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Practical Guide to Practical Farming: A cozy fantasy magical cultivation story
Stardew Valley vibes in book form!
Farming, friendship, and a heap of fairy dust.
Reeling from the buzz and bustle of the city, Lilly has traded in her high heels for a pair of sturdy boots. Yearning for simplicity, she embarks on an unexpected journey to the Wild’s of Briarhaven, where magical dangers lurk around every tree and enchantment is weaved into the very soil.
Armed only with The Practical Guide to Magical Farming, Lilly must learn to navigate this new world of magical pests and mischief making sprites. Help comes in the form of her neighbors, a band of endearing eccentrics with hearts as warm as the Briarhaven sun, and Tom, a magically sentient tomato plant.
A light- hearted fantasy about an ordinary young woman finding her place in a magical world.
Here are what some of the readers thought of the Practical Guide to Magical
"The author skillfully paints vivid images of the magical world of Briarhaven, making it easy for readers to lose themselves in its charm."- review by A Delusional
"So far I am enjoying the book, the story will keep you turning pages. It's like someone took their playthrough of Stardew Valley and turned it into a book and I'm all for it. Very much looking forward to book 2" - review by Christopher A
Farming, friendship, and a heap of fairy dust.
Reeling from the buzz and bustle of the city, Lilly has traded in her high heels for a pair of sturdy boots. Yearning for simplicity, she embarks on an unexpected journey to the Wild’s of Briarhaven, where magical dangers lurk around every tree and enchantment is weaved into the very soil.
Armed only with The Practical Guide to Magical Farming, Lilly must learn to navigate this new world of magical pests and mischief making sprites. Help comes in the form of her neighbors, a band of endearing eccentrics with hearts as warm as the Briarhaven sun, and Tom, a magically sentient tomato plant.
A light- hearted fantasy about an ordinary young woman finding her place in a magical world.
Here are what some of the readers thought of the Practical Guide to Magical
"The author skillfully paints vivid images of the magical world of Briarhaven, making it easy for readers to lose themselves in its charm."- review by A Delusional
"So far I am enjoying the book, the story will keep you turning pages. It's like someone took their playthrough of Stardew Valley and turned it into a book and I'm all for it. Very much looking forward to book 2" - review by Christopher A
- GenresFantasyCozy Fantasy
245 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 7, 2024
3 people are currently reading
40 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 25, 2025
A lovely cozy fantasy with sweet moments and will also pull at your heartstrings.
There is hints at a romance...at least they seem well suited for each other.
Each character has a strong personality and I wouldn't mind seeing more of each them 💖.
I admired Lilly...she has grit, guts, strength and alot of empathy and compassion (I would be proud to call her a friend).
Her work ethic reminds me of my dad and brother.
The bonds of friendship in the story really warmed my heart.. family is what you make it and a genetic connection isn't the only type of family that can exist. ❤️
She took a big leap of faith and was determined to make everything work 🙌 💪.
Too bad Lilly isn't hiring, wouldn't mind working there.
Curious about one part of her magical garden especially ✨️, perhaps we'll find out in book two.
Need the next book 📖 now! Haha, will be waiting Impatiently:).
There is hints at a romance...at least they seem well suited for each other.
Each character has a strong personality and I wouldn't mind seeing more of each them 💖.
I admired Lilly...she has grit, guts, strength and alot of empathy and compassion (I would be proud to call her a friend).
Her work ethic reminds me of my dad and brother.
The bonds of friendship in the story really warmed my heart.. family is what you make it and a genetic connection isn't the only type of family that can exist. ❤️
She took a big leap of faith and was determined to make everything work 🙌 💪.
Too bad Lilly isn't hiring, wouldn't mind working there.
Curious about one part of her magical garden especially ✨️, perhaps we'll find out in book two.
Need the next book 📖 now! Haha, will be waiting Impatiently:).
August 26, 2025
I feel like this book would've really benefited from (at least) 1 more round of editing. It's got potential, without a doubt! But I don't believe it was quite there yet.
In terms of premise, of course I was sold at "stardew valley in book format." I've long loved cozy books, movies, games, and other forms of media specifically meant to make you feel good. But unfortunately, this book felt a bit hollow, for lack of a better word? I never got attached to the characters, who (in my opinion) severely lacked any kind of characterization, and the plot was basically nonexistent. Of course cozy stories rarely have grand epic adventures or large stakes, but I believe there's something missing when you could shuffle most the book's chapters and randomly re-order them, without confusing the reader or changing anything about the general feeling of the book. (Speaking of: it often felt like the chapters were maybe written out of order. The sequence of events didn't always make sense... What do you mean, Lilly's parents are described as "her mom" and "her dad" for 75% of the book, and suddenly after several scenes and almost 200 pages they get named???)
Unfortunately I was also not the hugest fan of the writing, personally. It felt like way too many words were spent on describing the visual environments in ways that felt very redundant and basically said the same things several times over. "Verdant green" ah yes, I love it when my green is green... And at the same time, huge chunks of the story were just. Skipped? We get told that Lilly spends a lot of time gardening, meeting with neighbors, building friendships... Yet we rarely *see* this happening? This not only made it really confusing and disorienting to keep track of the passage of time, but also made it really hard to relate to Lilly, the other characters, and the relationships they had. If you want me to care about the friendships these characters have, then show me fun moments! Don't just say that they share funny stories. Give me examples! Show, don't tell!!
All in all, this story has a lot of potential and is largely serviceable when it comes to painting an image or a "vibe" inside your head. But beyond that, it would need some serious work to make it truly come to life.
In terms of premise, of course I was sold at "stardew valley in book format." I've long loved cozy books, movies, games, and other forms of media specifically meant to make you feel good. But unfortunately, this book felt a bit hollow, for lack of a better word? I never got attached to the characters, who (in my opinion) severely lacked any kind of characterization, and the plot was basically nonexistent. Of course cozy stories rarely have grand epic adventures or large stakes, but I believe there's something missing when you could shuffle most the book's chapters and randomly re-order them, without confusing the reader or changing anything about the general feeling of the book. (Speaking of: it often felt like the chapters were maybe written out of order. The sequence of events didn't always make sense... What do you mean, Lilly's parents are described as "her mom" and "her dad" for 75% of the book, and suddenly after several scenes and almost 200 pages they get named???)
Unfortunately I was also not the hugest fan of the writing, personally. It felt like way too many words were spent on describing the visual environments in ways that felt very redundant and basically said the same things several times over. "Verdant green" ah yes, I love it when my green is green... And at the same time, huge chunks of the story were just. Skipped? We get told that Lilly spends a lot of time gardening, meeting with neighbors, building friendships... Yet we rarely *see* this happening? This not only made it really confusing and disorienting to keep track of the passage of time, but also made it really hard to relate to Lilly, the other characters, and the relationships they had. If you want me to care about the friendships these characters have, then show me fun moments! Don't just say that they share funny stories. Give me examples! Show, don't tell!!
All in all, this story has a lot of potential and is largely serviceable when it comes to painting an image or a "vibe" inside your head. But beyond that, it would need some serious work to make it truly come to life.
October 17, 2024
Fast read, sweet cozy fantasy. Great story world. I loved the magical plants! Lost a star because the writing was a bit clunky.
January 25, 2025
A charming, comfortable world where we meet friendly characters. I will read the next book so I can resolve the cliffhanger ending!
As when reading any new author, it seems, the reader must adjust to the style. I gave this 3 stars because I feel it is wordy and there are too many times a 2-page spread repeats the same idea using very similar wording 4 or 6 times. Another nit: while a delightful array of adjectives and vocabulary is used, I got tired of "earthy" and "vibrant." (If the same word shows up more than once in a paragraph, could a thesaurus be consulted?)
As when reading any new author, it seems, the reader must adjust to the style. I gave this 3 stars because I feel it is wordy and there are too many times a 2-page spread repeats the same idea using very similar wording 4 or 6 times. Another nit: while a delightful array of adjectives and vocabulary is used, I got tired of "earthy" and "vibrant." (If the same word shows up more than once in a paragraph, could a thesaurus be consulted?)
December 23, 2025
Just right
Fast paced and interesting adventure .what woman wouldn't want a magical nightshade companion on a farm with excitement around every corner?
Fast paced and interesting adventure .what woman wouldn't want a magical nightshade companion on a farm with excitement around every corner?
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews