Absolutely LOVED this book! I chatted with Sarah about it for my podcast, Novel Finds, and the episode is coming this weekend (July 7). I will keep reading her cozy romantasy books as long as she keeps writing them.

Oh, I struggled with this one, and I’m sad about it. Honestly, it could be that I didn’t mesh with the writing style. This is one of the ultimate cozy fantasy books I’ve ever read. However, it got a little too cozy for me.

I had high expectations for this one, and I’m so sad it didn’t live up. I loved the fact that we have sentient plants in this book. As a huge plant mom, it was so fun to read about living plants! Caz might have been one of my favorite characters in the whole book. Our main character, Kiela is a librarian who steals spell books to save them from a fire. She’s run back home and hoping to hide out there. Of course, once you start messing with magic, makes you a target. She was a fun character, if not a bit naive. Since she didn’t get out much and lived for the library, it’s not too surprising. The rest of the characters were interesting, and I loved the found family aspect. Small towns can be amazing when it comes to certain things.

I think my biggest issue with this book is the lack of world-building. We have this awesome magic system that I needed so much more of. I didn’t know how it worked or what it did. The fact that there is a talking plant was fabulous, but let’s dive into that! There’s a war going on, and it seems pretty deadly. We get a summary glossing over the things that have happened. Since I’m such a huge fantasy reader, this is where I wanted so much more from the book. We are not supposed to focus on that, but she laid out an interesting premise for this world.

Overall, this was an okay read for me. I didn’t hate it, and I didn’t love it. It did take me quite a bit to read because the pacing sometimes threw me off. We don’t get into much of the plot until the last 20% of the book. I kept looking at the % and wondering what could be left. There’s a lot of lovely magic and people, but it still couldn’t make up for the lack of world-building.

Thank you to Tor and Netgalley for an e-arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I will simply be unable to shut up about this book for the remainder of the year. It is everything I want in a cozy fantasy and the Kiela was everything I needed in a female MC. I put off finishing this book because I didn't want it to end. Truly, this book has it all: hope, found family, and genuinely lovely romance. I will read more like this from the author without hesitation. Placing this book in the same cherished space as Legends and Lattes.

Cottage core vibes and rom-com for fantasy lovers - what more could you ask for?

Super cute and cozy fantasy that follows an introverted librarian and her sentient plant companion as they flee their area of residence back to her childhood home when a rebellion attack hits the library.

Left with little belongings/money but plenty of salvaged books she spirited away from fire, our FMC uses the contents of the books to open a shop that will benefit both her livelihood and the betterment of the citizens/land.

Let’s not forget about the nosy neighbor/childhood acquaintance that just wants to help and make sure she’s alright. Totally not going to fall in love with him or anything like that.

Thank you Bramble for the e-book arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Overall I had a good time with this story! The cozy vibes were wonderful and I liked the characters. The pacing felt pretty slow so I did struggle to want to pick this up at times. Caz kept me going! Loved that spider plant so much!

The Spellshop is the quintessential cozy fantasy. Durst had me at sentient, pottless spider plant best friend/assistant who hops around on his root ball and suffers from anxiety.

This was an incredibly sweet and delightfully charming orignal story. It had me giggling and awwing and yaying throughout the whole book.

Women supporting women, women befriending women, women setting boundaries and saying "fuck niceness, "women NOT fighting over men, but over seemingly different morals. We need more of this. In 2024, we should have so much bickering between women over petty nonsense, and clearly Durst agrees. And somehow she had all of this in a COZY fantasy. 🤌

I can't recommend this book enough. It's a wonderful summer read. Please don't miss this one.

Thank you to Bramble and Netgalley for the eARC.

I was blessed to be given an advanced reader copy from the author, for my honest opinion. I will never have enough cozy fantasy in my life I think. In the authors note, she says that she wrote this book and wanted it to feel like a warm hug, and I completely agree that that is what this book feels like. just because this book is cozy fantasy does not mean that it doesn’t have steaks. There were still sometimes in this book where I was turning the page because I just had to know what happens next with our characters, and there were other times where I wanted to take my time and really absorb the chapter. I absolutely love all the characters, and fell in love with them and each of their own little corks. I loved the merhorses as a horse girl myself it just made me so happy. This book reminds me of Emily wild encyclopedia of fairies so if you love that book, then you should really like this one. I don’t know if this is a standalone, or if the author plans on riding more, but I would love to read more in this world. I also was looking enough to get an audio arc, and you best believe that I am going to listen to that right after finishing this.

This was the best cozy fantasy I’ve read since Legends & Lattes and Bookshops & Bonedust. Devoured this in a single sitting. You need this one if you want a cozy fantasy romance. Interesting setting, good characters. Solid character growth. The only thing I can think to complain about is the character was a wee bit too bookishly oblivious to the danger at the start. But that just gave her room to grow into a stronger character.

A comforting and a cozy fantasy, full of kindness, friendship, small town charm, and dizzying amounts of jam. Kiela, an empire librarian, escapes on the eve of rebellion with crates of stolen spell books to keep them safe. She returns to the island she was born on, hoping for quiet and secrecy. Instead, she finds a town who wants to befriend her, a neighbor who might be more, and a home.

This cottagecore fantasy was a delight. I think we could have tightened up the pacing just a hair, but overall, a stunning read.

🧜‍♀️ Book review 🧜‍♀️

The Spellshop | Sarah Beth Durst

The rating
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.75)

The summary
When Kiela and her sentient spider plant Caz have to flee the capital and their beloved Great Library, they end up back where Kiela thought she’d never return: her family’s small cottage on an outlying island of the empire’s archipelago. They’re initial plan is to eke out a living by selling homemade jam, keeping their “stolen” library spellbooks hidden, and avoiding talking to people as much as possible. But when Kiela’s hunky, merhorse-herding neighbor drops by on their very first morning, they realize they may have to adjust expectations a bit…

The vibes
Cozy witchy cottagecore, wacky creatures, unique worldbuilding, found family, librarians doing it for the love of books, helping out because you can, merhorses, light exploration of the nature of sentience, sins of an empire made manifest, experimental spellwork, homecoming.

The review
In a strange reversal of what usually happens for me, I really loved the first 3/4 of this, and then felt a little let down by the very end.

And let me first say that “cozy” isn’t really my preferred subgenre — I like it fine, but it takes a lot for a cozy book to rise above 4⭐️ for me, so in the grand scheme of things, The Spellshop was still a win for me. The world building was cool, the characters were delightful, Kiela’s absolute allergy to talking to other people was highly relatable…

But what really dragged it down for me at the end was how Hallmark perfect everything was. The last few scenes felt like platitude after platitude, and every narrative thread got tied up in a neat little bow. I found myself rolling my eyes and thinking, “your home is where your found community is, I GET IT” maybe one too many times.

But again, all that sickly-sweetness of the ending aside, I did really enjoy the bulk of this! The world and characters were well realized, and Kiela’s slow burn for her unquestioningly loyal neighbor was a delight to read. If cozy fantasy is your thing, you’re gonna love this!

Thanks to @brambleromance and @netgalley for the eARC.

The Spellshop is a sweet and charming cozy fantasy.

"Because knowledge is power, and he powerful want - wanted - to keep it all to themselves.
"Not because it's dangerous?"
"Of course knowledge is dangerous... But ignorance is even more dangerous."

After fleeing the destruction of the Great Library of Alyssium, Kiela and her assistant, Caz, an enchanted, sentient spider plant, flee with crates full of spellbooks in order to keep them safe during the riots. They travel to Caltrey, the island where Kiela spent her youngest years, before her parents moved to the city. She finds their old cottage, run down but liveable, and tries to make a living selling jam the islanders, along with some potentially illegal magic spells to help restore the remote and neglected island. Though she tries to be inconspicuous, her overly kind and friendly neighbor, Larran the handsome mer-horse herder, always seems to be around. He is more than willing to help out, though the highly introverted Kiela tries to keep her distance. The spellbooks in her cottage are dangerous, not to mention illegal to have in her possession. But can Kiela really keep everyone at arms length, especially when they are knocking down all the walls she's built, and are willing to see her as she is?

The Spellshop is an adorable and cozy cottage-core fantasy. The stakes are fairly low, and the romance is sweet, so this is a perfect little book for an easy summer read. I loved the lush vibes this book gives - from the sweetness of the jam to the ethereal magic and spirits of the island. The romance between Kiela and Larran is adorable - these two idiots are so in love but don't even realize it. It was delightful to read and had me kicking my feet. At its heart, this book is really about who controls knowledge - the spells and the magic - and who benefits from keeping knowledge restricted. When we share knowledge, we all benefit. This was a lovely book, and a perfect cozy fantasy. I really enjoyed it and I recommend this book if you are looking for something sweet and lush to read. It feels like the perfect book to pick up with a cup of tea as the summer winds down.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group, Bramble for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Thank you so much NetGalley, Tor Publishing Group, and Bramble for this absolutely fantastic arc!!

5/5 stars!!

This was WONDERFUL. If you're looking for a cozy fantasy but find all the ones out there a bit boring like I do, then look no further!! This is cozy fantasy to a T, but also with some problem solving, community building, and book obsession - with a little romance thrown in to boot! This world was so full of magic and fun characters that it was super easy to clearly see everything as I read it - and dammit I want one of those cinnamon buns! 😂 A few twists, some humorous turns, and this is easily one of my favourite books I've read this year. It's giving everything I've been wanting in cozy fantasy but haven't been able to find until now! Just lovely, bring me more from this world please, Sarah!! PLEASE!!

*Received as a free ARC*
Delightful cozy fantasy. Books and running away to the woods- a perfect combo. Kiela is great and shows growth over the course of the book. Found family is always a trope I'll enjoy. The author's note said the goal was a book that feels like drinking hot chocolate and you know what? Mission accomplished.

The Spellshop has all I could ask for in a cozy fantasy. A great love interest, and talking plants! I loved all of the characters in this book. The plot went to places I hadn’t expected. The world building was very thought out. There were a lot of aspects, specifically with magic creatures, that I LOVED.

This adorably cozy romantic fantasy reminded me so much of Legends and Lattes. It's also that enjoyable. Kiela and her assistant Caz, a magically sentient spider plant, have spent the last 10 years sequestered in The Great Library of Alyssium, cataloging spellbooks. When a revolution begins and the library starts to burn, Kiela and Caz make their escape (with 4 crates of spellbooks) to her childhood home island. Kiela is trying very hard to keep the books under wraps, (no one is allowed to possess the books except for the Empire), however her handsome, nosy neighbor keeps showing up to help her fix her old cottage and make sure she's fed.
In need of income, Kiela decides to open a jam shop. That also has magical remedies. Even if they're illegal. But life is sweeter with a little jam and an extra helping of magic.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Bramble for this e-arc.*

A nearly perfect cozy fantasy!
I know this is categorized as romance or romantasy, but it felt much more cozy to me (which I didn't mind at all). It has everything- intense love of books, magic, mythical creatures, delicious pastries, and a sentient houseplant?!!
There's personal growth and learning to trust your community and a freaking nonbinary cactus. I loved it.

A must read for those that enjoyed Legends & Lattes and Can't Spell Treason Without Tea. Adorably fun fantasy.

"The Spellshop" is a charming cozy fantasy that follows Keila, a dedicated librarian, who flees the capital city during a dangerous rebel coup with her sentient spider plant and best friend, Caz. Keila's primary concern is rescuing as many books as she can - almost to the detriment of her own safety! Once away from the city, Keila sails to her home island, only to discover that it is struggling due to lack of support for the Emperor. She knows there are spells hidden in her books that could help the people, but using unsanctioned magic is a crime. As Keila gets to know the islanders, she realizes she is willing to take the risk to help those she is coming to care about.

My thoughts:
The characters in "The Spellshop" are incredibly likeable, and the humor is really cute. While the stakes are fairly light, they are handled with enough depth to keep the plot engaging. Some characters, including Keila, occasionally feel like caricatures—Keila is a bit overly introverted and oblivious to romantic interest—but the author’s humorous approach makes these traits endearing rather than off-putting.

Overall, "The Spellshop" may not be a book that lingers strongly in my memory, but it was a fun and engaging read. I would easily recommend it to others looking for a light, enjoyable fantasy adventure.

The pacing of this was just so slow that I was pretty consistently tempted to give up. The atmosphere was cool, but the stakes were so glacial that it was hard to care about anything that happened.

Favorite spider plant ever? CAZ! I really liked Caz and Caz really helped the story the whole way through. Don't get me wrong, I liked Kiela a lot and I liked how this is a standalone fantasy novel that's enough action to keep you interested, but low enough stakes to be a great standalone. It's a great cozy fantasy if you wanted to classify it as such.

I liked how Kiela has kind of separated herself from people and holed herself up in a library because she doesn't like interacting with people, but when she has to flee due to a revolution and she takes books back to her childhood home, she learns that maybe interacting with people isn't so bad after all.

I liked how she comes out of her shell over the course of the book and she gets into some magical mishaps, which had some funny moments. I also liked the island and the world Durst creates. It's both magical and not overly magical. There is a subtle nod in there about environmental degradation due to human influence, but while it's actually an important part of the story (what spurs Kiela into using spells), it's not beaten over your head.

The romance is best described as sweet. It's not the focus of the story at all, but you have to like Larran. He's the quiet, steady, cooks, and puts himself in her way kind of guy despite the fact she yells at him and asks him to leave and is overall (in the beginning) not very nice to him. Caz is hilarious with Kiela when it comes to Larran. Overall, though, they worked to go with this cozy fantasy to get a sweet, unassuming romance.

If you're looking for something a little lighter in your fantasy with low stakes, definitely recommend this!