Homeward for a Spell

Homegrown Magic #2

by Jamie Pacton, Rebecca Podos

In this cozy queer romantic fantasy from the award-winning authors of Homegrown Magic, two members in a motley crew of adventurers must confront monsters, hostile landscapes—and their growing attraction for each other.

Sage has made her living as a ranger, moving constantly between adventuring parties, but has never had the chance to lead one. So when she’s offered the chance to hire a crew of her own in pursuit of a rare magical artifact, it seems a dream come true—until she learns that they’re headed into the most inhospitable part of the kingdom with winter looming. Still, it’s a chance to finally put her name on the map… and how bad could it really be?

Araphi has always loved music, in defiance of her powerful family’s priorities. All she wants is one last chance to perform before she’s married to a man she does not love for the good of the family. So when she sees a poster seeking a bard for a party, she eagerly sneaks away to audition. Only to discover that the party in question is no festival, but an adventuring party, led by a woman she’s been fascinated with since she first laid eyes on her. It’s an unexpected twist, but if she takes the job, she’ll still be back in time for her own wedding… and how bad could it really be?

What follows is a life-altering journey for them both, filled with danger and misfortunes as their ragtag band of adventurers—most of whom have just met—must learn to work together to overcome the many obstacles before them. Not the least of which is the explosive chemistry between the rugged party leader used to watching her own back, and the pampered city-girl bard who may be far out of her element but is beginning to feel at home for the very first time.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Lesbian, Queer, LGBT, Cozy Fantasy, Cozy

368 pages, Paperback

First published August 18, 2026

Reviews

[Ana]

This was an amazing sapphic cozy fantasy, full of adventure, perilous activities, some magic, emotions and character growth. Two souls searching for a place to belong, finding their way in the world and each other!!

Sage is a ranger, hopping from one adventure party to the next, never being able to lead one, until an opportunity to go to the Northlands, with the winter approaching, present itself. She's finally a lead on a rather dangerous mission to retrieve a powerful artifact, assembling her own team, a team that now includes a bard she knows, a bard she desires.. Araphi loves music, but on the cusp of a marriage she doesn't want, one arranged by her wealthy family, she's ready to have one last adventure, an adventure led by a woman she can't stop thinking about.. An Agent, a Healer, a Fighter, a Spellcaster, a Bard and a Ranger go on an unforgettable journey filled with misfortunes, monsters, new friends, some undeniable chemistry, betrayal, battles and a home away from home..

Sage was always on the road, always looking for an adventure, never settling down and never letting anyone in, so seeing her open up more with Araphi, learning about her past and seeing her lower her walls little by little was a joy to witness.
Araphi had a life full of responsibilities and insurmountable pressure, but she came alive with her music. She was braver than she gave herself credit and her character growth was so special to see, how she became more confident and learned her worth. She had such a special gift and I loved the way she connected with people with it.

I loved their story, they wanted different things, but couldn't stop the connection.. The teasing, the banter, the chemistry, the wolves, the protectiveness, the hot spring, the tent, the ravens, the Swallow, the cabin, Arkney, the love, the battle, the freedom.. The Ranger and Her Bard, a love story in the making. They were perfect for each other, the understanding, the way they worked together, how good they were for each other. I truly enjoyed their journey.
The main complaint I have is that the lust was driving the story at times. I get why and I certainly enjoyed their scenes together, but I always prefer emotional depth over lust, which is why my favourite scenes were the ones where we could really see their connection. That scene before the gates has my heart forever!!
I also wish we had more scenes of them in Arkney, I live for those kind of moments, just them living their life and we kind of skipped over it faster than I would've liked. 

The crew, filled with such different character, each unique in their own way, some more lovable than the others, but all of them chaotic and with a story, I just wish those stories were developed more. My favourite was Wren though, I hope we get more of her.
And, since I didn't read book one, I'm definitely missing some context around Margot and Yael, but that didn't really affect the story much, at least for me it didn't. 

The story was character-driven, but it still had a very exciting plot. The world and the way it was so queer-normative was simply beautiful!!
The authors truly did a great job and they certainly gained a new fan!!

*Thank you to Netgalley and to Random House UK, Cornerstone for providing me with an ARC.*

[ava ★]

⤷ 𝘵𝘺𝘴𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 <3

ˋ°•*⁀➷ 3.5 𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕤 .˚🫐𓍢˖˚🍂𓍢˖˚🤍˚.

this was a fun read! I loved the other book I’ve read by jamie pacton (thr hyacinth labyrinth), so I went into this with fairly high expectations, and while I wasn’t necessarily disappointed it definitely wasn’t perfect by any means,but it was still enjoyable!

» [I wanna be your girlfriend - girl in red] «
0:00 ─〇───── 4:00
⇄ ◃◃ ⅠⅠ ▹▹ ↻

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕 🤎

౨ৎ sapphic romance
౨ৎ cozy-ish fantasy (it felt cozy but not low stakes!)
౨ৎ fun and easy to read
౨ৎ one bed

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

ೃ⁀➷ 𝘗𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘯

Ages 16/17+

𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 🫐

౨ৎ Language- a few uses of f*ck, sh*t, hell, damn, etc

౨ৎ Romance- a few spice scenes (on page but not overly descriptive), kissing, innuendo

౨ৎ Violence- I know there was some but I lwk forgot exactly what 😭


.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 🤍

⤷ Araphi- I loved her! She was definitely my favorite character

⤷ Sage- she was a decent character for sure! also kinda hot… like she’s not even my type but still 🤭

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.


𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆𝒅 🍂

First if all, I loved the writing style! It was easy to read and just descriptive enough to be well written. I also liked the plot and worldbuilding- it described just enough about the world without being confusing or overwhelming at all, which I loved!!

The romance was also super cute, I love anything sapphic so muchhh like wlw books are really just the best thing ever 🙂‍↕️ it had some issues but was still enjoyable!! AND OML THE BANTER WAS PERFECT

The book got way more entertaining near the end too, I couldn’t put it down once I reached about 70% of the way through. While I read the start of it very slowly, I finished the second half of it in around 2-3 days!


𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒅𝒊𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 🪻

one of my biggest complaints is that it was extremely hard to get into. it wasn’t as boring as a lot of books I read but it did start out very slow and took me longer than most books to finish. I also found the middle part of it a bit slow, but once we got closer to the end it got much faster and entertaining!

I also found the romance wasn’t quite perfect, it felt like it at first was just attraction and no like actual emotional depth or love, and while it did grow a lot later in terms of that, I still found it a tiny bit shallow at times

I also just found the characters weren’t just as real feeling as some, they did have personality which I loved but I wish I could’ve known a bit more about them or related to them more


|🫐| post~read |🤍|

this was so fun to read! It definitely did have some things I didn’t love but it got a lot better near the end and I enjoyed it!


|🤍| pre~read |🫐|

yayyy I got an arc! I can’t wait to start this 🤭 I loved the hyacinth labyrinth which is by the same author so I have really high hopes for this! also it’s sapphic so that means it’s gonna be amazing 🙂‍↕️

[Ranash_books]

Great marketing but we haven’t forgotten about your antisemitism

[Jae Alistar]

Homeward for a Spell was such a charming follow-up to Homegrown Magic, bringing back that same sweet, comforting magic while sending its characters on a much bigger adventure. Dangerous monsters, magical relics, snowy mountains, cozy taverns, and just enough peril to keep things exciting. It has all the makings of an adventure campaign while still holding onto that warm, comforting feeling that made the first book so special. It strikes that perfect balance between adventure and comfort, giving you enough danger to keep turning the pages without ever losing its warmth.

We met Sage and Araphi briefly in book one, and the spark between them was already there. Here, getting to know them more deeply made their pairing even more compelling. Sage is a fiercely independent Ranger who has spent years running from her past and convincing herself that feelings and attachments are weaknesses that will only hold her back. She believes the only way forward is to keep moving and never look back. Araphi, our charismatic Bard, is accustomed to comfort and privilege and is trying to step outside the future her family has planned for her and figure out who she actually wants to become. Their journeys are very different, but both are ultimately learning that moving forward doesn't have to mean leaving pieces of yourself—or the people you care about—behind.

Their relationship develops with such a natural mix of tension, yearning, and sharp banter. They start the adventure wanting very different things, and that friction makes every interaction between them feel charged, especially as they slowly let their defenses down. I loved watching Sage learn that needing someone isn't a weakness and Araphi discover that being soft, feminine, or “just a bard” doesn't make her any less powerful. They learn to truly care for each other through the journey—not by magically fixing one another, but by showing up, listening, and learning to trust. Their growing connection feels genuine, and their intimate moments carry the perfect balance of tension, desire, and the need to be truly seen. Their romance adds to the adventure rather than ever overshadowing it.

The adventure itself feels like settling in for the opening session of a really good campaign. The journey from lush forests into the snow-covered northern lands gives the story such vivid variety, and the pacing gives every part of the adventure, romance, and conflict room to develop. Nothing felt rushed, but nothing dragged either. And just like in Homegrown Magic, the supporting characters bring so much warmth to the story. Watching this mismatched group slowly become a true party—and then something much closer to family—was incredibly satisfying.

Sweet, adventurous, heartfelt, and magical, Homeward for a Spell is such a rewarding companion to Homegrown Magic. Beneath the quests and magic, we are told a story about choosing who you want to become, learning that you don't have to do everything alone, and realizing that sometimes the thing you're running from might actually be leading you toward the adventure you've been looking for all along.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey/Random House Books for the chance to read this ARC!

Favorite Quotes:
“Now that she's grown, her theory of happiness is more fully formed. She knows it can't be found in any particular place but moves constantly, like some mythical beast. You could spend a lifetime chasing it. Better to enjoy happiness when you cross its path instead of trying to catch and keep it.”

“Never share thy lips with a lady who shan't speak your name.”

“It's so good to be needed. To be more than a pretty face. To be part of something larger than everything she's ever known. Even if it's only until the end of this adventure...”

“But maybe love is just a willingness to put everything on the line for somebody. To be brave both for them and with them all at once.”

“You are not an anchor. You are the port. You're what I left looking for. And I'm not going anywhere. Now that I've found you, no matter where you go, I'll never belong anywhere else.”

“Her own magic is something entirely different. It brings people together, rather than tearing them apart. It builds and soothes, rather than bargains and breaks.”

[✨ gabi ✨]

DNF. Yeah, no, maybe this book's audience is somewhere out there, but it isn't me. Araphi is so annoying and pretentious, and Sage loses all of her brain cells near Araphi's cleavage. This notion of "chemistry" did not work with me; it feels more like someone knocking two dolls together instead of two living, breathing people. Besides this, there's a lot of unnecessary exposition (no one cares to read a whole page about the background of a tavern that is important for one scene) and quite unsubtle wink-wink in-your-face Hints™ of a backstory for the main characters.

[Bbecca_marie]

Homeward for a Spell 🍂Review ✨ thank you @jamiepacton @beccapodos for this incredible gift and book!!

Homeward for a Spell
by Jamie Pacton and Rebecca Podos
out now!

In this cozy queer romantic fantasy from the award-winning authors of Homegrown Magic, two members of a motley crew of adventurers must confront monsters, hostile landscapes—and their growing attraction to each other.

My thoughts 💭 :

"You are not an anchor. You are the port. You're what I left looking for. And I'm not going anywhere. Now that l've found you, no matter where you go, l'll never belong anywhere else."

This was all sorts of magical, adventurous, swoony, and even cozy! I wasn’t aware this was part of a series when I picked it up, but I was so happy to discover that it can be read as a standalone! There were definitely some character backstories and connections that probably wouldn’t have gone over my head if I had read the first book, but it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of this story. If anything, I enjoyed it so much that now I definitely want to go back and read book one. Sapphic and swoony, it’s impossible not to love what the authors did with this story. And I loved watching their relationship develop alongside this wild adventure. The crew were all so different from one another, but they came together to create the most lovable ragtag found family. With magic, an epic quest, danger, romance, and a whole lot of love, this was exactly the kind of cozy fantasy I needed. If you’re looking for a story that feels adventurous while still giving you those cozy, character driven moments, add this one to your list!

What to expect 👇🏽
💕Sapphic romance
✨Magic & mayhem
⛰️Adventuring party
⚔️Epic quest
🫂Found family
☕️ Cozy

Happy reading 📖 🍂⚔️💕

[seasalted.citrus (Topaz, Oliver)]

3.5 rounded up, which in this case, is high praise-- I'm usually not someone for cozy fantasy! I enjoy romance, but being someone who very gradually swings from seeking out relationships IRL to being off-put by them, I can be quite picky about when I specifically read books within the genre instead of only featuring a romance subplot. Perhaps I'm biased because I pre-ordered the audiobook and had that be my way of experiencing this story (the narration was phenomenal!!), but I had an absolute blast with this! Is it tropey? Absolutely, and it worked in some chapters better than others. Was there insta-love? Well... yes... and I won't lie, it did put Araphi and Sage's chemistry at a slight disadvantage, because as cute as a relationship can be, part of its cuteness has to be its natural progression. There is one thing that I think sets this particular novel apart from other cozy fantasies I've read: A gutting, surprisingly grounded look at healing from your past mistakes, and being able to feel safe within your relationships.

Seriously, I did really love the different ways in which our two protagonists learn to find belonging within each other, and eventually trust their own desires. Araphi had to find someone she could truly be herself around (I think there's some hints of this world being queernormative, but tbh there is definitely some Undertones in her having to be in a loveless heterosexual marriage to appease her family's patron), and Sage had to learn how to be truly vulnerable. Both did, really, but Araphi mostly used escapism while Sage would emotionally detach from others. But of the two protagonists, Sage's arc was hands-down my favorite!! Like!! The pain of knowing you fucked up a past relationship but then also having to come to terms with both of you having a role in its end!! Learning to develop compassion for yourself! AUGH!!!

After everything that's changed over the the winter, after all of the ways Sage has changed, it's good to still be recognized.

no fr I think I just. really loved Sage. and that was part of me really enjoying this book sorry. I thought her kind of tongue-in-cheek, Pit Of Doom and Despair-esque delivery made the exposition style work, and her POV had more emotional depth IMO, her sweetness towards Araphi was soooo swoon-worthy! (like!!! She forgot about her own injuries to check to see if Araphi was ok! Her whole confession was being about how every part of herself she offered was done so willingly!! AAAAA) idk I listened to part of this in the week where I found out Cary Elwes decided to cozy up to One Particular Transphobic Comedian, so for my sanity this is gonna be my closest thing to Westley for a bit ok.

However. I do wish that the worldbuilding didn't rely on every reader checking out "Homegrown Magic" as well. The stories aren't even intertwined enough for "Homeward for a Spell" to not work as a standalone, so I don't see why that particular aspect shouldn't translate over as well? Either that, or the authors were relying on conventional fantasy creatures that could be universally understood by the readerbase. I do wish that there was more variety in the fantastical threats tbh, even if I enjoyed the (technically nonexistent) stakes they were written with. Plus, while the other party members were charming, I could never really parse what kind of tight-knit dynamic they were meant to have... work friends who trusted each other a lot more than what's average? Found family?

Main critique about the audiobook: Wren's accent was nottt consistent across the POVs, haha. She sounded more American in Sage's chapters. (And hearing the voice done for Sage in Araphi's POV when she was "threatening" was so funny to me jghsjkdfjsfj)

also. performing a ballad about your relationship at your FRIEND'S WEDDING is so ballsy lmao
_______________
pre-review:
3.5 stars rounded up but it changed my life

[Silvia Ribeiro]

you know you're down bad when you convince yourself a priviliged woman that never had to work for anything in her life is a good person to join a party searching for a super secret object in a super dangerous place. oh and she can't even use her money or status to help because she's going as an anonymous bard!

(but seriously this is such a good and fun story!!)

For being called a cozy fantasy, I was surprised by the amount of action and danger, especially in the first half of the book. There is a bit of a dip afterwards, and some solutions are almost ridiculously easy at the end. But it didn’t take away from the overall enjoyment for me.

As far as the romance goes, it’s very instant lust, and it isn’t slow burn for either acting on it or falling in love, but I appreciated that their hangups for a relationship were dealt with before the book delivered their happy ending.

[Mar Rose]

DNF at 37%
I couldn’t get into this. The story dragged and held little interest for me and the characters felt flat.

[Samantha]

Rating: 3.5 stars

I like this queernormed world of cozy adventures. I've never played DnD a day in my life, but I imagine the vibe is quite similar.

Still, the story is missing a little something. Both the romantic chemistry, the found family, and the stakes of the journey felt a little lacking. But like I said, a good time was had.

[Christina]

I typically enjoy a cozy, romantic fantasy story that feels very DND-adjacent, and this one was alright. I think what held me back a bit was I had a hard time really believing the world, the stakes, and the character motivations. A lot of it felt a bit hand-wavy, overly convenient, or not well explained. I didn't really buy the connection or development of feelings of the MCs either. But, I am a sucker for this genre, so I still had a good time.

[gracie]

This had a similar atmosphere and cozy vibe as Homegrown Magic did but that could not compensate for how stupid I found both Aralphi and Sage to be. At some point I was only reading for the Yael and Margot mentions. Thank you Del Ray for the arc in exchange for an honest review

[avishag turgeman]

We haven’t forgotten about your antisemitism

[Sapir_library ✨]

They are antisemitic, please be advised to not read this book or others by them

[Montes]

For me, Homeward for a Spell is a book that after you read digital, you need that physical copy. It was my first time reading a book from Jamie Pacton and/or Rebecca Podos and I’ll be sure to look out for their previous and upcoming publications.

I really enjoyed the creation and recruiting of the adventuring party. It was very mismatched and I think that’s what made it work. I never felt bored by the journey, I didn’t want to put the book down. I didn’t see the betrayal coming at all, I expected it from Remy so it was definitely a surprise coming from another member. Wren, Goway and the rest of the villagers in Arkney captured my heart. They welcomed Sage and Araphi for the rest of the season without knowing them and gave them sustenance, a place to stay and the warmth of community for however long they needed.

I haven’t yet read Homegrown Magic so both main characters here were new to me and I fell in love with both of them. The tension was immediate and endured throughout most of the book and the banter was immaculate. Sage is absolutely book girlfriend material, if she jumps after you without a second thought after you fall into a magical river, marry her. THE CABIN SCENE, never did I think that a cabin could survive on pleasure alone. It’s been a long time since the main couple breaking up made me actually feel sad, they broke my heart when they had no choice but to separate emotionally even when they still had to go back the path together.

Even though I expected how the ending would go, I’m very glad Araphi was able to choose to forge her own path with who and what makes her happy without losing her family and that Sage was able to close that chapter with her ex-wife and continue with her adventures understanding that her ex-wife was looking out for her from a place of love and without feeling guilt for choosing her own happiness.

Thank you to Jamie Pacton, Rebecca Podos, Del Rey and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of one of my favorite reads of the summer.

[Luminea]

I enjoyed revisiting the queer-normative world of Homegrown Magic and exploring the kingdom of Harrow with Sage and Araphi. Several of the themes from the first book in the series were carried over from a fresh angle, such as being true to oneself, and standing up for what's right, regardless of the cost.

This fantasy romance was full of adventure and passion that was the opposite of slow burn...more like a sudden inferno. As the story progressed it was nice to see the emotional connection between Sage and Araphi deepen and develop into something strong and sweet. The banter was enjoyable, as was seeing the characters shed their beliefs about who they had to be.

There were several secondary characters who I really liked, particularly Bramble and Wren, who I hope we might meet again in future stories set in this world. It was also really lovely to spend some more time with Margot and Yael, who were the main characters in the previous book.

Homeward for a Spell was a fun and enjoyable read with immersive world-building and interesting characters. I hope the series will continue!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for providing me with an ARC of this charming story.

[Skeena8]

This was a witchy story, sapphic romance and they were on a quest. I thought for sure I was going to love this one, however it just didn’t vibe with me. I enjoyed the characters, Araphi and Sage. They were complete opposites attracts. The story just didn’t hook me. I didn’t feel like I needed to know what was going to happen and if the characters were going to get together. It felt a bit predictable. Which is sad cause I wanted to like it. The spice was great, magic cabin with O endured baking, yeah I was here for that magic. I did end up finishing this story as I wanted to give it a real chance to turn around and be a good book. But that’s all it really was. Not great. Not bad. Just okay. This is the second book in the series and I didn’t read the first one, so I’m not sure if that would have made more of a difference for me. But based on the descriptions it feels like a standalone in the same world. I would still recommend you give this story a chance, hoping that it just wasn’t the right fit for me. But go in with slow cozy vibes and surface level depth.

[Emily Sarah]

**Review of ARC / free review copy**

3.7 ⭐️ sapphic bard x ranger DND vibes 🐉

I think where this book flourishes most is the quest/adventure focus. The romance is cute (and yes, there’s a dash of spice) but for me, the adventure portions gripped me more. It feels like a fun and messy DND campaign and I loved that.

It’s definitely faster paced, and even though it’s cozy there is a good deal happening in the plot due to the adventure aspect which I appreciated.

The romance side didn’t grip me quite as much as I thought it would, even though I liked both MCs, likely because I was more invested in the quest. I would say the romance is also on the faster burn side, and I would have liked a bit more build up. Saying that, I did find myself rooting for Sage and Araphi. (My fave was actually Tea- I have a soft spot there.)

Rep// butch WLW / Sappic MC, Femme WLW / Sapphic MC, non-binary SCs. Central romance is sapphic / WLW, femme x butch.

[D Dyer]

3.5 stars.
This was a fun romp with lots of nods to frequently seen figures in classic fantasy and a sapphic romance without a ton of angst or too many complications. Sage and Araphi have pretty much instant mutual lust, often commented on by other characters so a lot of attention is about whether they will stay together, despite Sage’s uncertainty are around commitment, and Araphi’s familial responsibilities. The story moves relatively quickly though the final conflict is not quite what I thought it would be. And while characters from the previous entry in this series to make appearances and feature somewhat prominently near the very end, I think this could definitely be RED as a standalone.

[MC]

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Ray for the eARC! Homeward for a Spell is out August 18th!
Homeward for a Spell was such a sweet fun read. In this cozy d&d-inspired queer normative romantacy, we follow Sage and Phi as they run from responsibilities and into each other’s arms. On their quest, our adventurers battle foes and discuss class inequality. Packaged in cozy vibes, Pacton and Podos ask the reader: what would you give up for love?
- Read if:
You play d&d
No matter what you are watching, you’re always waiting for the two girls to kiss
Golden retriever masc and black cat femme
Want to feel like fall is in the air

[Marlies Rasinger]

I really enjoyed this cozy, magical and great read. It has sapphic Romance, really cool magic and an amazing quest. -What more do you need?
I really enjoyed the chemistry and dynamic between Sage and Araphi. It is sizzling between these two and they are also compatible as people as they really complement each other, which is an aspect I appreciate.

I think that it is also very cool that music is a „magical“ power in this book and that the bard, who is normally not important to a travel party, has such an important role and saves the day that often.

I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it!

[Alice.thereader]

Homeward for a Spell ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
I really enjoyed Homeward for a Spell. It's an epic fantasy adventure that balances an engaging, high-stakes journey with a sweet F/F romance woven naturally into the story.

The worldbuilding kept me invested, and I liked how the adventure unfolded without losing sight of the characters and their relationships. The romance added an emotional core that complemented the fantasy elements rather than overshadowing them.

While it didn't quite reach five-star territory for me, it was still a fun, immersive read that I'd happily recommend to anyone looking for epic fantasy with queer representation and a satisfying adventure. Overall, a solid 3.75/5.

[Becky Craigo]

The recipe for an awesome story is, simple, cozy fantasy + Lesbian’s + found family = five stars, right? Sadly, no, the recipe needs more character development, and the characters need to do something. It felt false in that the characters are immediately in lust with each other and the ”found family” was almost nonexistent because all of the side characters were not memorable or at least I couldn’t remember their names motives or backstory. It was like a smutty young adult book. I made it to 50% and really really wanted to love it, but I didn’t.

[Molly Haniszewski]

SUCH a delightful, cozy quest! One part Legends and Lattes, one part Tusk Love, with some twists and turns that kept me on my toes. I usually don’t enjoy dual POVs in romance books but I really enjoyed both Araphi and Sage’s POVs—they both felt so real and easy to identify with. Highly recommend picking this one up if you’re in search of a spicy, Sapphic fantasy 🥰

[Alex Levine]

This was very sweet! Nothing more thoughtful or much deeper to take away for me, personally - I just found it pleasant and nice which is enough for a good read! Both MCs and most side characters were decently fleshed out, and I understood most of their motivations and chemistry. Some pacing was odd to me - very quick conflict resolutions but lengthy idle scenes - and some plot twists seemed too random with not enough foreshadowing or explanation before & after. I really liked the writing style(s), with just enough lush description to add to the magical world but not too much to distract from the literal storyline.

[Amber Roberts]

I ATE THIS ONE UP. I was brought in by the Princess Bride comparisons but I stayed for Phi and Sage, the most perfect (but totally flawed) babies who I'd protect with everything I have.

[Ofri]

Kapo ass writers.

[Shahar Cohen]

Antisemitic

[Ariel ⋆˚✿˖°]

we didn’t forget that you are an antisemitic :)

[Demetri Papadimitropoulos]

Dragons, Demons, and an Injury Clause
Jamie Pacton and Rebecca Podos’s “Homeward for a Spell” understands that even a magical quest needs workplace protections, and that the hardest contracts are rarely the ones written on paper
By Demetris Papadimitropoulos | August 7th, 2026

Demons are dangerous, dragons worse, but the first monster Jamie Pacton and Rebecca Podos set before Sage Wilderstone in “Homeward for a Spell” is a bad contract. She limps back to Kingfisher from an expedition that cost her party fingers, blood, and most of its pay because the leader neglected to negotiate for delays or injury. When a mysterious Agent offers Sage her first chance to command, her opening act is not heroic but administrative: she demands an injury clause. The clause is funny because it is practical, and revealing because almost everyone else in the book is signing away something harder to price – time, safety, loyalty, a future. The question underneath the quest is not how to cut every tether. It is which claims on a life deserve to hold.

Even before Araphi Clauneck walks into her auditions, Sage has made an ethic out of exit routes. At twenty-six she moves from adventuring party to adventuring party and refuses to work with the same companions twice, because repetition becomes familiarity and familiarity becomes personal. The new job rewards that habit: assemble a crew, enter the Northlands before winter seals the passes, retrieve a powerful magical object, come back with enough money and reputation to stop being professionally invisible. Sage wants the commission, but she also wants the road for its own medicinal properties. Stillness leaves too much room for whatever she has been outrunning.

Much of the comedy enters carrying a lute. Araphi is twenty-two, rich, beautiful, engaged to Denby Oreborn for reasons closer to dynastic bookkeeping than desire, and privately serious about the pursuit her family regards as ornamental. As Phi Runesong, she performs as a bard. Hearing that someone in Kingfisher is holding auditions for a “party,” she assumes she is being hired to entertain one. Sage is recruiting an adventuring party. The mistake has the silliness of a tavern story. Its consequence is less silly: Araphi signs on for one last excursion before marriage and discovers that scheduled leave from one’s own life can make returning to it rather difficult.

Early chapters lay out a familiar adventurer’s kit: ranger, bard, healer, fighter, wizard, secret Client, magical artifact, bad weather, monsters with regrettable dental arrangements. Pacton and Podos do not pretend to have reinvented the quest. The surprise is not in the equipment but in who pays for it. Sage believes skill should buy authority. Araphi has been taught that music is charming but economically unserious. The Client regards obscurity as a discount on human risk. Clauneck, the demon underwriting Araphi’s family fortune, understands almost every relationship as bargain, leverage, or yield. The kingdom has dragon gods, but its labor market has the sour tang of recognizable subcontracting.

The road soon starts charging for every mile. A barbed-wolf attack scatters horses and supplies; Tea, the increasingly terrified wizard, bolts; Sage’s damaged knee keeps deteriorating; the Graywood is less enchanted forest than hostile workplace with fog. Now the bard has to do the magic. Araphi is expected to retrieve a dragon god’s tooth by following Tea’s wizardly instructions and cannot. Then she stops auditioning for someone else’s discipline and sings. Her bardic magic reaches the consciousness clinging to the tooth and draws it from the river. The tooth rises only when Araphi quits imitating the respectable magic the expedition expected and trusts the art everyone around her has mispriced.

Rarer, in this world, is magic that does not behave like a contract. Clauneck bargains. Menorath Clauneck, Araphi’s formidable aunt, uses agents and disposable workers to gather magical resources that might free the family from its patron while preserving its power over everyone else. Araphi’s songs ask rather than command. They gather people, circulate pleasure, and preserve stories. At the Dragon’s Bane, the same art her family treats as a hobby earns Araphi money under a name she chose for herself; at the Swallow, it accomplishes what wizardry cannot. When she and her mother eventually use music to wrench Clauneck out of Menorath and banish him, the opposition is almost diagrammatic – extraction against creation – but it has been prepared from the beginning. The supposedly useless art proves powerful without conceding that power was ever the proper measure of its worth.

If Araphi’s error is accepting her family’s price for things, Sage’s is treating mileage as proof of freedom. Her problem is not generic fear of commitment; she suspects every person who needs her will leave less of herself available to live. The authors delay the reason well. During Sage and Araphi’s first sexual encounter, Sage cries out the name Ollie. Ollie was her wife. Ollie did not die. Sage did. Killed on an earlier expedition and magically restored, she returned to a marriage in which Ollie wanted safety while Sage needed proof that her second life would not be smaller than the first. What first resembles romantic evasiveness becomes a survivor’s superstition. Sage treats survival like a debt payable in mileage.

Pacton and Podos place that confession inside their most revealing magical joke. After Sage dives into the lethal Swallow to save Araphi and badly worsens her knee, the women take refuge in an abandoned hunting cabin governed by a homecoming spell. Affection makes the place habitable. Kisses light candles. The fire catches. A bath fills. Food appears. It is the sort of enchantment that could drown in its own adorable bathwater, yet the scene survives because the joke and the emotional problem are identical. Sage has spent years treating dependence as enclosure; here allowing another person to care for her produces warmth rather than walls.

Araphi’s future, by contrast, arrives fully furnished. Her family has supplied property, status, a husband, an inheritance, and a dynastic assignment, leaving very little unallocated space in the person expected to inhabit them. Phi Runesong initially looks like a costume she can fold away before marriage. The journey makes that fantasy untenable. At Arkney, where Sage must remain through winter to heal, Araphi performs, works, teaches songs, acquires a secondhand lute that belongs to her rather than to a family legacy, and begins composing “The Ranger and the Bard.” She is no longer rehearsing a life. The harder problem is deciding how much of the old one she can refuse without making everyone she still loves pay for the refusal.

Precisely because escape feels so good, the decision to go back matters. Araphi returns south because abandoning the Clauneck structure would leave its costs for siblings and servants. Sage also returns, eventually, to the Rookery and to Ollie. Neither journey backward restores an old home. Sage can apologize without deciding their marriage should have survived; Ollie can explain the terror of watching Sage die without becoming the villain who tried to domesticate a restless woman. Their conversation permits something romances often resist: a freely chosen bond can fail because two people need incompatible lives, and nobody has to sprout horns for the failure to count. Ollie is not evidence that Sage once chose badly. She is evidence that choice itself does not freeze a relationship into permanent compatibility.

As the party goes north and later retraces its path south, geography starts doing character work. Thirty-five main chapters alternate strictly between Sage and Araphi before the epilogue, so neither woman is reduced to being the other’s destination. The design also keeps taking away whatever each mistakes for security. The party loses horses, supplies, its wizard, its uncomplicated commission, and eventually the artifact itself. Sage discovers that leadership is less about preparing for every contingency than recognizing when the original plan has become morally rotten. Araphi discovers that leaving is useful only if she returns with enough authority over herself to choose what remains.

Discipline has a price. Because the chapters alternate so faithfully, one emotional development is sometimes processed from Sage’s side and then polished again from Araphi’s. The prose shares that appetite for confirmation. Pacton and Podos write briskly, in a contemporary register alive to flirtation, embarrassment, and bodily inconvenience. Mud, blisters, bad stew, and aching joints keep the fantasy tactile. Sage notices routes, exits, weather, and threat; Araphi notices rhythm, performance, clothing, and the social temperature of a room. Those habits of attention distinguish them more effectively than decorative description. At times the strict alternation makes emotional reciprocity feel almost scheduled, as though every revelation has been issued a return ticket. But a scene that has already landed its emotional point is often followed by an interior paragraph making certain the parcel arrived.

Its prose wants the reader inside the tent, the argument, and the embarrassment, not admiring the sentence from the doorway. Most sentences are medium-length and lucid, frequently interrupted by fragments that sharpen a joke or flash of annoyance. Dialogue moves quickly; sex is frank without acquiring ceremonial gravity; exposition generally keeps pace with action. That accessibility suits a romance built on intimacy and momentum. It also limits mystery. Sage revisits whether attachment is a trap after the plot has already bent the bars; Araphi keeps asking whether Phi Runesong is real long after her behavior has answered. A motif can survive twenty pages without supervision.

Menorath’s commission gives Sage the cruelest professional lesson in the book. She imagines the secret Client as proof that somebody important has finally noticed her talent. The truth is meaner. Menorath wanted capable adventurers whose deaths would not make noise. Sage’s obscurity was not an obstacle to the job; it was a qualification. The reversal is especially good because it turns the recognition she craves into proof of how cheaply power has priced her. For a moment she considers completing the contract anyway, because delivering the tooth could still make her career. Then she refuses. That decision is her real promotion. She becomes a leader not when she gains the authority to issue orders, but when she decides the authority behind the orders no longer deserves obedience.

Its sharpest questions are harder than its answers. Menorath is most interesting when she seeks freedom from Clauneck by reproducing his methods of exploitation; possession later converts that contradiction into a rescue problem. Bramble’s attempt to steal the tooth for impoverished Tule opens an uncomfortable question about whether communal desperation excuses betrayal, then moves comparatively quickly toward remorse. Denby’s arranged marriage has shadowed Araphi’s future for hundreds of pages, only for him to greet its cancellation with near-comic relief and return happily to his machines. The solutions are pleasant. The dilemmas were better.

The last act makes reassurance almost a house rule. Remy steps aside. Bramble repents. Clauneck is banished. Menorath survives. Denby is relieved. Sage and Ollie understand one another. None of this violates the novel’s temperament; kindness has governed it from the start. But kindness can become narrative solvent when it dissolves the resistance that gave an earlier conflict weight. The story asks pointed questions about inherited wealth, dangerous freelance work, dynastic utility, and who gets to buy somebody else’s exposure to risk, then finds its most persuasive answers wherever one decent person can decide to behave differently. It is better at repairing relationships than imagining what would have to change around them.

Rebecca Thorne’s “Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea” shares its conviction that queer warmth need not require danger to vanish; Allison Saft’s “A Dark and Drowning Tide” offers the sterner expeditionary parallel, sending sapphic protagonists toward a coveted magical resource whose political purpose curdles along the way. A. K. Larkwood’s “The Unspoken Name” asks the harder neighboring question: when someone frees you from one claim only to acquire another, what would freedom actually look like? Pacton and Podos approach that problem with more jokes, more sex, and a considerably better bath.

On balance, 79/100, or 3/5 stars, feels right. The labor logic, Araphi’s mispriced art, Sage’s resurrection, the conversion of command into ethical responsibility, and the refusal to make love synonymous with settlement nearly lift the novel into the next tier. Overarticulated interiority, repeated emotional loops, familiar quest furniture, and an unusually forgiving resolution keep it just below.

Port, not anchor: that correction is the romance’s cleanest piece of thinking. An anchor stops a traveler. A port allows departure and return. The image has force because Sage imagines existence geographically from the first chapter: routes, exits, rivers, wilderness, the next commission. Love does not cure her of motion; it changes motion from escape into return. Araphi’s corresponding shift is artistic rather than geographic. By the epilogue she has turned their expedition into a ballad, becoming the person who decides how the life she chose will be remembered.

One year later, they are still adventurers. They have helped rebuild Tule, crossed forests, visited graves, returned to families, and arrived in Bloomfield for Yael and Margot’s wedding. Araphi has a song; Sage still has somewhere else she wants to go. Their happy ending is not stillness. It is the end of disappearance. A ranger keeps the road, a bard keeps the music, and somewhere between the next contract and the next chorus, each learns the rarest trick in a world thick with bargains: how to belong without being owned.