The Spellshop is one of those books that I picked up solely because of the gorgeous cover. Little did I expect this wonderfully charming story held within. In truth, I had no idea what "Cottagecore" was, all I knew was that I enjoy listening to heart-warming stories that sometimes include a little bit of magic. Apparently, Cottagecore encompasses a connection to nature, simple living, and relaxing hobbies such as gardening, baking, and long walks. This book has it all with aplomb!

The story begins when reclusive librarian Kiela is confronted with a burning library - the result of a revolution to overthrow the government. She flees the library with many of the precious spellbooks that she was charged to preserve for the city's elite. Once out of the smoke and ash, she sets a course to go to the little island where she grew up before her parents (now deceased) relocated to the big city. Once she arrives she is shocked by the welcoming hands of most of the villagers. Although at first all she wants is solitude, she can't help but fall in love with the townsfolk and care for them deeply - even if it means learning from the spell books that she was forbidden to read to help them thrive, let alone survive.

I listened to the audiobook version of this story narrated by Caitlin Davies, who performed amazingly. Did I mention that Kiela's best friend is a talking spider plant, and there are mermaids and water horses in this book? Trust me, The Spellshop is truly delightful and you won't regret picking it up!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bramble Books for this audiobook review copy!

The Spellshop is a wonderful cozy fantasy romance about a young woman returning to her home island after fleeing the revolution in the city. It's got everything you could want from sentient plant companions to merhorses. It was a delighfully cozy book that hit on a lot of my favorite tropes. There was found family, romance, and animal companions (or in this case plant companions).

The only reason for my rating of 4 stars instead of 5 was that I felt the romance could have used more developing. I wanted to understand our love interest more than we got. Most of what we learn about him is through other characters rather than their interactions which left me a little disconnected.

But I'd highly recommend giving this a try! The audiobook especially did a wonderful job of bringing the story to life. I can't wait to read more from this author and I would love if there were more books in this world!

I really enjoyed how cozy this was. It’s different and quirky and a beautiful story of friendship and kindness.

The story starts with a revolution and follows Kiela, a librarian, as she escapes the burning library with crates of books and her best friend Caz, a talking spider plant. She makes her way to her family cottage on a remote island she hasn’t visited in many years. Those books she saved are spell books and she wasn’t really supposed to take them so she is hiding them. Kiela is socially awkward and a little afraid to trust people. And this is a small town with nosy neighbours and friendly villagers. Lying low and not talking to anyone might not be possible.

I am used to higher stakes fantasy and as I was reading I kept expecting more action, stress, intensity but now that I have finished I think it was great as it was and I think I need more books like this.

I loved all the vibes, the village, how Kiela slowly comes out of her shell, and being to trust, and make friends. There is a bit of sweet romance, lots of magical creatures, lots of quirky characters and my favorite part is every time Caz says something, he is hilarious. The narration was perfect and made the story come to life.

The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst
Narrator: Caitlin Davies
Rating: 4 stars
Pub date: 7/9

Thank you so much, Bramble Romance, for my lovely book and bookish goodies and Macmillan Audio for my complimentary audiobook.

Kiela, a librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium, prefers the company of spellbooks and her magically sentient spider plant assistant, Caz, to that of people. When a revolution forces her to flee the burning library, Kiela and Caz escape with as many spellbooks as they can carry. They find refuge on a remote island that Kiela once called home and are forced to start over.

I don’t read a lot of cozy fantasy, but I’m so glad I picked this one up! This was a lighthearted, heartwarming read with Hallmark-ish vibes and a sweet romance. The story feels a bit like a Disney movie with its magical elements, endearing characters, and a feel-good plot. Kiela's socially awkward demeanor made her relatable, and the cute, cinnamon roll neighbor satisfied my need for a little romance. The nosy neighbors and whimsical conflicts fit perfectly within this cozy, enchanting world.

Caitlin Davies narrates the audiobook, and she managed to bring the story to life with her vibrant storytelling.

For those who enjoy a lighthearted, cozy fantasy romance filled with mythical creatures and cinnamon roll-fueled magic, The Spell Shop is a must-read.

This was such a struggle for me because I really enjoyed the story, but I did not like the audio narrator, ultimately I DNF'd the audio book at 20%, however I do plan to buy and read the ebook when it's released.

While the narrators pace was fine, her voicing of one of the characters (Caz) bothered me from the first sentence, the tone just seemed off. Apart from that, her inflection and punctuation was overdramatic in ways that became distracting to the narrative.

This was a super cute cozy fantasy that felt really unique and so lovely to get lost in!! I loved the growth of the main character, and the side characters were all super wonderful. I’d 100% read spin offs with their stories! The writing was immersive and fantastical, and all of the magical creatures added such a great vibe to this story.

I didn’t care for the audiobook narrator though, her inflections drove me a bit crazy so I switched to the ebook. Other than that, don’t miss out on this one!!

🌈Queer rep: Secondary FF couple, non-gendered sentient cactus (they/them)

I physically read this book and then decided to get an arc of the audio as well. I really love the narrator and all the different voices that she does for all the characters I feel like they’re very distinguishable. I think that this is a great way to read this book. She’s great with her inflections and her pacing.

Sometimes an audio comes along that really brings a story to life. That's this book. The narrator was so fantastic and made all the side characters have their own unique personality and sound.

I don't normally love cozy fantasy but this one has a good balance of "conflict" (low level) to keep it interesting. The imagery was SUBLIME. I felt like I was reliving dreams from when I was a kid - mythical creatures, lyrical prose, a little bit of magic. There is a bit of sweet romance wrapped into the story but the true winners of the book are the sentient plants and the found family (how is that a sentence I just wrote??). This book is perfect for fans of TJ Klune and Practical Magic.

I really want to read more by this author and I highly recommend the audio.

•Cozy Romantasy
•Small town
•Low Stakes
•Slow Burn

Witchy, cottagecore vibes with a side of sweets and love.

The Spellshop originally peaked my interest when I read the blurb “She and her assistant, Caz, a magically sentient spider plant…”.
I’m sorry you said sentient spider PLANT not only is the book about spells, jams but also plants? It gets no better than that.

Meet Kiela a librarian who must flee her home with nothing more than Caz, a crate of very precious spell books and the hopes of a safe new start. Little did she know that her life was about to drastically change.

If you enjoy books that offer feel good moments, adventure and romance this book is for you. I will say that this book has a slower pace then I am used too but it didn’t affect how I viewed the writing. If you go into reading this book with an open mind you will enjoy it.

This review is based off an ARC I received from NetGalley. Thank you for the author and publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read it and offer my honest opinions of it.

This is a cozy fantasy-based romance read. I would classify this book as Young Adult as the romance aspect is very subdued. We have characters such as Caz the plant who are gender neutral and brings humour to the story — he was my favourite character. We have an array of characters of fantasy type or mythical creation — and some political strife in this world — For me it tied up too cozy- with outer world issues not truly resolved and the possibility that maybe a sequel could be written ... but is great for someone who enjoys happily ever afters. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did an excellent job portraying all the character's personalities and uniqueness— it also helped maintain my intrigue.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ARC. This is my honest review.

The Spellshop is author Sarah Beth Durst’s debut cozy fantasy novel following librarian Kiela and Caz, her spider plant assistant. Caitlin Davies narrated the audiobook and did a fantastic job transporting me into the magical cottagecore world. I really enjoyed the dynamic between Kiela and Caz and it was a pleasure to journey with them as they navigated trials and tribulations, took risks, and developed relationships with the local townspeople when Kiela had no desire to interact with anyone.

I loved the storyline and being able to imagine everything from the library, the spellshop and magic spellbooks, along with the characters and creatures.

My only complaint is that I found the first half of the book to be a bit slow for my taste and I found myself increasing the speed of the audiobook to keep my interest. I’ve only read a few cozy mystery books and am still learning my preferences, but I think the low stakes aspect was a bit too low for my personal taste.

Overall, I’d rate it 3.75 rounded up to 4 stars and think it was a great debut novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you Netgalley for the free arc in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed a lot of aspects of this book. The beginning and the end were really interesting. I feel like the middle was a bit more boring but I don’t read a lot of cozy fantasy so I had to kind of change my mindset. Kiela was an interesting and very relatable main character. I related a lot to her anxiety and overthinking. Caz was my favorite character he was just so great! The plant version of an animal companion 😂 I’d read a book just about his and Meep’s adventures. I would say this was a solid book but it didn’t wow me and some parts were slow and harder to get through. I loved the narrator though! She was really good.

3.5 stars.

I absolutely loved this cozy romantasy! It was the perfect mix of cozy romance with fantasy world building, and I always love a librarian main character. I will definitely be recommending it to our patrons, especially those who are fans of Legends and Lattes.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC.

Spellshop is a cozy cottagecore fantasy featuring an anxiety prone spider plant and an antisocial librarian turned jam shop owner.

Kiela has made the library her whole life. One day she is forced to escape the library as it’s being burned by rebels. Given her love of books, she can’t leave without saving/stealing as many as she can on her way out. She ends up returning to the village where she was born and moves into her abandoned childhood home finding the village in disrepair. Here she gets a fresh start, makes friends, and finds love.

If you enjoy cozy, low stake fantasy reads with found family and a light hearted romance then I’d recommend this book. The narrator of the audiobook did a good job with voicing multiple characters and making it enjoyable.

For fans of Travis Baldree, sweet romance, guaranteed happy endings, second chances, starting over and found family comes Sarah Beth Durst debut cozy fantasy, "The Spellshop." I was made aware of this book when it was announced as the Once Upon A Book Club cozy Halloween pick. Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC Audiobook!

Anxiety-ridden, introverted librarian Kiela Robadon (forgive any misspellings I listened to the audiobook) and her sentient plant pal, Caz, have disaster-prepped for coming rebel insurrection in the capital by putting the rarest volumes of forbidden spellbooks from the Great Library into a boat, just in case. Always be prepared!

After making a timely escape they end up on Kiela's home Island. The Hallmark-esque village is in disrepair and the townsfolk are in need of the spells or "remedies" Keila has saved. When the handsome but lonely merhorse rancher Larran shows her kindness, Keila starts to open herself up to the magic of island, new friendships, love and a life of purpose.

This is a book you'll count the minutes until you can escape into again. There are plenty of short plotlines to pace yourself as you savor it. Romance element is minimal (just kissing) so it's an appropriate listen for all ages. The narrator does a great job with the voice acting.

4.5⭐ rounded up to 5. Wow, did someone read my mind and throw everything I love into a single novel? This book felt like a warm fuzzy blanket, and I really enjoyed listening to the narration. I recommend to fans of cozy fantasy with a cottagecore feel!

❤️ Cozy atmosphere
❤️ Fantastic audio narration
❤️ Green-flag (but still swoon-worthy) MMC
❤️ Magically-sentient plant sidekicks
❤️ Diversity and trauma rep
❌ Some unnecessary subplots
❌ Repetitions / redundancy
❌ Long list of TWs inconsistent with mood/genre

Trigger warnings: war, fire and fire injury, child abuse (mentioned), domestic abuse and murder (mentioned), blood, death and grief, injury and injury detail, PTSD, homophobia, suicide (mentioned).

Plot:
Grumpy librarian Kiela flees the capital city amidst a violent rebellion with only one thing in mind: protecting her assistant and best friend Caz, the talking spider plant, and saving as many books as she can. But these are no regular books—they’re spell books… and magic is illegal. Seeking refuge in her hometown on a secluded island, Kiela opens a jam store as a front for a rogue spell shop, where she secretly helps the townsfolk deal with magical storms, depleting resources, and more. But when a stranger arrives, everything starts to go wrong.

The blurb had me at “she and her assistant, Caz—a magically sentient spider plant.” As an introverted and slightly antisocial bookworm with a houseplant addiction and a deep love for all things magic, cottage life, and jam making, I could miss the opportunity of reading this book. Was it a little cheesy? Absolutely. Predictable? Yep. Credible from beginning to end? Of course not. But I expected a cottagecore cozy fantasy that’d make me smile, and it certainly did the trick.

Characters:
I didn’t dislike the main characters, but I didn’t fall head over heels either. I thought Kiela was inconsistent and thoughtless, and very rude at first. However, her character experienced tremendous growth and I liked her by the end. Loren (not sure if I spelled it correctly) was a decent MMC, but maybe a little flat. I would have liked to know more about his background and trauma. My favourite characters were undoubtedly the sentient plant sidekicks, Caz and Meep.

Writing:
I enjoyed Durst’s writing. However, I thought this book had some repetitions and redundancies in terms of internal struggles and dialogues. The length of the book was fine, but some parts felt rushed. More thorough editing and cutting down would have fixed both issues. (I read an ARC, so maaaaybe it was fixed in the final version!)

Audiobook:
The voice actor did an amazing job!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.


Caz is amazing and 100% carried this book. Everything he said was entertaining. I also particularly liked the moments he decided to take things into his own hands (or leaves I guess). Honestly, I would read a book completely from his point of view. Perhaps a novella of him and Meep?!

I wish Kiela and Larran’s relationship had been developed a little more. If it had been further developed, their chemistry would have been a lot more convincing. There were a lot of mentions of them knowing each other as children and I really wish we had gotten some flashbacks of their time together back then.

The other aspect that rather annoyed me is the politics. They were constantly mentioned, but just on a surface level. We know there was a revolution because people thought that magic should be available to everyone, but there was never any extra background information given. The emperor was overthrown, but no one seems too worried and that bit of the plot was kind of left hanging. The arrival of the real imperial guard was great, but I feel like it resolved way too easily. For something that could have had severe consequences, it was handled very quickly and without too much trouble. While I know that the focus of the story was less on conflict and more focused around new friends and family, the constant mentions of the revolution made me feel as though I should expect something to come from that. However, the story ends and there is no information on what ends up occurring in Alyssium.

I will however say that this story was enchanting. The details and imagery given of the merhorses, mermaids, and spells were amazing. Absolutely beautiful and breathtaking. Kind of makes me wish I could take a nice vacation to Caltrey. It was fun and sweet and the friendships formed were heartwarming.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. Sadly I don’t think cozy fantasies are for me. I missed the high stakes and action of the books I typically read. However, if you are someone who typically enjoys lower stakes, magical descriptions, and a funny side character, give this a try!

This cozy fantasy has found family, magic, and sentient plants and lots of small town charm. Kiela and her assistant, a spider plant named Kaz, find themselves making a home, jam, and a lot of trouble when they arrive at Keila’s childhood home after revolution displaces them from their beloved library. The book was a lovely little escape but felt a little slow paced and included a love story almost too cute to suit my particular tastes. Despite this, I’m sure many will quickly fall in love with the adorable cast of magical and wondrous inhabitants of the world Durst has created.

Would recommend to anyone who loved the cozy found family of the Legends and Lattes books.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for this audiobook for review purposes.

Cottage core vibes and rom-com for fantasy lovers - what more could you ask for?

Super cute and cozy fantasy that follows an introverted librarian and her sentient plant companion as they flee their area of residence back to her childhood home when a rebellion attack hits the library.

Left with little belongings/money but plenty of salvaged books she spirited away from fire, our FMC uses the contents of the books to open a shop that will benefit both her livelihood and the betterment of the citizens/land.

Let’s not forget about the nosy neighbor/childhood acquaintance that just wants to help and make sure she’s alright. Totally not going to fall in love with him or anything like that.

I also loved the narrator. She brought this world to life beautifully.

Thank you MacMillan Audio for the audio arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Overall I had a good time with this story! The cozy vibes were wonderful and I liked the characters. The pacing felt pretty slow so I did struggle to want to pick this up at times. Caz kept me going! Loved that spider plant so much! The audio was very well done. Definitely will recommend it!