Tea & Treachery at the Infinite Pantry by Jo MilesMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Extremely earnest in a very specifically mid-2020s way that will date it quickly, but if you read a lot of cozy fantasy, you're either looking for that or at least don't mind too much.
It's an original concept, though. Instead of a library or a hospitality business, we have something that combines elements of both: a kind of museum of magically preserved food (which also has three libraries and a hospitality business attached). But something has started going wrong with the preservation magic, not to mention that a major funder has just been lost, and Glen, the recently appointed head of the institution, has to pull everyone together (and hold herself together) while they all try to solve the problems.
There's never any indication where Glen fitted into the picture before she was promoted, which to me was a notable omission. She shows no particular in-depth familiarity with any of the areas of work in the institution, the heads of the departments that play major roles in the crisis all seem to have had their positions for a while, and nobody acts like they recently reported to her specifically. She has long backstory (raised by a grandmother who emotionally abused her and made use of her while undermining her self-confidence), but no recent backstory that I could see.
I spotted the source of the issue at the 10% mark. (view spoiler) I didn't spot the mechanism, though I probably should have; there were plenty of clues. But this book isn't primarily about solving the mystery, but about the journey of the people who are trying to solve it, and their relationships, including a romance that emerges in the course of the story.
There's a nasty rich noble guy who's the main villain. The rich and the noble are overlapping groups, and apparently hold enough power that there's no suggestion that he face any consequences for (view spoiler), though there are also no immediate consequences to the institution from defying and thwarting him. It was another pair of what struck me as odd omissions.
The editing, happily, is above average, with few and minor glitches, which helped it hold onto its fourth star, despite the fairly basic worldbuilding (usual in cozy fantasy) and the couple of holes I mentioned above. The other thing that got it four stars, though, was that I enjoyed visiting the place and following the people, most of whom are lovely. I will be watching out for a sequel.
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