Cosy fantasy is in the midst of a bit of a boom right now, and Rebecca Thorne’s new novel Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea is an intriguing entry into the genre. Originally self-published in 2022, it follows the blossoming relationship – and the struggles of – two young women living in a fantasy world filled with magic, opposing kingdoms, and fantastical creatures.
As the title suggests, the story is a blend of intrigue, fantasy politics and cosy domestic life. As a royal bodyguard and a divinely blessed mage, our protagonists Reyna and Kianthe are constantly embroiled in plots, quests, and all sorts of danger. Which is a bit of a problem when all they want to do is run away together and live a quiet life selling books and tea.
But, that’s exactly what they do, escaping to a small remote village far from everything they once knew. Unfortunately for them, however, the perils and commitments of their old lives continue to chase them, while new threats rise to complicate everything even further.
Personally, I tend to prefer my fantasy with big plots and shy away from the more relaxed end of the spectrum – where this book lies – but I decided to give this one a go. And honestly, I’m glad I did. The novel is a fairly light read, and I’m not sure the world building holds up to a huge amount of scrutiny, but it’s just a nice time, and I enjoyed the majority of it.
For the most part, the elements that seem the most like wishful thinking (a bookshop in a fantasy world? What must literacy rates be like for that to happen?) are relatively grounded if a little hand-waved, and the most important sections of the novel – the relationship between our two main characters and their efforts to build a shop in a remote town – are cute without feeling too cheesy.
This is no meet-cute story of two women falling in love – instead, their relationship is long established, and their story is about them learning to live together, addressing the flaws in their relationship and in themselves. It’s the centre point on which the whole story hangs, and for the most part it’s sweet and solid.
Their efforts to open up a shop and deal with everything that comes with that is fun to read, as are their interactions with the rest of the townspeople – though I remain unconvinced by the enemies-to-lovers romance arc between two of our side characters. A good heaping of intrigue and peril, plus plenty of high stakes, prevents everything from feeling too saccharine sweet.
The plot, however, does have some issues, especially towards the end. As you head towards the novel’s conclusion, there are a number of threads being juggled – the vengeful queen Reyna once guarded, the ever-looming threat of the dragons and their missing eggs, the tension between the town’s rulers, the safety of the townsfolk, and the fear they’ll soon lose the life they have so painstakingly built – and while each is interesting, it drops a few before the finale.
The mystery of the dragon eggs feels particularly half-baked at times, especially after being such a large focus earlier on. It’s been left off until the next book, most likely, but instead of feeling like a plot hook to look forward to, it just feels a little unsatisfying, especially when I was expecting everything to tie together neatly.
The climax of the novel feels a little lacking as well – great in concept, but a tad rushed in execution. For the most part, the plot is perfectly enjoyable if predictable in a few sections, but these flaws did make me feel a little frustrated upon putting down the novel, even if I had good fun reading most of it.
If you’re looking for the a cosy fantasy read – but don’t like your fantasy too cosy or too oversweet – I can recommend this one. It’s not perfect (something the author admits herself in the acknowledgements), nor is it one I’ll be desperate to read the sequel for, but all the same it’s a nice relaxing read.
THREE AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne is available now from Tor UK/Pan Macmillan Australia. Grab yourself a copy from your local bookshop HERE.
