A cozy fantasy with a library and cottagecore is something that is going to resonate with a lot of buzz in the blogging community. And that happened with The Spellshop. It is a good book, but I also felt slightly let down. That doesn't mean I didn't like it though.

When the rebellion comes to the great library Kiela has to escape with the books she can put on the little boat she has. But where does she and her companion, Caz the sentient spider plant, go? She is called to the island that she grew up on. Where the cottage from her parents still stands empty.

There is a lot to love in this book. I fell for the love of books that both Kiela and Caz showcased. That is a very strong current throughout the book. But also the cottage and the garden felt like a real part of the story. I wish we had gotten more of the runaway chicken. I also loved seeing and learning about the merhorses.

The author managed to put in a lot of world building for the island and link it to the situation where Kiela came from. We do get a good feel for the political situation without being in the middle of it. The only thing that I felt was a little underdeveloped was the town. We mostly get the bakery and the fountain. I have very little idea of how big this town is and how many people the island even has.

The end is where it fizzles out a little for me. The politics came a lot closer with the way things went and I feel like everything was wrapped up too nicely. It was all a little too idealistic. You can write a cozy and still make things feel real.

Despite that I did really enjoy reading this book. It has so many great elements and I would love to return to the island or this world sometime.

This was one of the best cosy fantasies that I've ever read. It was like a warm bowl of soup on a cold day. I loved every second of it. It was everything I wanted in a cosy fanatasy - a sweet romantic sub-plot, spells, magical creatures and of course cats. I also didn't know I needed a talking spider plant but apparently I did. I love Caz.

Thank you to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

R E V I E W

The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst

☆☆☆.5

Advanced Reader Copy graciously provided by Pan Macmillan | Tor via Netgalley

This book enticed me with its charming cottagecore cover complete with winged cat and crawling vines. And charming it was.

When reclusive librarian Kiela is forced to abandon her home amongst the stacks in the Great Library of Alyssium, she is left with little choice but to return to her childhood home on the island of Caltrey. Armed with only her boat filled with illicit magical tomes and her sentient spider-plant assistant Caz, Kiela seeks refuge in her childhood home; a cliff-top cottage that has seen better days. On an island where the people are known for their curious natures, Kiela quickly realises that her days filled with quiet and solitude are long gone and that perhaps, the place her parents had been so desperate to leave might just hold everything she could ever need.

This was a low-stakes cosy fantasy with talking plants, found family, magical creatures and just a hint of romance. This book didn't have a great deal of substance to it, but provided a wholesome smiles and an easy read.

I'm only halfway through this book, but i feel compelled to rave about it already.
I'm not good with the fantasy at the moment, not sure why, but cosy fantasy still goes down well.

The spellshop, it's wonderful. The world building is great and unique, the characters and creatures are just brilliant. It does leave you fuzzy and warm, and i don't expect that to change gor the second half of the book.

I trust this will do splendidly upon release!

A heartwarming story about community, helpfulness, and found family. Kiela is a deeply understandable protagonist. She goes from constantly having her guard up and rejecting help out of fear, to slowly seeing the good others mean for her. The story touches on points like social boundaries and fears, anxiety and overthinking, and the feeling of needing to stay hidden to protect oneself.
First and foremost, the story is touching and incredibly adorable.

I think The Spellshop will feel quite comfortable among the ranks of popular cosy fantasy greats.
When librarian Kiela and her talking plant Caz, are forced to flee the city during a revolution, she rescues some spell books from the fire and returns to her childhood home. But her parents' old cottage is a mess, she's a total recluse, and the town of Caltrey is far too friendly, especially her handsome neighbour, Larran.
The Spellshop does have fairly high stakes, yet it still feels cosy. There was tension and intrigue at times, but I always knew things would turn out okay in the end.
Kiela was a fun protagonist to follow. She and Larran had the most UN-toxic relationship I think I've ever read. They felt like a very easy romance, so it felt believable when their feelings developed.
Caltrey is described beautifully. I can see it so vividly in my head it's like I was there. Many cosy fantasy books are set during autumn, but this book is set in spring or summer, changing things up a little and making it a perfect summer read when relaxing in the sunshine.
This is a must-read for anyone who really loves the cosy fantasy genre, or for anyone who simply wants to take a break from the epic stuff

A very sweet and cozy fantasy book for all fans of the genre!

This is the story of Kiela, a librarian forced to flee the revolution-ridden city of Alyssium. Together with her assistant, a sentient spider plant named Caz, she takes as many magical books as she can and heads to her home island where no one can find her. Although she is not a sorceress and cannot use magic, Kiela decides to help the locals by opening a spell shop, hoping that no one will realize she possesses magical books.

The book reads well, though, as with most cozy fantasies, the stakes are not particularly high. This is not a flaw but rather a characteristic of the sub-genre. Yet, things do happen, and although the resolution to these events is somewhat predictable, it is still engaging.

I really liked the main character, Kiela, who is a slightly quirky introvert who has spent more time with books over the years and now has to learn to be around people again. Nevertheless, the absolute best character in the book is Caz—who wouldn't want to be friends with a sentient plant? Caz is not just the comic relief of this novel, but a full-fledged character whose actions repeatedly save the day. I also loved Caz's dynamic with Kiela.

When it comes to the other characters, I have a bit of a problem. On the one hand, I liked that the world-building includes various species and creatures, from centaurs to mermaids, and the main character has blue skin and blue hair. On the other hand, I found the character development a bit lacking. The love interest, Larran, is a very cool guy, and his relationship with Kiela is very sweet. Yet, he seemed a bit too perfect and thus one-dimensional. It's a pity that his background wasn't developed better because this would have made it possible to understand him more fully and lead to a more realistic and less idealized relationship between Larran and Kiela. The other characters—the islanders—are also rather stereotypical and one-dimensional. From the beginning, we know who is bad and who is good, making the book somewhat predictable. I know that's part of what cozy fantasy is all about, but still, I think we could expect a bit more here.

Anyway, I highly recommend this book to all fans of cozy fantasy—I'm sure people who like "Legends and Lattes," for example, will enjoy this book.

Kiela is a librarian in the city, happiest between the shelves by herself, except for her best friend Caz, a sentient spiderplant. When rebels attack, she rescues her most important spell books and sets sail for Caltrey, the island she grew up on and where her parents' old cottage is. Pretty soon Kiela finds out that the magic coming from the city is causing lots of issues on Caltrey - but using magic as a civilian is forbidden...

This book is SO cute and cozy. It's really silly and honestly it's like a hug in a book. All the happy things are in here. Totally recommend if you need something solid to cheer you up!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for granting me an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Cozy fantasy is probably my favorite subgenre, and as soon as I saw the cover and read the synopsis I knew I had to request this one!
The cozy, cottagecore vibes were perfectly executed - sometimes the whimsy of the worldbuilding can feel a little forced and this wasn't the case.

I think Kiela had something interesting as a main character, she wasn't really grumpy nor sunshine and I liked that she didn't immediately fall for the hot neighbour but had to learn to trust him first! Her and Caz's friendship was probably my favorite aspect. He was so much fun with his paranoia and dry remarks!

As for the ensemble, I think the sense of community was definitely there and it was really sweet how everyone on Caltrey rallied to support and help Kiela! None of the side characters stood out to me much, but that's not inherently a bad thing. Larran was so freaking nice, I wanted to pinch his cheeks! He's such a golden retriever and I loved how kind he was despite all the pain he'd been through. I wish we got a little more of his backstory coming from him rather than told by other people, I think it could have given more even more depth. I didn't have time to warm up to Radane to be honest, but I think it was fun how the true villain ended up being the grouchy old man!

Despite it being a cozy fantasy where stakes aren't usually too high, something was always happening! The story kept me on my toes the whole time, so much so that I almost wished for a few more pages of reprieve inbetween the big events (The sick merbaby, Radane's arrival, the captain and his crew, the second storm, etc). I don't personally mind much given its expected in the genre, but I can tell some people might say each conflict's resolution was too easy, as in Kiela and the gang being able to perform difficult spells on the first/second try.

I thought the epilogue was sweet, the happy ever after I like to see in cozy fantasy!
I'd definitely read a novella about Kiela and Larran's future (maybe a look at the other couples as well?)

All in all, an adorable story perfect for anyone who is looking to escape for a few hours! :)

I really enjoyed reading The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst! It was a lovely cosy fantasy, however, it was not boring at all. A lot of stuff happened during the story, from scenes with the love interest to magic storms and spellwork. I loved the small town vibes (or should I say small island?) and how Kiela was quickly included in their community. The love story was executed well and felt very natural. All in all, The Spellshop was a nice cosy book and I would recommend it.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Tor for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is a gorgeous cosy romance.

The cottage core vibes are strong in this book and I found it to be such a heartwarming read.

I loved the main character - an introverted librarian - she is basically me in my dream life! It's the first time ive read of the side kick being a plant which is a bit unusual but hey it worked. The romantic interest is basically the perfect partner and they were such a good match for each other. I loved seeing their relationship develop.

There is an element of threat to this book - its a bit predictable but I was fine with that and when I read this sort of book sometimes that's exactly what I want - to know what is coming.

This is just a gorgeous story

4.5
This is the coziest cutest read of the year so far and if you're looking for some low-stakes cottagecore fantasy, this is your sign ! The cast of characters is amazing, and you will be meeting a lot of very different creatures. The magic system is pretty much like simple witchcraft, with spells and "remedies". And now I want a talking plant too, because that was probably the highlight of the book !

This was like a warm hug in a book. I recently read legends and lattes and this had similar vibes. Low stakes, cozy fantasy, following our fmc set up her own business.

The writing was beautiful, loved the setting and the fmc was great, whole low stakes it did have some hard hitting and emotional moments. Highly recommend..

Sadly, this didn't fully work for me. I gave it a good 54% but I just didn't care and I'm sorry for it because I do like the vibes, the talking spider plant companion, the merhorses, the idea of a sort of undercover spellshop, and the cottagecore aesthetics.

I just didn't like this FMC, she kind of rubbed me the wrong way and I didn't warm up to her. Also, though this is low stakes, it felt like nothing much was happening and what was happening just wasn't interesting or engaging me in any major way. The romance didn't hit for me either, I wasn't at all invested and, as far as I read, he deserved better than this rude woman lmao. Maybe she grows and changes or whatever, I don't care enough to find out. Again, I'm sorry for it, I went into this book hoping to love it.

Giving it a soft 3 stars for effort and because I acknowledge that many other people will love it and find magic in this as it is.

This is definitely one of those hugs in a book, and as with a lot of these it starts with trauma.

Keila works in the Great Library with her sentient plant assistant Caz, and when revolution comes to their doors and fire is catching, they flee with some of the most precious books to Keilas childhood home

Keila just wants to hide out in Caltrey but due to her needs for food to survive, she has to venture out into the town and she cannot imagine what she will find with these people who were very recently strangers to her. She decides to start a local business to get what she needs to keep her head above water, but it takes a lot for her to get used to the kindness of the residents

Such a great wee story, had me laughing, smiling and getting welled up at points

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan MacMillan/Tor for the review copy of this one, all opinions my own regardless

Out 11 July so not long to wait if this sounds like your cup of tea

4.5 stars.
The Spellshop is an incredibly enjoyable (a bit surprisingly so for me due to its romance and cottagecore elements) and detailed tribute to extended families, friendships and books.
The librarian Kiela embarks on a new life on a remote island.
She makes friends and reconnects with old ones and falls in love.
Caz and the magical creatures were my favourite parts of the book.
The underlying tender and curious thoughts and emotions also stand out.
The pacing was imbalanced but this is negligible because the descriptions are awesome.

A fantastical read with brilliantly descriptive writing that brings the magic to life! I enjoyed this more than I thought.

A cozy fantasy that was as sweet as the jam our lovely FMC Kiela makes.
This was a hug in a book. Full of rich description and detail.
I always felt happy reading it, it was a joy. I also felt occasionally hungry while reading, so please be warned you will crave jam on toast for sure!

What to expect:

Cozy Cottage core Fantasy
Romance sub plot
Awkward quirky FMC
Sentient plant sidekicks
A book about books

Kiela fleeing the burning capital city with some very treasured spell books sets up her new life on an island she once lived as a child, hiding from basically everyone.
But soon she learns that there is kindness and friendship all around, and maybe she can open up and let the good people in.

I loved the found family vibes in this book, it's one of my favourite tropes and the whole island rallying together made me so happy, even if they were at times the most nosy of neighbours!

This world is full of wonderful creatures, lush descriptions of beautiful atmospheric landscapes and sentient hilarious plants, Caz being one of my favourite characters in this book, if not my favourite.

It did occasionally feel slow going, as it's quite a big book, and it is a low stakes fantasy at it's core. But it had so much heart and soul I could definitely forgive this, there were so many subplots and things always going on to keep me entertained.

I really recommend this one!
Great for fans of Legends and Lattes and Can't Spell Treason without Tea.

4.5⭐️

NetGalley said this was perfect for fans of TJ Klune - who I love - and Travis Baldree - who, if I'm honest, hasn't enamoured me with his books as of yet. So this could have gone either way, really. But I was willing to withhold judgement.

This was most definitely a "oooooooooooh it looks so pretty" choice of books to read, but I'm glad I did.

There are a large number of characters, some with bigger parts than others, but I won't go into all of them; instead I'll just mention a few I really liked.

Our main protagonist is Keila, a young woman who works in the Great Library of Alyssium. She is fabulous. Such a well-written character, she's brave and trustworthy and courageous, but she's also a bit closed off and frightened. But the thing I loved the most was her love for books and libraries, which was absolutely gorgeous. And I loved the relationship she has with Caz, they are such a good double act.

My absolute standout favourite character was Caz, a sentient spider plant who can walk (using his tendrils), speak, see, hear and feel. He was sarcastic and funny and scared and just gorgeous. Who knew I'd fall in love with a talking plant! But he stole every single scene he was in and I now want a spinoff just for him.

And then we have Larren, the mysterious but handsome neighbour. He wants to help Keila, regardless of her initial reluctance. He's clearly gone through some stuff but he keeps it to himself. He's tender and loving and just sounds like the ideal neighbour to have when you're in a pickle.

The description of the island of Caltrey, Keila's childhood island, is so gorgeous. I know it's within this magical world and so of course it would feel magical, but it really does. It sounds like a mixture of a Scottish and Irish archipelago, full or romance, magical myths and legends, and it just sounds so beautiful and I want to visit.

Before I read this, I'd been reading quite a hard-hitting book which took me longer to read than normal, and then I gave up on a book that I just wasn't enjoying, and so I really had high hopes for this and it did not disappoint.

There are a few illustrations at the start of the chapters. I don't know if that's just in the early digital copy or if there will be some in the finished hard copy, but I'm all for it. More illustrations in adult books please!

I've said before that I try not to read my Kindle in bed, nor review books (as I feel I won't concentrate), but I woke up at 5 one morning and just couldn't get back to sleep, and so I jumped straight back into this.

Yes there's magic and fun and fantasy, but it's about more than that. It's about friendship, about family being more than who you're related to, about finding yourself and finding a place, about not judging, about trusting, about community, love, and home. It's so joyful. I can't fully explain it. I think this is going to be a hit this summer (if we ever get a summer here in the UK) and beyond.

I hadn't heard of Sarah Beth Durst before and so hadn't read any previous books. I believe this is her debut romantasy (I think that's what the youngsters call it) book, but I believe she has written over 20 other books. Either way, she is very good.

It's not full on action. For a good 70% of it I'd say, there isn't a very intense plot, it's genteel and sow paced and allows you to just float along with this story, easy to read, pleasant, and heartwarming. But then you get a bit more action y the end. I like both parts, btu I definitely loved the warmth of the slower sections.

There isn't a page of this book that isn't cosy. It's perfect for all seasons I think. You could curl up in the winter, under a blanket, with the fire on and get lost in its warmth. Or you can read it outside in the summer with a cool glass of wine. It's joyful. In the acknowledgements, Sarah says she "wanted to write a book that reads like drinking hot chocolate" and I can't think of a better way of describing it. It is a warm hug, every single word, sentence, and page. From characters to setting to plot, it's perfect.

There's magic, books, jam, a handsome neighbour, a cosy cottage, a lovely little island, and a sentient plant - I mean, what more do you want?!

It is so absorbing and all encompassing. You will get lost in this world Sarah has created and fall in love with the characters. It is utterly fabulous. It's like cosy crime but cosy fantasy. It's gentle but powerful. It's so magical, this word she's built, and I just absolutely love it. Definitely one of my books of the year.

A cute cozy fantasy about a girl from the big city who starts over on a small island. I loved this book and the sense of found family on her new island home. Another great thing about it are the many fantastical creatures we get introduced to, it made the world feel that much more whimsical. Absolutely read this book if you're into cozy fantasies, you will get exactly what you want!