Wooing the Witch Queen by Stephanie Burgis

The City in Glass: A Beautiful, Heartbreaking Fantasy

Author: Stephanie Burgis
Published: February 18th, 2025
Publisher: Bramble
Rating: 3/5

Wooing the Witch Queen has all the ingredients for a cozy romantasy—an isolated castle, magical secrets, and two unlikely characters slowly falling for each other. I was really intrigued by the setup: a “wicked” queen hiring a mysterious dark wizard to organize her magical library, only to discover he’s actually an archduke in disguise. Add in crows, magical spells, and some political tension, and it sounded like a great time.

Unfortunately, the execution didn’t quite live up to the premise for me.

While the tone was soft and warm—almost like a fairy tale—the story itself lacked depth. I didn’t feel much tension or real stakes between the characters, even though they were supposed to be from rival nations. Saskia is labeled a “wicked sorceress,” but we never see anything close to villainy from her. She’s kind, thoughtful, and fighting for equality, which is great, but I was hoping for at least a little more edge, especially given how the book described her reputation.

Felix (aka Fabian) was sweet and charming, and their dynamic was wholesome, but also very predictable. There were no real twists or emotional surprises, and I never felt like the relationship was in serious danger, even when secrets were revealed. For a story based on disguises and hidden identities, everything felt a little too safe.

The writing style leaned heavily into cozy vibes, which some readers will love, but for me, it felt overly wordy at times. There were moments where the pacing dragged, and I found myself wishing we could move forward instead of lingering in inner monologue or quirky side details.

That said, I did enjoy the magical world and the lighter tone—it was a good palate cleanser between heavier reads. And while I wasn’t completely won over by this one, I’m still curious to see what the next book in the series does with the other queens.

If you’re looking for a soft, sweet romantasy with very low stakes and cozy vibes, this could be a great pick. Just don’t go in expecting an epic villain queen or high drama romance.

Overall, Wooing the Witch Queen is a sweet, light fantasy romance with a great premise and soft characters, but it didn’t quite deliver the tension or depth I hoped for. A solid three-star read—cozy, but forgettable.