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.

This was so cute and cozy and a perfect read for a rainy day. I am officially a fan of cozy fantasy books!

Taking one and a half star off because the world building and all the different creatures were pretty badly explained. But the book was cute and wholesome, so I didn't mind that I couldn't follow along with everything.

thank you netgalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

Kiela has to flee amidst a revolution accompanied by her assitant Caz and the speelboks they rescued, returning to her hometown, Caltrey on an isolated island. She finds the village its not what it used to be and decides to bring back its magic. If i say more i would spoil it but these buzzwords should be enough: merhorses, cinnamon buns, a noisy but kinda cute neighbour, magical creatures, ghibli vibes...

This book promises cottage core, magic fun and cozy vibes galore, and it really delivers. In the author's note, Sarah Beth Durst speaks about wanting to put all the things that make her feel good into this book, and she clearly managed wonderfully. This is cozy, this is sweet, this is low stakes, this is full of love. Stardew Valley vibes, if you will.

Our protagonist is Kiela, an imperial librarian that fleds a justified rebellion to the cozy little island she was born on. With her are some crates of spellbooks she saved from her burning library and, most of all, the star of this whole show: the sentient spider plant Caz. the island isn't quite the paradise she remembered, though: its health, just like the wellbeing of all the other outer islands, depends heavily on sorcery, but the only people that are allowed to use that sorcery are the imperial sorcerers, and they don't care about some islands anymore. As a consequence, nature suffers, the farms are dying, the magical merhorses don't foal anymore and terrible magical storms bring destruction and suffering. Though maybe Kiela and her spellbooks can do something about that?

The world in "The Spellshop" is an interesting one, although there is not that much we learn about it. I loved all these different creatures and people living on our island - centaurs here, ghostbears there, mermaids in the seas. Kiela herself is blue-skinned and blue-haired with cute magenta freckles. I loved all this, it was a joy to read. Caz is, as mentioned above, the absolute best thing about this book. Apart from Kiela and Caz, the characters are a little lacklustre to be honest. They're mostly rather one-note and either super nice or super not nice, barely any grey to be found. The love interest is the nicest of the nice people, and while that was very sweet to read and their romance is a little instalovey but very cute, he was just a bit too one-note as well. He has about one and a half personality traits (and a tragic past) and that's really it. Even cozy fantasy romance can do more than that with their dreamy love interests. Kiela herself is a wonderful and sweet protagonist, although she falls into the "yes I have flaws! (but all my flaws are really cute and make me more endearing)" category of FMC. I didn't mind so much, though, I just genuinely liked her and her relationship with Caz.

The plot tries to up the stakes here and there by reminding us that practising sorcery is outlawed and could lead to terrible consequences, but really, when those consequences come knocking it's dealt with very quickly and easily. It's as low stakes as it gets. Even the supposed "antagonists" that Kiela meets are either actually really nice or just evil caricatures easily disposed of. Which is, I guess, why I did admittedly get a little bored around the middle of the book. I like cozy fantasy, but maybe this one was a bit too cozy for me. Maybe I just need some more drama in my book life.

Still, absolutely recommend this if you want some low stakes sweet cozy cottagecore fun with sentient plants. 3,5 stars, rounding up.

I know the cover shouldn’t have been the reason I picked this up but it’s so beautiful and I just needed to know the story inside. I think it’s in the author note where Sarah Beth Durst says this was supposed to be a cosy comfort read like hot chocolate and a warm blanket. It certainly is.

The Spellshop is exactly what I’d want a cosy magical read to be. I loved the world and all the characters. I also liked the subtle build for the romance. The first few chapters strike a good balance of the dark of the revolution and Kiela’s escape without it feeling disjointed from the cosy-cute of her rebuilding her life.

The fact that I read this as an ebook when I rarely read ebooks shows how much I enjoyed it. I will be buying my own copy when it comes out because I’m sure I’ll be rereading it.

The Spellshop is a cosy fantasy story that was so enjoyable to read. I did struggle a little getting into it, but after the first few chapters I settled into the flow of the writing. The characters are well written and the world is an interesting one. I would definitely recommend checking this one out.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. I absolutely LOVED this book. It has everything you could possibly want from a cozy fantasy, and although I have read quite a lot in this sub-genre recently this really stood out with the strength of its world building and characters. Caz in particular made me wish I could have a sentient plant companion. Highly recommended.

I received both a digital and physical copy of this book, and OMG!

Right I like comparing some of my books to games, think dnd meets stardew valley (both of which I am super obsessed with atm). This was so cozy and cute! I need more books in this universe. I don’t wanna spoil anything for anyone, I will say there are really cute companions in this book. (Notice I didn’t just say animals) 🤐

If you like Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree and Bookshops and Bonedust. Pick this book up!

Rating: 4 1/2 stars.

I have been a big fan of Sarah Beth Durst for a long time and once I heard she had a cozy fantasy coming out with a librarian main character I was immediately sold.

The writing is marvellous and the setting magical and I absolutely adored every minute of this book. Also how can you not love a book that includes a sentient spider plant. Like what is not to love?
I connected immediately with out main character Kiela - both as a slight introvert and also as a book lover - and just wanted to join her on her adventures.

The plot is very forward and it is an easy world to make yourself comfortable in.
I ideally would have loved a slightly more encompassing plot and further stakes but it is sweet and slow (like its romance!) and the perfect book to read if you need a warm hug.

Highly recommend and would love more from this fantasy world.

A lovely, whimsical, cosy, fantasy read.

There is a surprising amount of plot fit into this book, which surprised me. I could happily read more books set in this world, it is so charming.

Think sassy sidekicks, magic, farming and love in all it's glorious forms. I just felt so warm reading it, and it's so sweet. There is low stakes, but an over arcing message of not standing for oppression, and protect those you love, and found family.

Perfect for people who love cosy fantasy, this book certainly doesn't disappoint.

Perfect for people who love -

Books such as:
Legends and lattes,
Can't spell treason without tea,
Flowerheart,
Emiy Wilds,
The house witch.

Games such as:
Witchbrook
Sun Haven
Stardew Valley,
Animal crossing

This was lovely!! I love the cosy fantasy genre and I love a sassy sidekick! If plants were really like Caz and Meep then I would have sooooo many! I really hope to see more of this world!
Sarah's writing makes for easy reading and she built the characters up wonderfully.

3.5 ★

The Spellshop is a sweet and heartwarming cozy fantasy with just the right amount of romance and mystery and the best sidekick a witchy bookworm could ask for.

We follow our main character Kiela, an introvert librarian in the big city of Alyssium, who flees the city during a revolution and ends up on her way to the island where she grew up. With her escape Caz, a sentient spider plant, and crates of spellbooks that were not supposed to leave the library. As she tries to start a new life, she finds herself caring more and more for her very good looking neighbor, the fading town and its inhabitants. Bur in order to survive, live and prosper she'll have to open up, to learn to ask for help and to receive it freely.

I absolutely loved the first 70% or so of the book. The author took her time with the settings and introducing the characters which i appreciated so much, the magic was explained as we went along and I really had the feeling of settling in with our mc to a new magical and slow life which was exactly what i needed and wanted from a witchy cottage core novel.

We had diversity in the characters and a very sweet romance - which was expected but not any less cute. Caz was a great side character, witty and so wholesome in his own peculiar way and the found family trove was all that i wanted.

I, unfortunately, was not a fan of the last 30% of the book. I personally didn't like nor cared for the new town arrival and her arc and that's when for me it went from cute and whimsical to cheesy and over the top. All the action was packed there and i lost the slow pace that i was looking for. Everything felt rushed, things stopped making sense and inconsistencies and mistakes showed up, especially in the time frame.

I wish we could have had a slower, less busy ending and simply continued to discover the magic, creatures and townsfolk but if you love cottage core and witchy vibes with lots of gardening and adorable romance this book is for you 🤍

Thank you NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A politically fuled and delightful romantasy with cosiness at its heart The Spellshop was truly a heartwarming read full of hope and love in many shapes and forms from start to finish, I was nestled within that warmth. This book is truly what a cosy fantasy should be from its magical world and beautiful descriptions of it, the sweet romance and the way the writing invokes such a warm feeling almost inviting me to uproot my life settle on the island of Caltrey myself.

Honestly, I'm speechless. This is probably the exact kind of cosy, magical fantasy that anyone interested in the genres would be looking for.

It has adorable talking plants, it has books, it has a man that will willingly suggest and offer to build bookshelves for said books and most importantly it has a mer-baby. Adorable, tiny tail mer-baby.

This is one of the best cottagecore, cosy fantasies that I have read. It was all very wholesome, with the main character opening up to people and settling down when she once came from. This will definitely be a treat for those with a sweet tooth, since there's so much of it around.

"It wasn't that she didn't like people. It was only that she liked books more."

I was given an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a cosy and comforting read - I tore through it in half a day, and was drawn into every moment of Kiela's story. I loved the magic of Durst's world - but what I particularly liked was how domestic the whole book was. Political upheavals and magical systems, while explained well, were far less important to the plot than the characters and their evolving friendships. Honestly it made for a refreshing change, and there was something so heartwarming about watching this fantastical community build throughout the novel.

Because this is so focussed on being a cosy read, the story itself can seem a little simple at times - the problems the characters face tend to be softened by the general tone of the book, which is definitely something to consider if you're looking for a more dramatic read.

But overall this read like watching a Studio Ghibli film, and I loved the comforting atmosphere of this wholesome little world.

Books with similar vibes - Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree, Can't Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne, Bookshops and Bonedust by Travis Baldree, and The Winter Witch by Paula Brackston.

The most excellent cosy fantasy! I had so much fun with this, it's perfect, romantic TREAT. I will be recommending to everyone!

The Spellshop is the perfect cosy fantasy for fans of books like Legends and Lattes.

My favourite character has to be, Caz, the sentient spider planet. His back and forth with Kiela made me smile. I have to admit, being an introvert myself I found Kiela's personality relatable, from her awkwardness to her anti-socialness. The romance was very sweet, and if you're a fan of the he falls first trope you'll enjoy it. The food descriptions made me crave jam and cinnamon rolls, two things I love. As a bookworm I of course 100 percent understood Kiela's love of books and wanting to protect them at all costs. Again relatable. They were her comfort in the absence of human companions.

The Spellshop is the ideal read with a big cup of your preferred hot beverage!

This is a beautifully written, serenely cosy cottage core fantasy book of dreams. I loved the characters, the island setting, the world building and the magic system. This book feels like a huge warm cosy hug. I would love more books in this series if possible! The very definition of cosy fantasy. An incredible read.

I overall enjoyed this book - it's whimsical and pretty, and I always like to read books that explore non-human peoples. I think the setting was lovely, the Isle of Caltrey was so sweet and idyllic. The book fulfilled everything you want in a cosy fantasy, while managing to be heart-warming but not sickly sweet. I love any book about books and librarians, and this definitely scratched that itch. Caz was wonderful, too, and Larran was genuinely so wholesome it was adorable.

I do have a few complaints - you need to have a passing understanding of the things you write about. Chickens really shouldn't be kept alone (Kiela is neither cruel nor stupid, and I refuse to believe Larran would have agreed with a solo chicken), and I have questions about whether all the fruits and vegetables mentioned truly are harvested at the same time. My suspension of disbelief has no trouble with magic, but does not include agricultural mis-deeds, apparently. It made some aspects of this book seem under-researched, especially when a lot of this can be checked by a simple google search.

I wish we could have explored the world and the city a bit more, but needs must, and this book packed a really nice amount of plot into the book for its length. I enjoyed the book, and I'd read another one set in this world. A nice cosy read perfect for summer.