And with a short novella like this, you don’t need an incredibly detailed analysis of the magic system.  The town is well fleshed out and is the kind of place I want to live in. Please, let me go to a harvest festival! 

Conclusion:

A fun read full of hope. When you need a short, sweet, and positive palate cleanser read, Witch in the Lighthouse fits the bill!