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Coffee, Crypts, and Curses: A Low-Stakes Cozy Fantasy LitRPG
A low-stakes cozy fantasy LitRPG from Tom Watts, the bestselling author of Small Town Crafter and Blades Rest.
Safe career. Easy life. He chose Necromancy instead.
Eighteen-year-old Benny finds himself the newest apprentice to Master Necromancer Mortimer Lightroot. In the town of Fairview, his kind are viewed with deep suspicion. This decision isn't just risky, it’s career suicide.
But Benny soon learns the truth. Necromancy isn’t evil. It’s a vital, practical trade that links the living and the dead, honors memories, and finds peace.
To prove his worth and win over a skeptical town, Benny must master the five Necromancial
• Knowledge Retrieval to pull secrets from long-dead objects.
• Spirit Communion to offer a sympathetic ear to lingering ghosts.
• Spirit Cleansing to remove troublesome spirits from local taverns and libraries.
• Bonecrafting to assemble loyal skeletal creatures for complex tasks.
• Resurrection to restore small animals and plants, proving that necromancy is truly the ultimate gift.
Benny needs all the help he can get, but his training is anything but normal. His master is almost always absent, leaving him under the chaotic tutelage of the overly enthusiastic Dostov brothers and Lisa, the manor’s cook.
Against town gossip and his own chaotic impulses, Benny must use his newfound powers to mend broken hearts, retrieve forgotten knowledge, and prove that the masters of death are the only people capable of truly helping the living.
Welcome to Lightroot The dead are talking, the magic is cozy, and the apprentice is determined to get the town's approval—one resurrected pigeon at a time.
A new low-stakes cozy fantasy LitRPG from Tom Watts, the bestselling author of Small Town Crafter and Blades Rest.
Safe career. Easy life. He chose Necromancy instead.
Eighteen-year-old Benny finds himself the newest apprentice to Master Necromancer Mortimer Lightroot. In the town of Fairview, his kind are viewed with deep suspicion. This decision isn't just risky, it’s career suicide.
But Benny soon learns the truth. Necromancy isn’t evil. It’s a vital, practical trade that links the living and the dead, honors memories, and finds peace.
To prove his worth and win over a skeptical town, Benny must master the five Necromancial
• Knowledge Retrieval to pull secrets from long-dead objects.
• Spirit Communion to offer a sympathetic ear to lingering ghosts.
• Spirit Cleansing to remove troublesome spirits from local taverns and libraries.
• Bonecrafting to assemble loyal skeletal creatures for complex tasks.
• Resurrection to restore small animals and plants, proving that necromancy is truly the ultimate gift.
Benny needs all the help he can get, but his training is anything but normal. His master is almost always absent, leaving him under the chaotic tutelage of the overly enthusiastic Dostov brothers and Lisa, the manor’s cook.
Against town gossip and his own chaotic impulses, Benny must use his newfound powers to mend broken hearts, retrieve forgotten knowledge, and prove that the masters of death are the only people capable of truly helping the living.
Welcome to Lightroot The dead are talking, the magic is cozy, and the apprentice is determined to get the town's approval—one resurrected pigeon at a time.
A new low-stakes cozy fantasy LitRPG from Tom Watts, the bestselling author of Small Town Crafter and Blades Rest.
506 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 12, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 14, 2026
I love sweet Cozy litRPG's and this is one of the best!
Never in my wildest oxymoronic dreams could I imagine how much love ❤ I'd have for this Cozy Necromancer adventure! But it's written by Tom Watts and he's already proven that he can write seriously fantastic Cozies! This is a story following Benny. It's his 18th birthday and it's time to choose a class. After looking at the Smith's, Bard's, Baker's still nothing feels right to him... then quite by accident something catches his eye, and with the help of crow's he stumbled into the Necromancer's offerings. Deciding on the spot that this was the Class that best suited him!
So if you like Cozy litRPG's, grab the book! 'Cause you'll adore this one!
Here's a couple of quotes:
"...and I expect that we will work well together like a femur bone and a hip joint."
"Remy’s much smaller grave read ‘Remy the tortoise: Lettuce meet again.’"
Never in my wildest oxymoronic dreams could I imagine how much love ❤ I'd have for this Cozy Necromancer adventure! But it's written by Tom Watts and he's already proven that he can write seriously fantastic Cozies! This is a story following Benny. It's his 18th birthday and it's time to choose a class. After looking at the Smith's, Bard's, Baker's still nothing feels right to him... then quite by accident something catches his eye, and with the help of crow's he stumbled into the Necromancer's offerings. Deciding on the spot that this was the Class that best suited him!
So if you like Cozy litRPG's, grab the book! 'Cause you'll adore this one!
Here's a couple of quotes:
"...and I expect that we will work well together like a femur bone and a hip joint."
"Remy’s much smaller grave read ‘Remy the tortoise: Lettuce meet again.’"
May 17, 2026
My reviews are my own. If you enjoyed this book, I’m glad you did. If not, I respect your opinion, so please respect mine. This is simply my view, so let's keep it courteous. My review is honest and voluntary.
I almost dropped the book at the beginning because it was too much not related to necromancy. That said, once he begins using it, it is very interesting and even though it is centered on him, he helps others with his powers. However it gets repetitive. I HATED the Cara character and wished she disappeared, what an unnecessary character, incredibly petty and a horrible human being.. The MC is constantly complaining about not being good enough. He acts more like a younger teen rathern a 19 YO. It wasn't bad and I appreciated the author not turning friendship into romance, because a lot of authors thinks that every book needs romance, but I'm not sure I will continue this series. I couldn't care for the characters much.
On to my next adventure, Happy Readings!!!
I almost dropped the book at the beginning because it was too much not related to necromancy. That said, once he begins using it, it is very interesting and even though it is centered on him, he helps others with his powers. However it gets repetitive. I HATED the Cara character and wished she disappeared, what an unnecessary character, incredibly petty and a horrible human being.. The MC is constantly complaining about not being good enough. He acts more like a younger teen rathern a 19 YO. It wasn't bad and I appreciated the author not turning friendship into romance, because a lot of authors thinks that every book needs romance, but I'm not sure I will continue this series. I couldn't care for the characters much.
On to my next adventure, Happy Readings!!!
May 18, 2026
what a interesting take on Necormancy
I love this. A slow progression. But totally worth the read. Very relaxing and interesting way of taking Necromancy. I love how it’s not all about death and gloom. It’s about helping some cross over. Others it’s about helping letting go. I can’t wait for the next book!!
I love this. A slow progression. But totally worth the read. Very relaxing and interesting way of taking Necromancy. I love how it’s not all about death and gloom. It’s about helping some cross over. Others it’s about helping letting go. I can’t wait for the next book!!
May 18, 2026
This book is just as advertised. It is cozy and low stakes. This is a different look at Necromancers as a more societally acceptable class and what that means. The characters are fun and the story was enjoyable.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews