This is getting added to a list of books I want to live in. Although maybe not at the start of the book. I did think that starting with a librarian fleeing a burning library was an odd way to start a cosy fantasy, but you know what, it worked. There was tension throughout the book because of the fear of getting caught, which balanced out the cosy-ness in a nice way.

I loved the cast of characters in this book. Kiela, the shy librarian, Caz the talking spider plant, Meep the cactus, an apple blossom bird and a gorgeous centaur lady who wears pretty dresses and skirts draped across the horse part of her body. I grew to love them all so much, down to the last merhorse.

The story is pretty great too. I was really interested in all the twists and turns of how it was going. Especially when I had over an hour left to read of the book and yet the danger had seemingly past.

A skillful work by Sarah Beth Durst!

I was sent a copy of this book via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.....for a full review please see my Amazon and Goodreads accounts

I really enjoyed the cosy cottage core vibes of this book. The setting, the residents of the village, Caz, it was so cosy and whimsical!
Caz was a super interesting character and I loved him. The main character became a little annoying and I just lost interest in her. I did chuckle at the beginning with the 'oh yeah, I have a house on an island' moment. Every other character was more interesting to me
I did feel that the book was just too long though. It felt a little like it dragged on. I think if this was shorter, it could have become a comfort classic
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Really loving the cozy fantasy kick we're seeing in publishing at the moment. The Spellshop fits right, snuggled up alongside the likes of Legends & Lattes, and Can't Spell Treason Without Tea.

Featuring a slew of fantastical creatures, including:
Sentient and talking plants- we have Caz, the snake plant bff we all wish we had, protector of books and will always have your back. And then we have the cutest sentient cactus, Meep, who absolutely stole every scene. Merhorses, and merpeople, that really made me want to actully be in this world. And cloud bears, tree spiritis and protectors of forests? Excuse me? The best.

This was so very cute. I did have a couple of issues with the pacing, but otherwise this would've been perfect.

Kiela is a librarian but when a revolution sends her precious library up in flames she runs with as many books as she can carry along with Caz a magically sentient spider plant.
Kiela flees to her childhood home and with the help of old recipe book left by her parents and a bit of illegal magic she begins to make a new life for herself...
But How long can she hide her magic.
This was a feel good cosy fantasy full of the cutest and loveable characters. This book gave all the feels of a remote small town vibe but with magic. This is definitely a great comfort read if ever you need one. I read this at just the right time 🥰
Thank you to Netgalley, Pan MacMillan and Sarah Beth Durst for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A very cute cosy fantasy with a real cinnamon roll male love interest and a social awkward and wary, but very brave MC. Some drama but you never have the sense that everything won’t pan out – so if you’re looking for something that won’t raise anxiety, this is a good choice. The community spirit on the island is also lovely.

When the revolution breaks out, Kiela, an introverted librarian, thinks only of saving the books from the library where she works and returns to the island where she was born in the company of her best friend, Caz, a sentient spider plant. She plans to lead a quiet and inconspicuous life, just her, Caz, and the spell books she shouldn’t have taken, but things don’t go accordingly. First, her kind and handsome, but, too curious neighbour doesn’t leave her alone, offering her food and help fixing the house, and then the other islanders seem eager to welcome her and become her friend. And that’s how she finds herself opening a jam shop, which is actually a spell shop, as she covertly uses the spells in the books as remedies to help heal the island.

The Spellshop was such a fun and immersive read. A cozy fantasy with a little magic and the right amount of romance, friendship and found family, and even some suspenseful moments that kept me completely immersed in the story. I loved the atmospheric setting of the small village, the plot is well-developed, intriguing, and engaging, and the cast of characters is interesting and delightful. Larran, the helpful neighbour, is adorable. I liked Bryn, Eadie, and Ulina with their Pine Cone Coven and how they all become close friends. And I loved Kiela, her love for her books, her wish to help others, and her bond with Caz, who was my favourite character.

A witty and heart-warming novel, I can’t recommend The Spellshop enough!

The Spellshop felt like the ultimate in cottagecore x cosy fantasy with humour, adventure and heart on every single page.
When a revolution comes to Alyssium, Kiela and her best friend Caz (a walking, talking spider plant) flee the library where she works and bring as many spellbooks with them as they can. They return to Kiela’s island home of Caltrey where Kiela opens a jam shop which she uses as a front to bring spells to the island to help return it to its previous glory.
If you enjoy cosy fantasy, please check out this wonderful book! It’s so full of magic and loveable characters, I adored every page of this adventure.

"It wasn't that she didn't like people. It was only that she liked books more. They didn't fuss or judge or mock or reject."

Keila has spent the last decade as a librarian, working among spellbooks. But when a revolution happens and the library is set on fire, she is forced to flee, along with her talking spider plant assistant and as many books as they can carry into their boat. She goes to the only place she can think of, a small island that was once her childhood home.

I absolutely adore a cosy fantasy, and it's even better when it's also a romantasy! I had high hopes for this book, and it certainly did not disappoint. It was everything I wanted it to be and more. I was in a huge reading slump, and this book well and truly dragged me out of it, I couldn't put the book down.

I loved the whole premise of a jam shop/secret spell shop. It definitely added to the cosy factor of the story! The found family aspect in this book was amazing, it really helped Keila's character, as she progressed from a shy person, who didn't really want to interact with anyone, to an integral part of the town.

It was also full of so many wholesome quotes. The one above was definitely one of my favourites!

If cosy fantasy is your thing, I 100% recommend this one! It has been one of my favourite reads so far this year.

In a Nutshell: A cosy fantasy with an unlikeable protagonist who redeems herself along the way. A whole load of cosy, a little less of fantasy. Interesting (but flat) humans, outstanding non-humans, decent but straightforward storyline. A nice light option for those who prefer cute fantasies and can read without overanalysing.

Plot Preview:
Kiela hates dealing with people. Thanks to her job as a librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium in the capital of the Crescent Island empire, she avoids people at all costs, with her sentient spider plant Caz being more than enough company. But when the rebellion strikes and the library is up in flames, Keila has no choice but to escape with Caz and whatever books she can carry. The only destination that seems safe is her late parents’ home in the faraway island where she had spent her childhood years. She hasn’t been to this abandoned old cottage in more than a decade, but even then, she can sense that something is not right on the island. Luckily, Kiela worked in the ‘spell books’ section of the library, so the books she carried to safety contain magical spells. Yes, it is illegal for any non-sorcerer to cast spells, but this far away from the capital, no one would know, right?
The story comes to us in Kiela’s third-person perspective.


Bookish Yays:
🌳 Caz – Kiela’s assistant and spider plant extraordinaire. He goes so much more than being a talking plant, acting as an overly anxious friend and guide. His banter with Kiela is great fun. The biggest and best reason to read this book is Caz. (Technically, I should put this as a Mixed Bag. The downside of this is that I’ll never be happy with my ordinary, boring, non-talking plants now. I want Caz! 😢)
🌳 The fantastical creatures in the book, which include some we already know as well some innovative new ones. Winged cats and merhorses, anyone? 😍 I also include Meep in this category, and leave it for you to discover who or what Meep is.
🌳 The magic in the book, heavily rooted in nature and hence appearing even more delectable. I loved all the magic of the book, even when it wasn’t friendly.
🌳 The food references, from berry jams to cinnamon buns. My salivary glands rarely get affected by mention of Western dishes in fiction, but the descriptions in this one were yummm!
🌳 All things books – the magic of them, the value of them, the importance of treating them with care. Kiela’s person skills might be zero, but her librarian skills were top notch. Caz was the perfect assistant, being surprisingly passionate about books though he probably knew they are made from dead trees.
🌳 Because of the remote island setting, the story offers nice small-town feels, where neighbours can be helpful as well as inquisitive. The found family trope is used fairly well.
🌳 The indirect focus on the perils of resource hoarding by a select few, climate change affecting ordinary citizens, animals and nature suffering because of human misdemeanours, and parental abuse affecting children – all minor arcs but important and intriguing enough.
🌳 Can’t forget that stunning cover! It is almost like a painting. Don’t miss the adorable winged cat!

Bookish Mixed Bags:
🌱 While this is a cosy fantasy, it is heavily tilted towards the cosy side than the fantasy side. I like cosy fantasies so I was somewhat prepared for what I would get going into this novel. But I wish the writing had not worried so much about making things cosy that it forgot many other necessary requirements of a satisfying reading experience.
🌱 Kiela is a complicated protagonist, and not exactly a loveable one. She is quite grumpy and annoying at the start. She is also too impulsive, naïve, and a short-term thinker. While I don’t mind unlikeable characters (I think they offer far more depth to stories than goody-goody characters), the conversion of Kiela’s people-shirker persona to town saviour and friend is a bit too instant to be convincing. If you necessarily want novels to have likeable leads, this book might not work for you.
🌱 Larran and the other citizens of the town are much better and hence more likeable than Kiela, but their character dev is somewhat surface level. They are either 100% likeable or detestable, no in-between greys. This gets boring. Larran, being the male lead, deserved better character development, but we don’t even know what he looks like, except that he is huge.
🌱 The basic storyline is too simplistic. Except for the fantastical characters and the references to magic, the plot has a typical romcom storyline: a city girl moving to a small village, finding love in various forms, and deciding that her new location is way better than the life she left behind. I wish there had been some novelty to the plot, though the magical beings were imaginative enough to save the book.
🌱 The approach to the story is somewhat episodic, with several conflicts coming and going over the course of the 384 pages. Once a conflict is settled, it doesn’t pop up again. This works well in continuity, but it also feels formulaic after a point. I’m surprised that the major historical event at the start of the book – a revolution in the empire that ends with the emperor being killed and the city overtaken by rebels – is chucked aside after Keila moves to her hometown. Even during later mentions of the rebellion, there are no major details provided. If you begin with a political plot-point, surely that needs to be settled better.
🌱 The world building is highly developed on some points, and lacklustre on others. The townspeople (when they are non-human) and the fantastical creatures get exceptional description, but the ordinary humans barely get any detailing. We get great descriptions of the island setting, but hardly anything about its magical backstory. We know the whats of the magic, but it is taken for granted that we also know the hows and whys.
🌱 This is tagged as a fantasy romance. So I can’t really complain about the dominant presence of the romance, but I will complain that the romance was a bit too insta for my liking. It had elements of grumpy (Keila) vs sunshine (Larran), and was clean, so no steam-related worries.

Bookish Nays:
🍂 Though the writing is in third person, there are a lot of inner monologues, which also leads to loads of repetition. The proceedings are also somewhat slow because of this, though I didn’t mind the slow part.
🍂 Some plot points are too convenient to be convincing. A cottage that has been abandoned in the wild for more than a decade still has everything in working order and the bed isn’t even dusty? A character changes their stance on a topic at the most opportune moment? Eople pop up exactly when they are needed?
🍂 I think the book should have had a different title. Not only is it a spoiler (because Keila doesn’t take a call about “selling spells” until much into the book, but it is also inaccurate, since there is no actual “spell shop’ in the book.
🍂 The second relationship introduced at the end comes out of nowhere. I think it was introduced just to tick off one item on the inclusivity checklist, but it simply wasn’t needed. A similar forced inclusion is the mention of the pronoun preference of a talking plant. (I’m not kidding! At times, I feel like we are going too far with the inclusivity rep in fiction. Yup, I said it! Yes, we need to be inclusive and treat all gender and sexual orientations equally, but do we need to shove it into every single plot, even when it doesn’t even make sense?)

All in all, there are a few gaps in the writing approach of this novel, but there is also enough to enjoy. Caz alone should be a strong reason for you to pick up this ‘cottage-core’ (So many new labels these days!) fantasy-romance.

Recommended to cosy fantasy readers who don’t mind an extra bucketload of cutesy in their novels. This is Twee with a capital T! Be prepared to leave logic aside to enjoy it better.

3.5 stars, rounding up for Caz and Meep.

My thanks to Pan Macmillan and Tor for providing the DRC of “The Spellshop” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

4 of 5 stars
https://lynns-books.com/2024/07/25/review-the-spellshop-by-sarah-beth-durst/
My Five Word TL:DR Review: perhaps the Perfect Beach Read

Because when you’re on holiday, resting on the beach, or round the pool, you want the type of story that makes you smile. That being said perhaps this is the perfect read for whenever you want a hug from a book.

Okay, cosy and romantasy are definitely the new black at the moment and it’s a trend that I’m really enjoying. Not that I’d want to read this style all the time, but, if you want an easy on the brain, perfect confection of a book this is the one for you. But, take my word for it now, this is sugary sweet, positively dripping with sticky syrupy saccharine gooeyness (and jam) so if that doesn’t sound like your ‘thing’ then you have been warned. As it is, in a nutshell (or a sugar spun basket) this is deliciously, almost impossibly, sweet. And, I don’t know, perhaps the stars just aligned because this worked really well for me.

Kiela is our MC. An introverted librarian. She loves books to such an extent that during a revolution she thinks more about rescuing some of the more precious spellbooks than her own safety. Kiela and her companion Cas, a sentient spider plant, flee to the remote island where Kiela spent the first few years of her life with her parents before they moved on to the big city. Their little cottage, nestled at the edge of the woods and perched atop a cliff lies abandoned and a little dilapidated but it feels safe. So Kiela sets about trying to make a new life, which isn’t easy for a young woman who has no real life experience whatsoever, but she is surrounded by well intentioned people who’d like nothing more than to help (not to mention a few books that also come in rather handy).

Of course there is an adorable love interest. A handsome, irresistible guy who loves animals, cooking, gardening and making shelves (not to mention dramatic rescues). The love element here is very slowly played out and quite a gentle aspect to the story (this isn’t a bodice ripper). In fact this is such a lovely and refreshingly clean read. It has a few ups and downs but nothing that really caused me too much tension, I felt secure that this would have a happy ending and I don’t think I’m giving anything away when I say this doesn’t disappoint on that score.

In terms of criticisms. I haven’t really got anything that spoiled the read for me, but, the world building is very superficial, the magic is more like baking a cake (and really anyone can do it with the right recipe – which I really kind of like), there are so many fantasy elements thrown in that’s it’s almost like a tick list was used. Is any of that a real issue? No. This is just a book that you need to pick up and go with the flow. Don’t be questioning anything or expecting detailed explanations. Simply, enjoy yourself.

A lovely read that certainly made me smile. To the author: A Hug of a Book : level unlocked.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

This book was marketed as a fantasy romance, but the romance only begins at 70% of the book and is very much a subplot
- thats a mark against it for me. If I pick up a fantasy romance specifically it's because I'm assuming that it's a decent amount of the plot.

I enjoyed this for a lot of the book, it has a lot of highlights:
- pretty descriptions of magic and yummy food
- cosy, homey vibes
- discussions on loneliness, community and the importance of sharing knowledge
- some mythical creatures
- lovely premise and setting

But for me overall I found this book didn't really work for me personally because;
- again, marketing led me to believe this book was something it wasn't
- the main character makes a lot of dumb decisions... Like a lot.. she's nice! But the decisions she makes are annoying IMO...
- a bit too long, some things got dragged out for me

I can see why a lot of people are enjoying this one though, there is a lot to like

Rating: 4.5 stars!

This is the SWEETEST, COSIEST, JAM-FILLED(?) fantasy book I’ve ever read. The vibes were immaculate.

Have I ever wanted to make jam before? No. Is it all I can think about now? Absolutely!

If you’re in need of a lighthearted, magical, cosy fantasy with the most wholesome found family, a dash of romance, and a sassy sentient spider plant… you’re in luck!

The Spellshop has quite literally everything I never knew I needed! It has THE MOST ADORABLE magical creatures…merhorses, unicorns, CLOUD BEARS!! 🧜🏽‍♀️🐎🦄☁️🐻

I sometimes find that cosy fantasy books can feel a little slow for me with the low stakes, but I was so invested in The Spellshop’s plot - the stakes were relatively low but JUST high enough to keep me engaged! It was truly perfect.

I think that cosy fantasy often gives off Autumn vibes but honestly I think this one is the PERFECT sweet summer read! The Spellshop is set on the beautiful island of Caltrey and I would do anything to visit and try some jam and cinnamon buns ☀️

This book had the perfect amount of romance. The love interest was just the sweetest and he looks after all the merhorses and AHHH him and Kiela are just wonderful together!

This book is a perfect cozy, low stakes fantasy. It did feel a little slow at times, but that's me comparing it to the higher stakes fantasy. This book is a casual summer breeze in a world full of storms. I loved the world building, it's subtle but beautifully written, it felt very dreamy. I could smell the salty breeze and feel the sun warming up my space. The Island of Caltrey sounds like a gorgeous, quaint coastal town, full of vibrant characters. There's the usual variety of race amongst the fantasy characters, but the star of the book for me was Caz. Who wouldn't want a sentient spider plant as a bestie?!
You will also find the classic 'sunny/grumpy' romance trope here, with Kiela, our blue hair, blue skinned FMC as the grump. Honestly, I related to her so much, when she reminisces on the night of her initiation into the library, the 'party', in which they are given free reign to read what the want for hours, get cake and leave without a word.... Yes please! My dream scenario!
She's not an easy character to love by any means, but I really liked her and understood her desire for solitary life.
The way she writes magic into the story is, well, magical. Very well written. It's clear Sarah Beth Durst is a well seasoned writer.

Overall, it's a lovely, slow paced fantasy novel that will be perfect for those long, slow summer days.

Cozy cottagecore fantasy meets small-town romance in Sara Beth Durst's The Spellshop, a charming but slightly too wholesome adventure full of whimsical magic, second chances, unexpected friendships, lively sentient plants, and blooming love.

When rebellion in the capital brutally turns Kiela’s comfortable life in the library upside down, she and her sentient spider plant Caz save as many forbidden spell books as they can and flee to the small sheltered island where Kiela grew up. In order to survive, the introverted and socially awkward librarian decides to open an illegal spellshop disguised as a jam shop, and soon she is faced with all the delights and horrors of a small-town community; town gossip, meddling friends, rude customers, and of course a very handsome nosy neighbour who might be able to help her outrun the past that is catching up to her.

Now, I will have to admit it’s honestly quite an impressive feat of writing when the best character in a book is a sassy and slightly anxious sentient plant; where can I find myself a companion like Caz? If only the rest of this cast of intriguing characters had been just as vibrant and full of personality, this book could have been an absolute gem for me.

Honestly, if I think of The Spellshop as a small-town contemporary romance with some whimsical magical elements, it absolutely works. But as a proper cozy fantasy that tries to introduce solid world building and political stakes, it honestly just falls apart. Despite its slow pacing, the plot is quite hectic and hinders the development of the characters and their interpersonal relationships, which should have been the heart of the story.

On the surface, I quite liked Kiela as a protagonist, and I probably related a lot more to her disastrous social awkwardness than I would probably like to admit. Even though she lacks some emotional depth and has a very predictable character arc, I still enjoyed following her as she reinvented herself and refamiliarised herself with the little town she grew up in.

Her dynamic with the townspeople was honestly quite amusing and heartwarming, and even though their relentless kindness felt a bit unbelievable, I still liked the found family vibes that slowly started to develop. And then there’s the muscular seahorse breeder with a tragic backstory… cue the romance! Again, I liked their sickeningly sweet dynamic on paper, but I would have loved to spend more time actually developing their romance to really feel all the feels. Plus, there are significant hints at trauma for multiple characters that we just do not explore at all, which really hindered my immersion and emotional investment.

Ultimately, I think The Spellshop is just a perfectly fine version of a romantic cozy comfort read that delivers exactly what it promises; the atmosphere of the small town on the isolated island is delightfully quaint, the magical elements are wonderfully whimsical (sentient plants, winged cats, tree sprites, unpredictable spells), and the tender childhood friends to lovers romance is entirely too wholesome.

Even though it lacked a certain little spark for me that makes it stand out from the rest of the cozy crowd, I still think The Spellshop is a nice light-hearted escapist adventure if you just turn off your critical brain. If you want a more high-stakes and romantic version of Legends & Lattes, I’d recommend giving this a shot. And if nothing else, read it for Caz the sentient spider plant!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Looking for a cosy fantasy? Look no further. This is the cosiest of fantasies. In her acknowledgements, Sarah Beth Durst admits that she was aiming to write a book which embodied the qualities of a good hot chocolate - comforting, warm, and full of sugar - and there's no question that she has achieved that vision.

We're given romantasy, we're given cottagecore, we're given jam and pregnant mythical sea creatures when we're introduced to Kiela, a librarian from the Great Library of Alyssium who is in the process of fleeing for her life to the island of her birth. We're also given her sentient, spider-plant companion Caz (goats, stay back!), and her delightfully two-dimensional, muscled-and-kind love interest Larran (not just the boy-next-door, he's ... literally pretty much just that? With added merhorses?). Add in an ambulant succulent, a furred baker, a mysterious semi-drowned redhead, a centaur whose clothes descriptions I still can't wrap my head around, and one grumpy neighbour, and you have a cast of characters for the fluffiest book you'll read in 2024.

Substance? Never heard of her. Baked goods? We have lots of them here.

You will adore this book if you're looking for a slice of escapist, cotton-candy sweet pie, or as one other reviewer has put it, you've ever dreamt of running away to live in Stardew Valley or on an Animal Crossing island. If you're looking for anything other than this, stay far away - this book does what it says on the tin, and does it very well.

This book was perfect. Imagine coming home from a cold evening and sitting next to a fire and then some one hands you a hot chocolate and you take your first sip and the warmth spreads right into your bones, thats how this book makes you feel. I immediately need more stories of Caz and meep. This book made me laugh, smile and cry tear of happiness.
I absoutley loved it and will never not recommend it to anyone and everyone.

Ahhhh I LOVED THIS!

Simultaneously found the character I want to be, and the one I want to be best friends with.

Please may I be an ex-librarian living in a little cottage by the sea selling jam and spells? And please may I have a sassy sentient spider plant for a best friend?

The author says in the acknowledgments they wanted to write a book that was as cosy as drinking a hot chocolate and they definitely succeeded! This was just like a big magical warm hug and I adored everything about it.

There’s spell books, sweet treats, mer-horses, a singing tree, an array of welcoming villagers, a lovely romance and soooo much more.

An absolute new favourite for me and I need the physical copy!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Tor publishing for the advanced copy of this one.

𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒊𝒏 𝑬𝒎𝒐𝒋𝒊𝒔: 📚🪴🌊🫐🌳🦄🧜🏼‍♀️✨🐓

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒕:
A Cozy and whimsical Cottagecore Fantasy that follows introverted librarian Kiela and her sentient plant companion as they flee to Kiela’s childhood home, the island of Caltrey, in the wake of unrest and rebellion.

𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕:
🪴Sentient Plants & Magical Creatures
📚Cozy Cottagecore Vibes
🪴Magic & Spells
📚A Sweet Slow burn romance (no spice)
🪴He Builds her bookshelves! (AKA a dream man)
📚Found Family

𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘:
This was a wonderfully light and easy read that felt like being wrapped in a warm hug. It was delightfully calming, whimsical and cozy with a relatably introverted slightly socially awkward book loving FMC and a plethora of fantastical magical characters and creatures. If you’re a fan of low stakes fantasies and enjoyed books such as Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea and Legend and Lattes then you’re in for a treat!
Kiela’s cottage and the island of Caltrey sound like an absolute DREAM to me I’d love to live there!

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor for an earc- this is my honest review 💜

𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

{AD} This was such a lovely and heartwarming read. It had my favourite found-family trope, a slow-burn romance, and an evocative island setting. Caz was incredible (he's a sentient spider plant!) and Meep was so cute. Pure cottagecore that envelopes the reader in a warm and comforting hug.