Enchanted Village by Lily Starling

 Christmas in July? Well it is for me! I just finished reading an enjoyable cozy story  written by Lily Starling. Set in a quirky little hamlet,  Enchanted Village  is about Hex Hollow, a place where witches and wizards live and work that is close to the Emberwind Academy for magical learning. 

Margaret Nettle runs the town pub, started by her grandmother and then passed down through the generations to her mother and now Margaret, The Toasty Owl, serves up specialty drinks to the villagers. The charm in the pub is purely from Margaret as she has the ability to create just the right drink to comfort each and every customer.  Margaret is from a magical lineage, but somehow her magical abilities never manifested. Yet her no nonsense nature and love of all fantastic creatures, especially her resident dragon Bernie,  make her a village charmer.

Silas Birchwood is a non-magical science teacher, recently recruited by the headmaster of Emberwind Academy, Silas's uncle Elliot. Silas's job as a non-magical teacher is to teach the students that tasks can be done without magic as well as with it.  

When Margaret meets Silas, one might say a spark was lit, but actually Margaret's pub was almost destroyed as her overprotective dragon , Bernie, tries to chase off Silas ,while simultaneously breathing fire all over the pub.  In remorse for inadvertently causing the destruction, Silas proves his worth as a handyman using no spell work, just elbow grease and good intentions.

When a stranger moves into town and begins building another bar to directly compete with Margaret's Toasty Owl, all the villagers must help Margaret. Margaret's dearest friend Liza, an incredibly talented witch, encourages Margaret to make some changes to her pub and her life.  Will Silas and Margaret find love outside of magic? Does Margaret save her pub from the ruthless new stranger's enterprise? Ultimately, does Margaret deal with the grief of her mother's loss and find her own magic in living life as the woman she was meant to be? 

Starling does a admirable job of creating characters with depth and warmth.  Her fantasy world of Hex Hollow captures the readers hearts and they in turn become part of her fantasy world through the pages. 

I would describe Enchanted Village as a light read, perfect to pair with a warm drink on a cool fall or winter afternoon.  Even reading it in July was fun as I dreamed of cooler weather and holiday activities.  I rate the story with 4 stars. I found the book very entertaining and highly recommend seeking it out later this fall for the upcoming holiday season. 

Enchanted Village by Lily Starling publishes on October 20, 2026 by Avon and Harper Voyager, a division of HarperCollins.  

Thank you to Netgalley, Lily Starling, Avon and Harper Voyager, and Harper Collins for the Advanced Reader's Copy of Enchanted Village in exchange for an honest review. 

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