The Hocus Pocus Handbook by Ann Aguirre
Cozy Fantasy Romance
Published September 1, 2026 by Sourcebooks
ARC

Review by Angela

I liked the premise of this book when I read the blurb, and the cover gave off cozy vibes, so I went for it and requested this for review. I will admit that this book was a real struggle to get through, the pacing was very slow, and I found myself picking it up, and then putting it back down after a few pages.

I kind of feel like I was dropped into an already established world, which okay I can overcome that, after all I read paranormal romance and fantasy quite often. But there is a lot of worldbuilding here, with all the different species, courts, and politics between the courts to remember. Not to mention the backstory of both the FMC and the MMC, which play heavily into the overall plot arc. Amazon says it’s a standalone, but Goodreads lists it as book five of the Fix-It Witches series, so maybe I should have read the first five books first?

I did like both the MMC and FMC, Thea Winter is a changeling who was kidnapped from the mortal world, abandoned by her fae parents, but adopted by a kind hobgoblin named Mudge who loved and cared for her and taught her everything he knows about magic. She’s wild and free, pretty much going her own way and doing her own thing, especially when it comes to who she loves and respects. Kerboros is basically the Winter Court’s tracker, who is sent to find people when something goes wrong or when the ruler, Lord Liskaal, wants someone punished. He is under his cousin’s thumb and has been since his childhood and his father’s rebellion failed. He has secretly been in love with Thea for years and is kind of excited when he is ordered to accompany her on a quest to find the missing members of a rival court, and weirdly enough her husband, who she’s never met.

They go on the quest, where they encounter powerful beings, and end up in weird situations. And it’s fine, not especially exciting, but fine. It’s definitely cozy, and as wild and unruly as Thea is described, she’s actually a very kind, sweet person who always seems to be the gentle voice in every situation. After several chapters I began to skip the opening parts where there are alternate descriptions of artwork and spell work, to get to the actual meat of the story. I kind of slogged through most of the book, until finally skipping through to the end.

This wasn’t my cup of tea, but it’s sure to appeal of readers who want a cozier, slower paced fantasy adventure. I’m not sure whether to mark this as read or DNF, so I’m not going to give a rating.