Homegrown Magical Review

Homegrown Magic by Jamie Pacton and Rebecca Podos

#Queer #CozyFantasy #Romance

CW: Alcohol, Classism, Abusive Parents, Capitalism, Self Sacrifice, Grief from Losing a Loved One, Sexual Content, Cursing, Money Problems, Bugs, Gaslighting, Invasive Surveillance, Communication Issues, Vomit

4/5

The cover of Jamie Pacton and Rebecca Podos's Homegrown Magic caught my eye while scrolling on Instagram one day. I've read one of Pacton's books before, The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly, and have been following her since. She was so sweet, she sent me book art! The cover for Homegrown Magic is deliciously cottagecore. It's green, it has a cat, there are potion bottles, flowers, and strawberries! Plus, the two main characters are presented like cameo pendants. Lisa Perrin did an amazing job! I had not known about Podos before spotting this cover. Given how great From Dust, a Flame also was, I'm quite grateful! 

In Homegrown Magic Margot Greenwillow is a skilled garden witch with her parents' baggage hanging over her. Her grandmother, Fern, was a famous garden witch, one that a community, Bloomfield, built up around. Despite Fern being down-to-earth, Margot's parents got into high society and then wracked up debts. They indebted themselves to the Clauneck family, a family of bankers with capitalistic control over the kingdom. After Fern died, they promised Margot could make a potion that would give everyone magic. When a few years have passed and the deadline is approaching, Yael Clauneck stumbles into Margot's life. They were childhood friends, but Yael has been busy in the capital disappointing their parents and being a flirt. The Clauneck heir ran away hoping for adventure but got the seeds for romance and self-discovery instead. 

I've heard the point made that If you make a fantasy world, you get to decide if there's queer-phobia or racism in it. Pacton and Podos clearly decided that neither would exist in Homegrown Magic's world. Classism absolutely existed, the book wouldn't exist without it, but people weren't treated differently for being people of color or any type of queer. There was a poly throuple in the background and same-gendered couples galore! A supporting character is hinted at being aromantic. A number of the main cast members seem to be un-labled multisexuals. Then there's Yael. It's so rare to have a non-binary main character and I'm happy anytime I see more! Yael brought fantasy to queer fashion and was never even misgendered by the evil characters. I also noticed that most of the sex scenes used sexy but nonspecific terms for Yael's genitalia. Only the final one didn't. If you're looking for a fantasy novel that gives characters the space to just be queer, you'll like Homegrown Magic.

Fun fact: Yael and Margot originated from a D'n'D campaign that Pacton and Podos were in together. They had written long backstories for their characters before deciding that they ought to write a book. Although they'd written one book together before this, it was their first time writing an adult novel. I thought it was pretty good with a bit of a rushed ending. They said that co-writing sex scenes was awkward at first, and I do think that came through. I found the romantic scenes to be much better. The exception being the balcony sex scene, as their personalities shown through quite strongly in that one. I wish a couple of side characters had been more developed, but overall, I quite enjoyed this novel! Cozy fantasy is just getting started as a genre and I'm determined to read all of it. It suits me much better than high fantasy.

Jamie Pacton and Rebecca Podos's Homegrown Magic is for the lovers of queer romance and cottagecore vibes. Those that want to read about two 20-something queer characters and their cat gardening. This book is full of beautiful descriptions, purple-colored magic, and hibiscus. I encourage you to start reading and join Margot and Yael in the greenhouse! 

If you'd like to learn more about Homegrown Magic's connection to Judaism, click here.