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The Tinker & The Witch
Cozy up by the fire with a new tale from author G. J. Daily, set in the world of ELOREE & ARDIMUS, about found family, tree horses, Night Watchmen and the mythical being covered in eyes that grants dangerous wishes.
It's Eden Vale, a Festival of Lights, in a cozy village nestled high in the hills, where Andrew, a seventeen-year-old tinker, is plying his trade when a blizzard forces him into the leaning cottage on the edge of town that everyone fears. When Lorna, a powerful witch whose memory is locked inside a strange and magical chest, saves Andrew's life, he is compelled to find a way to help her. This sends him on a scavenger-hunt-type adventure in search of a way to open the particularly moody chest holding Lorna's memories, secrets, and clues to their shared past. On his journey, Andrew falls in love, enjoys a cup of tea with unique and powerful creatures, and tries to understand what it means to be human in a world where there are very few, all while trying to help the only other human he has ever met.
Set in the world of ELOREE & ARDIMUS, THE TINKER AND THE WITCH is a cozy character-driven tale of good food, great friends and low-stakes adventure, rich with unique races that feel real.
It's Eden Vale, a Festival of Lights, in a cozy village nestled high in the hills, where Andrew, a seventeen-year-old tinker, is plying his trade when a blizzard forces him into the leaning cottage on the edge of town that everyone fears. When Lorna, a powerful witch whose memory is locked inside a strange and magical chest, saves Andrew's life, he is compelled to find a way to help her. This sends him on a scavenger-hunt-type adventure in search of a way to open the particularly moody chest holding Lorna's memories, secrets, and clues to their shared past. On his journey, Andrew falls in love, enjoys a cup of tea with unique and powerful creatures, and tries to understand what it means to be human in a world where there are very few, all while trying to help the only other human he has ever met.
Set in the world of ELOREE & ARDIMUS, THE TINKER AND THE WITCH is a cozy character-driven tale of good food, great friends and low-stakes adventure, rich with unique races that feel real.
300 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2023
557 people are currently reading
1708 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 133 reviews
February 12, 2025
I really loved this cozy fantasy book. The characters were wonderful and the adventure was so much fun. The writing style kept me engaged the whole time. Look forward to more.
January 19, 2024
Lovely cozy winter read! This is a sweet little fantasy tale that will make you want a cup of hot tea by a crackling fireplace. The story is warm and rich and I loved the characters. At only 50 pages in, I felt I was inside this magical world...which is done very well.
It doesn't have the high stakes feeling like most high fantasy, but I still felt really invested in the outcome and it kept me feeling that way until the end.
Simply put, the story made me smile...it made me happy, and I would recommend to any fantasy lover wanting something light-hearted and warm or anyone wanting to try to expand into reading fantasy.
It doesn't have the high stakes feeling like most high fantasy, but I still felt really invested in the outcome and it kept me feeling that way until the end.
Simply put, the story made me smile...it made me happy, and I would recommend to any fantasy lover wanting something light-hearted and warm or anyone wanting to try to expand into reading fantasy.
October 21, 2023
A Great Tale.
Need an escape? Come follow Andrew the tinker through a well conceived world of magic and fantasy. I promise you’ll love him.
Need an escape? Come follow Andrew the tinker through a well conceived world of magic and fantasy. I promise you’ll love him.
January 26, 2025
DNF. This book really could have used at least one or two more edits. There were a lot of typos which don’t usually bother me but with how the story was going it definitely irked me. The occasional character perspective jumps were not well done and usually only lasted for a paragraph or two so it was hard to follow. The story itself was kind of all over the place. I have no idea what the character’s motivation was because, while it mentioned several times what it was supposed to be, the main character did not seem to really act like that was their motivation. The supporting characters were not great and while it started out okay, I decided I didn’t want to spend more time reading it to see if the story eventually redeemed itself.
April 8, 2024
I loved this book! The story is enchanting and pulls you right in. Everything was executed superbly...writing style, character development, world building, but pacing dragged occasionally. (There was a possible inconsistency that I was hung up on, and tried to flip back through the book to sort it out but couldn't find it. I won't mention specifics because i don't want to ruin anything.) I was teetering between 4 and 5 stars because I don't give out 5 stars easily, but compared to what else I've read this year, it definitely deserves 5 stars. I'm excited to read more from this author!
This book will continue on as a traveling book in the best book club on Facebook, LiterALLy BOOKiSh.
This book will continue on as a traveling book in the best book club on Facebook, LiterALLy BOOKiSh.
July 27, 2024
A bit disappointed it wasn't deeper than what this story was. Loved the characters and creativeness of the story, just the ending was a little too simple and left me like "wow, all that for that?" I did like it, but it was just ok. The writing was also hard to get into in the beginning and then slowly grew on me, not sure if I'll read more from this author.
✨This was a traveling book in my book group literALLY BOOKiSh on Facebook
✨This was a traveling book in my book group literALLY BOOKiSh on Facebook
October 30, 2023
⭐️2.5 The story is colorful and magical, but lacks a captivating storyline.
I’m just not sure I jive with the author’s writing style.
I’m just not sure I jive with the author’s writing style.
February 19, 2024
This book is perfect. Really wonderful - beautiful! If you like fantasy, you should definitely read it. This author is now on my must-read-fantasy list.
This is a story of a young human man who was adopted by a tinkerer and learned his trade out in the bayou of a magical land. He comes across the only other human he's ever met, but she seems to have dementia, but she helps him and he is very grateful. He wants to help her in return and is drawn in by the mystery that surrounds her. He goes on a mini quest looking for answers that might help her, and succeeds. The relationships and experiences he has along the way are magical, the fantasy creatures, beings and societies very original.
This is a story of a young human man who was adopted by a tinkerer and learned his trade out in the bayou of a magical land. He comes across the only other human he's ever met, but she seems to have dementia, but she helps him and he is very grateful. He wants to help her in return and is drawn in by the mystery that surrounds her. He goes on a mini quest looking for answers that might help her, and succeeds. The relationships and experiences he has along the way are magical, the fantasy creatures, beings and societies very original.
January 22, 2024
A problem with being on Kindle Unlimited is that so many choices are average or below. That’s not the case here. The world building and level of imagination was well beyond what I’ve come to expect. While I found many moments emotional and endearing, this is truly a cozy—there’s few harrowing moments and the stakes seem small compared to many an epic fantasy—so if fast-paced and action-packed are required, you might want to look elsewhere.
But if beautiful prose, imaginative world building, and genuinely likable characters interest you, this one will be hard to beat when sitting in front of a warm fire. Andrew, the main character, is a genuinely nice person surrounded by other characters equally as nice. I often read dark books, so that was a fine palate cleanser.
The only complaint I can register is that several side quests took on the tone of video game fetch quests. I know they’re all the rage in LitRPG's these days, but G.J. Daily has too much potential to resort to that.
I just want him to continue writing. He has what it takes to become something special.
But if beautiful prose, imaginative world building, and genuinely likable characters interest you, this one will be hard to beat when sitting in front of a warm fire. Andrew, the main character, is a genuinely nice person surrounded by other characters equally as nice. I often read dark books, so that was a fine palate cleanser.
The only complaint I can register is that several side quests took on the tone of video game fetch quests. I know they’re all the rage in LitRPG's these days, but G.J. Daily has too much potential to resort to that.
I just want him to continue writing. He has what it takes to become something special.
May 7, 2025
I desperately wanted to love this book, as it was described as cozy and magical. While there was definitely a magical element within the story, I found the plot super convoluted and there was a lot of unnecessary back-and-forth with the main character that derailed the story for me. There also was very little witch(as in the witch from the title). I definitely wanted more magic and less world building/lore that didn’t seem to really go anywhere. I also believe that this story had some sort of novella that explained a lot of elements that were missing, and as this is supposed to be a first book, I really didn’t understand why those descriptions weren’t included.
July 22, 2024
Really cute little tale. Would love to see a continuation of the storyline.
December 1, 2024
A fun read to escape to another world!
June 25, 2025
This was not a bad story at all. A bit formulaic, but interesting in its description of worlds, and in its use of the human as a minority.
It was nearly unreadable in sentence structure, though. I found myself highlighting again and again, just to go back and try to figure out what the sentence actually said, and what on any planet the descriptor referred to. Combine that with a text that was likely dictated and then not proofread, so homonym misuse glared, and it was nearly unreadable. It took me nearly twice as long as it should have just to re-read so many paragraphs, and to mark the myriad homonym misuses.
I'd like to follow the story further, but not with that kind of writing.
It was nearly unreadable in sentence structure, though. I found myself highlighting again and again, just to go back and try to figure out what the sentence actually said, and what on any planet the descriptor referred to. Combine that with a text that was likely dictated and then not proofread, so homonym misuse glared, and it was nearly unreadable. It took me nearly twice as long as it should have just to re-read so many paragraphs, and to mark the myriad homonym misuses.
I'd like to follow the story further, but not with that kind of writing.
November 16, 2023
Heart warming fantasy that twists more than once to an unusual ending.
This is not a typical fantasy novel in that the magic is subtle, the fights are against adversity and rewards humanity. This tale was a slow burning read with great character interactions all leading to the final twist. It was a perfect tale to take me from reality into the realm of suspended disbelief. Thanks you for the journey!
This is not a typical fantasy novel in that the magic is subtle, the fights are against adversity and rewards humanity. This tale was a slow burning read with great character interactions all leading to the final twist. It was a perfect tale to take me from reality into the realm of suspended disbelief. Thanks you for the journey!
June 22, 2024
DNF. I might read this in hard copy. My rating here is for the audiobook, which was read by the author.
What I like:
+ The idea. I am into this idea of "slow fiction," like "slow tv," which has a more mundane beauty. I hope this author keeps going. I want to see how this develops.
+ The world built here is fantastic. I like the characters. I like the idea of a tinker hero. I like the idea of the witch in the woodland cottage.
+ Tea. How can one go wrong with tea?
What I did not like:
- What "reticule" is to Victorian romance novelists, "hearth" is to this author. It shows up every 500 words or so.
- The author mispronounces hearth when he reads his book. Since it shows a lot, it is mispronounced a lot.
- Lack of editing. A good editor would have caught dangling modifiers like 'Embracing one another, the man kissed his wife.' Little oddities like that throw me right out of the groove. Do better, publishers! Authors can't see everything.
- The protagonist considers stealing from the woman who saved his life. For a guy who leaves his wagon full of equipment unsupervised while he is getting sloshed in an inn, this is the height of wicked behavior. How am I supposed to like a protagonist who considers stealing from an old woman but doesn't--not because it's wrong--but because he doesn't think he can get away with it? You lost me there.
Like I said, I might go back in hard copy and struggle through. This has shades of Gaiman's Stardust and a dash of Peter Jackson's Radagast. It may be worth it. I think this author has something worth fostering. He should definitely let someone else voice the audiobook next time.
What I like:
+ The idea. I am into this idea of "slow fiction," like "slow tv," which has a more mundane beauty. I hope this author keeps going. I want to see how this develops.
+ The world built here is fantastic. I like the characters. I like the idea of a tinker hero. I like the idea of the witch in the woodland cottage.
+ Tea. How can one go wrong with tea?
What I did not like:
- What "reticule" is to Victorian romance novelists, "hearth" is to this author. It shows up every 500 words or so.
- The author mispronounces hearth when he reads his book. Since it shows a lot, it is mispronounced a lot.
- Lack of editing. A good editor would have caught dangling modifiers like 'Embracing one another, the man kissed his wife.' Little oddities like that throw me right out of the groove. Do better, publishers! Authors can't see everything.
- The protagonist considers stealing from the woman who saved his life. For a guy who leaves his wagon full of equipment unsupervised while he is getting sloshed in an inn, this is the height of wicked behavior. How am I supposed to like a protagonist who considers stealing from an old woman but doesn't--not because it's wrong--but because he doesn't think he can get away with it? You lost me there.
Like I said, I might go back in hard copy and struggle through. This has shades of Gaiman's Stardust and a dash of Peter Jackson's Radagast. It may be worth it. I think this author has something worth fostering. He should definitely let someone else voice the audiobook next time.
March 1, 2025
Just o.k.
I started reading this book because I saw an ad that said, "If you loved the Shire portion of Lord of the Rings, you'll love The Tinker and The Witch." This book is nothing like the Lord of The Rings. The writing style is wholly different, and it's not nearly as deep. That being said, the different species and environments mentioned in the book are creative. I felt like I was reading forever before anything really happened in the book. It was just Andrew traipsing back and forth to town over and over without a lot of action or anything of importance happening in between. There are a few interesting scenes, but mostly, the book is a bunch of questions without answers. Then, in the last few pages, everything is summed up so quickly that it seems unsatisfying. Why were humans hated? Why did Andrew's mother abandon him? How did Lithuel manage to raise him on his own without knowing anything about babies? How did Lorna know so much magic? Why did she need the books in the trunk to keep her memory? Overall, I feel like the book is lacking a lot of details, and the plot could have been filled in so much more.
I started reading this book because I saw an ad that said, "If you loved the Shire portion of Lord of the Rings, you'll love The Tinker and The Witch." This book is nothing like the Lord of The Rings. The writing style is wholly different, and it's not nearly as deep. That being said, the different species and environments mentioned in the book are creative. I felt like I was reading forever before anything really happened in the book. It was just Andrew traipsing back and forth to town over and over without a lot of action or anything of importance happening in between. There are a few interesting scenes, but mostly, the book is a bunch of questions without answers. Then, in the last few pages, everything is summed up so quickly that it seems unsatisfying. Why were humans hated? Why did Andrew's mother abandon him? How did Lithuel manage to raise him on his own without knowing anything about babies? How did Lorna know so much magic? Why did she need the books in the trunk to keep her memory? Overall, I feel like the book is lacking a lot of details, and the plot could have been filled in so much more.
July 23, 2024
I freaking LOVED this book. This story follows a young human man, Andrew, who was adopted by a tinkerer and learned his trade. One story night, Andrew makes a poor choice and heads out into a coming storm and right before the storm takes his life, he is saved by an old human woman, the only human Andrew has ever seen other than his own face in a mirror.
After she saves his life, he sets out to on a quest to help her and it's an utterly enchanting and magical tale with all manner of magical beings. This was a slow burn, almost slice of life, read with lovely character interactions all leading to the final twist (which I had guessed utterly wrong.) His horse "Brinley aka Mother Horse" is a fab sidekick too.
Audio version pet peeve: the narrator (who is the author) kept calling hearth (HUR.th) and it's used a lot in the book. There were also a couple of sections that repeat and one section where the audio went out for roughly 2 pages of the story before it returned. Also, speed it up, he reads very slowly.
After she saves his life, he sets out to on a quest to help her and it's an utterly enchanting and magical tale with all manner of magical beings. This was a slow burn, almost slice of life, read with lovely character interactions all leading to the final twist (which I had guessed utterly wrong.) His horse "Brinley aka Mother Horse" is a fab sidekick too.
Audio version pet peeve: the narrator (who is the author) kept calling hearth (HUR.th) and it's used a lot in the book. There were also a couple of sections that repeat and one section where the audio went out for roughly 2 pages of the story before it returned. Also, speed it up, he reads very slowly.
October 12, 2024
A story full of tree horses, Night Watchmen and the mythical being covered in eyes that grants dangerous wishes. I enjoyed it and will be reading more from this author.
Andrew is a seventeen-year-old tinker from a swamp that is near Jatoba, a cozy village nestled high in the hills. It’s the Festival of Lights and Andrew is trying to sell his wares and ply his skills to make some coin when a blizzard forces him into the leaning cottage on the edge of town that everyone fears. There lives a powerful witch named Lorna whose memory is locked inside a sentient chest. She saves Andrew’s life and he is determined to find a way to help her. This sends him on a scavenger hunt adventure in search of a way to open the particularly moody chest holding Lorna’s memories, secrets, and clues to their shared past. On his journey, Andrew also falls in love and enjoys a cup of tea with unique and powerful creatures. He is granted a dangerous and costly wish to help Lorna and himself.
Andrew is a seventeen-year-old tinker from a swamp that is near Jatoba, a cozy village nestled high in the hills. It’s the Festival of Lights and Andrew is trying to sell his wares and ply his skills to make some coin when a blizzard forces him into the leaning cottage on the edge of town that everyone fears. There lives a powerful witch named Lorna whose memory is locked inside a sentient chest. She saves Andrew’s life and he is determined to find a way to help her. This sends him on a scavenger hunt adventure in search of a way to open the particularly moody chest holding Lorna’s memories, secrets, and clues to their shared past. On his journey, Andrew also falls in love and enjoys a cup of tea with unique and powerful creatures. He is granted a dangerous and costly wish to help Lorna and himself.
December 4, 2024
There were some good aspects to this work. Something the author did really well was providing interesting information and details relating to the immediate setting, such as rooms in buildings or details of a festival and different stalls. The author was also quite creative, from details relating to plants, animals, and food that added some good details to the work.
Unfortunately, the broader setting and worldbuilding were lacking. I wanted much more from them, and it left the story feeling somewhat unanchored. There really wasn’t any plot to this one and the characters weren’t strong enough to carry the lack of plot. The characters were lacking in development and the secondary characters were largely lacking in personality. There were also several typos and errors throughout the work.
Overall, the author is creative and has some good ideas, but the execution was weak.
Unfortunately, the broader setting and worldbuilding were lacking. I wanted much more from them, and it left the story feeling somewhat unanchored. There really wasn’t any plot to this one and the characters weren’t strong enough to carry the lack of plot. The characters were lacking in development and the secondary characters were largely lacking in personality. There were also several typos and errors throughout the work.
Overall, the author is creative and has some good ideas, but the execution was weak.
February 17, 2024
I am a little sad to say that this one just didn’t really do it for me. I tried to really enjoy this book but eventually just found myself scrolling through to finish. With that being said, at the start of the book I did think that the details were fantastic. I enjoyed the characters and learning about the different fantasy creatures that lived in and around the forest and swamp. I also really liked the personality of the witchy woman and wanted to get to know her story more. The development of the story was pretty nice also. In the end though, I just couldn’t keep my mind on the story and knew I had to move on.
August 22, 2024
Loved this
This book was cozy but also intriguing. I enjoyed the seamless transitions between points of view. The characters were delightful. I loved the big adventure that didn't feel rushed despite covering so much in a relatively small amount of pages.
The little (and big) revelations were great. I loved how matter-of-fact the world is presented. That these things are normal to the characters, so they should be normal to us.
The writing was inviting and descriptive without droning on about unnecessary details. The world is so interesting.
I very much want to read more about these characters and will be looking into more from G. J. Daily soon
This book was cozy but also intriguing. I enjoyed the seamless transitions between points of view. The characters were delightful. I loved the big adventure that didn't feel rushed despite covering so much in a relatively small amount of pages.
The little (and big) revelations were great. I loved how matter-of-fact the world is presented. That these things are normal to the characters, so they should be normal to us.
The writing was inviting and descriptive without droning on about unnecessary details. The world is so interesting.
I very much want to read more about these characters and will be looking into more from G. J. Daily soon
January 7, 2025
Wonderful cozy read!
Oh, man! I wanted to give this 5 stars so badly! The book was written so incredibly beautifully, but the last chapter... there were a couple of spots that mad me hiccup while reading. A couple lines where I was confused who was saying them. It broke me out of the story. The last chapter also felt a bit rushed. I wanted more emotion as everything came together. You can tell it's closing a chapter in Andrew's life and opening a new one and it just ended quickly. Still, this book had amazing and imaginative characters, landscapes, magic. It was all new and refreshing... cozy and comforting. I could read another dozen books in this world happily!
Oh, man! I wanted to give this 5 stars so badly! The book was written so incredibly beautifully, but the last chapter... there were a couple of spots that mad me hiccup while reading. A couple lines where I was confused who was saying them. It broke me out of the story. The last chapter also felt a bit rushed. I wanted more emotion as everything came together. You can tell it's closing a chapter in Andrew's life and opening a new one and it just ended quickly. Still, this book had amazing and imaginative characters, landscapes, magic. It was all new and refreshing... cozy and comforting. I could read another dozen books in this world happily!
January 30, 2024
This book has all the pieces of a wonderful fairytale full of fascinating characters but the entire thing felt half baked. We barely get to know any of the interesting side characters, including the witch, and the main character, who we spend the entire book with, feels one dimensional. He's having the most amazing adventures and never has a strong emotion (except of course when he gets drunk near the beginning and is a dick because he feels like he was teased by a pretty woman, who ends up apologizing to HIM for the altercation 🙄).
February 7, 2024
3.5/5.0 Stars
A solid cozy winter read in a beautifully realized magical world with some unique races. Andrew the tinker has his life saved by a witch (Lorna) who lost her memory. In his quest to repay her kindness, Andrew will encounter many interested characters and uncover truths from his own past as well.
For more on our thoughts, please check out the Nerdy Reads Podcast Episode 43! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2153743/14...
Also join our Discord channel and chat books and all things nerd culture with us!
https://discord.gg/qVCBAQZv
A solid cozy winter read in a beautifully realized magical world with some unique races. Andrew the tinker has his life saved by a witch (Lorna) who lost her memory. In his quest to repay her kindness, Andrew will encounter many interested characters and uncover truths from his own past as well.
For more on our thoughts, please check out the Nerdy Reads Podcast Episode 43! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2153743/14...
Also join our Discord channel and chat books and all things nerd culture with us!
https://discord.gg/qVCBAQZv
April 29, 2024
This is a delightful, imaginative, and creative piece of work, much like an adult fairy tale, minus raunchiness. All the important components are included, love, family, relationships, and so much more. Through the authors artistic rendition, the characters and story come to life. Reading this leaves with you a bit of an inner glow, feeling like you’ve just had a wonderful adventure you will always treasure.
I would recommend this to adults primarily, because we all need to spend a little time with little me, and some younger folks may find it on the scary side.
I would recommend this to adults primarily, because we all need to spend a little time with little me, and some younger folks may find it on the scary side.
May 7, 2024
I had higher hopes for this one, everyone that I've talked to that has read it loved it. I thought it was mediocore at best. It could also be my present overall mood, or that I do not seek out these books on a regular basis. I am more a thriller, mystery, horror person. I joined a traveling book group for YA fiction, hoping to find something outside my comfort zone.
I honestly am at a loss of how to describe the book, and the background of it, the title gives the overall premise of it. This is one of my worst reviews ever.
I honestly am at a loss of how to describe the book, and the background of it, the title gives the overall premise of it. This is one of my worst reviews ever.
March 13, 2024
Not bad.
Some interesting concepts. Not much tension/drama, because the stakes were never really very high. If the main character can't explain why he cares about someone, or some thing, why should we? Several characters and moments seemed two dimensional or artificially added to the world just to further the plot for a few pages, without desires or stakes of their own. Not a bad book, and certainly better than what I can write, but not a gripping page-turner for me.
Some interesting concepts. Not much tension/drama, because the stakes were never really very high. If the main character can't explain why he cares about someone, or some thing, why should we? Several characters and moments seemed two dimensional or artificially added to the world just to further the plot for a few pages, without desires or stakes of their own. Not a bad book, and certainly better than what I can write, but not a gripping page-turner for me.
April 16, 2024
The storytelling is quite enjoyable, a pleasant piece in a small setting. I suspect this is self-published, as there are several typos and a weird habit of retelling what the reader already knows in dialogue form. I just skimmed past those after a bit. Nonetheless, I recommend the book on account of an engaging plot and interesting character interactions. There’s nothing too deep here. It just flows really well.
June 20, 2024
this one is a keeper
Wow, just Wow, this is one of those books you know your going to read again and it will go on to the shelf of all your other favorites, the psalms of the wild built, hitchhiking guide to the galaxy, the Hobbit and LOTR, the Dark Tower; The Gunslinger and a few more. I hope there is another story, best I should go look for it. Thank you, I really really enjoyed this book
Wow, just Wow, this is one of those books you know your going to read again and it will go on to the shelf of all your other favorites, the psalms of the wild built, hitchhiking guide to the galaxy, the Hobbit and LOTR, the Dark Tower; The Gunslinger and a few more. I hope there is another story, best I should go look for it. Thank you, I really really enjoyed this book
January 19, 2025
I’m not sure if this is meant to be a children’s book or what, but it just sort of jumped into a fantasy world and there wasn’t a lot of explanation of things in the world. But I found the story kind of boring. I basically started grazing over and just reading the dialogue because there were descriptions of things, but not ones that really helped you understand the world. Anyway- not for me, in the end the story was super simple and I didn’t really care about the characters that much.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 133 reviews