Summary:
When a city councilor comes into Quaint Creatures and asks veterinary doctor Norrik Softstep to investigate the magical crate confiscated by his customs agency, the entire staff of Quaint Creatures will need all their skills and knowledge to unravel the troubles threatening the relatively peaceful city of Brightfall.
From liches seeking city approval for their public adventurer dungeon, to strange goings on at the pet food factory, no problem is too magical nor mundane for Rik and his friends.
Review:
Quaint Creatures: Magical and Mundane by Andrew D Meredith is like a warm cup of something by the fire that makes you forget life’s ills. Following the trappings of ‘cozy fantasy,’ Meredith finds a way to carve his place into the genre and make it his own. In this book, you will find a variety of fun characters and creatures as well as humor that will strike the mark for any fan of the genre (and gaming).
This Sideways story focuses on the titular Quaint Creatures, a pet store owned and run by our protagonist Norrik Softstep. Along the way, we learn how he works as a veterinarian/quasi-fixer for the town taking on a variety of problems relating but not limited to: pet owner allergies, animal allergies, issues with pet diets, and an assortment of missteps with the city council.
While the story solidifies into a mystery involving several side characters (shout out to my homeboy Sennacheron), the true joy of this story as cliche as it may sound, is the friends we make along the way.
Meredith does a commendable job bringing in a cast of characters that are unique and engaging and often leave the story only to end up back in the narrative in unexpected ways. We see their relationships and personal growth and are treated to several character arcs that show us that we can never really judge someone based on their past.
Even though this is a cozy fantasy, don’t mistake that for meaning that there are no stakes. With my limited experience in the genre, this is perhaps the most high-stakes plot I’ve seen, but we never truly feel danger behind some obscure legalities.
This was a great palate cleanser after a long run of darker books.
As far as things I didn’t enjoy, there wasn’t much. My two bits would be this: the story and world take a little time to find their feet, and Norrik could be a little less stoic at times.
This setting is wildly different from others I’ve read, and I have to admit I’ve never read a book about a pet shop. The slow roll towards getting going isn’t much of a mark against it because there is a lot to unpack and understand. With the brevity of the story, it’s only mildly noticeable and didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment of the story.
As far as Norrik, he also comes into his own as the story progresses, but he sticks out a bit in the initial stages. In true Meredithean fashion, Norrik is the moral core of the story and gives us insight into the way things should be. I found myself remembering Jovan from Needle and Leaf and Jinnid from The Kallattian Saga when he spoke (also likely because I listened to the audiobook and Norrik’s inflection is similar to those two characters).
Norrik ends up being an endearing “straight man” for the hijinks of the rest of the cast, but his stoic demeanor makes it take a bit longer to warm up to him than say my homeboy Sennacheron.
I highly recommend this story to anyone who could use a light, silly, heartwarming romp. I know I can’t wait for the next Sideways tale. I’ll have my tea ready.