Such a wonderfully charming romantasy read! Definitely lies on the line between cozy and not-so cozy fantasy! Perfect for fans of Emily Wilde, Can't Spell Tea without Treason, The Phoenix Keeper or Laurie Gilmore books! An easy read with Studio Ghibli vibes with such brilliant characters and creatures- including the best sentient house plant you'll ever meet!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was waiting for the right mood and season to read this book and the moment came this Fall when I'm being sick and so in need of something sweet, cozy and whimsical for my hurting body and soul. This story made me feel good and I loved being in this fantastic and magical world with Kiela and Caz who was the funniest sentient spider plant I've ever read about!

This is how cozy fantasy must be and I got a great time while reading it without any moment of boredom. I'm also happy that there is no sequel because it should stop where it ended, the author wasn't greedy.

I adored this book, truely the epitomy of cosy fantasy. Every secvond was a delight, the perfect amount of cosyness, story telling and excitement.
I hope this author writes 100 more cosy fantasy books, really truely comforting and feels like a hug in a book. I have recommended this to everyone and I will continue to do so.
Also this made me learn how to make jam!

If you’re looking for a relatively lighthearted, super cosy read this autumn with a sweet romance woven into it, then this is the one for you!

Like the vibes are immaculate! It’s cosy, it’s cottagecore and it’s actually also kind of small town-y too given the remote island setting with everyone really knowing everyone else, unfortunately so in some cases.

Plus it’s got some great bookish vibes with Kiela’s former job as librarian and the discussions surrounding the importance of books and sharing knowledge etc which goes quite nicely with some of the other topics threaded into the book like hoarding resources, climate change and humans causing nature to suffer.

The pages of the book are populated with so many fantastical creatures (winged cats!! Merhorses! Centaurs!!) and alongside the intriguing and nature based magic, it really made for an imaginative and fun world! Plus there’s the sentient plants! I don’t know what I was expecting for a sentient spider plant when I read the synopsis but this itty bitty, more eloquent Groot was not it! Nor the cute little sentient cactus!

Caz ended up being a favourite character for me, I won’t lie! He also had a much bigger role than I expected which I’m not mad about because he was a lot of fun like he’s Kiela’s sometimes anxious friend and the banter between the two of them was on point!

It’s safe to say I enjoyed the world building, although to be honest the conflict that had Kiela fleeing in the first place kind of feels like it’s forgotten about for most of the book until convenient to bring in some more tension towards the end, like I would have thought Kiela would have been trying to find out what happened a bit more considering how traumatic the experience was for her.

That’s the thing, the vibes are cosy and it kind of reads like a slice of life with little ‘episodes’ of conflicts popping up here and there though it does seem to follow a rom-com format when it comes to the general storyline just with a fantasy setting! BUT! Despite the cosiness, there are moments of tension and suspense throughout that kept me reading!

Like I’ll be honest, my interest was piqued by the first chapter and the hasty escape from a burning library, but things slowed down almost immediately and I did find my attention wandering for a little bit before getting hooked back in again! This was more to do with my general mood though tbh, like it was quite sedate at times and Kiela does love an internal monologue but the magic and the little conflicts here and there pulled me back in!

And the food, did I mention the food? Because this book made me hungry af courtesy of the bakery and Kiela’s jam shop like it added to the cosy vibes but also? I now crave cinnamon buns. And maybe a nice jam tart…

ANYWAY! Like I said, the romance was sweet if not a little insta-lovey but I enjoyed it anyway and Kiela had a great journey from grouchy loner to town saviour! Larran, of course, was the sunshine to her grump and he was such a sweetheart tbh!

I actually really enjoyed the cast of characters, I thought they were fun and memorable and we even got some sapphic rep thrown in there too!

Sure, things might have been a little too convenient a time or two and I might have struggled a little with getting fully invested in the beginning, but ultimately this ended up being a fun, super cosy, lighthearted and easy read with splashes of tension here and there and an entertaining cast of characters!

This is a solid 4 ⭐️ Book for me!
I‘m still rather new to cozy fantasy but this book is my favourite so far!

First of, Caz is adorable and such a great plant character, I love him!

The story was - while being somewhat predictable and nothing deep - very cozy, low stakes and easy to follow. Despite the book being almost 400 pages long, it didn’t feel to long or dragged to me and I happily returned to it every day.
I loved the Island setting, the nice islanders and the cute romance - plus the amazing and fantastical non-humans of course!

In my opinion, this is the perfect book to read when you just want to escape busy life for a little while and not having to worry about anything!

Thank you NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for the e-arc in exchange for an honest opinion!

This fantasy story scores with lovable characters, great humor and delightful magical elements. For my taste the story is a bit to slow in the beginning and towards the end there are a few character developments that happend to quick. But I still had a good time with the book.

I absolutely loved the vibes of this book! It radiates whimsical, cottagecore feelings from start to finish. I loved the characters and all the coziness and the sense of magic in everyday this book brought. If I had to be picky, I would only loved a bit more world building as I think there was so much potential in it!

A really cosy, lovely book that is an original idea done well.
It's not an action oriented book but rather a gentle read, that has the potential to have a larger world if the author decided to write more.

This one didn't grab me the way i needed it to. I think with cozy mystery/ cozy fantasy the characters really have to do a lot of work, since there isn't a whole lot of plot to hang your interest on, and sadly these characters didn't grab me. This was definitely a 'me' issue, not the book itself, and it's a book I'd consider going back to sometime in the future.

“The Spellshop” by Sarah Beth Durst is a cozy, romantic fantasy novel following a fugitive librarian , Kiela and her assistant, Caz – a magically sentient spider plant – who have saved some precious spellbooks and fled to Kiela’s childhood home, the island Caltrey, until they are able to return to the books to the Great Library of Alyssium.

This cottagecore story starts with an unlikeable protagonist who is completely hostile to her lovely neighbour, Larran, who is the epitome of a sunshine personality and definitely didn’t deserve Kiela’s behaviour in the beginning of the book. Initially, I really didn’t want them to end up together because she was so mean at him. Thankfully, Caz said all the things I was thinking and straightened her behaviour out which made the rest of their relationship growth much nicer. I still feel it was a bit too quick the transition between hostility to friendship to romance but I am not very picky with these things, and I was still happy enough to go along with the story.

The novel revolves primarily around the use of magic for the benefit of the people, but it touches on some very interesting themes and issues, like loneliness, justice, and xenophobia. They are subtle and, apart from justice, they are very much to the background of the magical plot but I still liked some of the questions it posed – nearly always by Caz who was the greatest character in the book in my humble opinion – and, again, I was so intrigued by the darkness that loomed around the characters and the world while also appreciating the refuge the simple and, mostly, kind-hearted islanders of Caltrey.


I really loved the worldbuilding and the nature infused magic. I think there could be a great book in the same world for a natural historian going on an exploration and meeting more intimately more of its creatures. I especially loved the cloud bears and their whole folklore. Some of the myths that were mentioned sounded exceptional and I would love to read book about them!

Although a touch simplistic in their resolution, there was a growing anxiety built towards the end and the stakes did rise before the novel ended which added some additional exhilaration but overall the beauty of “The Spellshop” is the heart warming, relaxing escape it offers in a world much simpler and much kinder than everyday life. I think fantasy fans who love exploring new worlds would enjoy this as well as fans of simple love stories, rooted in everyday life.

As soon as I read it I knew everyone would become OBSESSED with this book. It's such a refreshing, unique contribution to the cosy genre (a sentient spider plant!), with such a compelling main character. A spellbinding, special book. Loved it.

Ahh I loved this so much!!

It was warm, sweet and a total hug of a book. I'm a sucker for cozy Fantasy and this reminded me of exactly why. I wanted to move into this world browse the streets and eat at the bakery. I also loved Kiela I love a bookworm and she definitely fit that bill. And there was a sentient spider plant names Caz what's not to love. I will definitely be seeking out more by this author

I thought I wouldn't like this book, but turns out, I absolutely loved it. The Spellshop bewitched me with its cottagecore aesthetic and cosy fantasy plot.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC copy of this book, in exchange for this honest review.

"I wanted to write a book that felt like a warm hug."
And tell you what, Sarah Beth Durst, you did it. This book tastes like hot raspberry jam and buttery cinnamon rolls.

Winged cats and merhorses? Jam cooking inside a nice little cottage? When I first saw this book, I was immediately intrigued. Look at the cover! It's adorable! And I'm very glad to have read it. From the very first page I liked Kiela. She's basically a sweet, but extremely anti-social librarian who'd prefer not to talk to another human being. When forced to flee her library and return to her childhood home, she struggles with the mortifying ordeal of being known by a small village.
I've seen others call her an unlikeable main character, but while she's prickly and pushes everyone away, she still tries to help the island and the villagers and makes herself invaluable. I completely understood her struggles and it was actually great to have a character who very clearly would rather stay at home and read books than do anything else. It was also hilarious how she didn't notice multiple very obvious things. I could seriously empathise with her.
Caz, her leafy helper, was hilarious and awesome and I cannot believe, that one of my favourite characters turned out to be a cactus who was only able to say a single word.
Larran was also very sweet - sometimes almost too sweet. But next to all those morally grey men, we probably need someone like that once in a while. And as for the rest of the village - I loved how they worked together with all kinds of problems and how they almost immediately adopted Kiela as part of the village.

The fantasy aspect was fine. There were magical creatures and obviously the spells the book is named after. I loved the winged cats, the plants, the merhorses. Some of the creatures seemed a bit random and I would've loved to see more of them. Some had very obvious parts to act and I wish they had gotten other scenes as well. That's a small criticism overall, actually - everything seemed slightly calculated, and there were lots of Chekov's guns in this one. Technically, that's not so bad - better than false promises. But what about simple world building, simple creation of a cozy atmosphere?

As for the actual storyline - in most Cozy Fantasys, I don't actually believe that they need one. I would've been perfectly fine with simply reading about Kiela saving the island and cooking jam. I didn't need the climax and all the drama. But I guess most people still want that, so I can accept it. But it still felt a bit rushed to me. Put into the story, simply so it's there and not to actually add anything contentwise. Perhaps it could've been slowed down a little bit, stretched out slightly, but then again, it might have taken away from the coziness if there are acutal problems.
The resolution, however, was nicely done.

Overall - very nice, very cozy. The ending was slightly rushed, but very sweet. I kind of want to move into the cottage.

Thank you, NetGalley and Pan Macmillan, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC copy. I quite enjoyed this cosy fantasy to begin with but I have to be honest that I struggled to remain engaged with it. There are definitely some fun moments and a great light-hearted read for certain audiences - just not 100% for me.

Interesting premise for the book.

And absolutely STUNNING cover,

However an unfortunate DNF from me at 22% (chaptera 1-7) while I enjoyed the writing style and it flowed well., there was just no connection to the characters, the main character is utterly unlikeable and grumpy to the fault of its beyond a grumpy sunshine trope. She comes accros as a mean girl loner with only her books for company ( I get it I am that girl. But she was juts unlikeable)

However I do understand why this is beloved. It gives all the low fantasy cottage core vibes

This was the perfect cosy read! A very compelling group of characters with found family vibes, including a talking plant who was probably my favourite character of all! The FMC took me a little while to warm to, but once I understood her I really liked her. We also had a hot neighbour who wanted to help her and build her things she needed (including bookshelves), super cute! Definitely a book to save for a rainy day when you need something light hearted with not too much of a plot.

Thank you bookbreak team for the arc of spellshop.
This one for the cozy fantasy folks with a sprinkle of romance. It very cute to follow a library that escaping the city due to a fire.

There are some cute moments with the locals, the banter was amazing and I love the relationship with lauren. However at points I found the story lacking and honestly a bit boring.
But I like the ending as it felt like reading a fairytale.

I received this book from NetGalley and Pan Macmillan | Tor in exchange for a free and honest review

A really wholesome book that follows Kiela, a librarian in Alyssium who flees the Great Library following a bloody revolution. She sails to Caltrey, along with her sentient spider plant Caz and some spell books. On the island she makes friends and possibly finds romance. After a violent storm a newcomer with mysterious motives lands on the island leading to dangerous secrets being revealed. overall, a quick and enjoyable read. I would highly recommend.

This book is a hidden gem. It’s cozy and I loved the prose of the book, together with lovely characters like Kiela and Caz. It has been awhile since I was drawn into a book like this. I have to say, this book follows a relatively new genre called ‘Cottagecore’ and it ticks all the boxes.

From the first few pages, The Spell Shop had me hooked and it continued to do so until after the story ended. My only wish is that I’d read this sooner!

Can’t wait to read more of the author’s books.