Reviewed by Kaity Goodwin, Springvale Library assistant
Have you ever dreamed about settling down somewhere new, where no one knows you? Somewhere you can completely reinvent yourself and start over? That’s exactly what Oaklin Nettlewood does at the beginning of “Field Guide for the Formerly Villainous,” by Autumn K. England. After accidentally joining an evil, world-ending cult as a teenager (hey, we all make mistakes), where their magic was used for some pretty terrible things, Oaklin moves to Mossley’s Rest and makes a promise to never use their magic again.
At first, it’s an easy promise to keep. But as Oaklin’s world grows, they begin to realize that magic doesn’t always have to mean something bad. Sometimes, it can mean helping the people who are helping them. As their found family grows, Oaklin begins to heal. It starts with the ghostly granny who haunts their farm, followed by a local bard and a magical baker who should really just kiss each other already. And speaking of kissing, Oaklin gets their own slow-burn romantic subplot with Lior, a paladin-librarian.
If you’re looking for a cozy fantasy about healing, redemption, and the gentle magic of starting over, “Field Guide for the Formerly Villainous” might be the book for you! All of the characters are delightfully fleshed out, with their own stories and struggles, and the blend of low-stakes surroundings with high-stakes emotional recovery makes this story one of my absolute favorites of 2026.
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