This was a different take on the war/dystopian trope. Kiela leaves a city that is going through a revolution to return to her home island, far from the political intrigue she was subject to as part of the Great Library; with her she is taking contraband books she has saved. Once there, her journey becomes one that is much more personal as she has to discover who she is outside of the walls of the library, and how far she will go to protect her new home and found family. I hope that there will be more books that follow these very unique characters.

Spellshop is a very cozy read that hit all of the right cozy fantasy beats: leaving an old life behind, starting over somewhere new, finding a community and a purpose within it, and a little no-spice romance. Bonus points for a sentient spider plant, bookish characters, mermaids, and a few other pretty cool magical elements.

I did struggle initially with the main character's insular attitude towards other people, but she has a decent growth arc. So if you find yourself rolling your eyes at her at the beginning, I'd say to stick with it knowing she's going somewhere. And it's arguable that her frame of mind at the beginning does have a function in keeping the tone of the story lighter, because there are some rather high stakes things happening in the larger world, but her world view keeps our focus pretty small with everything else being more in the background.

This was an easy read, and cozy cottagecore is an excellent descriptor for it. I think it will be an easy win for fans of cozy fantasy, especially if you love books and houseplants!

This was the most wholesome cottagecore cozy fantasy I've ever read. I love the enchanting world that was built. The romance sub-plot was endearing as well. The sentient houseplants gave me so much joy. This is a small-town romance with an endearing side of cozy fantasy elements.

I love the fantasy genres new trend towards cozier novels and beautiful world building, like Legends and Lattes or the perennial favorite, The Princess Bride. Romance and daily life with a dash of adventure and drama but not too much. No battles and great wars. No five year long treks across a wasteland or down a river. The Spellshop is a feel good, find yourself and your tribe story. The feeds your soul, perfect for winter reading with a cup of tea, the perfect escape to a fantasy world of cloud bears, unicorns and merhorses.

Kiela was a studious girl growing up on a small island in the far reaches of her realm. Her parents were happy but they wanted the best for their bright and talented child so they moved to the city. The family continued their happy life until young adult Kiela lost her parents tragically but she found her dream job as a librarian in the Great Library. Buried in book, Kiela didn’t pay much attention to the outside world so a rebellion took her as a bit of a surprise. She escaped back to her island hometown with her assistant and some rescued books.

Trying to quietly rebuild her life included a few bumps and a stumbles but her chosen family and friends are there to back her up when trouble came calling.

Delightfully cozy! In the acknowledgments Sarah says she asked herself every chapter if this was making her happy, and you can tell she just threw in everything she loved. I didn't find this boring like I do some cozies, there was enough of a plot and intrigue and conflict. The romance was delightful, I loved the main character, and the vibes - immaculate!

The Spellshop is snuggling up in your favorite chair with a cozy blanket, a mug of hot chocolate, and a beloved pet sleeping on your lap. Every fan of cozy fantasy should give it a read.

Kiera, a blue-skinned blue-haired librarian, and Caz, a magical sentient spider plant, flee political unrest in the capital. They've rescued several crates of books but most contain forbidden knowledge of magic so they need to lie low. They head to Kiera's home island, where her parents still owned a home.

There are elements of a Hallmark movie - gal from the big city returns to her home town and learns how to live again. There's even a tall neighbor guy who helps with handyman stuff. There's also a bit of Tea Dragon Society mixed in. The island is populated by many fantasy creatures: centaurs, goat-horned people, mer-creatures, and I'm not sure what to call some of them. The island is doing poorly due magical environmental damage and storms.

The spells of Kiera's definitely-not-magic shop are made from plants and other natural reagents, along with magic words. Not everything is native to the island, so they need to improvise, and Kiera has no training in magic. There are some hiccups as she figures things out.

The pacing is very slow and everything is richly described with all five senses. You can smell the salt water, taste the cinnamon buns, hear the birds, and feel the worn quilts left in the cottage by Kiera's parents. It's not pure vibes; there are conflicts and worries to overcomb. Even at its most stressful moments, The Spellshop left me more relaxed and optimistic than when I started reading.

This book was so cute and full of adventure and wonder. I love the atmosphere the author paints here and it is so quaint. The characters were quirky and detailed.

I absolutely adored this book. Watching the main character grow and develop sweet relationships with the people around her was incredibly heartwarming. The worldbuilding was well thought out; not only was the magic system clearly explained, but the variety of species that inhabited this world helped make this standard romance plot feel new and refreshing. I'd definitely recommend this title for anyone seeking a fun cozy fantasy.

The Spellshop follows a librarian as she flees from her burning library and ends up back home to the place her family moved from when she was a child. It’s feels a bit Hallmark in that, for the huge stakes Kiela faced, none of them felt that big. Extra stakes were inserted and promptly diffused, and all the characters were very forgiving.

Overall, the Spellshop is a cheerful light read.

The Spellshop had such a cute premise but ultimately this book missed the mark for me. I think I’m finding that cozy fantasy is just a little too slow for my liking and the stakes were so low that nothing kept me hooked. I liked the world building and the idea of an introverted and sheltered librarian using the knowledge from her books to help her community. For romance readers, this is very light on the romance and the main character repeatedly doesn’t understand why she is attractive, so that may be a turnoff for you. I don’t think it’s a bad book by any means, just not for me! Readers who enjoy a comforting, sweet and slower paced stories will love this.

Books! Spells! Found family! Romance! JAM!

This book is everything I love about the cozy fantasy genre but with one of my favorite authors at the helm. I was so excited to get an arc of this to review as I've love Sarah Beth Dursts previous work, and I was not disappointed at all! This author has done several different types of fantasy that I've read from their Queens of Renthia series to their standalones that I loved and still think about Race the Sands and Vessel. I was confident she would rise to the challenge of cozy fantasy which I find a delightful but suddenly saturated genre.

The characters are brave and gentle and nuanced in a way I sometimes wish for more in this genre. This was a bit longer and more fleshed out than others in the genre I've enjoyed also. It was also very focused on the MC's growth and journey with friendships being just as important as relationships. There is also an incredible message about censorship and the accessibility of knowledge that I think hit home for me specifically as a librarian. I am hoping others will enjoy this as well, and perhaps think about these topics more deeply thanks to Durst. For these reasons, I worry some romance readers might find themselves missing a specific something they were looking for, but please give this book a chance to delight you and enjoy the journey!

This was so sweet and fun I found myself craving jam to match both the plot itself and the delightful vibe of the book itself!
Recommended for anyone looking for a book in a beautiful island setting with a focus on community and personal discovery.

The Spellshop was one of my best reads in 2023. It was everything I love in a book. It had libraries, magic plants, a diverse cast of magical beings, found family and romance. It is one of the coziest fantasies I've ever read and I rank it as high as I rank Legends and Lattes! I could not recommend this one enough!

Thanks to NetGalley and TOR publishing for this digital ARC.

This gorgeous book delivered what it set out to…a warm hug of a book that forced you to believe in all things unbelievable.

What I enjoyed most were the reference to starting fresh, libraries, gardening and setting up shop. All things I feel great affinity towards.

It did feel a little like the author had a checklist of all things cottage-core lifestyle to cover.
Potions - ✔️
Quilted aprons - ✔️
Boundaries - ✔️
Magical cats - ✔️
Plant babies - ✔️
Canning - ✔️
Baking - ✔️

But overall, this found-family fantasy was soothing and engaging. Great way to start off my reading year.

Oh to live in this book.

This is a read for the vibes first, everything else second readers. It's a nice vacation from heavier hitting novels.

The Spellshop gives the vibes of the video game Sun Haven in the most complimentary way. It's so wholesome. The natural setting, the creatures, my new bestest lad Caz, its got it all.

The message about breaking down barriers to access will hit home with anyone in the library field and active library patrons.

The descriptions get a tad repetitive of times (I get it, the water is pretty!) but that's a crux of the cozy genre as a whole and not a point against only this author.


Now if you'll excuse me, this book made me need some jam on toast for the soul.

The best word I can think to describe The Spellshop is endearing. The author wrote in her acknowledgements that this book started with hot chocolate, and I can see that perfectly. Just enough magic & whimsy too. Also a special mention of Caz is necessary. What a fun character!

I received an ARC of this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

As a fellow author (and fan!) of cozy fantasy, I was *so* excited to get my hands on this book--and am delighted to say that it was everything I'd hoped it would be and more.

Set on a lush island, The Spellshop was a gentle, warming tale about finding a home in others. The book sparkles with whimsy and magical details -- herds of merhorses, bear-like forest spirits, sentient houseplants! -- and, of course, all the raspberry jam you could possibly want. But it manages to be sweet without turning saccharine, and is grounded by the protagonist's (a socially awkward librarian! my heart) complicated feelings about returning to a past she thought she'd left behind. Along the way, there's a charming romance with the kind, helpful former-boy-next-door, plenty of baked goods, and a cozy cottage on a hill.

Stardew Valley in book form -- a cozy, comforting daydream of a novel.

The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst is a delight. When revolutionaries force the librarian Kiela to flee the burning library she works for with her assistant Caz, a sentient spider plant, she returns to the small island she grew up on. She left with what may be the last remaining rare spell books from the capital's most prestigious library. Now, the only way Kiela and Caz can protect the books is to keep their existence a secret, even though helpful neighbors keep coming around to help them. Will they be able to protect their secret as the temptation to use the information inside the books to help everyone they meet grows? Can the surly Kiela resist the ever-helpful, sunshiny Larran forever? If you are looking for a warm hug of a cozy fantasy book look no further.

Now, I was inclined to like this book after enjoying many books in the cozy fantasy canon and many of Sarah Beth Durst’s backlist. Nevertheless, this book is a delight. The Spellshop explores what it means to come home and how people can redefine what home means to them at any stage of their lives. Kiela begins the book as an isolated character whose primary interactions are either with Caz or a library patron. She ends the book as a member of the community who cares about others and is cared for. Everything from the character dynamics to the magic system, to the political unrest just makes sense. As an aside if you are looking for a fantasy book that references the negative environmental effects of wealthy corporations and groups misusing natural resources to the detriment of the rest of society, you have found it.

Simply put, The Spellshop is a likable book. I like the main character and her slow-burn romantic relationship with her neighbor who just so happens to be her long-lost childhood friend. I like her friendship with her sentient plants. I like the townspeople and the bakery and the mermaids. The book just brought a smile to my face the whole time and I cannot recommend it more.

The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst is set to release July 9, 2024, from Bramble with sprayed edges to complement its gorgeous cover, so I would recommend preordering a copy as soon as possible. I know I will. Thank you to Bramble for an eARC for an honest review.

The writing was overly narrative for me personally, and I stopped after chapter 1 (3%). That said, the target should be really happy, as it feels like solid pacing and solid vibes. I’d imagine and easy three stars with four to five for the right readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for the ARC.

I just finished this book and it is one of my new favorites. I have already preordered a copy for myself. As a librarian, this book has become very special to me and speaks to many of my beliefs about the mission of libraries. I will be recommending this book quite a bit and can't wait to hold a physical copy in my hands! I will be rereading it as soon as it is released!

A lovely, sweet cozy fantasy with a similar vibe as Travis Baldree's _Legends and Lattes_ and Sarah Addision Allen. A little romance, a little magic, a little conflict (but not epic "end of the world" type conflict), and a talking spider plant. What more could you want from a book?