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The Phoenix Keeper
S. A. MacLean
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Set in a magical zoo teeming with mythical beasts from dragons and unicorns to kelpies and krakens, The Phoenix Keeper is a fierce joy of a cozy fantasy novel with a soul-restoring queer romance at its heart, for fans of The House in the Cerulean Sea and Legends and Lattes.
As head phoenix keeper at a world-renowned zoo for magical creatures, Aila's childhood dream of conserving critically endangered firebirds seems closer than ever. There's just one glaring caveat: her zoo's breeding program hasn't functioned for a decade. When a tragic phoenix heist sabotages the flagship initiative at a neighboring zoo, Aila must prove her derelict facilities are fit to take the reins.
But saving an entire species from extinction requires more than stellar animal handling skills. Carnivorous water horses, tempestuous thunderhawks, mischievous dragons... Aila has no problem wrangling beasts. But mustering the courage to ask for help from the hotshot griffin keeper at the zoo's most popular exhibit? Virtually impossible.
Especially when that hotshot griffin keeper happens to be her arch-rival from college: Luciana, an annoyingly brooding and insufferable know-it-all with the face of a goddess who's convinced that Aila's beloved phoenix would serve their cause better as an active performer rather than as a passive conservation exhibit.
With the world watching and the threat of poachers looming, Aila's success is no longer merely a matter of keeping her job. She is the keeper of the phoenix, and the future of a species—and her love life—now rests on her shoulders.
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Posts about this title from ofpagesandprint
ofpagesandprint\ \ Dahlia\ \ • Jun 22
[With a little over a week left in June, I wanted to share some more of my favorite LGBTQIA+ reads to continue the celebration:\ \
- Aunt Tigress by Emily Yu-Xuan Qin - A creative, compelling, and strange (complimentary) urban fantasy with Chinese and First Nation mythology.\ \
- The Manor of Dreams by Christina Li - A twisty, haunting gothic thriller with sapphic love, family drama, and a haunted garden.\ \
- Roar of the Lambs by Jamison Shea - A dark, mysterious, and propulsive YA speculative thriller, perfect for fans of Andrew Joseph White.\ \
- The Phoenix Keeper by S.A. MacLean - A cozy, sweet, and whimsical fantasy set in a magical zoo.\ \
- The Devourer by Alison Ames - An addictive and cinematic YA fantasy with monsters and seaswept adventure.\ \
- A Bánh Mì for Two by Trinity Nguyen - A sweet and tender YA contemporary romance set in Vietnam with mouth-watering food descriptions.\ \
- The Girls I've Been by Tess Sharpe - A twisty, gripping YA thriller following the daughter of a con artist, perfect for fans of Lana Del Rey's "Doin' Time."\ \
- Nobody in Particular by Sophie Gonzales - A witty and romantic YA contemporary romance set at an all-girls boarding school.\ \
- Every Exquisite Thing by Laura Steven - A sharp, riveting YA retelling of The Picture of Dorian Grey.\ \
- Vesuvius by Cass Biehn - A captivating, immersive YA historical fantasy set in ancient Pompeii, perfect for fans of The Song of Achilles and They Both Die at the End.\ \
- The Incandescent by Emily Tesh - An atmospheric, spellbinding, and action-packed dark academia fantasy.\ \
- Everything She Does Is Magic by Bridget Morrissey - A delightful, bewitching YA contemporary fantasy with magic and spooky joy, perfect to celebrate Summerween.\ \
- This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone - A compelling, captivating, and propulsive epistolary SFF novel.\ \
- Immortal Game by Allison Saft - An enrapturing, atmospheric YA contemporary fantasy with Irish folklore, chess, and romance.\ \
- Maybe Tomorrow I'll Know by Alex Ritany - A gripping, heartfelt, and poignant YA speculative romance.\ \
- Nemesis Mine by Amy Archer - A hilarious, charming, and magical cozy fantasy, perfect for fans of Red, White & Royal Blue and Legends & Lattes.\ \
- If All the Stars Go Dark by S.G. Prince - A cinematic, adventurous YA sci-fi novel with found family.\ \ \ Happy Pride Month, and let me know what you're reading this month! 🫶](https://ofpagesandprint.binderybooks.com/item/DwITJCHxOnvG3Fzm5sze/)
Must-Reads for Pride Month (pt. 2)! 🌈
17 books
3
Posts about this book from across Bindery
Charlotte's Cozy Corner\ \ Charlotte Bonner\ \ • Jun 30
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[Hello Cozy Family!\ \ It's been a long time since I thought about creating an official top 10 ranking, so I figured I would give it a shot. It was much harder than I expected!! And I'm currently reading a book that I know will be high in my top 10 after finishing, but the idea of removing any of the mentioned books below from the ranking physically hurts aha.\ \ I might have to start doing re-rankings every other month if my reading keeps being as top tier as it has been so far this year! A brilliant struggle to have!\ \ What would be in your top 10 list? Please do share all the incredible books that could very well uproot all of our rankings!\ \ Without further ado, here is my (current) official top 10 books:\ \ 01. For Whom the Belle Tolls\ \ 02. A Court of Silver Flames\ \ 03. Judgement Road\ \ 04. House of Earth and Blood\ \ 05. Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands\ \ 06. Project Hail Mary\ \ 07. On the Same Page\ \ 08. Heir of Fire\ \ 09. The Phoenix Keeper\ \ 10. The Unmaking of June Farrow\ \ \ Honourable mentions (because I couldn't just list 10 when these were so close to making the cut):\ \
- The Atlas Six\ \
- Broken Bonds\ \
- A Discovery of Witches\ \
- Heroes of Olympus\ \
- Uprooted\ \
- Wisteria\ \ \ The book I'm currently reading that I KNOW will disrupt my current top 10 is Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid! Just wow! But as I haven't finished it yet, it feels wrong to add it to my official ranking just yet.\ \ The same goes for The Women by Kristin Hannah, which I always tell everyone is one of my favourite books of all time, and yet I haven't technically finished it... It was destroying me too much and I had to pause due to personal circumstances at the time. That was 2 years ago lol. I do plan to finish it, and I know it will then rule over my top 10 list, but until I'm ready to be emotionally destroyed by the ending, I'm putting it off. I want to finish it this year though, so it should be in my ranking by the end of 2026, fingers crossed!](https://charlottescozycorner.binderybooks.com/item/GJMRFwtnzbI0a7a4McgN/)
10 books
ofpagesandprint\ \ Dahlia\ \ • Jun 22
Must-Reads for Pride Month (pt. 2)! 🌈
17 books
3
Books Right Now\ \ Rashi Dembi\ \ • May 20
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AUTHOR INTERVIEW WITH S.A. MACLEAN LIVE NOW!
2 books
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chronicallybookish\ \ Kaley\ \ • Jun 20 2025
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🌈🫶🏻
❤️ Little Thieves - demi/ace 🧡 The Phoenix Keeper - sapphic 💛 The Honey Witch - sapphic 💚 Sorcery and Small Magics - achillean 🩵 The Drowned Woods - bisexual 💙 A Dark and Drowning Tide - sapphic 💜 Sunbringer - bisexual
#booktok #specialeditions #sprayededges #stencilededges #illumicrate #fairyloot #owlcrate #prettybooks #pridestack #pridebookstack #lgbtqbooks #fantasybooks #fantasybookstagram #bookcollector
7 books
Cozy Quill\ \ Meg\ \ • Oct 7 2024
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SPOILER. We had mixed feelings about "The Phoenix Keeper"🫣
SEPTEMBER Cozy Book Club 📚
Join the fun as we discuss our complicated feelings about The Phoenix Keeper!
1 book
Cozy Quill\ \ Meg\ \ • Sep 4 2024
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\ \ Upgrade for $5 or login](https://cozyquill.binderybooks.com/item/sJBFQ8M0L2E2D2usXZxy/)
5 Books I AM SO EXCITED TO SHARE!
Are any of these on your TBR?💕
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Skies Press\ \ Emma\ \ • Aug 29 2024
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1 book
Not So Well Read\ \ Courtney\ \ • Aug 26 2024
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A cute little review of a cute (not so) little cozy fantasy. This one is 450 pages of magical creatures and rivals-to-lovers, sapphic goodness. Plus, I’ll never not describe this as romantasy for us Zoo Tycoon kids.
#cozyfantasybooks #cozyfantasy #bookrecommendations #bookreview #illumicrate #illumicratejuly2024
1 book
Arcane Nights Press\ \ Cassidy\ \ • Aug 21 2024
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Fall book recommendations or book recs for those looking for a cozy read! 👀 #booktok #bookrecs #booktokfyp #cozyfantasy #fallbookrecs #thespellshop #thehoneywitch #thephoenixkeeper #fantasybooktok #fantasybooks #cassidy_reads
6 books
3
Cozy Quill\ \ Meg\ \ • Jul 3 2024
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\ \ Upgrade for $12 or login](https://cozyquill.binderybooks.com/item/zgy3fUdnLhaNAHmSPoOE/)
Cozy Cooking feat. Sammie Virella
Join me and hilarious booktoker, Sammie Virella (@booksdogsandcoffee), for a frenzied night of celebrating Pride Month with some baking and book chats!
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Cozy Quill\ \ Meg\ \ • Feb 2 2024
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Your MOST Anticipated 2024 Cozy Fantasies!
What a year for cozy fantasy stories! Here’s a list of a few we’re all looking forward to in 2024! 🌱
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