Book: Twig's Traveling Tomes by Gryffin Murphy
Reviewed by Rallie X
Rating: 4/5
Thanks to @librofm for giving me access to a free version of this audiobook. This review and opinions are my own.
Oh. My. God. What a cute little book! I want Louella's clothes! and house! and life (mostly. She can keep the man, I don't want one of those). Also Imogen Church's narration nails the vibe so hard, I love it - all of the characters have distinct voices in a really natural way; both Louella's and Everett's voices especially were just perfect.
Seriously Louella has the life that I think every middle school and high school girl who spent lunch in the library would have wanted for themselves - dope treehouse (I was picturing the Lost Boys in Hook), skirts FULL of useful pockets, and a magically travelling bookstore (I mean I guess I'll just speak for myself but I know I'm not alone in this!!!). Gryffin Murphy fills this silly goose with so much heart it's impossible not to fall in love with "Twigs" as fast as Everett does (aka at first sight - DON'T LIE MR CRIMINAL YOU KNOW I'M RIGHT). The way she chafes against the adventuring party that grows around her is so sweet, and I love how all of them met her where she was while also being a liiittle bit more of a push in the direction of letting herself be free. Because she really does have a terrible case of SGD (Silly Goose Disorder), and Murphy writes it in a way that is endearing rather than pitiful.
At first I was kind of grumpy at Everett, but I think that's proof that I do not belong as the heroine of a cozy romantic adventure novel - because Miss SGD has it bad for him from the get-go (forearms - iykyk), and I just cannot fathom putting up with somebody so dead set on annoying the shit out of you for the lolz just because you wanna hit that. As he becomes more conscientious of Louella and changes his joking to fit within her comfort zone he grew on me though.
The setting was cute, Murphy did a really great job of taking everything that the cozy fantasy setting has to offer and making it her own. Twig's Traveling Tomes fits in the Discworld, The Impossible Garden of Clara Thorne, The Spellshop flavor of fantasy - full of danger but with genuinely good (if not strange) people along the way. I know this is one I'm going to come back to more than once because there's just so much! Forest giants that can read the future? Lesbian sky pirate-botanists?? Come on. What more can you ask for?
"I believe the statute of limitations on any theft I've been accused of has expired..."
"PARDON?" Louella gaped at him.
"I said, off I go!"