Thank you to Sarah Beth Durst and Tor Publishing Group for this advanced reader copy of The Spellshop, in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Spellshop lends a nod to the uber trendy cottagecore movement in it's atmospheric descriptions of stone steps leading up to an abandoned cottage in the woods, covered with vines and nestled within gardens. While the cottage belonged to Kiela's parents, it is now hers, in all of it's abandoned glory. While Kiela and her trusty sidekick Caz, a walking, talking spider plant, returned to the island from Kiela's childhood, things aren't as cozy as they'd like: sorcerers have ceased coming to the island creating an imbalance of magic in the world. What does this mean to the island? Trees have stopped growing and baring fruit, the herds of magical creatures have stopped growing, and the island's people have stopped trusting anyone from "the city."

While I wanted to like this book, especially since it's Spring out and this book is all about regrowth and new beginnings it simply fell short for me. Kiela has been living and working in the library for years since the passing of her parents, so her social cues are extremely off when she arrives to the island. She was rude and unforgiving to me, so it was difficult for me to want to read about her. I just felt like the book took too long to get into the main objective and I was lost before it could grab me.

I won't rate this novel as I think it'd be enjoyable to some, especially fantasy readers. But a fantasy reader I am not, and this proves that further for me.

This thoroughly enjoyable cozy fantasy is a joy to read. It has almost everything one wants in a comfort book; an introverted librarian heroine, a faithful companion (who is a sentient, ambulatory spider plant), books, lots of books, tea with jam, a kind hero who takes care of merhorses, and flying cats. When Kiela flees the burning library in the capitol with a boatload of rescued library books, she returns to the island of her birth where everything has been falling apart since the empire started keeping all the magic to itself.

This was a delightful and whimsical tale, with deeper themes. It took a while for me to get into it, but once I did, I started enjoying it a lot more. Loved the characters and the romance.

Kiela has always had trouble dealing with people, and as librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium, she hasn’t had to. But then the revolutionaries come for the Library, and the are bringing fire. Kiela and her assistant, a sentient spider plant named Caz, quickly load up a boat and as many books as they can possibly save and flee the burning city and library. They don't know where to go or who they are now until Kiela suggests they sail to the island of her birth, it's remote, small and hopefully safe. Thus begins the coziest seaside fantasy book. This novel was like a hot cup of coco on a chill day. Kiela is, understandably, a bit prickly at the beginning of the novel but as she gains more confidence and sense of belonging on the island she opens up into a wonderful character. I adored the magic system and the experimentation Kiela and Caz do with it. The secondary characters are more than just set dressing and feel fleshed out as well. Overall, this was a quick read but the whole novel felt like a hug. I wanted to move to the island with the characters by the end.

This was a fun read. The author built an interesting world with great characters without bogging things down too much in the world building. It was nice to read something I could enjoy without things being too tense or world ending.

I really enjoyed this story! I found it easy to read and the plot was interesting! I will definitely recommend it to friends.

When Kiela flees her beloved imperial library with her friend the sentient spider plant and a boat full of refugee spell books, she doesn't have a plan other than to survive the fires of a revolution. Her only safe haven is her abandoned family home on an outer island, plagued by magical storms and despair. But with perseverance, friends, and more than a touch of magic, she finds where she truly belongs!
For fans of cozy romances and light fantasy, this is a perfect feel-good story with endearing characters, humorous magical mishaps, and just enough intrigue to keep me turning the pages long past my bedtime. Will definitely be keeping an eye out for future works by Sarah Beth Durst!

Honestly, the word that best sums up my feelings about this book is ‘delightful’! The characters were wonderful, the stakes were (mostly) low, the romance was sweet, the world was interesting, and there were books and an occasional flying cat. What more could I need?

There are some larger picture implications behind the scenes that the story doesn’t focus on. You could have a political/magical intrigue story with a lot of drama and intrigue starting from the same events, and in a way I’d be very interested in that one too. But I’m happy with the cosy slice of life version we got, with the introverted librarian and her sentient spider plant creating a new life for themselves on a remote island.

I received a free copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group; all opinions expressed are exclusively my own.

When I reached the end of this book and read the author's note, I discovered that the intention was to create a book that felt like drinking hot chocolate. I have to say, I think it was a success!

The Spellshop is a cozy, beautiful book set on a (mostly) cozy, beautiful island in a magical world whose lore I could definitely stand to know more about! Kiela is an antisocial librarian in her empire's capitol, but when the revolution comes, she finds herself fleeing to the tiny rural island she grew up on. In a lot of ways, this is a quintessential city vs. country tale, but with magic and unicorns and mermaids. The magic system is interesting, the magical creatures are magnificent (the cloud bear tree spirits especially), and the romance (yep, sort of the classic boy next door) is sweetly awkward, which fits the characters. In the end, the major themes of the book are that found family is real family, and when united people are unstoppable.

For sensitive readers, there is off-screen references to violence and destruction, child abuse, and death by defenestration. Characters on screen do experience and recall dangerous and traumatic events, and the effects of those events.

This cottage core fantasy was exactly what I needed on a rainy day. Im really loving "cozy fantasy" where its low stakes and enchanting, with the small town romance making me smile ear to ear at its simple sweetness.
Sometimes high fantasy with all the world building is too much. Books like this are the perfect break that gives me everything I want from the genre, without needing all the brain power.
This books message about caring about nature wasnt preachy, it was perfect. Definitely want more from this author

Really cute story. I am in a place where I needed a low-stakes, cozy read, and this was perfect. A jam recipe at the end would have been a great addition.

Oh what a lovely, gentle fantasy novel! In tone, this reminds me of Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree: despite great things going on in the background, this is a quiet reflection on coming home and making a new life. The author says in the afterword that she wanted a book that "reads like drinking hot chocolate" and I can say she has succeeded. I picked this up and couldn't stop reading until I had finished. I will definitely be revisiting this one in the future! Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley & Tor Publishing Group for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.

A very fun and relaxed cottagecore librarian read! The protagonist is a librarian on the run and oblivious to feelings and working with people until she crash lands back to her first home. It's sweet to see her develop and flourish in a loving community.

I will say this book fell off in the last 20% mark when it became weirdly high stakes and I wasn't a huge fan of that. Other than that, it was a calming and chill read.

When the world burns all around you where would you go? Kiela never thought that the revolution would reach her library. Until one day her assistant came running to get her and pull her from her home. Where would they go and what would they do? She saved as many books as she could and fled to the island of her birth. After finding her childhood home in ruins she decides to take matters into her own hands. As she cleans the house she discovers memories and an old cookbook. Deciding to open a jam shop for the town she starts to use some of the spells she saved from the library. At first it starts out as a way to make a living but it soon turns into her trying to help the island town and the animals of the sea. There's also her nosey neighbor who shows up at some very inconvenient times.

If you love the cozy fantasy genre then I believe this is another book you should read. While the stakes are a little bit higher for Kiela than in some other fantasies it still has a very cozy and happy feel to it. I fell in love with the characters right from the beginning and had a very hard time putting this book down. Kiela was a very relatable character for me because I agree that sometimes books make better company then some people. I loved Caz and his ability to grasp things much faster than Kiela. Also Meep is probably one of the best side characters. Honestly there wasn’t much I didn’t like about this book. I really enjoyed it.

The Spellshop was everything I was hoping it would be and more! I preordered the stunning first edition printing before I even finished because I was loving it that much. I already knew that Sarah Beth Durst had the potential to become one of my favourite authors, but this confirmed it for me. Whenever someone asks me for cozy fantasy recommendations (one of my favourite genres!) this will be at the top of my list.

I appreciated that it was slice of life while also having some high stakes. The relationship was adorable and slow burn and I love everyone on the island. Obviously, Caz, the sentient spider plant, was the highlight for me. I was so satisfied with the ending and I was squealing with delight. Will read again the moment I have a physical copy in my hands!

I am not a big fan of cozy mysteries, but this cozy fantasy put a spell on me. It is still a little too sweet for my taste, but I loved the characters - I can relate to a librarian who does not like interacting with people. It is also well written and the story flows well.

Kiela has always had trouble dealing with people, and as librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium, she hasn’t had to.
She and her assistant, Caz, a sentient spider plant, have spent most of the last eleven years sequestered among the empire’s precious spell books, protecting the magic for the city’s elite. But a revolution is brewing and when the library goes up in flames, she and Caz steal whatever books they can and flee to the faraway island where she grew up. She’s hoping to lay low and figure out a way to survive before the revolution comes looking for her. To her dismay, in addition to a nosy—and very handsome—neighbor, she finds the town in disarray.
The empire with its magic spell books has slowly been draining power from the island, and now she’s determined to find a way to make things right. Opening up a spell shop comes with its own risks—the consequence of sharing magic with commoners is death. And as Kiela comes to make a place for herself among the quirky townspeople, she realizes that in order to make a life for herself, she must break down the walls she has kept so high.

This is an extremely cozy fantasy, romantasy. Even though there are some very high stakes dangers, the pace of the story is so sedate that you forget these could be life or death situations. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it. I did. This is the kind of book to read when you don't need any more stress in your life. Recommended for those who like sentient plants and merfolk.

This was beautiful. Durst storytelling shines in this novel, making it a perfect choice for fans of cozy and cottagecore romance. The setting adds a delightful layer of atmosphere, enhancing the romance. A definite 5 stars read for sure.

Sarah Beth absolutely accomplishes her goal of crafting a cozy romantic fantasy that "reads like drinking hot chocolate." I want to read more about caring librarian and spell-sharer Kiela and stalwart mobile sentient spider plant Caz, et al's world, complete with non-trivial challenges, while munching on delicious scones accompanied by berry jam alongside the coast while the merhorses frolic in the waves. This title encompasses everything I desire from Bramble.

I really enjoyed this book a lot.

The author writes in the acknowledgments that she wanted to write a book that reads like drinking hot chocolate. And that’s exactly how this book reads. She writes that’s she wanted to fill the book with joy and delight, and she certainly succeeded at that too.

We follow Kiela, a librarian who lives a solitary life with her entirely wonderful enchanted spider plant friend Caz. She lives and works in the library of the capital. They escape in a boat one night during a revolution as the rebels attack and begin burning the library to the ground. They sail to her home island, a remote place on the outskirts of the kingdom, slowly being forgotten by everyone and left to fend for itself. She sets up a new life for herself as she tried to rebuild her parents’ abandoned cottage and figure out what to do now that her librarian life is gone.

This book has all the cozy fantasy vibes. It has a great setting and the story itself is interesting and fun. I loved following Kiela as she builds a new life for herself. The island and all the characters who live there were wonderful. The romance is sweet. There’s no spice but so much sweetness. Any fantasy romance fan will be pleased with this book I’m sure. If you are looking for something to make you smile, remind you why reading can be so fun and for something light-hearted and whimsical. Then look no further.