The Spellshop is Sarah Beth Durst’s romantasy debut–a lush cottagecore tale full of stolen spellbooks, unexpected friendships, sweet jams, and even sweeter love.
Kiela has always had trouble dealing with people. Thankfully, as a librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium, she and her assistant, Caz—a magically sentient spider plant—have spent the last decade sequestered among the empire’s most precious spellbooks, preserving their magic for the city’s elite.
When a revolution begins and the library goes up in flames, she and Caz flee with all the spellbooks they can carry and head to a remote island Kiela never thought she’d see again: her childhood home. Taking refuge there, Kiela discovers, much to her dismay, a nosy—and very handsome—neighbor who can’t take a hint and keeps showing up day after day to make sure she’s fed and to help fix up her new home.
In need of income, Kiela identifies something that even the bakery in town doesn’t have: jam. With the help of an old recipe book her parents left her and a bit of illegal magic, her cottage garden is soon covered in ripe berries.
But magic can do more than make life a little sweeter, so Kiela risks the consequences of using unsanctioned spells and opens the island’s first-ever and much needed secret spellshop.
Like a Hallmark rom-com full of mythical creatures and fueled by cinnamon rolls and magic, The Spellshop will heal your heart and feed your soul.
Themes & Tropes:
- Cozy Fantasy
- Talking Sentient Plant
- Dark Political Plot
- Cottage-core
- Found Family
- Slow Burn Romance
- Second Chances
- Magical Creatures
Review:
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst is such an adorable cozy fantasy. I really enjoyed the characters in this one. Leila arrives on an island that she used to live on as a young child. She moves back into her family home. Leila is a very awkward introvert. She is paranoid and wants to seclude herself from the rest of the island's inhabitants. As the story progresses, Leila is forced to interact with the other islanders to survive.
The reader really gets to see Leila come into her own. I really liked getting to see her personality come to the surface. The romance in this story is very slow. I really enjoyed Leila having such a level head when it comes to love and relationships.
Now let's talk about Caz. Caz is a sentient talking spider plant. He is Keila's funny, smart, and anxious sidekick. I really enjoyed his banter with Leila. Caz really stole the show. The fact that Caz wants to protect Leila and keep her safe. He is just the perfect plant. Caz is hands down the best character in this book. YOU should read The Spellshop just to meet Caz.
I listened to the audiobook for this one, and I really enjoyed it. The narrator did a wonderful job. I felt very immersed in the story. Caitlin Davies does a great job with the emotions of the story. She was the perfect pick for this book. Definitely worth the listen.
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