Any fans of cozy fantasy have to have heard of Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea. It’s one of the first books I heard about when this subgenre was gaining traction. And I’m so happy to have finally read it! Keep reading this book review of Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea for my full thoughts.
Summary
All Reyna and Kianthe want is to open a bookshop that serves tea. Worn wooden floors, plants on every table, firelight drifting between the rafters… all complemented by love and good company. Thing is, Reyna works as one of the Queen’s private guards, and Kianthe is the most powerful mage in existence. Leaving their lives isn’t so easy.
But after an assassin takes Reyna hostage, she decides she’s thoroughly done risking her life for a self-centered queen. Meanwhile, Kianthe has been waiting for a chance to flee responsibility–all the better that her girlfriend is on board. Together, they settle in Tawney, a town that boasts more dragons than people, and open the shop of their dreams.
What follows is a cozy tale of mishaps, mysteries, and a murderous queen throwing the realm’s biggest temper tantrum. In a story brimming with hurt/comfort and quiet fireside conversations, these two women will discover just what they mean to each other… and the world.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Cozy fantasy fans lets go! Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea is exactly what I was looking for. It’s a story about realizing that our happiness, our decisions, our choices matter. That we can embrace our own future if we are brave enough. That we don’t have to let our powers and abilities be used for purposes that we don’t agree with. It’s a story about finding and creating our own ending. I also loved how unexpectedly domestic this was?
I knew it was cozy, but I loved how Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea feels like two characters who finally have the chance to be together. And have to figure out how to be together. How our relationship would work, how we could be, if we had the opportunity. Both Reyna and Kianthe want to be seen for who they are, not what they can do. Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea is cozy, low stakes (in most parts), and delves into characters. Into the idea that we can make a community, that we don’t have to ‘earn’ the ability to be loved.
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It’s sweet, fantastical, and charming all at once. I also loved the narration of Jessica Threet for bringing such an inflection to the book. There’s a real sense of drama and emotion in the dialogues which I sincerely enjoyed. All in all, Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea lived up to the hype! Find Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.