Thank you, NetGalley and Bramble, for my free E-book for review.

The characters in this enchanting tale are undeniably endearing, captivating the heart with their irresistible charm. The bond between Keila, the spirited protagonist, and Caz, the enchanting spider plant, unfurls into heartwarming and often humorous moments, adding depth and warmth to the narrative.

Set against the backdrop of a quaint island, where an eclectic mix of whimsical characters—both human and magical beings—reside, the ambiance exudes an irresistible sense of magic. The close-knit community fosters a profound feeling of belonging, while the presence of a grumpy character amidst the amiable ones adds a touch of delightful complexity.

This delightful fantasy offers readers a cozy refuge, offering a warm embrace. Each character is multifaceted, contributing to a delightful love story and a heartwarming tale of found family. Above all, it is a narrative of new beginnings and the discovery of unexpected kindness in the most unlikely places.

We love a librarian main character! But even more so, we love a character who has to evaluate what home means. How we can find pieces of home, a community, and memories. We don't have to have this idea that to move forwards means we never go back. That we have to burn bridges and can never change our mind. We can open up closed windows and knock on doors. The Spellshop is a charming and tender story about choosing what kind of person we want to be. What we want to stand for.

4.5

Stunning delightful absolutely adored this. This was the perfect balance for me of a cozy romantasy.

Loved all of it.

The Spellshop is an enchanting story that transports readers to a magical realm brimming with merhorses, illicit spells, and budding love. Embark on an exciting adventure where enchantment and romance collide, as we accompany our brave heroes on their daring escapades. I was pulled in from the beginning and could not stop reading. I can't wait to read more from this author soon!

For those seeking a cozy fantasy with a dash of romance, you may enjoy this. Unfortunately, it fell a little flat for me. The book features a fun sidekick (a sassy spider plant), merhorses, learning how to open a magical jam business, and small island vibes. Caz was definitely my favorite character and I enjoyed reading Caz's lines.

The Spellshop is an absolute cozy delight. In a true testament to Durst’s writing, she was able to craft an engaging character in the form of a spider plant as well as an adorable Groot-esque cactus. Don’t get me wrong, almost the entire cast of characters are wonderful, but there’s something about those two that’s just pure perfection. I also really appreciated Durst’s world building and magical system. Additionally, get yourself a partner who will build you bookshelves to store you allegedly stolen spell books. For being a cozy read, I felt that there was plenty of action mixed in to keep the plot moving forward and avoid slowing down too much. I read this via ebook and audiobook. While the ebook is great, the audiobook is phenomenal. Caitlin Davies was superb at evoking peak cozy cottagecore vibes making the story a full experience. I highly recommend adding this to your TBR pile because it’s sheer binge worthy delight.

In the acknowledgments, the author states that she wanted "to write a book that reads like drinking hot chocolate." True to her word, "The Spellshop" offers readers a warm and comforting story centered on Kiela, an introverted and intelligent young woman thrust into an unexpected journey.

Kiela, a dedicated librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium in the heart of the Crescent Islands Empire, cherishes her quiet life surrounded by books. However, her world is turned upside down when a revolution erupts, leading to the destruction of the Great Library. With as many books as she can carry, Kiela flees to her birthplace on a remote island in the outer reaches of the empire.

As she adjusts to life in a small community, Kiela faces the dual challenges of concealing her technically stolen library books and mastering the spells within them. Her journey is one of self-discovery and adaptation, set against a backdrop that feels both familiar and enchanting.

Durst has crafted a story that is a true feast for the senses. The rich, descriptive language brings the natural world and the everyday joys of food, friendship, and found family to life. The characters form a kind, caring community, adding depth and warmth to the narrative.

Fans of Travis Baldree's "Legends and Lattes" and Rebecca Thorne's "Can't Spell Treason Without Tea" will find much to love in this fast-paced tale. The story blends humor, light romance, and low-stakes peril, making it a delightful and engaging read.

Overall, "The Spellshop" is a delectable confection that invites readers to savor its charm and warmth, much like a cup of hot chocolate on a cozy evening. Highly recommended for those seeking a heartwarming and enchanting story.

Just keep on scrollin' by.

I'm sorry to say but as interesting as it was to have fantastical creatures and different-looking people populating this very low-stakes cozy fantasy, set on an island, featuring an introverted and somewhat grumpy librarian and her sentient spider plant friend.. I was so bored.

I didn't need stakes, I didn't need something other than the cozy vibes, so it can't be said I wanted something other than what I was getting into; instead I just needed to care. And I did not.

For those who have been loving this, don't get me wrong, I see why. And for those interested in picking this up, I don't want to sway you to do otherwise. This just wasn't the book for me.

All that to say, this is definitely for the reader looking for something to recapture that LEGENDS & LATTES kind of vibe but is still a little (a lot?) different and very much its own thing.

I couldn’t stay interested in this book so skimmed most of it. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher.

This was cute story. Not great, but good. I struggled a bit and I know this is a classic case of, “it’s not you, it’s me,” since everyone I know that read it, loved it.

“It wasn’t that she didn’t like people. It was that she liked books more.”

With this quotation from The Spellshop, Sarah Beth Durst won my heart. Durst presents her readers with a cozy fantasy novel about a young woman named Kiela who works in the Great Library of Alyssium. When revolutionaries attacking the Crescent Island Empire force Kiela to flee the library toting all the ancient (and heavily guarded) spell books she can carry, she must journey across the sea to the island where she grew up, starting a new life in the old cottage that once belonged to her parents. Although Kiela has spent so much time among books that she has lost touch with her social skills, she soon learns that to survive on the outer islands, she will have to talk to people, make friends, and find a community. She decides to use a spell to bring her parent’s garden back to life, and tensions mount when she opens a secret spell shop to restore magic to the people, disguising her intent by selling jam. Alongside the debate about who should have access to magic is a sweet, budding romance with an old family friend named Larran.

The Spellshop is a book filled with delights! There are mermaids, merbabies, singing apple trees, winged cats, and even merhorses (half-horse, half-fish) who swim in the magical waters around the islands. Kiela’s best friend is a sentient spider plant named Caz, and his quick-witted quips made me laugh out loud: “I’m blushing. You just can’t tell because of the chlorophyll.” In her author’s note, Durst explains that she wanted to write a book that read like drinking hot chocolate, and in this, her novel succeeds. The lovely prose will leave readers longing for cinnamon buns and raspberry jam, and the happily-ever-after will lend a touch of nostalgia to readers weary with the challenges of the real world.

The Spellshop is a lovely, quick escape best enjoyed on the beach or curled beneath a cozy blanket. Its humor, light magic, and optimism reminded me of Diana Wynne Jones Howl’s Moving Castle, and readers (young and old) will find much to celebrate in its pages.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of the book in exchange for a fair review.

This was so flipping cute and fun. I loved the world and creatures that the author created, and fell head over heels in love with Kiela and Caz. The author’s note mentioned this book started with hot chocolate, and the book truly did feel like a warm cup of hot chocolate. There were some tense and suspenseful moments that had me wanting to reach through the pages and maybe smack a certain grumpy old man upside the head, and also had my heart-racing, but the resolutions had my heart soaring. This is a super sweet cozy fantasy and it makes for the perfect summer read, especially with the lovely island setting!

This was such a lovely cozy story. The cottage core vibes were off the charts. Our fmc makes jam, saves mermaids, and has a talking plant companion for gods sake. It was the cutest thing on the planet. The low stakes were very comforting and made the perfect book to cuddle up in bed with after a long day. With that said, there were admittedly some flaws. The story kept alluding to a greater political conflict that never quite got addressed. It would've been fine if the conflict was never mentioned but it was so closely tied to Kiela's trauma that I expected a little more follow through. Additionally, our mmc, Larran, felt a bit one dimensional. I don't feel like I really know him or like his relationship with Kiela had a chance to develop. It was giving insta love, which isn't a bad thing but came off a bit odd because Kiela was presented to us as an introvert who shut herself off from people and doesn't trust anyone with her heart.

With that said, I still had a great time reading this one. It gave what it was meant to give.

This book is so cute and so cozy, I absolutely loved it. The atmosphere Sarah created with this books makes me want to immediately run away and create a jam shop with only one flavor and secretly sell "remedies" on the side with my talking spider plant.

This was good but not my favorite read. I wanted to venture into fantasy romance and it’s not really my thing. There’s was a lot I liked but also a lot I didn’t. I’d still be willing to try her other books but idk it just wasn’t it for me

This is a wonderful cottagecore fantasy story with a colorful cast of characters. I loved the island and all of the fantasical creatures that inhabited it! I need a spider plant that can help me with my library - especially one who can read, write & will be my ride-or-die bestie! This is the perfect for when you need a break from the high fantasy or are craving a cozy romantasy. Also, I kind of want a winged cat and a seahorse now. Thank you, Sarah Beth Durst, for this new obsession!

Kiera, a librarian on the run from a rebellion in the capital, goes back home with her bestie Caz, a sentient house plant, and 5 crates of stolen? borrowed? definitely saved magic books. She is determined to be self-sufficient and alone - so, of course she ends up being inundated by neighbors, hot ones... hmm hmm, and friendly townsfolk who remember her and her family and offer her help. Magical Hijinx ensue and her dream of having a place of her own starts to take root. Literally. Soon - there are business plans forming, feelings for our neighbor growing as well as the chances of getting caught doing illegal magic.

Will Kiera have to leave everything she never knew she wanted to protect those she has grown to care about?

PS - Heartstrings will be pulled for the enchanted side characters. I need pics for this... and a movie!

The spell shop is a cozy romance with medium stakes, and some fun side characters. Kiela is a socially awkward librarian, more at home in the stacks with her books than she is with humans. However, when tragedy strikes and revolutionaries set fire to the library she's forced to flee for her life, grabbing as many of her precious spell books as she can on her way out. Helping her along the way is a sentient spider plant named Caz.
She escapes by boat and ends up back at her childhood home on an island. Fearing that she'll be arrested for the 'theft' of the spell books she decides to start a new life on the island. Helping her is her unsurprisingly hot and capable but also shy and damaged neighbor, Larran. As Kiela starts trying to figure out how she's going to make her new life and help the island recover from years of neglect from a magical government, she starts to fall for Larran.
The story is largely predictable in a comforting and cozy way. There is minor peril in the form of Kiela worrying that someone will find out about her illegal spell casting.
My only real downsides is that I wanted to know more about the side characters who were intriguing. And that they went HARD on Kiela being anti-social and prickly in the beginning. If the hot neighbor helps fix your chimney, maybe let him ;)

I received an advance copy via NetGalley.

This book is super-cozy and predictable and wonderful, one of my favorites in the new surge of fantasy romance novels. It ticks all the boxes. Introverted librarian lead character. Sentient spider plant as a sidekick. An intimate everyone-knows-everyone island with a beautiful, dreamy cottage-shop. A cinnamon roll of a romantic interest who is not only kind and builds bookshelves, but raises merhorses! There are even winged cats in the village! Yes, it is transparent how everything will come together, and it's fantastic in that, because everything is so satisfying and right. Such a joy-filled book.

I LOVED this book! I ended up reading it in one sitting. I definitely recommend grabbing a snack and something to drink and prepare for the cutest romance ever. I love Kiela and how she blooms from her shell as she tries to make her childhood home HER home.

Kiela, a librarian who oversees a collection of spell books, must flee when revolutionaries set fire to her library. Along with her sidekick, Caz, a talking spider plant, they smuggle out crates of spell books and set sail for the small remote island where Kiela grew up. Kiela and Caz cannot resist the lure of the spell books and when they start casting spells to improve life on the island, it doesn’t go unnoticed and without consequences. Fans of Legends and Lattes and The House in the Cerulean Sea will enjoy this magical cozy fantasy.