I love a good cozy fantasy, and I was really excited by a cozy fantasy set at a zoo and about conservation of magical creatures. I enjoyed a lot of the descriptions of the zoo and of the phoenixes, but this didn't pull me into the world as much as some other cozy fantasies I've read. It was a very slow read, and I felt like the romance took way too long to develop. I was also frustrated by how long it took Aila to realize things that were quickly obvious as a reader.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy.