Bisma knows three things to be true: the Enchanted Forest will always be her home, she would go to the ends of the Earth to protect her sisters, and Xander Chapman is the most irritating guy she's ever met.
Since finding a home in the Enchanted Forest, Bisma - a garden witch with a penchant for potions - has always been protective of other runaways. So, if a drop of one of her poisons finds its way into the porridge of those who have hurt them . . . that's none of her business.
But Xander, the charmingly handsome son of the apothecary, sees things differently and is fast becoming known for creating cures - much to Bisma's annoyance.
When her sisters are poisoned themselves, Bisma will need to put her feelings aside and enlist Xander's help to find out who is responsible and save the only family she has, before it's too late.
Aamna Qureshi has woven a beautiful, warm and rich world of magic in this charming new cosy YA fantasy.
Aamna Qureshi is a Pakistani, Muslim American who adores words. She is an award-winning and USA Today, Amazon, and Times bestselling author who grew up on Long Island, New York, in a very loud household, surrounded by English (for school), Urdu (for conversation), and Punjabi (for emotion). Much of her childhood was spent being grounded for reading past her bed-time, writing stories in the backs of her notebooks, and being scolded by teachers for passing chapters under the tables. Through her writing, she wishes to inspire a love for the beautiful country and rich culture that informed much of her identity.
When she's not writing, she loves to travel to new places where she can explore different cultures or to Pakistan where she can revitalize her roots. She also loves baking complicated desserts, drinking fancy teas and coffees, watching sappy rom-coms, and going for walks about the estate (her backyard). She currently lives in New York. Look for her on IG @aamna_qureshi and Twitter @aamnaqureshi_ and at her website aamnaqureshi.com.
Unique, magical and warmhearted, The Witch’s Guide to Love and Poison has easily found its way onto my list of top cosy fantasy reads.
With its treehouse dwelling in an enchanted forest, focus on sisterhood and rival garden witch romance, everything about this book was a cosy delight. Sure, plot wise it was predictable but in a way that felt comfy and in no way impacted my enjoyment.
The world-building and magic system was nourishment for the imagination and I loved the vivid picture Qureshi painted. I’d absolutely love to read more from this world in the future!
If you’re in the market for a cosy fantasy with a focus on environmentalism, sisterhood and an adorable slow burn romance, this is the book for you.
what to expect:
• an enchanted forest • grumpy x sunshine • desi fmc • golden retriever mmc • cottagecore vibes • garden magic • found family • slow burn
SHUT UP AAMNA QURESHI WROTE THIS? i literally love her writing but i've only read a romance by her (which was so lovely) but i can't wait to try this x
I think this might be the cozy fantasy of my dreams!! I highly recommend this for fans of Howl’s Moving Castle and Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries.
From the very first chapter, I already had a feeling I was going to love this book😌. It had the perfect amount of wholesomeness that made me cry tears of joy, while also having many emotional moments🥹.
Bisma is a garden-witch with a poison business and she lives in a sentient magical forest with her sisters who are known as the “Unwanted girls” by their village. Brimming with girlhood and sisterhood, all the interactions between the girls made my heart melt😩. They continuously made me go “Awww🥹” throughout the book.
Bisma also has to deal with a lot of pressure and responsibility of being the eldest and having to take care of her 5 younger sisters. I admit I cried a few times because I really felt for Bisma as an eldest daughter myself✋🏻😔.
The romance between Xander and Bisma is a reverse grumpy x sunshine (one of my fav tropes🙂↕️). Xander is dramatic, romantic and an incorrigible flirt bursting with golden retriever energy. You’ll definitely love him if you also love Howl Pendragon and Wendell Bambleby🤭. And did I mention he falls first?🥰
Bisma is a garden witch with a penchant for poisons and she is also the most infamous of the Unwanted Girls, a group of discarded girls who live in the enchanted forest. Even though they are shunned by the people of Old Town, Bisma and her sisters have business and friends in town. Even the handsome apothecary son Xander wants to befriends with Bisma, but she has been burned in the past and therefore does not trust him. But when her sisters fall ill one by one and Bisma cannot cure them herself, Xander is the only one that can help her save him.
Pro's: + The world and setting of this book are really fun and whimsical and yet this story is way darker than you would have suspected from the cover and summary. The way the girls fall ill and the forest is affected made this a deeper cozy fantasy than most. + Not just Bisma, but all the girls in this story have their own personality and it was fun to see this story driven by all these interesting characters. Their interactions with the town are interesting, as it felt like the townspeople lack a bit of compassion in my eyes.
Con's: - The romance was a bit bland and I had a hard time with Xander in this romance. The way he feels just so forlorn and keeps going like a puppy dog after Bisma was a bit off-putting. It felt a bit unbelievable and I wish it wasn't such a big part of this story.
This was a deeper cozy fantasy than I would have expected from the cover, there is some darkness to this story that I did not expect from the beginning. Bisma is more complicated character than I would have expected and all her sisters have equally interesting personalities. This was a fun read and I would definitely recommend this book if you need a cozy fantasy with just that little bit more.
Where to begin? This book never really managed to draw me in. I pretty much just read it for Xander. Bisma just pissed me off. While the premise of the book interested me the plot had about a thousand holes. So many things just didn‘t make sense and the fact that the book never really took the time to explain some things just made it worse. How does the magic work? Why does potion-making sound more like cooking than anything else? How did Bisma learn all of those indian recipes if she grew up in the forest? How does the freezing potion stop the poison from spreading but not stop the heart if the heart is what moves the poison? How to the sisters not starve while their frozen? Why woule Bisma and Caden go on a date after findig out the youngest sister only had two weeks left? Why do the Bajis not train the next oldest sister beforw leaving or at least leave some sort of plan? I was so confused when Bisma needed to start from scratch how to learn to take care of her sisters. I could go on.
I found myself reading less and less simply because the story and Bisma did not interest me. It took a week for me to finally call it quits and just dnf it at 80%.
What a wonderful tale of family, friendships and romance, plus a beautiful setting. This is classed as a young adult book, but please don’t overlook it if you no longer feel you are a young adult!! I’m not but certainly enjoyed it. The story is about a group of young girls, The Unwanted Girls, who go into the Enchanted Forest to make it their home. The story tells their stories and how they become a family, not through blood, but through a need to care for each other, creating a bond so strong. The author describes everything so well, you will feel that you yourself are in the Enchanted Forest, feeling the magic that runs deep there. I loved the main character, Bisma, as she negotiates her new role as Baji, a mum figure to the rest of the girls. She shows how strong she is, yet also still young and vulnerable. The author has developed all the characters so well through this book. Unfortunately, there is something not right between the Enchanted Forest and the local town and when her sisters start falling seriously ill, Bisma must find a cure. But to do this quickly enough, she must learn to trust another and allow them into her life, and maybe her heart too.
I really enjoyed this, complete escape from the real world for a while, with characters you will (mostly!) really care for.
Xander’s character is again so thoughtfully written and really adds another layer to this story. The ending is also perfect.
So all in all, read it! Enjoy it! Get lost in the Enchanted Forest for just a little while.
The premise of this book and the cover really drew me in, however it was very lacklustre. It was YA and it was a cosy read I guess, but the plot, the romance and even the ending was just all very boring.
3.75 ⭐️ rounded up. Thank you Aamna for an e-ARC of this book!
This book was exactly what it was marketed as being. A cozy YA fantasy with cottagecore and desi elements. We follow Bisma who’s a newly appointed head (Baji) of her little band of witches left in the Enchanted Forest - The Unwanted Girls. Bisma not only has this new found responsibility on her shoulders but also has a mystery to solve of who is poisoning her sisters! She takes on this challenge with charming Xander Chapman, a boy whose family runs the town apothecary and has a wealth of knowledge about potions.
I really enjoyed the dynamic between Bisma and Xander and there were plenty of moments that had me gushing. Bisma is newly 18 and Xander around the same age so their blossoming love is very sweet and young which was nice to see. A bit of a child-like, naive wonder in their love.There’s magic interwoven throughout the story but I had actually hoped to see some more!
I found the pacing of the book to be a little inconsistent which threw me off and I was a little annoyed at Bisma‘s lack of urgency in certain parts of the book. Those two things kept it from being a four star read for me, but overall I did enjoy the story. Although the ending feels a little rushed, it does wrap up very nicely and I ended with a warm, fuzzy feeling when I finished 💓 Very grateful to have been given this e-ARC and hoping for the best when the book hits the shelves!
a big thank you to the lovely aamna for trusting me with an early draft!
this one is for the eldest daughters 😔☝️
also the way everyone was getting poisoned left and right ??? hello give my girlies a break !!
anyways. i love love loved the sisterhood in this! if there’s one thing aamna qureshi will never fail at writing it’s wholesome sisterhood dynamics. i loved how all the girls in this book looked out for one another and cared for each other. also their banter and teasing was so realistically funny 🤣
bisma is my girlie!! like sorry if she’s built a business of supplying poison, what’s a girl to do in this economy ?? for reals tho, she’s so protective of her younger sisters, and i adore her for that. and then her having to team up with the local rich boy who’s pathetically in love with her even tho she couldn’t care less about him? mhm yup delicious 🙂↔️🙂↔️🙂↔️ xander was so good to bisma, always looking out for her and making sure she was cared for when she was neglecting herself and putting herself last. he was soo cutie patootie, my lil meow meow 🤏
this was such a fun read and i think if you’re a pixie hollow girlie, you’ll definitely enjoy it!!
He gave her an incredulous look, his eyes wild. 'I'm not leaving you!'
"This is my home,' she said, tears streaming down her cheeks, 'but you don't have to do this you can still go!'
'Don't you understand?' he cried. You are my home.'
——————————————-
This was my favorite part of the book — the moment that completely broke my heart and made me fall in love with the story even more.
I started this book as a kind of “blind date”; I had never heard of the title or the author before. But very quickly, I found myself completely drawn in. The writing was captivating, the world felt alive, and I could barely put the book down.
When I reached the final page, I actually felt a little sad — it’s that kind of story you wish would never end. I secretly hope there will be a second book of The Enchanted Forest. Maybe a follow up about Luna? Her story, and the stories of the other girls, were so powerful and beautifully written that I can’t help but want more.
A witch's guide to love and poison is an absolute delightful read. I enjoyed meeting all the characters & seeing them grow. The sisters are so sweet yet so realistic! I found the Xander really sweet & couldn't wait for Bisma to realise it too.
I found the world well built and imersive.
I will say there were times plotwise I did have to heavily suspend my disbelief. I also found that I could see who did it & the ending coming right from the get go but it didn't really make me e joy the book any less. I kind of liked being proved right.
I would recommend this book to fans of legends and lattes, this poison heart & the authors previous book The baby dragon cafe.
I will definitely make sure to keep my eye on Aamna Qureshi as they write my perfect blend of fantasy and romance.
This book was the perfect cosy, easy to read pallet cleanser. I was in a bit of a reading slump. Worn out by long series filled with fated mates, death, angst, and misunderstandings. Enter Bisma, the enchanted forest, and her sisters. Likeable characters, cute romance, a clear and simple plot. If I had to describe this book in three words, they would be charming, sweet, and fun !!
Definitely worth a read if you want something heart warming and cosy
Bisma is a gifted garden witch, tasked with guarding her sisters and caring for the Enchanted Forest. When her sisters start falling victim to poisoning, the only person she can turn to is the son of the town's apothecary. This is a sweet YA story, although I was a bit impatient with the main female character - possibly because I'm too old and cranky to be dealing with 18 year old heroines. Fans of cosy, magical YA fiction will lap this up.
i spent this whole book giggling & kicking my feet 🫶🏼
how ADORABLE 😩 it was divine rivals mixed with ouabh in the cutest, coziest setting and story
the characters were SO CUTE & their romance felt so innocent and the way they were just crushing on each other the whole time 😩😩😩😩 their banter and flirting was everything
This one had potential but it just didn’t grab me and the large number of “sisters” made it a little difficult to follow Was it a fun read - sure Was it a cute little story? - absolutely Was it good? - it had potential but not really
Normally something of this length I’d read in a day and a bit lately but this one took me multiple attempts just to start it
Very sweet and cute cozy/fantasy romance ! The characters are very endearing! I love Xander I found this book in the « young adult » section, I felt I was a bit too old to read it 🤣
Not because of the plot, but Bisma is 18 and I'm 26, so I have more hindsight on love experiences. It's clear that she's experiencing her first love affair with all the naivety and bluster of a young adult.
But I recommend it !
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This book is fantastic!! Everything I hoped it would be and more! An enchanting and unique story about family, magic and opening your heart for the right person. Set in the Enchanted forest. I read this during my vacation in a cosy cottage and it was the best combination, surrounded by nature, curled up in a chair with a blanket and a cup of tea.
Honestly, this book started as a 2/3 star book for me purely just as I felt it read towards the younger end of YA. By halfway it was definitely a 3, but the found family and the banter won me over that I couldn’t not push that up to a 3.5/4 by the end, no matter how predictable it was.