Just keep on scrollin' by.

I'm sorry to say but as interesting as it was to have fantastical creatures and different-looking people populating this very low-stakes cozy fantasy, set on an island, featuring an introverted and somewhat grumpy librarian and her sentient spider plant friend.. I was so bored.

I didn't need stakes, I didn't need something other than the cozy vibes, so it can't be said I wanted something other than what I was getting into; instead I just needed to care. And I did not.

For those who have been loving this, don't get me wrong, I see why. And for those interested in picking this up, I don't want to sway you to do otherwise. This just wasn't the book for me.

All that to say, this is definitely for the reader looking for something to recapture that LEGENDS & LATTES kind of vibe but is still a little (a lot?) different and very much its own thing.

I couldn’t stay interested in this book so skimmed most of it. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher.

This was cute story. Not great, but good. I struggled a bit and I know this is a classic case of, “it’s not you, it’s me,” since everyone I know that read it, loved it.

“It wasn’t that she didn’t like people. It was that she liked books more.”

With this quotation from The Spellshop, Sarah Beth Durst won my heart. Durst presents her readers with a cozy fantasy novel about a young woman named Kiela who works in the Great Library of Alyssium. When revolutionaries attacking the Crescent Island Empire force Kiela to flee the library toting all the ancient (and heavily guarded) spell books she can carry, she must journey across the sea to the island where she grew up, starting a new life in the old cottage that once belonged to her parents. Although Kiela has spent so much time among books that she has lost touch with her social skills, she soon learns that to survive on the outer islands, she will have to talk to people, make friends, and find a community. She decides to use a spell to bring her parent’s garden back to life, and tensions mount when she opens a secret spell shop to restore magic to the people, disguising her intent by selling jam. Alongside the debate about who should have access to magic is a sweet, budding romance with an old family friend named Larran.

The Spellshop is a book filled with delights! There are mermaids, merbabies, singing apple trees, winged cats, and even merhorses (half-horse, half-fish) who swim in the magical waters around the islands. Kiela’s best friend is a sentient spider plant named Caz, and his quick-witted quips made me laugh out loud: “I’m blushing. You just can’t tell because of the chlorophyll.” In her author’s note, Durst explains that she wanted to write a book that read like drinking hot chocolate, and in this, her novel succeeds. The lovely prose will leave readers longing for cinnamon buns and raspberry jam, and the happily-ever-after will lend a touch of nostalgia to readers weary with the challenges of the real world.

The Spellshop is a lovely, quick escape best enjoyed on the beach or curled beneath a cozy blanket. Its humor, light magic, and optimism reminded me of Diana Wynne Jones Howl’s Moving Castle, and readers (young and old) will find much to celebrate in its pages.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of the book in exchange for a fair review.

This was so flipping cute and fun. I loved the world and creatures that the author created, and fell head over heels in love with Kiela and Caz. The author’s note mentioned this book started with hot chocolate, and the book truly did feel like a warm cup of hot chocolate. There were some tense and suspenseful moments that had me wanting to reach through the pages and maybe smack a certain grumpy old man upside the head, and also had my heart-racing, but the resolutions had my heart soaring. This is a super sweet cozy fantasy and it makes for the perfect summer read, especially with the lovely island setting!

This was such a lovely cozy story. The cottage core vibes were off the charts. Our fmc makes jam, saves mermaids, and has a talking plant companion for gods sake. It was the cutest thing on the planet. The low stakes were very comforting and made the perfect book to cuddle up in bed with after a long day. With that said, there were admittedly some flaws. The story kept alluding to a greater political conflict that never quite got addressed. It would've been fine if the conflict was never mentioned but it was so closely tied to Kiela's trauma that I expected a little more follow through. Additionally, our mmc, Larran, felt a bit one dimensional. I don't feel like I really know him or like his relationship with Kiela had a chance to develop. It was giving insta love, which isn't a bad thing but came off a bit odd because Kiela was presented to us as an introvert who shut herself off from people and doesn't trust anyone with her heart.

With that said, I still had a great time reading this one. It gave what it was meant to give.

This book is so cute and so cozy, I absolutely loved it. The atmosphere Sarah created with this books makes me want to immediately run away and create a jam shop with only one flavor and secretly sell "remedies" on the side with my talking spider plant.

This was good but not my favorite read. I wanted to venture into fantasy romance and it’s not really my thing. There’s was a lot I liked but also a lot I didn’t. I’d still be willing to try her other books but idk it just wasn’t it for me

This is a wonderful cottagecore fantasy story with a colorful cast of characters. I loved the island and all of the fantasical creatures that inhabited it! I need a spider plant that can help me with my library - especially one who can read, write & will be my ride-or-die bestie! This is the perfect for when you need a break from the high fantasy or are craving a cozy romantasy. Also, I kind of want a winged cat and a seahorse now. Thank you, Sarah Beth Durst, for this new obsession!

Kiera, a librarian on the run from a rebellion in the capital, goes back home with her bestie Caz, a sentient house plant, and 5 crates of stolen? borrowed? definitely saved magic books. She is determined to be self-sufficient and alone - so, of course she ends up being inundated by neighbors, hot ones... hmm hmm, and friendly townsfolk who remember her and her family and offer her help. Magical Hijinx ensue and her dream of having a place of her own starts to take root. Literally. Soon - there are business plans forming, feelings for our neighbor growing as well as the chances of getting caught doing illegal magic.

Will Kiera have to leave everything she never knew she wanted to protect those she has grown to care about?

PS - Heartstrings will be pulled for the enchanted side characters. I need pics for this... and a movie!

The spell shop is a cozy romance with medium stakes, and some fun side characters. Kiela is a socially awkward librarian, more at home in the stacks with her books than she is with humans. However, when tragedy strikes and revolutionaries set fire to the library she's forced to flee for her life, grabbing as many of her precious spell books as she can on her way out. Helping her along the way is a sentient spider plant named Caz.
She escapes by boat and ends up back at her childhood home on an island. Fearing that she'll be arrested for the 'theft' of the spell books she decides to start a new life on the island. Helping her is her unsurprisingly hot and capable but also shy and damaged neighbor, Larran. As Kiela starts trying to figure out how she's going to make her new life and help the island recover from years of neglect from a magical government, she starts to fall for Larran.
The story is largely predictable in a comforting and cozy way. There is minor peril in the form of Kiela worrying that someone will find out about her illegal spell casting.
My only real downsides is that I wanted to know more about the side characters who were intriguing. And that they went HARD on Kiela being anti-social and prickly in the beginning. If the hot neighbor helps fix your chimney, maybe let him ;)

I received an advance copy via NetGalley.

This book is super-cozy and predictable and wonderful, one of my favorites in the new surge of fantasy romance novels. It ticks all the boxes. Introverted librarian lead character. Sentient spider plant as a sidekick. An intimate everyone-knows-everyone island with a beautiful, dreamy cottage-shop. A cinnamon roll of a romantic interest who is not only kind and builds bookshelves, but raises merhorses! There are even winged cats in the village! Yes, it is transparent how everything will come together, and it's fantastic in that, because everything is so satisfying and right. Such a joy-filled book.

I LOVED this book! I ended up reading it in one sitting. I definitely recommend grabbing a snack and something to drink and prepare for the cutest romance ever. I love Kiela and how she blooms from her shell as she tries to make her childhood home HER home.

Kiela, a librarian who oversees a collection of spell books, must flee when revolutionaries set fire to her library. Along with her sidekick, Caz, a talking spider plant, they smuggle out crates of spell books and set sail for the small remote island where Kiela grew up. Kiela and Caz cannot resist the lure of the spell books and when they start casting spells to improve life on the island, it doesn’t go unnoticed and without consequences. Fans of Legends and Lattes and The House in the Cerulean Sea will enjoy this magical cozy fantasy.

Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you, NetGalley and publishers.

The Spellshop is a cozy Romantasy. Our main character, a librarian, flees the violence of revolution in the capital, and the destruction of the library, with only a few provisions and one friend, a sentient spider plant. Returning to her remote home island, she quickly discovers a new life and the chance at love.

This was so freaking cute.
I will admit, my main reason for requesting and reading this book is because the shop I work at is already having this author come, but I have No regrets.
This was the perfect cozy fantasy and romance.
As a bookworm (and seller) Kiela is so relatable and real to me, and the relationship between her and Larran was so wholesome and heartwarming.

Extremely charming! I thoroughly enjoyed this cozy fantasy. It’s got a touch of political frisson, but not so much as to overwhelm the plot or primary character dynamics. As with most cozies, it focuses a lot on found family, but there’s a sustainability message woven through, too, which I quite appreciated.

This book was entirely heartwarming and I loved it. One part anti-social librarian, one part small island town, and of course a talking plant companion. It was lovely, and it made me feel warm and fuzzy inside.

I thought this was adorable. I love these type of stories now and I’m so happy I was able to read this early!!! I’m such a huge fan of Sarah now and will be reading what she puts out next

Sweet, charming, funny, warm–like the summer cozy fantasy to Legends & Lattes's winter cozy fantasy.

I first read Sarah Beth Durst with The Lost, a book I'd picked up at the Harlequin booth at Book Expo America and didn't open until I needed it for a reading goal. That was my mistake, because it was a strange and fully-realized book that deserved better than it got.

I hope she finds great success with this book, because it deserves it: it's got great pacing, great characters (I LOVE YOU, CAZ! I LOVE YOU, MEEP!), a cute little romance that doesn't overshadow the main character's journey or fade into the background. It's got found family and delicious descriptions of food and even a light plot. It's maybe the best cozy fantasy I've read so far.

This is a pinch-your-cheeks cute cozy fantasy that's perfect for tea time. Kiela is a reclusive librarian who is completely content working in one of the Empire's largest libraries. When the literal flames of revolution engulf the city, Kiela is forced to flee the library with a small collection of books and her sentient spider-plant assistant, Caz. Kiela returns to the one place that feels safe, a tiny island far from the chaos in the Empire's capital. There, she plans to hide in obscurity in her childhood home, but the friendly local community and a handsome neighbor make that difficult. When Kiela finds that the Empire's neglect has resulted in troubles for her island, she decides to open a shop to sell small magics to aid her community. Jammed (literally - when you read it, you'll know) with good feeling and sweet moments, this is a delight.