https://onereadingnurse.com/2024/07/05/alc-review-the-spellshop-by-sarah-beth-durst/

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I have always been a huge fan of Sarah Beth Durst for her readable and engaging writing style. She is good at capturing magical worlds and creating likeable characters.

Clearly I needed to get my hands on The Spellshop asap. I haven’t read that many cozy books and I tend not to be a fan, so I am pleased to say this is BY FAR the best one I’ve read so far.

Everything is magical from the setting to the characters to the entire world itself. I love the descriptions of the island and cottage and people. A magical storm taking the shape of animals in the clouds? Sure, sounds like that scene from Aladdin but I’m down. The stakes and sentiments of sharing knowledge and magic with everyone are high enough that I managed to get behind the plot too.

The characters are fun too. Spells, jam, wholesome romance, the book has everything. What does a sentient spider plant want in life? A meep-ing little cactus? I liked Kiela and Caz working through their individual issues to build the life they want. The book is full of nosy and well-meaning characters who come together and save, well, a lot.

All in all if you’re looking for fast paced cozy fantasy with wholesome romance and cottage core everything, this is the book for you. Don’t forget the winged cats and overly presumptuous sea horses ♥️

Last but certainly not least, since this is an advanced listening copy review, Caitlin Davies was wonderful. I love her voices of just about everyone and she is always very clear and easy to understand. There is so much personality in the audiobook and I would 100% listen to more by this narrator!

4.5★
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst is a cozy cottagecore novel about an introverted librarian and her sentient spider plant taking refuge in her old cottage on an island.

This audiobook was so much fun! It is probably one of my favorite cozy fantasy novels so far. There are whimsical creatures like winged cats and merhorses and beautiful nature scenery. Despite being a cozy fantasy, there were still enough action to keep it interesting.

The romance is fluffy. Kiela and Larran make such a cute couple, but I wanted a little more romance. Romance felt secondary to the story which was honestly okay.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for this ARC. I very much enjoyed my time listening to this book.

This book was cute! I wasn't 100% sure what to expect when I requested this book but was looking for a lighter read than what I had been reading recently so wanted to give it a try. Kiela and Caz are trying to figure out how to live life outside the library on a remote island. This book has magic, romance (very light on the romance in my opinion), personal growth, and found family. Not to mention mer-horses, mermaids and a talking spider plant.

In terms of the audio book, this was my first time listening to a full book with audio and I had no complaints.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillian Audio for this audio book in exchange for an honest review.

Cozy fantasy can be a hit or miss for me. Sometimes there’s just not enough to keep my attention. The Spellshop didn’t have that problem & I adored it. This story is perfect for cuddling up with a cozy blanket. But make sure you have snacks because this one made me hungry.

I’m always a sucker for a library story. Keila was a great main character. A complete introvert who works in a library, with books and Caz are her best friends. And Caz? An amazing sentient spider plant with anxiety who helped provide comic relief. I love the island feel, the townspeople, and the romance with her helpful neighbor.

Caitlin Davies did a wonderful job narrating this story. There was enough excitement and the narration kept me engaged throughout. I had such a fun time with this one. I definitely recommend the audiobook.

Thank you to Macmillian Audio for my advanced listening copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to @macmillan.audio through #netgalley for the ALC of The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst. Happy pub day/ book birthday today, 7/9/24!

This book is unlike any genre I’ve personally read. It is cozy fantasy romance or cottagecore romantasy and it is lovely. The fantasy I have read has had a very dark side, with scary creatures and violence. This book is SWEET. It is PRETTY. It is VISUAL. There are “bad guys” but they don’t seem to feel AS bad? This book begs to be a movie, because readers will want to SEE what they are hearing/ reading about.

Kiela and her best friend/ assistant, sentient spider plant Caz, must flee Alyssium due to a revolution. The only place she can think to escape to is the island cottage where she and her parents lived during part of her childhood. From there we have endless fascinating creatures, tea and jam, spells (I mean, remedies), found family, some drama and a little bit of romance. Of course I could always have a little more of the latter!

Narrator Caitlin Davies voices the innocent Kiela nicely, and all the other characters as well. This is a sweet (it’s the perfect word for this book), relaxing, no-stress listen.

4/5 stars
12 hours 11 minutes at 1x on audio
Kisses only
Locations: Alyssium and don’t make me try to spell the island name- I listened to it!

If you enjoyed Legends and Lattes or The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, wrap one of those into a very cozy Sherpa sweater and you have The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst.

In The Spellshop, we meet our main character Kiela, a semi agoraphobic librarian that prefers books over people. With her city near ruins, she and her assistant Caz (a sentient spider plant) flee with a crate of spellbooks to the only other place she’s ever called home. But the island is not what it once was with magic missing and Kiela- with the help of the sweetest cast of side characters- is determined to save it.

I wasn’t exactly sure what cottage core was, but this is it. Not only was The Spellshop heartwarming, but it was full of magic, friendship and a little bit of romance. Where could you go wrong? When all the action filled fantasy gets a bit too intense, nothing will calm the heart like reading The Spellshop.

I have to admit that I was initially drawn to this book by its cover. However, what was inside was just as delightful! I absolutely adored this book!! Loveable characters (I want a sentient plant friend), good magic system (plenty of it), a plethora of magical creatures and a charming island. The plot moved right along. My only complaint about this book is that there isn't a sequel!! Not that it needs one, everything was tied up nicely, but I just enjoyed this book so much! I hope this author writes more like this. An absolutely charming 5 star read!

I love, love, love the cute familiars and creatures who populate this world. There were some characters that I really hated when they first came about, but they weren’t who I thought they were. So I really liked the way they developed. Kiela and Caz are wonderful in what they are learning. I love the way the magic had to be learned and used carefully. The other people in town became a wonderful found family for her and the romance is very sweet.
This was a great cottagecore cozy fantasy! I received a copy via NetGalley and all opinions are my own.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to review this ALC!

Cozy as a warm hug, sweet as raspberry jam, and an absolute delight from start to finish, this book was everything my heart needed. I adored Kiela and her dedication to keeping books and knowledge accessible to all. Her introverted tendencies had me saying, “Yep, that’s me!” SO many times! And I loved seeing her grow and overcome social anxiety while honoring her boundaries.

Then there’s Caz, the adorably nervous and magical sentient spider plant. He is officially my favorite sidekick EVER! The number of times I laughed out loud when he kindly called out Kiela or got excited about doing some research…I’m obsessed and want him to be my BFF, too!

The overall story, following Kiela and Caz as they open a secret spellshop, featured wondrous creatures, like merhorses, winged cats, and cloud bears, plus enchanting "remedies" to help the island thrive. I kept thinking, “Can this story actually get MORE magical?” And then, it DID!

I had the honor of listening to the audiobook and loved how the narrator, Caitlin Davies, brought the charming residents of Caltrey to life. Without question, it was one of the most enjoyable listening experiences I’ve had in a long time!

I could go on and on (and on) about how much I loved this book. It captured my heart and I already want to experience it again!

I thoroughly enjoyed this whimsical, warm hug of a book! I absolutely loved the lush, fantastical setting filled with mystical, wild imagery and quirky characters.

I highly recommend this for cozy fantasy readers who enjoy:
🪴 found family
🍓 mythical creatures {MERHORSES!!}
🪴 talking plants
🍓 small towns
🪴 baked goods, jams and other comforts
🍓 some adventure

Caitlin Davies absolutely nailed the narration! She brought the characters to life and added both flavor and feeling to the world.
𝘔𝘺 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨: 4.25⭐️

Thank you so much @macmillan.audio for the #gifted ALC!

I'm not often a fantasy reader, unless it's romantasy, so I've been trying to branch out *some* with my @macmillan.audio picks. (This book is listed as romantasy on some sites but I'd call it more fantasy with a sprinkle of romance.)

The Spellshop was the tale of an empire with fantastical creatures and sorcery, but only by approved sorcerers. Kiela and her sentient plant Cas escape their capital city when it's taken by revolutionaries and the library Kiela works at to go back to her home island. They save several crates of spellbooks from the burning library and capital, and they work together to find ways to use magic for good, to help the citizens of the island.

The story was whimsical and heart warming, with a little sprinkling of both romance and suspense. It was a nice listen overall.

I thought this was a delightful read, made all the better by a great audiobook reader. I found the main character completely neurotic, but charming, along with her incredibly creative plant partner. I was cracking up from the very start, our MC's complete and total disconnect form her reality was met with a rude awakening, and her growth throughout the book makes for a lighthearted and cozy journey.

I didn't know I needed a book with a sentient spider plant but now I don't ever want to go back!

The Spellshop was a very cute read, I was kicking my feet at a couple moments. A fun story of mid-stakes magic, talking plants, romance, and friendship.

"You shouldn't argue with a woman with hooves" is excellent advice and my favorite line from the book!

The audiobook was well done, the narrator had cohesive voices for the characters and fun sound effects when needed. Overall a pleasant listen!

In the past, I've read a couple low-stakes, cozy fantasy books like Books and Lattes and felt they were okay. However, The Spellshop drew me in with its librarian and talking spider plant. And overall, I'm really glad I picked it up! The plot was interesting, and I loved the world of this book and the characters. The world building and setting are really cute, but not overly complicated. And I really liked the main character and her plant companions. It was a fun read. I enjoyed Caitlyn Davies narration and would definitely listen to more books with her as a narrator. I also look forward to finding more books by Sarah Beth Durst. This was just a fun fantasy book and would recommend to students.

Thank you to NetGalley for the audio ARC to review!

For fans of Legends and Lattes and cozy fantasies, The Spellshop hits all the right notes of sweet, humorous, and light-hearted. I loved reading about Kiela and her best friend a sentient Spider Plant, Kaz, who definitely needs therapist for his anal-retentiveness 😂 I enjoyed all the side characters and well, merhorses included.

I listed to this via audio but pre-ordered a physical copy as well, this has all the classic features of a easy-breezy comfort read and I look forward to reading this again in the future.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the advanced listeners copy, all opinions are my own.

The author said she wanted to write a book that felt like a warm hug and this is 100% that book! It's so tender and soft and welcoming. I adore this island we get to know and the tight-knit community that our main character finds a home with. The romance is very much on the side of the story while the low stakes plot takes center stage. I didn't know I wanted a book about an introverted, grumpy, neurodivergent-coded librarian finding a home but damn I ate this book up! It is 100% an ode to book lovers. Sometimes books about books can get too meta for me personally but this definitely captured the joy of books as sources of information and texts that bring us together without detracting from the story. The narrator did such a fantastic job of helping to develop the world further. I listened to the audio as much as I could because the world was so much more cozy when listening to Caitlin Davies performance. I adored this cozy world and if you're looking for a reprieve from the mundanity of your life I recommend you enter this world of merhorses and sentient spider plants and everyday magic. Lovers of Legends and Lattes and The House of the Cerulean Sea should definitely pick this book up because I bet it'll be right up your alley.

Much thanks to Sarah Beth Durst, MacMillan Audio, and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to a free eaudio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I adore this book! So charming, and so full of heart and fun. It feels like the author enjoyed writing it as much as I enjoyed reading it---or listening to it, rather; the narrator, Caitlin Davies, was wonderful. The worldbuilding is thorough but accessible, though I admit I struggled to envision some things, such as a sentient spider plant and a merhorse giving birth. Winged cats I could picture, but it's rather a terrifying idea to me, lol! If not for Davies giving life to Caz (the spider plant), I'm not sure my imagination could have done him justice. And Meep! The token they/them request threw me a bit, but Meep was so adorable I wanted to reach in and squeeze her to me. Which would hurt, because they're a cactus. But oh, what fun this was. I'm sure there are flaws to find if I looked, but I couldn't care less. The story works well enough as it is and I love it.

4.25⭐️
Loved! Super cute fantasy that I thought would be way less exciting than it was!

The characters were super likable (except that one man GOD I HATE THAT MAN. I WANTED TO THROW HIM OUT A WINDOW) and so freaking cute 😭🩷

The plot was plotting and the vibes were vibing.

The romance felt a bit underdeveloped and the book went on a little too long towards the end there (there were at least 3 different instances where I thought it was about to get wrapped up, but it would suddently pick back up again) but those are my only real issues with it.

Totally recommend picking this one up. It's was a really cute read.

Put this one on the shelf right between Emily Wilde and Honey Witch! This one is peak cozy fantasy and I gobbled it right up.

Filled with easy and natural world-building, Sarah Beth Durst flawlessly transports you into her fantastical story. I’m unsure if it was the talking plant, the subtle romance, or the adoring found family that enchanted me but I loved just about everything about this one!

The narrator was wonderful and truly brings you into the Kiela’s whimsical Spellshop. This is the perfect book to pick up at the start of autumn, so put it on your tbr!

OK SO, I LOVED THIS!!

Very cozy romance with magic, civil unrest and low stakes.

The world building was chef's kiss and the sentient sidekicks with the snappy mouth is a nice comic relief. I found myself in the jam shop, by the seashore about to mount the Mer-seahorse, and running through town looking for shelter from the storm. I was all in from the first chapter!

The voice actor did a great job of keeping me engaged as well as bringing life into the characters as individuals, with their own personalities. I really did enjoy the experience of this book.

I will continue reading the work so of this author.