The Spellshop is a cozy romantic fantasy, and is a lovely if tropey book, you have the evil/neglectful ruling class that's overthrown in a coup that sends the introverted librarian back to her remote island home where she meets the plucky/weird villagers and the hot mer-horse herder next door. Nothing ground breaking in any of the categories (cozy fiction, romance, or fantasy) but an overall sweet read. Talking plants, mermaids, and winged cats help.

Okay. The Spellshop completely stole my heart. It gave cozy fantasy, magical rebellion, found family, and a grumpy librarian just trying to live her quiet life. What more could I possibly ask for? (Oh wait, a sentient plant named Caz? DONE. Obsessed.)

This book felt like a warm cup of tea on a rainy day. It was comforting, gentle, but also quietly powerful. Kiela’s journey from overworked archivist to slightly illegal magical bookseller was everything. I loved how it balanced softness with strength, and how it made space for rest, growth, and choosing a different kind of life.

I already have The Enchanted Greenhouse on deck and I’m SO ready to dive back into this world. If you’re even thinking about picking this up, consider this your sign.

4.25/5

This was such a cute and cozy fantasy book! The romance was cute and subtle (definitely wouldn't classify this as a "romantasy" or even really a romance book, but it is there) and the overarching feel of chosen family and looking out for one another carries through the whole book.

I definitely recommend for anyone looking for a cozy read with magic (and a little subterfuge)!

I really enjoyed this one! It was a good cute cozy read with magic, fun side characters, and mythical beings. I definitely think it could have been a tad shorter but all in all I had a good time with it. Super cute read!

When the publisher reached out about this one they referred to it as "cottage core fantasy" and I was like OMFG I am here for this.* One of my favorite game streamers does cottage core Minecraft and I may have been watching it at the time. This was back in January of 2024 (SHAME ON ME I KNOW) and after a wild year last year I finally picked this one up and it was lovely.

The Spellshop is the tale of Kiela, a librarian from the capital city, who flees to her home island with a sentient spider plant and then causes all sorts of good unintended consequences as she adapts to small town life again. It's a slow-burn romance set in a light fantasy in which I genuinely forgot on some occasions until someone's blue skin tone or antlers were mentioned or magic.

The book got off to a slow start, which I really should've expected with the cottage core descriptor, but Durst's beautiful writing kept me engaged. It didn't hurt that I finished this on our way to a Caribbean vacation, but some of her descriptions just made me want to live on a secluded island by the sea:

It was the vastness of the blue that was so breathtaking, as well as the variation: the bleached blue-white of the sky near the sun, the deeper blue of the sky near the horizon, the slate blue of the clouds, the black-blue and green-blue and the fathomless blue of the sea, all contrasted against the pale sand of the shore, the bright colors of the houses, and the dark green of the trees. Far below, at the base of the cliffs, she saw the waves crash in foaming white and then caress the sand. It was high tide, and it reached nearly to the base of the stairs. (Ch. 9)

I mean, for real the blues of the ocean and the sky are what get me EVERY time I'm on a boat.

The other thing that really got me was the prescience of Keila's changing attitude toward books and access to knowledge as her country goes through a revolution and chaos. It's striking a lot of eerie chords that I didn't think would have to be struck during my lifetime in the US. Book bans have always been attempted, but we're seeing the systemic erasure of records and knowledge from government sites and attacks on museums and libraries that will cause generations to seriously lose out and the world to be a darker place.

Books should be shared with everyone who wants to open their minds and hearts to them.
Keeping them, keeping knowledge, from people who needed it, that was the real crime. The words belonged to the people, all the people, not just the wealthy and powerful, even if that led to a few disasters due to magic in the hands of inexperienced spellcasters . . . Well, the current laws weren't keeping anyone safe. In fact, the status quo was only making everything worse. If it was up to her, she'd share the spells with everyone. (Ch. 24)

And the final good thing I'll throw out there is that Durst had a great sense of humor and timing. Between Kiela and Larran (her love interest) and Caz (the spider plant) there are so many hilariously awkward interactions that I highlighted.

I'm not asking our houses to marry. I'm asking you to be my wife. If you'd like to. If you don't want to, I love you just as much. You can forget that I asked, and I'll pretend I didn't, and we can continue on exactly as we were. Either way, we can sleep and eat and live wherever, whenever we want, together when we want or not. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable or push before you— (Ch. 36)

Quite a few of them I was like 'oh good grief, this is what Tim must deal with when he's talking to me sometimes.' The man is a saint.

The major meh for me was the broader political turmoil that we got a slim taste of. With the novel starting in the middle I had so many questions to start with that I nearly didn't get out of the first chapter or two. We did get a lot of answers and even an additional subplot that almost detracted from the main plot and could've gone really wrong, but added additional other questions about what happened after the last page. I think this is also kind of how for the longest time the Skywalker Saga was the only thing we knew about Star Wars (excluding the legends series which I adored) and it was a narrow slice of a GALACTIC wide era; this was just the smallest slice of a much larger story that we got bits and pieces of to connect it to that.

Recommendation: Definitely read this one. I wasn't sure at first as it starts in the middle of what has clearly been a tumultuous time for this kingdom and world, so it was a little confusing and a little slow. However, as I got through that first chapter or two it picked up and although it's a very small slice of this world and one small community's lives within it, it packed a big punch. Durst created a fascinating world filled with different people and magic and beauty and I flew through the book and wanted it to go on past the perfectly happy for now that we got. I definitely need to check out her back catalogue.

*I received a copy of The Spellshop via NetGalley in return for my honest opinion. No goods or money were exchanged.

While this book had a lot of fun little quirks and really lush, descriptive writing, it just didn't have enough to it to make me feel like it was really doing something new or exciting. A fun read, for sure, but just not the best cozy romantasy I've ever read.

Absolutely enchanting! A cozy, magical read with charming characters, an immersive world, and a story that feels like a warm hug.

I’d been looking forward to Sarah Beth Durst’s The Spellshop for quite a while, because I do love my cosy reads, and I especially loved the idea of a sentient spider plant being a major character. And Caz certainly didn’t disappoint, and is an excellent sidekick. I also liked what we see of the world, the magic, and of course, the love of books.

In the end, I think I felt a bit dissatisfied because it felt like a world created just for the story. Which of course it is, that’s normal, but I mean that I didn’t have a good sense of what lay beyond the story’s edges, and I don’t just mean in terms of a map. I was also a bit meh about the romance, because it felt rushed. It tries to add depth to that with some history between the characters, but it didn’t ultimately ring true to me. Adding the depth didn’t work because, OK, Larran remembers Kiela, but she doesn’t remember him. So things should, at least, have taken more time on her side.

I do love Caz, though, and then the addition of Meep. It was a fun read as long as I didn’t think too deeply into it, ultimately. And it is pretty cosy, despite the opening being a flight from a burning capital city during a revolution, and despite some peril for Kiela and another character.

Feels like a warm hug!

Kiela lives in Alyssium and loves her job as a librarian. The only social interaction she gets is with Caz, the sentient spider plant that resides in the library too. When the library is burned, Kiela and Caz take as many magical books as they can and sail away to Kiela’s birthplace, Caltrey, which she hasn’t been too for a long time. They move into her parents’ abandoned cottage and hope that they won’t be found hiding the restricted magical books. Kiela has always enjoyed being alone and antisocial but her new neighbors see things differently and will try to break down her barriers any way they can.

Likes/dislikes: This is a sweet book. Charming, innocent and full of fantasy. The book was so relaxing to read and it truly was comforting.
Mature content: PG for kissing.
Language: G - no swears.
Violence: PG for prejudice.
Ethnicity: A variety of races, species and colors.

This book was phenomenal. I loved all of the characters and wanted to live in the world. Perfect for fans of cozy fantasy or cozy romance.

The Spellshop is a beautifully written story and I enjoyed all my time within its pages. Coziness wrapped in magic with a side of yummy jam!

This book is so lovely and cozy. There are some wonderful characters and a sort of found family feel to this that I loved. It made me smile and want to keep reading--I think I read the majority of this over the course of three sittings.
I really want to delve into the rest of Sarah Beth Durst's books now!

When Kiela finally decided to flee the city with the books they had curated, to save from the shelves of the magical book section she was in charge of as a librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium. She thought the mobs wouldn't dare attack and burn the library. But with the smell of the burning books and smoke filling the library, she fled to the boat they'd filled on the water level of the library. Luckily she'd learned to sail years ago on her home island.

Kiela and Caz, her research assistant and sentient spider plant moved through the canals heading to the open sea. The smoke and fires didn't hide the screams of terror and destruction as they moved through the night. Once on the open sea they needed a destination and Kiela headed them toward the island she'd left as a child. Her parents had left her the home she grew up in. She hoped it would still be there.

After their nightmarish journey, they found that they had a lot of work before the house would be habitable and safe for the books. They hoped to avoid any contact with the people in the village—that lasted less than a day. Kiela had never been comfortable with people hence her love of working in a library where she seldom had to interact with people more than a few times a year.

As Kiela and Caz settle into their new home. They have to learn to deal with people who want to help them with the work to be done. The fun of this lovely cozy fantasy adventure is watching Kiela and Caz grow comfortable in their new circumstances.

What they did to escape could be called treason and they don't dare to tell anyone what really was happening in the city. Meanwhile, the island has been left without the regular visits by the magicians to regulate the magical residue. Thus the island and its people are struggling to survive as the crops fail, the storms worsen, and the fish are not as plentiful as they used to be.

The characters are well-rounded and I loved the growth of Kiela, Caz, and the community of friends they make as they open themselves to experiencing life as part of group of people who are willing to help keep their secrets.

There's plenty of drama, adventure, and danger to keep the pages turning. Well worth the time spent between its pages.

A duty bound librarian rescuing spellbooks from the fall of the capital city, a talking sentient plant and a return to the home of her youth on a remote island is where we start this cozy fantasy. The community of islanders coming together to aid a newcomer, a librarian discovering that she might not enjoy being as alone as she once did and a merhorse herder determinedly showing up with a helping hand is the perfect backdrop for making new friends, a light romance and the revitalization of an island that was dying without magic. This book was not only whimsical, but humorous at times as well as serious and sad. The contrast made it feel more real and really connects the reader to the characters and the story. I loved it!

Book Summary:

Kiela has never been the best at dealing with people but has always loved her job at the Great Library of Alyssium. It didn’t call for her to talk to people; her only friend there was Caz, a magical plant.

Then, the city burned, thanks to a revolution. It wasn’t long before the library became a target. Kiela and Caz fled, carrying as many books as possible with them. Their only safe haven is an isolated island - the home Kiela left when she was very little.

My Review:

I have heard nothing but praise for The Spellshop, and having finally read it myself, I can see why. This novel is like a warm hug for fantasy fans and book lovers alike, but perhaps not in the ways one might expect.

The story starts in the library, with Kiela and Caz trying to save what books they can. Well, it sort of even starts before that, with the two almost in denial about the idea of the library burning. Their debate hits hard. How many people in history thought the books would be safe?

After leaving the library, there’s a pretty strong tonal shift. Instead, readers are gifted a view into a small town/island life. Small towns mean nosey people but also people who will take care of each other. Here’s where that warm hug comes into play.

The magic of this story is subtle at times, but that made me appreciate it all the more. Kiela’s exploration of the magic gave readers plenty of time to learn about it while also enjoying the secondary characters coming into the mix.

Overall, I really loved The Spellshop. Some part of me dearly hopes it will become a series, while the rest of me is simply happy that I have this much. Either way, this book is worth the read (especially for fans of Legends & Lattes).

Highlights:
Magical Librarian
Cozy Mystery
Fantasy Romance
Isolated Island
Plant Pet

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst!

✨𝒜𝑅𝒞 𝑅𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌✨
📖: The Spellshop

The revolution and a great fire forces Kiela, a librarian of the Great Library of Alyssium, to flee with some spellbooks and her trusted assistant Caz in tow. Seeking refuge on the island of her birth, she starts anew, opening up a jam shop while hiding forbidden magic.

The imbalance of magic leaves the lands in need of healing. Kiela slowly discovers the things she was missing as she adjusts to life with the island natives and a childhood acquaintance.

Will Kiela open her heart to the possibility of love and new beginnings?

Tropes:
📚Bookish FMC
🥐Cinnamon roll MMC
🏡Cottagcore vibes
🌱Magically sentient spider plant
🫂Forced proximity
💫Magic & magical creatures
🫑Romance

I was swept away by this magical world and quirky characters. The author infuses a lovely balance of humor, Cottagecore vibes, and fun banter into this cozy standalone. Kiela is relatable as an introverted, lonely, and bookish FMC. Her relationship with Caz is so endearing and her romance with Larran is gradual but ardent.

The Spellshop is an enchanting fantasy with whimsical prose, heartwarming characters, and a sweet romance.

Huge thanks to the author, Tor, Bramble, and NetGalley for the ARC opportunity! This is my honest and voluntary review.

I’m a mood reader from September to January because of all the fun holidays and changes in weather. Initially I picked up “The Spellshop” because of the cover - typically I’d say never judge a book by its cover BUT this book is definitely the exception! Not only is the cover art and purple spayed pages super captivating, but the storyline is equally amazing with bits of comedic relief sprinkled in! Sarah Beth Durst writes such a cozy, fantasy romance story with total hallmark vibes! If you’re a fan of books where the protagonist must rebuild their life, find a sense of community, and a little love along the way, this is a great book to try!

A lovely cozy fantasy for anyone looking for a joyful reading experience. The world created by Durst felt much more fleshed-out and tangible than other cozy fantasy stories I've read. I can't wait to read more from this author in this genre!

The Spellshop was such a heart-warming experience to read. I sat down and started this book one morning and did not put it down until it was finished. Sarah Beth Durst was able to have me feel a wide variety of emotions while still having this be a cozy experience. I can not wait until I can read more in this world. Highly recommend to anyone who wants a cozy and heartwarming read.