This adorably cozy romantic fantasy reminded me so much of Legends and Lattes. It's also that enjoyable. Kiela and her assistant Caz, a magically sentient spider plant, have spent the last 10 years sequestered in The Great Library of Alyssium, cataloging spellbooks. When a revolution begins and the library starts to burn, Kiela and Caz make their escape (with 4 crates of spellbooks) to her childhood home island. Kiela is trying very hard to keep the books under wraps, (no one is allowed to possess the books except for the Empire), however her handsome, nosy neighbor keeps showing up to help her fix her old cottage and make sure she's fed.
In need of income, Kiela decides to open a jam shop. That also has magical remedies. Even if they're illegal. But life is sweeter with a little jam and an extra helping of magic.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Bramble for this e-arc.*

A nearly perfect cozy fantasy!
I know this is categorized as romance or romantasy, but it felt much more cozy to me (which I didn't mind at all). It has everything- intense love of books, magic, mythical creatures, delicious pastries, and a sentient houseplant?!!
There's personal growth and learning to trust your community and a freaking nonbinary cactus. I loved it.

A must read for those that enjoyed Legends & Lattes and Can't Spell Treason Without Tea. Adorably fun fantasy.

"The Spellshop" is a charming cozy fantasy that follows Keila, a dedicated librarian, who flees the capital city during a dangerous rebel coup with her sentient spider plant and best friend, Caz. Keila's primary concern is rescuing as many books as she can - almost to the detriment of her own safety! Once away from the city, Keila sails to her home island, only to discover that it is struggling due to lack of support for the Emperor. She knows there are spells hidden in her books that could help the people, but using unsanctioned magic is a crime. As Keila gets to know the islanders, she realizes she is willing to take the risk to help those she is coming to care about.

My thoughts:
The characters in "The Spellshop" are incredibly likeable, and the humor is really cute. While the stakes are fairly light, they are handled with enough depth to keep the plot engaging. Some characters, including Keila, occasionally feel like caricatures—Keila is a bit overly introverted and oblivious to romantic interest—but the author’s humorous approach makes these traits endearing rather than off-putting.

Overall, "The Spellshop" may not be a book that lingers strongly in my memory, but it was a fun and engaging read. I would easily recommend it to others looking for a light, enjoyable fantasy adventure.

The pacing of this was just so slow that I was pretty consistently tempted to give up. The atmosphere was cool, but the stakes were so glacial that it was hard to care about anything that happened.

Favorite spider plant ever? CAZ! I really liked Caz and Caz really helped the story the whole way through. Don't get me wrong, I liked Kiela a lot and I liked how this is a standalone fantasy novel that's enough action to keep you interested, but low enough stakes to be a great standalone. It's a great cozy fantasy if you wanted to classify it as such.

I liked how Kiela has kind of separated herself from people and holed herself up in a library because she doesn't like interacting with people, but when she has to flee due to a revolution and she takes books back to her childhood home, she learns that maybe interacting with people isn't so bad after all.

I liked how she comes out of her shell over the course of the book and she gets into some magical mishaps, which had some funny moments. I also liked the island and the world Durst creates. It's both magical and not overly magical. There is a subtle nod in there about environmental degradation due to human influence, but while it's actually an important part of the story (what spurs Kiela into using spells), it's not beaten over your head.

The romance is best described as sweet. It's not the focus of the story at all, but you have to like Larran. He's the quiet, steady, cooks, and puts himself in her way kind of guy despite the fact she yells at him and asks him to leave and is overall (in the beginning) not very nice to him. Caz is hilarious with Kiela when it comes to Larran. Overall, though, they worked to go with this cozy fantasy to get a sweet, unassuming romance.

If you're looking for something a little lighter in your fantasy with low stakes, definitely recommend this!

The Spellshop is full of cozy fantasy vibes. Kiela is a librarian in a library full of magical spellbooks. Her assistant Caz is a talking spider plant who I loved so much. The library is set on fire during a revolution, and Kiela and Caz grab all the spellbooks they can and flee to the island that Keila grew up on. While there, Kiela decides to try out some of the spells to help the town. I loved how cozy this book was and all of the mythical creatures that were included. Caz was my favorite character. The world building was easy to understand, and there was a sweet little romance included. I do wish there had been a bit more romance included, but that's just my personal preference.

Many thanks to Tor Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thanks to Bramble for the copy of this book!

I am not a huge cozy fantasy reader, but this one was super cute! There was such a great balance friendship, spells, and romance. I adored Caz, the talking spider plant, and the cottagecore setting on a little island. It was maybe a bit on the long side, but overall was a very fun and engaging read!

Truly, if you are in your cozy fantasy era - read this.

The Spellshop is a small-town, fish out of water story with an adorable romance. Kiela needs to flee the big city when there is an uprising and has nowhere to go but her childhood home island. Armed to the gills with books and a spider-plant companion, she tries to make her own way in the world.

I loved the whole cast of characters, it was incredibly sweet and there was just enough drama to keep the plot going. It truly is like a Hallmark rom-com with magic (and lots of jam). I love a book where you just feel warm and cozy when you finish it. Extremely satisfying read and I will definitely be adding Sarah Beth Durst to my list of authors to follow!

Part of it could be chalked up to me just being in an odd reading mood, but despite thinking I’d love this as a book nerd, it fell flat. Kiela as a character wasn’t that interesting, and I wanted more from the world building than to just be thrown in headfirst.

I liked this! I think I would have liked it more if I had read it with just the ebook instead of tandem reading it with the audiobook. The narrator was a little too over the top and cheesy for my liking. I really enjoyed the first 50-ish percent of this when it was the slow and cozy building of the jam shop and getting to know the villagers, but once a certain character gets introduced, I started to lose interest. I also found myself getting annoyed and stressed out by Kiela and Caz’s over the top anxiety about literally everything. I really enjoyed the atmosphere and setting descriptions as well as all of the people on the island. The found family vibes were awesome! I loved any time that baking or jam making was happening. On paper, this should have been my perfect book, so I think it’s a me problem and not the books fault that I didn’t rate it higher. I’ll still be highly recommending it to cozy fantasy lovers!

I need more cozy fantasies just like this one!
Well, maybe not exactly like it, I do want a little variety, but this feeling, this sentiment, this perfection.
Kiela is a rather introverted librarian, forced to flee the Great library after revolutionaries set fire to her beloved library. She heads for her home island, a home she has been absent from since she was a child, with nothing but crates of spellbooks, and her assistant a sentient spider plant name Caz.
As she tries to settle in, she's forced to try new things, meet new people and re-evaluate whether or not her choice of a quite solitary life was really enough for her.
I adored the world and the characters that Durst created and the sweet story that tied them all together. I defintely wouldn't mind revisiting the island for a peek into some of the other residents lives in the future!


I received an E-Arc from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Oh my, this book was such a warm cozy hug.
🌱Cozy Cottage
🌱Found Family
🌱Magic
🌱Small Town
🌱Talking Spider Plant Sidekick
🌱Romance
This was just what i needed. A cozy fantasy that warmed my heart. The characters are all so lovable along with the magical creature. The world building was so immersive.
A lovely and charming story that I absolutely adored!!!

I have been enjoying seeing the books that come out in the subgenre of cozy and this one looked like something that would be right up my alley!

The book is told from one point-of-view and it comes from Kiela. She has escaped the city with a funky little spider plant creature named Caz and crates of books. She sets off on a boat to her old home and finds more than she could have imagined. I liked seeing how she would deal with everything that came at her. She wanted nothing to do with people and tended to like books more. I don’t blame her! It was fun to see her interact with Caz. Caz was a great character! Kiela finds her found family amongst this island and it was nice to see her break out of her shell.

The reason why I didn’t enjoy this and thought it was just fine was that there was little-to-none world building even though there were talks about politics and what not but it was so small. I also thought that the romance was meh and could have been built up a bit better.

It definitely does fit the cozy vibes and was very relaxing to read, but it does take a bit to get the plot rolling.

Overall, it was good!

It's now my undying wish to have a sentient spider plant best friend. This cozy fantasy novel features a librarian seeking shelter after fleeing the capital city of a fictitious land with as many books as she can to protect them from a revolution. What knowledge does she seek to protect? Mostly spellbooks with knowledge and history of how magic is used to help make this magical world work. She finds her way back to the island where she was born with her books and plant friend, Cas, in tow. It's from here that she needs to decide, does she maintain her introverted ways or finally learn that asking for help and making friends isn't as hard as she once thought. For fans of Legends and Lattes, cottage core, and cozy fiction lovers.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for access to this title.

This book was truly PERFECTION. This cozy fantasy had everything I wanted and it delivered it in a pastry filled with jam. The characters were all lovable, the setting was magical, the plot was cozy and everything was perfect in the end. Kiela was so relatable with her love of books, general avoidance of social interactions, kind spirit and brave heart. Caz was the perfect side kick not only hilarious but fiercely loyal. The pinches of romance were perfect and I loved every single side character that made this world feel so hopeful and magical. If you love cozy fantasies or just want something easy to read that will both deeply entertain and uplift your emotions this book is a MUST read.

I’ve loved Durst’s YA for years, so I was excited to pounce on this Adult Fantasy from her! Especially when it sounded extremely sweet and lovely – and was going to feature magic books! What’s not to love?

And The Spellshop lives up to every promise it makes.

This isn’t a Super Sirrus book, and although it touches on heavier or darker themes occasionally, you’re never left in any doubt that things will always turn out all right; difficulties are always overcome, attempts always work, and people always do the right thing in the end. It’s pure wish-fulfilment and escapism – and there’s nothing at all wrong with that! But you do need to leave your cynicism at the door and pop on your rose-tinted glasses before reading, or you’re not going to enjoy yourself properly.

>As she watched, he mixed in scallions that he produced from a pants pocket, as well as a tomato.

Caz scooted forward. “You had a tomato in there?”

Larran shrugged. “You never know when you’ll need one.”

“I think you really do know,” Caz said. “How many tomato emergencies do you encounter?”<

The world Durst has created here is a sugar-spun dream, beautiful and full of wonder, with enchanting beings and whimsical details everywhere you look. We don’t see much of the capital of this archipelago-empire, Alyssium, because Kiela and her bestie Caz flee it in the first chapter – but Caltrey, the island where Kiela was born and where she runs to after rebels take over the capital, is a delight. There are merhorses in the bay, who sparkle and hanker after tomatoes; cloud-elementals who’ve made a home in the local forest; and semi-feral winged cats who hang out in the town square.

>“This is a ridiculous conversation that I regret beginning,” Caz said.<

But all is not well in Caltrey; it’s been years since the empire sent their sorcerers to dispel the magic storms, bless the orchards, or assist the merhorses in becoming pregnant (and giving birth). Kiela and Caz escaped with a whole bunch of spellbooks from the library where they worked in the capital, and they very quickly agree that they need to use the spellbooks to help, if they possibly can. Neither of them are sorcerers, though, and they have to make sure any of their magical ‘remedies’ they sell don’t look like terribly illegal magic. Cue experimentation! Also, since they need a cover and a way to support themselves, they open – a jam shop.

It’s adorable. ADORABLE. I don’t know if jam shops exist in the real world, but the one Kiela and Caz put together (with some help from the very pretty, heart-of-gold neighbour) tickled me pink. And I was pleased that Kiela and Caz couldn’t start fixing everything right away – seeing them experiment, tweaking a spell until it worked the way they wanted (while figuring out how to cast it at all!) added a touch of realism that I appreciated.

>“You know, plants aren’t nearly as emotional as humans. You should try to be more plant.”<

Of course, Kiela has blue skin and Caz is a sentient, slightly snarky spider plant, so realism is not very important here. It’s more important that everything be charming. What species is the four-armed harpist? No idea, but she’s a wonderful musician. The healer with stag horns and wings? Who knows, and don’t worry about it. It’s far less important than the friendships Kiela makes on the island, the neighbour who is clearly head-over-heels for her, and the good deeds Kiela and Caz get up to with their spellbooks when no one’s looking. Durst keeps the worldbuilding minimal, and it works; you won’t get answers if you’re curious about how magic works or why Kiela is blue, but nevertheless, the setting is good and solid. Keeping it simple was definitely the right call here.

There’s a last-minute attempt at High(er) Stakes plot with a sort-of villain, and a few moments where characters touch on heavy topics (mostly to do with censorship and how magic is unfairly illegal for normal people) but when all’s said and done, The Spellshop is the epitome of cosy fantasy – all candyfloss and hot chocolate, comforting and feel-good in the extreme. I had a delightful time with it, and so long as you enjoy cosy, low-stakes fantasy, I think you will too.

Holy cow this was so freakin cute!
Cottagecore my krytonite right now ~
A librarian that runs away in tow with a couple of spell books and her trusty spider plant side kick.
Open such a cute jam shop!

Found family is a strong theme. Epic fantasy with low stakes my fav. There are MERMAIDS! Magic. Light slow burn romance. And the plants are sooo adorable lol especially Meep! Small town (island) trope.
Gave me studio ghibli vibes!!

I will definitely buy a copy when it comes out!!

Omg!!! I haven’t been this obsessed with a book in a loooong time.
This is the perfect cozy fantasy.

It reminds me of cozy video games. You go to a new place, clean up your house, your land, you work the land, sell your goods in town, experiment with magic, make new friends, and find love.

It was PERFECT.
I know the book is done, but I still want to just read about their everyday life. What sort of jam is she making? What sort of pastries?

The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst, a really enjoyable read! Durst does an outstanding job of reaching out and grabbing your attention in each book she writes and this one is no exception.