The Spellshop (Spellshop #1) by Sarah Beth Durst
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.
Review: For years, Kiela has lived in peaceful solitude as a librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium. With only her sentient spider plant assistant Caz for company, she has spent years squirreled away, reading the empire's spellbooks. But when revolution destroys the library, Kiela is forced to pack what spellbooks she can save and flee to a remote island that is also her childhood home. Here, she takes refuge and slowly gets to know a friendly, helpful, and handsome neighbor.
First, I have to say what a true delight it was to read a book written by another Sarah Beth! It felt destined that I, a reader Sarah Beth, should make my way to read the work of an author who is also a Sarah Beth.
Before I read this, I kept seeing descriptions of this book that described it as a "cozy fantasy" and that it had lots of "cottagecore" content. I kept wondering exactly what that meant but they were exactly right! I found the descriptions of Kiela's cottage and the island absolutely charming. This is housekeeping and homemaking, with a side of light spellcasting.
Since this is a cozy fantasy, there are no high stakes, epic battles, or high tension. This felt warm and inviting. If you don't want to be stressed out, but do want cozy, soft vibes of an enchanted cottage, a quirky talking plant, and a friendly man next door, this book is for you. While at times I did feel like this lacked enough tension to make it a page turner, I did love the atmosphere of this book.
I do wish there had been a bit more backstory given for context. We don't really learn much of anything about the empire, the revolution, or the history behind the library or kingdom at all. We know that Kiela's parents left their home for to seek greater opportunities. But they have sense died and Kiela has no real friends or connections beyond her plant assistant Caz, although some people on the island do remember her family. It did sort of feel like Kiela has been living in a vacuum and I wish her life or the world in which she lived beyond the island setting had been a bit more fleshed out.
But all in all, this was a delightful, enchanting book that felt like a nice respite from the stress and chaos of most fantasy books. It felt unique and fresh compared to any other fantasy book I have read, and I loved the gentle love story embedded in its pages. I'm looking forward to book two.
Stars: 4
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