The Ministry of Witches: A Cozy Fantasy Novel

by Dael Astra

#1 New York Ministry of Witches Official Record

When botanist Aleda Vance inadvertently triggers an ancient succession clause, she’s thrust into the role of Minister of Witches - leading New York’s most bewildering magical bureaucracy. 🪄 Between temperamental elevators, mischievous runes, and staff who defer to enchanted tea trolleys, she must juggle magic and paperwork before the next full moon.

But as forgotten spells stir beneath the marble floors of the Ministry, Aleda learns that real power doesn’t come from confidence it comes from care, curiosity, and quiet resilience. 🌱

The Ministry of Witches is a cozy, whimsical fantasy about unexpected leadership, botanical magic, and finding your voice in places you never expected.

🕯 Perfect for readers who love: warm, character-driven fantasy, magical workplaces, gentle humor, and stories where kindness changes the world.

Genres: Fantasy

313 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 21, 2025

About the author

author and writer exploring philosophy through imagination; from the hidden beauty of worlds, dreams, to the deeper questions of science, the future, and ideology.

Reviews

[Liz~In~Colorado · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE MAGICAL MINISTRY OF WITCHES
BY
DAEL ASTRA

💥What an imaginative, charming and cozy sweet fantasy!

➡️THE SETUP:
🪶The Magical Ministry of New York is a place of cosmic importance.  Of the extraordinary hiding within the everyday bureaucratic world of witches, warlocks and others who wield spells to offset the public chaos, their spells shaped city-wide wards, negotiated with ancient spirits, and drafted the regulations that kept New York’s "magical and mundane worlds" from bleeding into one another in a messy, catastrophic way, the intention being that they would work together. 

🪶Our relationship with the mundane city government is at an all-time low. They see us as an irrelevant, expensive anachronism.” “The City Oversight Committee for Arcane Affairs will come here,  look at our tangled finances, our outdated systems, our lack of clear leadership, and they will vote to dissolve the Ministry’s charter and absorb its functions into the mundane Department of Parks and Recreation.”

🪶The city’s ley lines are a tangled mess, the goblin trade negotiations have stalled for eighteen months, and the enchanted pigeons in the Garment District have unionized and are demanding better quality breadcrumbs. We are on the verge of being declared magically insolvent by the city oversight committee.  “They’ll want to put our grimoires on a public library database and turn the greenhouses into a petting zoo.” “Worse,” Beatrice said grimly. “They will decommission the wards, sell off the artifacts, and turn this beautiful, magical sanctuary into luxury condos.

➡️THE WORLD:
🪄This wonderful world is a vivid, compelling , colorful and creative world where all kinds of magical characters, and  sentient creatures work unseen by humans to help the ministry run.  This Ministry has been run by the same kind of magic for three hundred years.  Infighting paralyzed by indecision and old rivalries. The traditionalists wanted a hard-liner. The reformists had no one strong enough. They were trapped. Eldrin, in a gesture of ultimate contempt for the state they had allowed the Ministry to fall into, invoked the Clause ‘If we cannot choose, we will let a random roll of the dice choose for us.’ He declared that the next person to walk through that door would be the new Minister.

🪄Unaware, Aleda walks through. But as they find out, her  magic is one of collaboration. Of listening. It is the kind of power this place has been starving for.”  You’re not just a gardener, Minister. You’re an ecosystem engineer.”

➡️CHARACTERS:
What a lovely rich cast of characters are bursting with personality!!

⚜️Aleda- who has an inner dialogue with her "imposters syndrome", and extreme anxiety, who had previously been known only as “that poor girl from Horticulture” who was the victim of a bizarre administrative accident, was suddenly “Minister Vance.”  I felt privileged to go along with Aleda on her journey.
⚜️Juliene Thorne, intelligent but  prickly, intimidating Head Archivist, (and eventual love interest)
⚜️Beatrice:  Aledas maternal auntie figure, and deep support
⚜️The twins- genius magical engineers: Rowan and Finn Croft
⚜️Cinder, the Ministry’s unofficial  security chief- a cat whose green eyes glow with an ancient, inscrutable intelligence.
⚜️Eldrin Courcey, Head of Arcane Law
⚜️The goblin diplomat trying to explain why the Department of Inter-species Arcane Law was not, in fact, “a load of old codswallop.”

➡️I especially love the fantastical sentient elements... 
❤️‍🔥The Diva elevators- driven by drama, they refused to move until told a joke- resulting in ten minute traffic jams of witches trying to remember punchlines. The week before, it had adopted a Cockney accent and would only stop at floors it deemed “proper tidy".
❤️‍🔥The self-filling pirate pantry (and Tilly, the kitchen elf) 
❤️‍🔥The sympathetic refreshment trolley that can sense what you need. 
❤️‍🔥The Living archive files
❤️‍🔥the  Flying Mail sprites
❤️‍🔥Singing snapdragons, who preferred sea shanties1  
The details were so descriptive that I can feel the energy-  and smell the scents!

➡️OVERALL THOUGHTS: 
💗It's a story of found love in a strange, brilliant, loyal, and utterly wonderful collection of people who become a family. It is about unexpected leadership and finding your voice in places you never expected.

💗I wish there really was this wonderful magical help supporting the known world we see.  In today's anxious world of terrible things happening daily, plus the political unrest, how wonderful it would be to have a magical ministry quietly looking out after us!

👍I think Dael Astra, as a newer indie author, is extremely polished!!  His skillful storytelling, consistent pacing and story lines, as well-drawn characters, will have readers returning for more charming HEAs.  I believe we will soon see him on the same level as Sarah Beth Durst and Tricia O'Malley! 
I can't wait to read more related stories, perhaps he may share "magical ministries" in other cities! 
If you like Spellshop, or Enchanted Greenhouse, you will enjoy this book. 
1*🌶️ spice romance rating, and good for all ages..

⭐ Its my pleasure to give this new story a 5/5* rating.

Liz-In-Colorado🌹
Goodreads/Amazon Reviewer

[ItaPixie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed The Ministry of Witches from start to end, reading it during Halloween added up to the experience.

The Ministry of New York is into chaos because it was managed badly for years. Now its only hope for continue to work falls on the shoulders of the new, inexperienced and underrated Minister, Aleda Vance.

The characters start as strangers who don't trust one another, and they end as a family, dysfunctional but still a family.
I liked to follow Aleda in this journey, from a shy gardner to an accomplished Minister of Witched. When she's doubting herself is a torture, but I've appreciated her even more for her wits and her empathy, and the love for every creature and their well-being.

Dael Astra greatly depicted a different world, made of bizarre creatures, that still feels relatable.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for kindly giving me an advanced copy of this book to read.

[BookishKB · Rating 2 out of 5]

I unfortunately had to DNF at 75% percent. I kept trying to push through, but something about the writing just wasn’t clicking for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC.

[Vrinda's Book Nook]

Story was decent and had some fun magical aspects - but the writing style and character development pulled it down for me by the end. There is some probability of this being an AI assisted work, but I leave it to everyone's own judgement and do not wish to impact the author's work negatively.

EDIT regarding AI: I had earlier listed out why I thought so in more detail but have decided to tone it down based on the author's response below. I tested some samples of the writing through a couple of AI detection platforms which showed a 40-45% probability of AI assisted content. The author's profile image also comes back as 100% AI generated. I want to put a disclaimer here that AI detection software's are not entirely accurate. I don't wish to take away from the direction, imagination or skill the author may have put into the creation of their work, outside of any potential degree of AI involvement.

General story thoughts:
Concept and setting of the Ministry of Witches was magically chaotic and fun. It was quite reminiscent of the Ministry of Magic from the Wizarding world with the various features it had, and it was fairly whimsical in quality. The main character was a gardener at the Ministry who became an accidental Minister. The story follows her internal and emotional struggles in applying herself to the monumental tasks at hand. Some of the crises and problem solving scenes were engaging, and I liked certain themes explored through the story. The overall execution in different areas was lacking though.

Issues experienced while reading:

1. Over-exaggeration and emphasis on emotions, it was vacillating in extremes without appropriate foundation.
2. Character development didn't seem natural or believable - didn't feel a connect with the main character.
3. There was severe repetition and overuse of specific words, phrases, metaphors and adjectives - to a point of some frustration. Many scenes were overly descriptive. The style of sentence structuring also seemed off.
5. It had an odd flow of restating a lot of things that just happened at the start of every chapter in a mini-summary form.
6. The theme of the story was hammered into the writing and narrative excessively by the end.
7. Pacing and structure of the story wasn't great. It was too slow, and not enough happened - leading to certain sections dragging on with no significant movement in the story.

Collectively, a combination of these things put a doubt in my mind about whether the writing perhaps had any AI involvement. So I decided to look into it.

I am personally not thrilled about having read a book that I suspect to have been an AI assisted work as I believe stories are a space driven by real human thoughts, experiences and emotions - which are expressed best through the human heart and mind.

Thanks to NetGalley for the complementary e-arc of the story. All opinions expressed are my own.

[elizabeth rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Magical, cosy perfection 🪄🔮🌷☕️✨️

[Mike]

A frustrating mixture of original and needlessly derivative, well-edited but with one huge persistent fault, emotionally sound and then emotionally unconvincing, predictable and unexpected, and also overly wordy for my taste. It's hard to rate as a result.

I say "original but needlessly derivative" because, although I don't think this is actually set in the Harry Potter universe - HP is not the most consistent universe, so it's hard to tell for sure - it uses multiple terms from that universe: galleons and sickles (the monetary units), house elves, Whomping Willows, gillyweed, the floo network, the Daily Prophet. None of these terms are even slightly necessary to the story that's being told - they could very easily be something else, and nothing would be lost - so it's risking a lawyer's letter for no good reason. The rest of the worldbuilding, though done with a light hand, is sound and original and fit for purpose, so I haven't given it my "weak-worldbuilding" tag.

There are very few editing errors, and the big one that it does have is something many people won't notice, because almost nobody understands how the coordinate comma rule works. The simple explanation is that English has a preferred adjective order, which goes "number-opinion-size-age-shape-colour-origin-material-purpose," and if you have two adjectives that are in different categories, they don't need a comma between them, because they can only go in that order and feel correct; it's only if they're both in the same category that you need a comma, to signal that they're both, as it were, modifying the noun as equals.

This means, for instance, that number words like "single," "one," "two," "few" or "dozen" will basically never be coordinate and should not have commas after them. Nor should "each" or "own" or a great many other adjectives that this author sticks a comma after. I'm used to authors getting this wrong occasionally, especially in edge cases. These are not edge cases, and they're constant. I counted 40 instances in the first 10% of the book, which suggests that there are several hundred in total. It made it, for me at least, a chore to read. The most important part of the coordinate comma rule, and the one too few authors observe, is the part that tells you when not to use a comma, and this author has clearly never heard of it, and has faulty intuition on the subject to boot.

The author's style is lush, which means most of the nouns get at least two adjectives, sometimes three, and they almost always get commas between them, and about 70% of the time they shouldn't. It's wordy in general; repetitive (it's hammered home at least once too often that Aleda isn't doing command-and-control but empathy and empowerment), and, for me, outstayed its welcome by having too many wrap-up chapters after the main resolution. I personally prefer a compact style, and this is the opposite of that.

Multiple chapters should begin with the word "the," but oddly do not. Something to do with the drop caps, perhaps?

Anyway, the story. The protagonist, Aleda, is a humble gardening witch who is suddenly elevated to Minister of Witches (why that title, when it's neither a national office, nor British, but part of the government of New York City, and when male magic users are called wizards?) by the invocation of a peculiar old administrative rule on the departure in disgrace of the previous minister. The previous minister was a corrupt politician whose "modernizing" over a 20-year period has thrown the whole magical system out of whack, though the consequences of this mostly seem to be low-key disturbing and disruptive rather than, at least so far, catastrophic, even though the Ministry is supposed to head off catastrophes, and we later see it doing so. With her gardener's intuition, Aleda is able to restore the magical ecosystem to balance, in a series of emotionally sound and believable events; perhaps a touch too easily, but this is cozy fantasy, after all. And then she has a crisis of confidence, which I didn't believe, either in its origin or in her recovery from it. And then she convinces an implacable foe of the Ministry, who is trying to pull its budget, to change his mind - and I didn't believe that either. I thought a real person who held the attitude he held would have accused the witches of fakery, since the crisis they averted wasn't verifiable and was suspiciously well timed, and also just because people who hold ideology-based opinions are rarely convinced by any amount of evidence. The author, in other words, doesn't sell these emotional events to me. Other readers, no doubt, will differ.

The archivist has a big flashing neon sign above his head that says "Enemies to Lovers." I suspected that trope was coming when he was first described, at his introduction, as "handsome" (his appearance, apart from his clothing, is never otherwise described, as is the case with most of the characters; only the twins get a hair colour, red, which I suspect is an echo of HP's Fred and George). I was sure of it by the time he was called "handsome" for the third time. And I was right. It was totally predictable. Yet most of what goes on in the book is not predictable or tropey at all.

Continuity is not a strength. After the Board does the thing that gives Aleda the "Minister" title, they are never mentioned again except in reference back to that event, and their members (apart from one) never play any further role. The number of people on the Board also seems inadequate for the number of factions that are later described. There are several continuity issues within a chapter, too, such as when someone says "We did it!" and, after another couple of lines of dialog separated by a lot of descriptive waffle, several pages later, '"We did it," Aleda corrected.' Except she isn't correcting, because that's exactly what the other character said. It feels like things have been changed in editing and the rest of the chapter still left with the earlier version, creating a contradiction if you're reading closely.

It is absolutely cozy. There's an enchanted tea trolley that dispenses the exact beverage you need for the mood you're in. There's a wise cat. It is as cozy as you could possibly wish, and the crises are solved not by power and control but by listening and empathizing and finding ways for systems and people to work together. That part is great. It just falls into the all-too-common basket of "could so easily be so much better" because of completely avoidable faults: the unnecessary use of terms from another author's universe, the constant muffing of the coordinate comma rule, a predictable trope signalled far too clearly far too early, some emotional shifts that I didn't feel were justified well enough, minor continuity glitches, wordy prose that could stand tightening. The right developmental editor and (please) copy editor could make this amazing with relatively little work. As it stands, it's an awkward mixture of rare strengths and unfortunate weaknesses, and the weaknesses land it in the lowest (Bronze) tier of my annual recommendation list. I give everything I add to that list at least four stars for historical reasons, though that will change to three stars for the Bronze tier starting next year, and this should honestly be a three-star review.

I received a pre-publication version via Netgalley for review, and further changes may take place before publication.

[Athena 💗 · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75⭐️ Admittedly, “cozy” isn’t my usual go to genre but with fall currently in full swing something about this book just called out to me.

My attention was immediately grabbed from the very first page when Adela argues with the elevator. I enjoyed the whimsical world-building, silly humor and character-driven storyline. Adele’s character was a pillar of determination throughout the story even when faced with adversity from some of the other Ministry leaders while also struggling with her own self doubt. I appreciated the story’s message and glad I gave this one a chance.

Thank you, NetGalley for an advanced readers copy of The Ministry of Witches. It was a fun read.

[Nikole Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cozy, whimsical fantasy that completely charmed me. I loved Aleda’s quiet strength and the way the story blended everyday office chaos with magical mischief. It’s clever, comforting, and beautifully written. The pacing is gentle, but that’s part of what makes it so enjoyable. Perfect for fans of cozy, character driven fantasy.

[Jinx · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this book. The description I read stood out to me (and cosy fantasy is a genre I love). The first page had me hooked right away with Aleda arguing with an elevator. I also enjoyed the premise of Aleda being unexpectedly pulled into the role of Minister of Witches while wanting nothing more than to be with her plants. The worldbuilding is lovely, and it’s clear there’s a lot of care and affection poured into the Ministry and all the little botanical details that make Aleda Aleda.

However, despite its strengths, the story didn’t fully resonate with me. A lot of sections repeat information we already know: Aleda is introverted, loves her plants, and doubts her ability to succeed in her new role. These points are reiterated several times, often alongside more descriptions of the world she’s familiar with—her home, her garden, and so on. While I enjoyed the vivid imagery at first, by chapter four it started to feel bogged down. I understand that a more literary work can afford to meander, but the extensive world description ultimately made it hard for me to remain engaged.

Still, I liked watching Aleda come into her own, and her romance with Julian was really cute.

Disclaimer: I received an advance review copy (ARC) from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Karina Goodley · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of Ministry of Witches is fascinating and I loved the idea of it. I think that the world-building is lush and the concept itself brimming with potential. On paper, it’s exactly the kind of book I should love.

Unfortunately, the execution falls a little flat for me. For one, the language is lush, but it ends up bogging down the story. In order to get anywhere in the plot, there is so much description of EVERYTHING- the surroundings, the thoughts of Aleda, whatever her action is. Then there’s also a heavy emphasis on imposter syndrome, which is an understandable and very human theme. But in this case, it didn’t feel believable. The protagonist isn’t grappling with self-doubt in a familiar role; she’s completely untrained and unprepared for the job she’s been given. That’s not imposter syndrome, that’s being out of your depth. It's not imposter syndrome to balance the books if you've never done it; it's actually being unqualified.

Also, the main source of conflict is that the building is due for an audit and they might get shut down. While that could be an interesting setup in the right hands, it never quite builds enough tension to carry the story. The plot slowly because of the language, and I found myself waiting for something to really happen and not really feeling anything by the end of it.

This book might resonate with readers who appreciate immersive writing, strong atmosphere, and very slow, character-driven storytelling. But for me, it just didn’t land.

[Juli · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Ministry of Witches immediately draws you in with its vibrant urban fantasy setting, promising a hidden world of magic operating just beneath the city's neon glow. The Lit Whisperer's take is that while the premise is fantastic—a secret ministry overseeing the magically inclined—the book ultimately lands in solid, but not spectacular, territory. The world-building is imaginative, blending modern bureaucracy with ancient magic, and the unique visuals are a major strength. However, the narrative pacing occasionally felt uneven, and certain plot points didn't receive the weight or resolution they deserved. It's a fun and intriguing read that sets a great foundation for a series, but the execution lacked that final, electrifying spark to make it a true standout. This is a very competent and enjoyable book, earning a respectable 3 stars, and is worth reading for fans who appreciate creative urban fantasy systems. Thanks Netgalley for this eArc

[Gold Bunny · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cozy found family fantasy with brilliant immersive descriptions to create a completely addictive world to escape into and keep the pages turning. All the characters, from the singing lifts, tea trolley and Cinder the cat to the foursome who ultimately come together to solve the problems are whimsical, loveable and genuine.

The cover drew me in as the colours and imagery is intriguing, but the story did not disappoint. A tale of finding oneself through leadership, navigating imposter syndrome and challenging circumstances, but ultimately curating a garden of community and integrated departments to show the value of oneself within a wider community makes for such a brilliant plot line. It was well-paced and enjoyable throughout, but I would have liked closure on the Belladonna seed as that felt an important plot point early on.

Thank you to Dael Astra and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review

[Cathryn Melani (cat.inspired) · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting blend of magical chaos, self discovery and super slow burn, will they won't they romance.

I enjoyed this one. I loved Aleda the female protagonist in this. So different from your typical self assured FMC. There was something just so adorable about her live of the plants, the different way she looked at the world and magic and her self doubts.

This really made the storyline for me. Loved the way she fell into the role of Minister of magic in such a random way, and the chaos around this. But also the way she totally turned won everyone over. Perfect example of how its ok to be different!

The storyline was fun, it was often adorable how the Ministry was in chaos, and how different all the characters were. Absolutely loved the twins in this.

A light hearted cosy vibes fantasy worth a read when you are looking for a change of pace.

Thanks to netgalley for my gifted book. All thoughts are my own.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful and charming story of a magical bureaucracy! This has so many sweet and fun aspects; a pantry that thinks its a drunken sailor, a drama queen elevator that requires a passionate monologue to get your destination. I found myself with a smile on my face throughout the story.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this one.. At first I thought it was a YA aimed audience and as I got further into the book I enjoyed the themes of office politics, how to nurture teams and organisations and how to succeed at audit - yes really. An enjoyable able read.

[Laila · Rating 3 out of 5]

I ended up settling on three stars for this one. There is a lot to like here, especially the cozy magical atmosphere and the playful tone of the world. The Ministry itself is such a fun setting with its shifting rooms, enchanted mishaps, and general sense of barely contained chaos. Aleda is easy to root for, and I enjoyed watching her stumble through a job she never asked for while trying to hold everything together with a mix of stubbornness and kindness.

That said, the story didn’t fully click for me. The pacing felt uneven, and there were stretches where not much seemed to move forward. I also kept hoping for deeper character development or stronger emotional stakes, but the book stays pretty light throughout. It’s charming, but sometimes too gentle for its own good, and I found myself wanting a bit more tension or complexity.

Still, the writing has heart, the humor lands more often than not, and the cozy vibes are strong. If someone wants a soft, whimsical fantasy that doesn’t take itself too seriously, this would absolutely be a comforting pick. It just didn’t leave a lasting impression for me personally.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. A cute and charming 'cosy fantasy'. Aleda is a humble young witch who's just a lowly, magical gardener. To everyone's shock (including her own), she accidentally finds herself the new Minister of Witches at the magical headquarters in Manhattan. (Or is it accidental??) But it turns out that Aleda and her magical gardening skills are just what's needed to calm down and heal the chaos left behind by the previous careless and arrogant minister. Once she gets over her 'imposter syndrome', Aleda shows herself to be a highly capable and innovative leader.

It's a quick and light read. Although the protagonists are adults, it feels a bit YA, or even a bit like a kids' book. Everything is solved too quickly and simplistically, in the neat way of a satisfying kids book. But if you just go along for the ride, it's enjoyable and undemanding.

There is a (very) light romance thread, but it's not the main thrust of the story, and shouldn't annoy those who don't like reading romances. It's also a clean read. Overall, a pleasant reading experience.

[Leanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is like a warm cup of enchanted tea on a rainy day — cozy, whimsical, and quietly powerful.

We follow Aleda Vance, a botanist who accidentally becomes the Minister of Witches in a magical version of New York’s bureaucracy. Think enchanted elevators, mischievous runes, and a refreshment trolley that knows exactly what you need. It’s charming chaos, and Aleda’s gentle resilience is the heart of it all.

The cast is delightful — from the prickly archivist Juliene (hello, slow-burn romance) to a security cat with glowing green eyes. There’s humor, heart, and a whole lot of magical mischief. But beneath the whimsy, it’s a story about leadership, kindness, and finding your voice when the world expects you to stay quiet.

If you love cozy fantasy with found family vibes, botanical magic, and stories that make you smile — this one’s a gem.

My thanks to Dael Astra, the publisher and netgalley for the ARC.

[Delacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I enjoyed this story. The MC was very likable and capable. Some aspects of the world building was wonderfully creative (eg the diva elevators, tea cart, pirate pantry etc), yet other aspects were very remincent of a different fantasy series, which detracted from this story. I personally got distracted by the house elf situation and wondering if they are also slaves in this world. If you're here for the romance, it's a very minor aspect to our heroine's journey. Some parts of the story dragged a bit due to being repetitive. All that being said, I did enjoy this story and was engrossed till the end. *I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and this is my voluntary and honest review.

[Emy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aleda Vance, who is a botanist, becomes the Minister of Witches by accident, and ends up managing New York's magical bureaucracy which is filled with filled with challenges. As she navigates her new role, she discovers that true power comes from care and resilience and not from confidence.
The characters initially begin as strangers lacking trust but develop into a family whilst still being dysfunctional.
While the story is charming, blending everyday chaos with magical elements, it suffers from noticeable repetition, predictable elements and from being overly wordy for my liking. Despite that, it is a cozy and comforting fantasy tale.

[Your Online Book Bestie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am giving the Ministry of Witches by @Dael Astra a good 4 ⭐. This book was a page turner with a fast paced story.
In a crumbling Ministry of Witches, Adela is left to fight to keep the ministry alive.
I enjoyed how Aleda is a strong feminine character, with imposter syndrome that has amazing ideas and great social skills.
The whole story was very cosy and I would read it again as a yearly cosy October read. I definitely recommend this book to anyone that wants an easy, cosy and heartwarming read. 🧙🏻‍♀️🪄

[Janna Felix · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Ministry of Witches presents an imaginative world full of spellcraft, bureaucracy, and intrigue, blending fantasy with a touch of satire. While the premise is clever and several characters shine, the execution can feel slightly underdeveloped, leaving some plot threads unresolved. The middle section drags, but the finale brings enough charm and momentum to leave a positive impression. A solid read for fans of whimsical magic who don’t mind a few rough edges.

[Slowlyreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I honestly didn’t expect to love this book as much as I did. It starts quietly, but soon you’re completely pulled into this strange, magical Ministry in New York. Aleda is such a relatable heroine - anxious, kind, and stronger than she realises. The mix of humour, tea, and quiet magic just worked perfectly. It’s one of those books that leaves you feeling warm long after you finish it.

[J R · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one felt like it had such excessively flowery and strange descriptions. The plot was good but when half the time the descriptions make you more confused on what you should picture it definitely feels off. 2.5 stars. tysm for the arc.

[Artemis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a wonderful read! It brought me so much joy. The world was fantastic and beautiful, with a great story! I loved it and highly recommend it. I can’t wait to read more!

[Nefertiti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a cozy page turning magical book. A great book for people (like me) who love magic and planty things and woman who are not afraid to stand up for what they believe in. Well written, nicely paced, excellent world building. Plants, found family, romance, FMC saving the day. What more could you ask for.