Review: A Fellowship of Librarians & Dragons by J. Penner
Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ (3.0/5)
Vibes and Tropes: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5.0/5 for Cozy Fantasy Vibes and Tropes)
Trope Tags: #FoundFamily #ReluctantCaretaker #TeaMagic #BabyDragonChaos
Vibes: Teacups and banter, cottagecore drama, cute dragon shenanigans, emotional repression with sparkles.
Overview:
This follow-up to The Fellowship of Bakers returns us to Adenashire—a charming magical village full of memorable characters. Doli Butterbuckle, a tea witch with a people-pleasing problem, unexpectedly inherits a dragon egg and becomes a reluctant dragon keeper. Also on the scene? A gargoyle librarian with a murky past, visiting parents who act like a stress spell incarnate, and a cast that doesn’t quite know what to do with any of it. Including Doli.
What Worked:
Penner has a real gift for conjuring cozy atmospheres and charming magical details. The dragon’s personality is adorable and Evvy is pure wish-fulfillment fantasy if you’ve ever wanted a chaotic magical creature. The tropes are all here, and honestly, they’re some of the best parts. Found family, gentle non-toxic romance, healing arcs, and magical small-town charm? Check. Check. Check.
The book also wants to do meaningful emotional work: themes of self-worth, boundaries, and healing parental wounds are baked in from page one. And that’s no small feat. This kind of emotional scaffolding is often skipped in low-stakes fantasy, so I give Penner credit for including it.
Room to Grow:
The story unfortunately tries to do too much, which means a lot of threads don’t land the way they could. Doli’s parents, Sarson’s backstory, the romance arc, the emotional payoff with Evvy... they’re all there, but lightly explored, and often resolved too quickly or not at all. This might leave some readers feeling a bit aimless or underwhelmed.
This could’ve been stronger with a sharper focus: pick two major arcs and develop them fully. Right now, everything competes for space and ends up feeling thin, even when the setup, and Doli herself, is great.
Final Thoughts:
This is a book that knows the cozy genre and delivers the mood—but sometimes mood isn’t quite enough. I still think there’s value here, especially for readers who love a whimsical setting and aren’t too fussed about deep plot cohesion. If you go in expecting soft vibes, quirky companions who banter, and light magical hijinks, you’ll likely enjoy the ride, just don’t expect all the pieces to click into place in a gloriously satisfying way by the end.
My cozy take?
Cute concept, strong cozy vibes, and an adorable reluctant dragon egg caretaker story? Yes. But the story’s magic would’ve been stronger with fewer threads and more follow-through.
Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the eARC.
