“Welcome to Quaint Creatures, where you will find all your creature comforts and dietary requirements for your most cherished companions.”

There is absolutely nothing mundane about Quaint Creatures: Magical & Mundane, author Andrew D. Meredith’s first official foray into cozy fantasy. There has always been a cozy side to Meredith’s writing, from the bread-baking in his epic fantasy, Deathless Beast, to the gentle found family dynamics of his SPFBO8 semi-finalist, Thrice. Meredith fully embraces his cozy side on Quaint Creatures, proving himself to be a perfect match for the genre.

Quaint Creatures is told from the first-person perspective of Norrik Softstep, an erstwhile dungeon inspector who had an unexpected career change after calling out corruption at his former job. Norrik, or just Rik for short, is now the proprietor of a veterinary clinic and pet store called Quaint Creatures. Oh, and he’s also an eight-foot-tall giant.

Quaint Creatures has a delightful supporting cast, including Rik’s trusty beardless dwarven assistant, Hamitch Hofhofdersen, and his gnomish housekeeper, Miss Lilly, a cunning thief looking to start afresh through honest employment. There is also satisfying undead representation with the lich dungeon owner, Sennacheron.

But my favorite side character is Rik’s magical elven wife, Eavalyn. It’s wonderful to see such a mature, loving relationship like this in a fantasy novel. The relationship between Rik and Eavalyn is truly touching, especially as they overcome both external threats and Rik’s own insecurities.

There are so many delightful and imaginative creatures throughout this short novel, some serving as pets while others are more akin to anthropomorphized animals. My personal favorites include the pandataurs, raccotaurs, and kangataurs.

Quaint Creatures is practically bursting with references to Dungeons & Dragons. There is plenty of good-natured humor, including subtle nods to The Princess Bride and Sherlock Holmes, as well as a tip of the hat to the timeless Monty Python:

“‘Next on the agenda is the closing of Python Quarry Mine,” Baskerton said. ‘The dungeon is owned by Johan Cleese of the Not-Dead-Yet Corporation.”

The action in Quaint Creatures is higher stakes than I would normally associate with cozy fantasy, revolving around a mysterious smuggling operation and the associated political corruption. The novel’s creature action and mystery-solving protagonists give Quaint Creatures a campy feel with groovy Scooby-Doo vibes.

Overall, I found Quaint Creatures to strike an excellent balance of action, mystery, humor, political intrigue, and of course lots of delicious food. Andrew D. Meredith’s writing is warm and polished, as always. Although the first half of the book is a bit dialogue-heavy for my taste, Meredith’s narration skills truly shine in the action-laden latter part of the story.

Quaint Creatures is brimming with fun and imagination. Andrew D. Meredith has accomplished a hitherto unprecedented feat, opening my grimdark heart to the joys of cozy. I am therefore delighted to recommend this book as a semi-finalist in SPFBOX. With its charming cast of characters, warm humor, and nuanced story, readers are well-advised to give Quaint Creatures a home on their bookshelves today.

Norrik Softstep is a former dungeon inspector and currently a veterinarian and the owner of Quaint Creatures, a magical pet store that cares for the most fantastical animals you can imagine. Norrik is used to the day to day activities of running a small business, but his world gets a little more complicated when he has to investigate a mystery surrounding a crate of rare creatures.

I was immediately drawn into the setting in this story. Meredith’s writing is incredibly immersive. I loved delving into the many rooms of Quaint Creatures, reading about the various animals, delicious food, and following Norrik throughout Brightfall.

The world building and character creation were what I appreciated most about Quaint Creatures. Meredith has no shortage of creative, fantastical creatures all of whom are given adequate detail and care on the page. Pandataurs? I mean, come on! Adorable!! All of the characters depicted in the book were non-human which I thought was fun, too.

The relationships between characters are well written and fun to read. I especially enjoyed reading scenes with Norrik and his elvish wife, Eavalyn, which were full of humor, heart, and great communication. It’s really refreshing to read about a married couple in a healthy relationship and I felt that Meredith did a great job portraying them. The cast of side characters are also woven into the story quite well and I really liked seeing relationships grow and change throughout the book.

A mystery is tied into this cozy story. I think that was a great move for the author and created stakes for the characters. The animal smuggling situation and surrounding politics also add depth to the world and help keep readers engaged.

Overall, I enjoyed my time with this book. Meredith is a skilled writer who crafted a fun story with plenty of humor and heart to satisfy cozy fantasy readers.

What I enjoyed most about Quaint Creatures was the casual way in which Norrik, our veterinarian of magical creatures, introduces new fantastical elements. This is his job, one he is obviously comfortable with and knowledgeable about, and that makes this colorful world feel cohesive, lived-in, and expansive. The dialogue is very conversational, and realistically so; at many points in the book, I felt like I was watching a real-life exchange. Meredith’s writing is both mellow and clever. Quaint Creatures proves some misconceptions wrong: slice-of-life doesn’t have to be repetitive, and cozy fantasy doesn’t have to be boring. This is a fun, friendly escape, and I second the praise from other reviews from the team.

For my mainstream reader friends, I’d pitch this as The Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them x T. J. Klune/Travis Baldree vibes.

As you see the chaotic daily life of business owner, Dr. Softstep – the gentlest giant, you can’t help but like the company he keeps.

The ambitious world building is equal parts amusing and adorable. Due to the heavy amount of dialogue, if this was turned into a show, I’d happily watch it with my kids.

I went into this because it screams cozy fantasy, but the stakes grow slowly throughout.

The expansive cast of side characters were intriguing, but ultimately fell mostly flat, mostly because they were fighting for page time. (The book is just shy over 200 pages). I also wanted a deeper dive into the magic, but often it came off flippant. Maybe because some sets of magic were less known to me- I wanted more focus vs variety.

That being said- Meredith’s concept is chock-full of smirk-worthy nuggets when your reading mood demands something short & sweet.