Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - Can't Spell Treason Without Tea

Welcome to New Leaf Tomes & Tea! This cozy fantasy follows an evil queen’s bodyguard and a powerful head mage who run away together to a small town to open a tearoom and bookshop. I think you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t *like* this book, but I didn’t *love* the combination of high stakes and easy resolutions or the flatly evil queen. Still, a pleasant and affirming read I’d recommend for anyone in the mood for a cozy fantasy!

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natashaleighton_'s review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

A warm, cosy hug of a read with an uplifting premise (and endearing cast of characters) that thoroughly stole my heart! If you loved Legends & Lattes or have been in a book hangover ever since reading and in desperate need a new cosy fantasy to fully immerse in, then you must consider checking this out!

Though not entirely low stakes (we do get a pretty action filled sequence involving dragons,as well as a stand off or two) the character development and dynamics between lovebirds Reyna and Kianthe was beautifully heartwarming. And I enjoyed watching them working to make their dream of running a tea serving Bookshop (called Tomes & Tea) a reality.

Having loyally served a tyrannical Queen for almost all her life, we follow former Queen’s guard Reyna who has decided to run away with her girlfriend, (the quite important and powerful Mage of Ages) Kianthe to pursue their dream of opening up a Bookshop—where tea and tasty baked goods are just as plentiful as the books!

Yet all is not quite well, for their new hometown of Tawney is under constant siege by dragons, which has seen this once prosperous town struggle to sustain its community. Wanting to solve the mystery and protect their new home, Kianthe and Reyna decide to investigate the possible motives behind the Dragon’s ire. But their discovery goes far deeper as the pair, in the midst of building a new life, learn just what they mean to each other…

Full of mishaps, mysteries, dragons and vengeful Queens— I was utterly ensnared by this whimsical, cosy, sapphic fantasy and didn’t want to put it down! Rebecca Thorne’s well plotted and character driven prose had me emotionally invested from the very start. And not only in the lives of Reyna and Kianthe either, but also the supporting cast who make up the loveable, tight-knit community within Tawney.

I adored Kianthe, who was an enthusiastically smitten ball of elemental magic (and cheesy puns) that I found instantly endearing. Her outgoing personality and sense of humour was delightfully infectious and complemented Reyna’s introspectively wary demeanour soo well.

They do both struggle a little in their new roles (and dynamics) at first, but their support: in inspiring and challenging one another to be themselves (in ways they’ve never been allowed to before) was what really had me rooting for them.

Overall, an enjoyably engaging and comforting read that (as controversial as it may sound, and please don’t hate me) I actually preferred more than Legends & Lattes. I don’t know if it was the banter, the dragons or Kianthe’s sassy Griffon Visk, but Thorne’s take on the Cosy Fantasy genre was simply marvellous!

Also a huge thank you to Book Break UK and Olivia-Savannah at Tor UK for the proof & finished copy.

Content Warnings

sarrie's review against another edition

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lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

TL;DR: I have to say I’m disappointed. This was a bit overly long, and I feel mislabeled as cozy. It was dull with moments of very high stakes and I was left with a feeling of whiplash.

Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea is a book that’s been on my radar since it was independently released. It’s been recommended many places as a good title to read if you enjoyed Legends and Lattes, and it was so well recieved that Tor picked it up for a big release. It’s the story of two women who run away together to start a life in a book and tea shop.

The premise sounds amazing, and possibly why I was so excited. I love bookshops, tea, and cozy fantasy in general but this one had some issues I found frustrating. First off, this didn’t feel cozy, instead it felt just a dull. The story, instead of the constant warm feeling that a cozy builds gradually, went through lulls of slow and rather dull moments where problems and issues were hand-waved away and moments of high tension where characters and others lives were at stake. The ‘things’ of cozy fantasy were there. Plants, books, tea, pastries, etc. But they felt like set dressing and very flat.

The relationship between the characters could have also affected this because it just didn’t have it. The two women are in a relationship from the beginning and as such we never see the initial coming together. Instead we’re told a lot how they fell in love or how they feel, but shown mostly the slow less interesting side of a relationship. Their conversations, while never overly long always devolve into one of two things: Sex Jokes or Oh WOW Our Communication is SO good.

The world could be interesting and I might consider picking up the second book on a whim, but I really hope the whiplash feeling of slow and dull to abruptly high stakes is evened out. Cozy, to me, is a slow build to whatever is lingering behind the characters. This was an up and down rollercoaster billed as ‘cozy’ and left me feeling very off balance.

3 Undying Plants out of 5

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mamaewalk's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

A cozy fantasy with a little bit of adventure.

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betweentheshelves's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This was a delight! The perfect book to read on vacation, honestly. I think it might have been a little longer than it needed to be, but I enjoyed the overall atmosphere of the book. The cast of characters were lovely, making a little found family in this town that they settle in. I'm loving that we're getting more of these cozy fantasy books, because they're fun to read if you're not looking for something that's too heavy. There's still some action and adventure, but for the most part, the stakes are relatively low.

I also love books where they open a little bookshop because it's always such fun. The magic system in this was interesting, too. I'd love to learn more about it!

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lotte5322's review against another edition

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3.5

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hailstorm3812's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This was super sweet and right was it says on the label, a cozy fantasy. It is comforting and hopeful with stakes that a interesting but you know it will get a HEA. I also liked that it is a being in love romance rather than the usual falling in love. I liked exploring the difficulties of being in relationship and how they worked through it.

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strange_little_ranger's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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