In Isabella Nagg and the Pot of Basil by Oliver Darkshire, the titular character is stuck in a less-than-exciting life. From her frustrating husband’s criticisms to her boring life on the farm, she doesn’t have much to brighten up her days—except her pot of basil, which despite its inability to talk, is her only friend, in whom she confides all her feelings. Then, one day, something occurs to break the monotony: her husband brings home a stolen book of magic from the local wizard. Isabella knows it should be returned, but thinks at first that a few spells might be just the thing to bring some spark back into her life. However, nothing goes as planned, and as Isabella’s spells go off the rails, there’s more trouble brewing in the town as a sinister goblin fruit-based Ponzi scheme is entrapping the residents. It’ll be up to Isabella and her newfound companions to save the day, unless something else gets them first.

This is a truly weird story, as you might have gleaned from the summary. Despite being loosely based on a story from the Decameron, it mostly reminds me simultaneously of Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams, and Susanna Clarke (particularly her short fiction).

As for Isabella, she seems like a typical crotchety main character from a fairy tale, and that’s a lot of fun. I like her rapport with the talking cat Grimalkin, who’s also grumpy, so their banter is delightful. The pot of basil is also a hilarious character (minor spoilers) once Isabella enchants it to be able to speak. However, it was slightly distracting whenever it spoke, because the author, who was also the audiobook narrator, made it sound like Dobby from the Potter movies. Moreover, to me, the character of Gwendolyn sounded a lot like a British Christopher Lloyd, which was odd—and once I noticed it, I couldn’t not notice it.

Anyway, while the plot is really starring Isabella as she tries to navigate the consequences of her magic, and save the town (including her husband), the real standout of the story was Donkey (or Bottom, as he names himself). He is an absolutely absurd character, undergoing an existential crisis once he gains sentience due to a wayward spell cast by Isabella. His dread and anxiety once he is self-aware is really amusing, and his subplot about wanting to reverse the spell is possibly the most compelling aspect of the story to me. Also, I loved his attempts to look after the not self-aware, hapless, and highly dimwitted Pony. Any scene with Bottom was a scene I enjoyed.

As the plot goes on, though, the story does get a bit more serious, and there are some rather dark turns that give this a much more old-fashioned fairy tale tone. Not full-on Grimm-style, but darker than it had been. I admit I preferred when it was more absurdist and silly, but still mostly liked its conclusion. And in the end, Isabella Nagg was an entertaining, quick read with quirky characters and a fun setting inspired by various works of literature. It is, in a word, wacky, and if you’re a fan of the aforementioned authors, give it a try.

Isabella Nagg and the Pot of Basil is available now!