WOOING THE WITCH QUEEN by Stephanie Burgis – Review

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Wooing the Witch Queen by Stephanie Burgis
Series: Queens of Villainy #1
Published by Bramble on February 18 2025
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Pages: 304
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: A delightful romantasy that focuses more on characters and world-building than romance, Wooing the Witch Queen is the perfect start to a promising series.

I’ve been a Stephanie Burgis fan since 2016, and with each new book, she gets better and better. Wooing the Witch Queen is the start to a new romantasy trilogy, and in my opinion it’s her best book yet. Here’s what you get: relatable, well developed characters who aren’t perfect but are aware of their faults and work on them; funny dialog that will keep a smile on your face; intricate world building with a focus on political machinations; a slow-burn romance with plenty of flirting and spicy suggestiveness but with closed door spice; high stakes and characters in danger; a loyal crow named Oskar; wonderful side characters; fountain pens; a magical library to die for; and pitch perfect writing. If any of these things sound good, then grab this book as soon as you can!

Archduke Felix Augustus von Estarion is convinced that his in-laws are trying to kill him. His beloved wife Emmeline died a year ago, and since then his father-in-law Count von Hertzendorff has been trying to get Felix out of the way so he can take over the kingdom of Estarion. After one such murderous attempt, Felix has had enough, and decides to run away to the kingdom of Kitvaria, ruled by the “Witch of the East” Queen Saskia, hoping that she will protect him.

But when Felix arrives at Kadarik Castle, he’s mistaken for a dark wizard. Saskia has sent a message out that she needs a dark wizard to organize her magical library, and her majordomo Morlokk assumes he’s come for the job. Before he can explain who he really is, Felix finds himself presented to the queen, who doesn’t recognize him due to the mask (presumably worn by all dark wizards) given to him by Morlokk. 

Meanwhile, Saskia—who hates the Archduke for his cruel policies—is trying to come up with a protection spell to keep her enemies out of Kitvaria, and she’s aligned herself with two other queens from nearby kingdoms: Queen Loreleil of Balravia, a vivacious fae who seems to have her own agenda; and Ailana of Nornne, the Queen of Winter who uses ice magic. The three have dubbed themselves the Queens of Villainy, mostly because of their wicked reputations, and together they hope to keep their kingdoms from being taken over by the Serafin Empire.

Felix, who has told everyone in the castle that his name is “Fabian” in order to keep his cover a little bit longer, is attracted to the feisty Queen Saskia, but fears her wrath if she finds out who he really is. As they start to bond over spell books and mutual respect, the Empire is planning its next move.

Wooing the Witch Queen is full of charm and playful banter, mostly due to Burgis’s ability to write interesting and charismatic characters. Right away, I sympathized with Felix, who has a terrible past and was abused for years. I won’t go into too much detail in order to avoid spoilers, but let’s just say Felix is misunderstood and he has a very good reason for running away. Once he arrives at Saskia’s castle, he decides to keep his real identity hidden, simply because he knows how much Saskia hates him. I loved the scenes where he’s discovering Saskia’s wonderful library, and he’s determined to actually do a good job of organizing it, even if he is doing it under pretense. Yes, he’s lying to her, but you can tell he feels bad about it!

Saskia was such a great character as well. She’s supposed to be a Wicked Witch, but she’s less interested in politics and running a kingdom that experimenting with magic in her personal laboratory. She craves the quiet life, but to her dismay, her fellow Queens of Villainy won’t leave her alone and want to draw her into their drama. When Felix arrives, it gives her an excuse to visit him in the library and just hang out. Of course, this is where the two start to get to know each other and sparks begin to fly. These two are so cute together, despite the fact that Saskia has no idea who “Fabian” really is. That added lots of tension to their relationship, and when she inevitably finds out, I loved the way Burgis handled it.

I have to mention the other two Queens of Villainy as well, because as you might have guessed, the other books in the series will focus on Lorelei and Ailana and their respective love interests.  Lorelei comes the closest to being “wicked” with her scheming ways, and I’m really looking forward to learning more about both of them.

Burgis has invented a fully fleshed out world, and this first book barely scratches the surface of the many lands and kingdoms contained with the Serafin Empire. I liked her take on magic, where children are all tested at a young age to see if they have any magical abilities. Those that show promise are sent to school to train as wizards, and those who use magic outside the bounds of this formal training are deemed “dark wizards.” Burgis also explores racism in her world by making non human creatures like trolls and ogres secondary citizens. Saskia, who follows her late mother’s beliefs that all creatures should be treated the same, deliberately surrounds herself with them, thumbing her nose at the laws and traditions of the Empire, which is another reason I loved her so much.

As the romance between Saskia and Felix heats up, the Count and his army prepare to infiltrate Saskia’s magical barrier in order to take back Kitvaria. Despite the heavier themes of clashing kingdoms and potential war, Burgis keeps things light with plenty of humorous moments, including some adorable scenes between the Queen and her librarian. A short epilogue acts as a lead-in to book two in the series, Enchanting the Fae Queen, where we learn who our next romantic couple will be. Stephanie Burgis fans do not want to miss this book, and if you haven’t discovered this author yet, Wooing the Witch Queen is the perfect place to start.

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.