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osbormad 's review for:

The Phoenix Keeper by S.A. MacLean
3.75
adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I wish I could rate this book higher! I loved the zoo setting and all the different magical animals. I thought the sapphic romance and cute and Luciana was a great match to Aila. I liked how to author contrasted the positive ways Luciana interacted with Aila compared to the negative ways her past love interests/other people sometimes interacted with her. 

That said, this would have read better as YA. Maybe the narrator sounded too young, but I was shocked when we found out the MC is 28. She read more like someone right out of high school, or maybe college. I have anxiety too, but I had a hard time believed this woman could reach her zookeeper rank with her crippling social anxiety. Also the majority of the book is her crushing on a dude, and then finally accepting her feelings towards Luciana near the end.