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!

This book was provided by Pan Macmillan through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I keep getting five star books and discovering amazing authors
through NetGalley, I love it !

This book should be read by people who wish they could time travel to the Great Library of Alexandria, to save books from the fire.

The main character, Kiela, is an antisocial librarian who escapes the fire of the Empire's Great Library with 5 crates of extremely rare spell books, on a little boat, with her assistant, Caz the sentient spider-plant. Not knowing where else to go, she decides to go hide on the island where she grew up, far away from the Empire's capital.

There, she rediscovers life, through friendship, love, gardening, even jam-making ! This book made me buy so much jam, because the descriptions of Kiela's jam spread on the baker's freshly baked goods made me really hungry !

This book is a good cozy fantasy, where enough happens to make the story interesting. But the author doesn't forget to spend a lot of time describing food, gardens, shelves building, gossip sessions with new friends, and all the stuffs we love in cozy fantasy.

Sarah Beth Durst creates a really interesting world. The characters look very interesting : some of them are blue, some of them have four arms, some of them have hooves. The cats have feathers and the horses are merhorses. Magic is needed for trees to grow, for the weather to be good, for animals to reproduce.

This book really feels like it should be made into a Studio Ghibli movie.

I'd like to begin by saying I regretfully DNF'd this book around the halfway point - but I still absolutely do recommend this book. If you're a cottagecore book lover with a tendency to avoid other humans, this book will absolutely speak to you. And it won't just speak to you, it'll comfort you - telling you everything will be okay. There isn't a moment that passed in this book that didn't leave me feeling a sense of ease.

In a similar ilk to Legends & Lattes, this cozy fantasy explores friendship, romance and belonging except with spells, magic and books instead of coffee.

There's low stakes, which is to be expected. But unfortunately the low stakes in The Spellshop are a fraction lower than I like in my cozy fantasies of this length. I prefer cozy fantasies around or above the 400 page mark to have slightly more oomph in order to keep my attention span engaged. I am in no way going to rate down for this though as I know for a fact that many readers would adore the pacing, the stakes and the length of The Spellshop. I am in no way about to let my struggling attention span be a reason for this books rating to suffer when it did exactly what it set out to do in a beautiful way. Despite this not being an ideal book for my preferences, I would still recommend this to any cozy fantasy fans, I enjoyed what I did read and I can see myself picking this up again.

Kiela gets thrown back into the real world and has to escape from her beloved library. Caz her sentient plant goes with her as they start their new adventure. This book was so adorable, it was the cosiest of cosy fantasies and honestly, it gave me all the feels. If you loved the other popular cosy fantasies that have popped up in recent years this one will not disappoint. I loved it and really hope there might be another story in the world.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩 | 𝐒𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐡 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐡 𝐃𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐭 | 𝟒*

𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟
⟡ Cosy fantasy
⟡ Librarian MC
⟡ Sentient plant companion
⟡ Isolated island setting
⟡ Illegal magic
⟡ Found family

𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰:
Picture an island full of mythical creatures, a cottage setting with an abundance of berry bushes, a handsome and kind neighbour who is also some kind of water-horse farmer, and five crates full of stolen books—what more could a girl want?

Except for Kiela, this is all just a means to hide herself and her books from the city and its fatal revolution. Except it’s difficult to remain so unfriendly when most of the locals welcome you with open arms. This prickliness and guarded nature frustrated me at first, but after the halfway point when Kiela is softening, I was able to sink completely into this book and appreciate its character development.

And I loved what I found. This is a wholesome, low stakes (but not to the point of boredom) cosy fantasy with a gorgeous and interest setting full of a colourful cast of characters, impossible beings, and is just begging for the magic Kiela has in her books. The focus of this story seemed to be on books, nature, friendship, and… jam. With the complete concoction being as sweet as it sounds.

𝐅𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐐𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬:
“𝘐𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦.”

“𝘊𝘢𝘻? 𝘈𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘺?”
“𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘐 𝘣𝘦?”
𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘦’𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩, 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶.
𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, “𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴.”

“𝘔𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵. 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴?”

When I read Cosy Fantasy, I was sold. This genre has concoured my heart and this book is definitely no exception.
The world building was incredible. The concept of the main character opening some sot of business - be it a coffee shop like in Baldree's Legends & Lattes, or a bar like in S.L. Rowland's Cursed Cocktailes - is certainly not new, but it always tickles a certain part of the brain that that you didn't know you had.

Keila is a librarian that loves books and jam and plants. If that is not a convincing and relatable main character then I don't what is.
After her workplace bruns down she finds herself in her parents cottage where she makes herself at home, with the spellbooks she rescued and her sentient plant Caz. Soon she decides to also use the cottage that is a bit too big for her and Caz alone, to open her own business.
A jam shop. Jam induced with spells.

As her little shop starts getting traction and she, willingly or not, meets new people, we get introduced to Larren. Between the two a relationship blossoms that is almost as sweet as the cinnamon buns with rasberry jam they talk about.

I am often taken aback when a fantasy story puts itself in the Romantasy subgenre as I've seen so many romantasies in my bookshop that at somepoint revert to showcasing explicit sexual content that I'm not a fan of most of the time.
Tho I have found The Spellshop and other Cosy Romantasies, such as Emily Wildes Encyclopedia of faries, are just the thing I'm looking for! So I am excited to discover more books by Durst and other Cosy Romantasy writers

Phenomenal.
There are a lot of cozy fantasy novels being published at the moment, but I have to say that this is probably my favourite (apart from Legends and Lattes) yet.
It has warmth, humour, wonderful characters, a joyful descriptive style and just everything I want from a book: romance, books, flying cats, a merbaby, a sentient plant (or two) cloud bears, magic, and so much more.
This is going to be top of my recommendation list.

An absolutely gorgeous story of friendship, found family and kindness, with cottagecore vibes and a cast of the most colourful characters. Think magical beings living a slow paced life on a secluded island with spells, delicious baked goods, homemade jam and a tight knit community. It’s a low stakes kind of plot but is not without obstacles. Inclusivity and acceptance are at the heart of the story, as is the sweetest romance. The writing is wholesome, packed full of fun and leaves you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. I really, really enjoyed it! 💕🌻✨

The majority of my review will be in bullet list format, but before that, I just want to say a couple of things: first thing first, this book is just so darn cute. It is so full of beautiful things, places, magic, and people, the sheer beauty of it all was astounding. The author said that she wanted to write a book “that felt like a warm hug” and that she wanted to write about things that bring her joy and I think that she managed it superbly.
I loved this book to pieces, even if there is a small caveat: I loved this book and I think it deserves 5 stars because it does its job amazingly well: it is cozy, it is beautiful and it is joyful. That said, I had some problems, from time to time, to really immerse myself in the story. It always required more time than what’s usual for me, and I think that it is in part due to the huge number of beautiful things, maybe they were a bit (just a tiny little bit, mind me!) too much, and my constant “awww” and “wow” just threw me out of the flow, if this makes sense. But still, in the end, I appreciated this book a lot, and I really think that it is like a warm hug, so even if the reading experience as a whole could have been a tad better, I still think that this book is amazing!
And now let’s see why you should read this book too!

1)The beauty of it all. There is so much beauty in there. Every single place sounds beautiful and magical and I wanted to see every one of them with my own eyes. The sheer beauty of everything is reason enough to try this one out!
2)All the magical creatures. We have winged cats! An unicorn! Cloud bears! (*_* I loved the Cloud Bears!!). And more… so much more!
3)Caz. Okay, now we start to get serious. Caz is amazing. I need him in my life. He is an anxiety-prone plant. Assistant librarian extraordinaire and loyal friend. He also loves books to a fault, and he is scared by goats (to death!), creatures that eat leaves, and by the possibility of becoming blind and not being able to read anymore. And yes. He is a plant and he does not have eyes. And he and Kiela talked about that. And these conversations were a stroke of genius. I loved them to pieces. They were fun, quirky, and just so so good! So yeah, Caz is the best, and you need him in your life too, trust me on this. (Ah, I told you that he is anxiety-prone? And a tad morbid too, maybe??)
4)Meep. I won’t say anything about them. But you need to meet them. Just trust me on this. I won’t spoiler anything here, because seeing all this for yourself and not knowing what it’s coming is the best thing ever. And there is a scene, I can only say “Wheeeeeee!” about it, and you’ll understand if you read the book, that for me was the most wholesome scene ever. I don’t really know why or how, but when I read this scene I laughed out loud so much and I decided that I didn’t care about anything else, this book was amazing and that was it.
5)Kiela. She is a librarian, she (obviously) loves books, she is socially awkward and she has a strong need for personal space. And she is so relatable! From time to time she can come out as harsh or rude, and Larran is often the one who took the brunt of it. And I am sorry for him, really, because he is the purest soul ever but still, I get Kiela and I feel her, strongly. Also, her dialogues with Caz are usually amazing and quirky and funny and… I loved them!
6)Larran. Okay, technically speaking, Larran is not the most developed character ever, he is the love interest and he is the purest soul ever. That’s it. But he is like a really well-trained Golden Retriever. So you just have to love him, at least a little bit.
7)The Secondary Characters. To be completely honest, they are a bit like Larran, good but not as well portrayed as the main ones, they are a tad cliche but… but not much, really. And they are all lovable. They are good people, they are loyal and I loved them! So yeah, maybe they are not the best-developed characters either, but I didn’t really care.

So yeah, this book is not the best book ever, but it is amazing and I loved it. Also, the author succeded in her intentions, and that’s a big plus. It was funny, I laughed a lot while reading it, and I was constantly in awe of something or someone. The banter is brilliant, the atmosphere is cozy and the book is really worth reading (and you need at least Caz and Meep in your life!). I am happy to have read this book, and I read it back in April but I can still feel its warmth and its cozyness every time I think of it so… yeah, I loved it and I really hope you would, too!

The Spellshop is such a wonderful story to read. The beautiful cover immediately caught my eye, and the story itself was truly heartwarming. There is a librarian who loves books, talking plants, jam, winged cats, and romance. It was the perfect combination for me. I adored the world and the characters. I highly recommend it. Thanks to the Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

✨4 stars✨

This was a really cute cozy fantasy so if that’s the type of fantasy you enjoy then I would recommend this book!

Similar vibes to the found family vibes in “The House in the Cerulean Sea” by TJ Klune and “The Secret Society of Irregular Witches” by Sangu Mandanna so if you enjoyed either of those books you will probably like this one.

Contains w cute romance, interesting characters (merhorses!!) and the overarching theme of finding a place to call home where you belong.

I received an ARC from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Despite starting with a burning library and a rebellious uprising, the book is pretty low-stress for me as a reader. It’s a charming cottagecore feel-good fantasy with a dash of whimsy thrown in there for good measure. There’s a sentient plant, a librarian using illegal magic to help her old home island to recover from being neglected by the capital, and quite a lot of jam.

It’s so sweet and reading it felt like being wrapped up in a fuzzy blanket with a warm mug of tea. The way the magic works, and the trial and errors of the spells reminded me of my favourite book when I was younger - Frogs and French Kisses by Sarah Mlynowski. It’s just so cozy and I love it! It made me laugh, it made me cry and it made me wish I lived on this magical island with amazing friends. Also the main interest is an absolute sweetheart, he adores the mc’ and her love of books, and even builds her floor to ceiling bookshelves! The man of my dreams.

The writing is very descriptive and even though there are some plot holes, when you stand back and think about it, I don’t care. The vibes were off the charts and the sense of community of friendship in the story made me feel happy and hopeful. It was the break I needed from the craziness of the real world.

I'm hesitant to compare anything to Legends & Lattes but this... this is pretty close!!

HUGE found family and cosy vibes here. Plus, a sassy, sentient spider plant side character!? YES. So cute!

This did take me a little longer to get through than I was expecting but it was my fault, I was getting distracted by other books! But, I'm sure this could easily be read in 2 sittings and would probably be better for it.

It's very cosy, very magical, and has such a compelling group of characters, I can tell a lot of people are going to love this!!

I can't say it made me emotional, but it was very heart-warming for sure.

If you're okay with surface level world-building, low-stakes, and primarily one location setting... AND you're after a sweet and cosy read that can fill the void of L&L? This is perfect for you!

3.75/5

-Sarah

Kiela and Caz (her animated spider plant sidekick) have to flee the Great Library of Alyssium when a revolution gets a tad out of hand. With five crates of books, and very limited other supplies, they escape to the tiny island Kiela grew up on, and never expected to see again. Thankfully, the locals are more than happy to help, because Kiela… well, she’s very book-smart but otherwise not exactly worldly, so attempting to cook dinner nearly sets her house on fire. You get the gist.

Magic is *technically* only allowed to be performed by sorcerers, but with no food, no relevant skills (the island doesn’t have a library full of grumpy scholars for her to assist), and limited time to adjust, Kiela and Caz decide some *small* illicit magic might be worth it - no one will notice after all. 👀

I absolutely loved the host of quirky characters, the tiny island they call home, and the grumpy x sunshine romance that develops through the story. If you’re a fan of cosy fantasy, I would absolutely recommend The Spellshop, and I can’t wait to read more from this author! 🤩

Look, I get not every book is going to be unique. It's just not possible. But I just felt that The Spellshop read a little like the author had read a 'how to guide' on writing cozy fantasy and followed it a little too closely. It all just seemed a little formulaic to me, a little forced and I don't really feel that anything, apart from the magic, was developed enough for me to thoroughly enjoy it. That being said, if you enjoy cozy fantasy I do think you'll like this one, I enjoyed it, I just didn't love it.

The story follows Kiela, a librarian who escapes from her section of the library when the capital is set under siege with what few books she managed to salvage and her aid, a sentient spider plant called Caz. Looking for somewhere to escape to, Kiela finds refuge on the Island she used to call home. Returning to Caltrey brings back some painful memories for Kiela, but it also shows her how little attention the Empire has paid to these outlying Islands, allowing them to wither away without the help of magic. Determined to help in whatever way she can, Kiela decides to open an Jam & 'remedies' shop, hoping to use the knowledge she has saved to help the people of the Island. But opening a spellshop as a commoner comes with a death warrant under the current government, and when someone washes up on shore looking for a rogue sorcerer, Kiela will have to rely on the bonds she has forged in her short time on Caltrey if she is to survive unscathed.

Now, for the parts I did enjoy. I really loved the magic system, and how the author managed to weave it into a story about the love and importance of books... we all love a good book about books right? It's a pretty simplistic magic and world filled with the kind of magical creatures we grew up reading about; mermaids, unicorns etc, there was nothing overly unique about it, except for the sentient spider plant that is, but I enjoyed that the author never asked too much of us in this aspect. It's not a fantasy book that needs to have a intricately built magic system with well explained rules, rather one that relies more on the whole 'magic exists' and it's as simple as that.

Kiela was a little flat as a character, in fact if i'm being honest, most of the characters fell a little flat and stereotypical for me. They all fell perfectly into the little places the author needed them too: the friendly baker who invites Kiela into the town, the attractive and kind neighbour, the grumpy and nasty old man who constantly adds a few low stakes. They worked for the story, but they didn't really evoke any kind of emotion out of me. In fact, the character I enjoyed the most was Caz, our sentient spider plant. He definitely had the most personality out of all of them, and bizarrely was the one I empathized with the most. He was snarky, witty and had a heart of gold and I loved him... oh and Meep who is just the cutest and cleverest little cactus.

The story itself had a few pacing issues. I felt that there were too many conflicts thrown in, all of which seemed to be over within record time, and I definitely felt like we could have dropped one or two and the story would have had a much better flow. I also felt like the relationship development, both romantic and friendly, was somehow both too slow and rushed in a way. Larran is our love interest and while he was cute and friendly, I just didn't really feel the romance between himself and Kiela. It seemed a little too rushed, and I also didn't feel like they had enough interactions to really build the level of romance they developed.

Overall this was a little meh for me. It just felt too forced and formulaic, and the fact I struggled to bond with any of the characters didn't really help. If you enjoy cozy fantasy, I would still give this one a go because it could absolutely be a 'it's me not the book' kinda thing, but it just wasn't for me.