A cozy new favorite! I absolutely fell in love with this story. The world is magical without being complicated. It has conflicts but still remains cozy.

The main character is anti social and sometimes rude, but I love that for her. She loves books and her cute companion more than people and I completely understand! I'm sure there will be some readers who don't enjoy this kind of main character, but I related to her a lot. She has her entire life completely turned and has to start over, but she pushes forward even when she's unsure how to.

The audiobook is charming and I highly recommend it.

A lovely fantasy novel and I hope this story will continue. I enjoyed the world and the characters. If you enjoy fantasy that isn't heavy and characters with which you can relate - give a listen/read to this one.

An enchanting, low-stakes, cozy fantasy! Give me all the books like this! I loved being transported to the world Sarah Beth Durst created which felt so real along with her lovable cast of characters. This book basically felt like a big hug and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute spent listening to the audiobook. The narrator was great at really giving life to each character in the book and her voice was so pleasant to listen to. Everything combined made this such a audiobook such a wonderful novel to experience. Can not recommend this one enough!

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

Kiela is a librarian along with her magical talking spider plant Caz. During a revolution, the two of them grab as many spell books as possible and escape the burning library. She goes to her childhood home and they learn to use the spells in the books to help themselves and the other islanders.

I enjoyed the cozy book and Caitlin Davies did a great job narrating.

We're not murdering anyone. That's not what librarians do.

"I can't lose books! I'll lose me!"

"Stay."
"You don't even know me.. I'm not friendly. I like to be alone."
"You can be alone with me."

GAHHHHHHH. 🫠
This was the best cozy cottage core fantasy I’ve read. An awkward introverted book loving FMC, her sentient spider plant, and a cinnamon roll MMC. So quirky and cute.
I DEFINITELY recommend the audiobook. Narrator was fantastic!

Thank you up NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an arc of this audiobook in an exchange for an honest review!

Every once in a while, you read a book that you just want to crawl into and live in. This is one of those books. I’ve read a lot of cozy fantasy lately, and sadly a large majority of it has been underwhelming recently. There’s a fine line in cozy fantasy between having low-stakes to no stakes at all. The Spellshop walks this line perfectly. Even better, the stakes involve books.

The town, the characters, the sentient house plant! I could go on and on.(But seriously, Caz the sentient spider plant has to be one of the greatest characters ever created.) The rest of the characters are just as lovable and diverse. I can easily see some of these characters having their own books (which I would absolutely read).

The romance aspect is a slow-burn, neighbors-to-friends-to-lovers that I think was done in such a way that will please both avid romance readers and fantasy readers alike.

I will definitely be purchasing this audiobook and highly recommend it to any fans of cozy fantasy.

The Spellshop was such a lovely read! If you are a fan of cozy fantasy, you’d really enjoy this book! It had all the cottage core vibes with sprinkles of humor and love through out. Kelia, a librarian, and Caz, her sentient plant friend, are forced to flee the city when the rebellion strikes. Kelia’s mission is to keep the books safe and to build a new life for her and Caz. Through their journey they meet a plethora of characters that are just so enchanting, funny, sweet, sassy, and humble. They create the best small town feel on the island. The slow burn relationship of Keila and Larren is so tender and sweet, it really touches your heart. Sarah Beth Durst wrote this so beautifully and so descriptively you felt like you were there. You could see the berry bushes and the garden, you could smell the ocean air, taste the delicious pastries! I really enjoyed the premise but the pacing was a bit too slow for me. Most of the conflict/resolution felt a little rushed as it was all towards the end. Caitlin Davies did a fantastic job narrating! She embodied every character perfectly! I especially loved her as Caz. He is such a sassy, lovable character. If you’re looking for something new and want to slow down, The Spellshop is for you!

Thank you to MacMillan Audio, NetGalley, and Sarah Beth Durst for providing this opportunity.

A cute read but not quite my cup of tea especially at the start, found the main character so grating it was hard to get on bored

Such a cute and whimsical fantasy read! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Rundown..
This book follows Kiela, a young woman who escapes a tragic fire in the library she works at with her best friend, Caz. In the midst of the escape, Kiela realizes there is only one place she can go, her home island that she left many years ago. Life as she knows it is having to change right in front of her. Starting over is never easy, especially when you’re hiding something.

I am blown away by this book. First off, thank you NetGalley, Sarah Beth Durst, Caitlin Davies & Macmillan Audio for allowing me to have early access to this masterpiece. I was thrilled to have access to the audio book and thoroughly enjoyed the narrator who helped paint the picture of this story.

Now, should you read this book? ABSOLUTELY!

The characters are amazing and vastly different from each other with their personalities fitting perfectly. I enjoyed listening to Kiela’s growth through the story. She was faced with a multitude of struggles and you’ll have to read to find out if she made it through them.

One of my favorite aspects of this story is the way the author painted a picture of the world. It was in depth without being too much.

Highly recommend this book for a cute short read! ☺️

The Spellshop was exactly what I needed in my life- a cozy, low stakes fantasy, full of magic, imagination, humor and a cast of lovable characters.

The protagonist, Kiela, is so relatable as an introverted bookish librarian that is overwhelmed with the idea of socializing. Her internal dialogue and remarks had me laughing out loud several times. Her companion, Caz, is a sentient spider plant and I loved him from the second he was introduced- he was hilarious and smart and at times beautifully philosophical. His relationship with Kiela is so adorable with their mutual love of books and research.

I don't want to say too much as to spoil this story but there were many fantastical creatures I've never heard of which was so exciting! merhorses!? I loved the merhorses! The world building is gradual and feels very organic to the plot, it never feels overwhelming- just like the description of the world's magic system. There is a no spice romance subplot that I quite enjoyed, too.

I listened to the audio of this book and the narration by Caitlin Davies was perfect! The cadence was perfect- not too fast or too slow. Davies was such a joy to listen to and kept me fully engaged the whole time.

This book was a warm hug and a perfect escape from the chaos that is the world today. If you enjoy cozy, cottage core, found family, sassy plants or small town settings- this one is absolutely for you!

Aww, I am truly so sad that I just didn’t enjoy Sarah Beth Durst’s <i>The Spellshop</i>. There was so much in this book’s premise that really appealed to me and everything was off to such a fantastic start—

Book loving librarian? √
Book thievery to save knowledge? √
Whole swaths of society in desperate need of magic to support their communities? √
A monarchical government that hoards the magic for themselves? √
Exciting rebellion against said tyrannical kingdom? √
Literally the coolest magical companion in an enchanted spider plant the size of a dog? √√√√√

—only, once we arrived at the cottage that would become the main character’s future spellshop, everything just went downhill for me.

A great, grand total of nothing happens for the vast majority of this book. I felt like I spent the entire first half just waiting for something interesting to happen, but instead I was forced to sit through a whole lot of empty with the occasional character interaction as Kiela—with some help from Caz the spider plant and neighbor boy, Lauren—puts the cottage back together and starts building a front of selling jams in order to begin her magic business. We spend <i>far</i> too much time watching her flounder, insist repeatedly that she’s not comfortable with help (and possibly human interaction), and meander her way through doing, again, a grand total of nothing interesting.

If there’s one thing I hate but will sit through in hopes of it getting better, it’s boredom. I was so not expecting this to be the case with <i>The Spellshop</i>, but it literally takes forever for anything to happen that actually raises the stakes in this book. And when that does happen, it is resolved in the most annoyingly simple way imaginable. Then that leads to conflict number two, which is <i>also</i> resolved in an annoyingly simple and exceedingly lucky manner. Which, finally, leads us to the last conflict…which is resolved in much the same way.

I feel like I’m being exceedingly forgiving of this book with the rating I chose, but I do have to admit that I absolutely loved and adored the creativeness involved with the creation of Caz as a character. Were it not for this beautiful, endearing soil core creature I don’t think I would have made it through this book in the first place, let alone have enjoyed anything about it. But Caz was phenomenal. And, if nothing else, Caz is the one thing that Durst did right with this book. I will love and protect him into the ends of the earth.

Finally, I deeply enjoyed the narration for the audiobook. I imagine it might have been quite a bit more difficult to get through the story had the narrator not been as fantastic as she was.

Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for sending me an audio ARC of The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst in exchange for review.

4 stars

Cozy fantasy is something I’ve dabbled in. It’s nice here and there but not generally my “go-to”. However, this was absolutely delightful. The only thing I can compare this to is like the vibe of watching a Hayao Miyazaki movie it’s lighthearted and fun with big found family and magic. In my mind anyway, the island is colorful and full of adorable small town beauty. Overgrown plants and warmth. Kiela is likable and clever, starting a fun shop to give the islanders what they really secretly need.

The romance was cute and simple but in my opinion took a very extreme turn near the end that seemed a little off and I wish it had been a little less serious?

I also wish there were a little more details about the characters like maybe I just personally missed it but I remember being part way into this book and being shocked to find out Kiela was blue??????????

But Caz is the true hero of the story of course we love a sentient plant pal. I wish I had one that’s for certain anyway.


I just love all the whimsy and it furthers my want to live in a small town where you can trust the few people that you know nearby.

I’ve actually had this book preordered since October 2023 and now having read it I will keep my preorder to display this wholesome trophy upon my shelf. Thank you Bramble Books!

I have historically not loved a lot of cozy fantasies - I think I typically want just a little more plot in my books. But I think this is my favorite cozy fantasy that I've read! It has a good balance of coziness and some plot. What I do like about cozy fantasies is that we're often just dropped into the world and there's not a ton of world building to contend with. We were part way through this book when I realized that some of the characters were actually magical creatures or had other...non-human elements.

I enjoyed the narration and think it added to my experience, though I will say that I have no idea how to spell any of the characters names which can be tough for fantasy!

Read for:
- A Sentient Spider Plant
- Merhorses!
- Jam making
- Spells!

Sadly, this didn't fully work for me. I gave it a good 54% but I just didn't care and I'm sorry for it because I do like the vibes, the talking spider plant companion, the merhorses, the idea of a sort of undercover spellshop, and the cottagecore aesthetics.

I just didn't like this FMC, she kind of rubbed me the wrong way and I didn't warm up to her. Also, though this is low stakes, it felt like nothing much was happening and what was happening just wasn't interesting or engaging me in any major way. The romance didn't hit for me either, I wasn't at all invested and, as far as I read, he deserved better than this rude woman lmao. Maybe she grows and changes or whatever, I don't care enough to find out. Again, I'm sorry for it, I went into this book hoping to love it.

Giving it a soft 3 stars for effort and because I acknowledge that many other people will love it and find magic in this as it is.

This was one of my most anticipated reads for this year and I’m so disappointed. This had so much potential, but it fell short. The gorgeous cover art and Caz, the talking spider plant, were the best parts of this book!

The first half was very slow paced and it didn’t pick up much. Some of the politics didn’t fit in with the cozy story and most parts of the story were more telling, than showing.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced listening copy in exchange for my honest review.

Magical and sweet - and I'm not just talking about the jam.

The Spellshop leans hard into cottagecore cozy, introducing an introvert librarian who loves books and plants. After a fire at her job in the big city, Kiela returns quietly to her hometown for lack of anywhere else to go. There her desperation turns to resolve as she finds a place for herself to belong.

The story is cute and wholesome, exactly as expected for a cozy fantasy. Kiela overcomes obstacles, makes friends, and tests forbidden magic spells as she builds her new life. The magic trial and error and the mythical creatures make for lovely fantasy elements.

So why not five stars? Kiela's over-the-top prickliness toward her friendly neighbor Larren feels off. Mostly though, the book is a perfectly sweet cozy story that just didn't wow me beyond that. If you love cozy fantasy, The Spellshop is a great option!

Thank you @brambleromance @macmillan.audio #partner #macaudio2024 for the gifted copies of this book!

Holy mystical frijoles! This book was like stepping into a magical fairytale and being swept away on a glorious fantastical journey. It felt reminiscent of Hansel and Gretel, mixed with beauty and the beast, a little mermaid and a dash of Smurf’s. 😂 I know that’s may sound ridiculous but there is the MOST adorable talking cactus that completely stole my heart (beauty and beast talking teacup vibe), merhorses (little mermaid), a talking spider plant, this cottage in the woods that felt extraordinary (like Smurf’s and Hansel and Gretel). This book literally stole my heart. I was not expecting to absolutely devour and love this story like I did. This book is unique in the most charming way. 🫶 Let me also tell you that the audiobook MADE me so engrossed in this world. I cannot get over “Meep” the cactus. I mean for real the cutest most adorable thing ever. Can you tell he was my favorite? 🌵I 💯 think you need a physical copy of this book because the cover is gorgeous and it has PURPLE sprayed edges but you also need audio because…oh my goodness there is a talking cactus. 🤗

If you love a lighthearted, found family, romantic, quirky, magical story you need this book. PS. It has a talking cactus. 🤩

I loved it! I’m new to cozy fantasy, and this book felt like a warm hug from your brave best friends when the real world is scary and uncertain. Librarian Kiela returns to her small home island when the revolution in the city explodes in fighting and chaos. She brings as many books as she can save and her best friend, a sentient plant. On the island she finds life difficult, albeit magical, and opens a jam shop in her family cottage. She also finds lovely townspeople, yummy cinnamon rolls, merpeople and merhorses, cloud bears, a sweet romance, and the courage to stand by her new friends when they need it most.
The conflicts in the last third felt a bit repetitive, as did the resolutions, but I was still entranced and would definitely read more from this author.
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC to read and review. All opinions are my own.

The fantasy world this is set in is really lovely, and I definitely wanted to learn more about the animals and plants as our main character moved throughout the book. I would say this is definitely for fans of Legends & Lattes or You Can’t Spell Tea Without Treason, though obviously the main couple of this is not queer. The world, however, is queer normative and there is a queer side character.

The pacing was a little roughshod—it felt like we were just bouncing from idea to idea to idea without a real sense of a unified story arc—but the author was very clear in the internal monologue of the main character what she wanted the takeaway of each of the events to be. The story has a sweet romance which is a central plot point but not the only thing moving the plot forward, and this is not a spicy book. I would say it is generally written in a straightforward manner than would not be inappropriate for YA readers, if they were interested in the subject matter.

The narrator was pleasant to listen to and had good inflection throughout. In some places it felt very much like she was reading a children’s book in tone but I don’t necessarily think it was inappropriate for the content being read.

Perfect for fans of cottagecore with a touch of cozy mystery! Can really brought some lighthearted humor to this tale!