This was a very cute and cozy book! It reminded me a lot of Legends and Lattes, ONLY because it felt like such a wholesome and quaint read. I enjoyed the characters and the idea of discovering self identity. I personally prefer a little bit of a deeper plot and edgier story, but if you are looking for a feel good book, this one’s for you!

Thank you so much to the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Audio: The narration is amazing and the way to go. I would recommend trying the audiobook for this story and to add to the cozy time.

This is a cozy fantasy story at it's core. It will warm your heart, make you believe in love and magic. If you are. a cozy fantasy person you don't want to miss this. I loved the beginning, I felt completely entranced with the story, writing, world building and the characters. However, I think this is a me problem, I started to feel bored around 25 percent in. I just think that comes with cozy fantasy not being my favorite though I hoped that this would keep my attention. There is a fabulous talking plant who is our main characters companion, I loved him. The world itself is very fantastical and I didn't love that, which sounds odd but there are a lot of different creatures and people and for some reason that just lost me. Overall, I think if you like very fantastical stories and cozy fantasy you will enjoy this.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this novel; all opinions are my own.

DNF at 50% - the audiobook was great and well-narrated. I was just bored. Each new fantastical element added to the story only made me wonder what was going on. I didn't love our main character and I think this just wasn't for me.

This book is all vibes and not a lot of plot (which is 100% fine but just not what I was into at this time).

Excited that cottagecore has a new title to explore, as sometimes we simply need a book that makes us feel cozy and content. Kiela is escaping from her beloved library in Alyssium during a revolution. The only safe place she can think of is her childhood home on the island of Caltrey. She hopes to hide out with her assistant Caz, who happens to be a talking spider plant, and avoid all interaction with others. She did not anticipate the helpfulness of her neighbor, Larran, who irritates her and is unfortunately very kind and handsome or the other curious, but welcoming islanders. Other creatures, like merhorses, mermaids, tree guardians, and flying cats, capture Kiela’s interest and heart. Caltrey has been neglected and the islanders are suffering as springs run dry and merhorses no longer birth babies. Does Kiela have the answers in her books? Under the guise of a jam shop, she explores these spell books and finds a community she was not even looking for. While there are some minor obstacles in the book, the book flows smoothly and in an uplifting direction. I dare you not to love these islanders, especially the adorable Meep. With token baked goods and cute characters (and one grumpy villager that everyone tolerates), this story will warm your heart. I thought the plot was really well done and keep me reading. The setting is so pleasant and imaginative! The gorgeous cover is a strong indication of the beauty the reader may expect in the story. If you have not tried cozy fantasy or cottagecore before, start here! This is an excellent introduction to what is so wonderful about this genre. Narration by Caitlin Davies is ideal for this novel. Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the opportunity to read and review.

I love love love this book! It was so cute and had a little bit of everything in it. I’m still on the fence if this should be a 5 star read. I have read a few other things by Sarah and loved them, this one is no different. I got sucked into the world and now want to vacation there. I would love to see everyone again plus I want to ride a merhorse! I was so inspired by this book that I had to try my hand at drawing a few things from the book. It was such a cute and magical story that I foresee myself rereading in the future. I fell in love with so many of the characters.
If you're looking for a cozy summer vibe, sweet romance and loveable characters this is the book for you!

Thanks to @macmillan.audio for the gifted ALC! #MacAudio2024

I’m fairly new to cozy fantasies but was drawn to The Spellshop as soon as I saw it being recommended to fans of Travis Baldree and TJ Klune and of course as soon as I saw that magical cover!

The main character is Kiela, who is a librarian. When the library she is working in comes under siege during a revolution that is brewing in her city, Kiela and her best friend Caz, a sentient spider plant, packs up as many of the library’s precious spell books as they can, and flee. Kiela decides the best place to hide the books and start over is on the remote island where she grew up. Even though Kiela has every intention of laying low so there’s no way the revolutionaries can find her, her nosy neighbors, especially the handsome mer-horse trainer Lorren, have other ideas.

This story was just the cutest! I loved how quirky and endearing all of the characters were and how determined they were to help Kiela, no matter how much she tried to resist their assistance. I loved how they won her over to the extent that she then started using those stolen spell books to help better the town, which has definitely seen better days.

I also just adored all of the magical creatures, from the sentient plants to the flying cats and everything in between. The whole time I was listening, I just kept thinking to myself what a perfect Disney movie this would be!

While this is definitely a cozy fantasy which can sometimes be a little slow, there’s also some low stakes drama along the way that keeps this story moving along at a good clip. I listened to the entire audiobook in a couple of sittings and thought Caitlin Davies’ narration was excellent. I loved the voices she gave each character, especially the magical creatures. The world building, while beautiful, is not at all complicated, so I was easily able to listen at my usual 1.75x - 2x speed.

If you enjoy magical, atmospheric writing, found family vibes, & slow burn romances, you’ll love The Spellshop!

I absolutely loved this book. The writing was clear and never confusing. The story was just the type I like. A little magic, love and chaos makes for a great story. I would love to read a sequel! I can’t get enough of the characters.

Such a great cozy fantasy. I really enjoyed this audiobook and narrator. If you’re looking for an easy listen with a low stakes storyline then this is the perfect one for you. The descriptiveness of this book alone is what drew me in and kept me entertained. Caz - the talking spider plant and meep were my favorites.

Thank you to @macmillan.audio for the ALC. All thoughts are my own.

The Spellshop is one of my unexpected favorites of the year! It is cozy and delightful and a compelling story. The narrator was EXCELLENT, and I’m so glad I listened to it!

When the library where she works is destroyed in a fire, Kiela gathers as many spell books as she can save and flees the city. She returns to her childhood home on a remote island, where she quickly realizes that she a) doesn’t have a plan and b) is not supposed to have access to spells or perform magic. Thankfully she has a sentient spider plant as a best friend and the townspeople seem (mostly) friendly. As she realizes that the island could use a little magical assistance, she must decide how much to risk for a town she’s quickly growing to love.

Read for:
- An amazing narrator
- Sentient spider plant
- Jam
- The coziest fantasy
- Character focused storytelling
- Illegal Magic
- Merhorses
- Found family

Highly, highly recommend reading this one with your ears!

Thank you to Net Galley for the audio ARC!
I’m not normally a fan of the low-stakes, cozy fantasies, I like a little more romance and a little more action, but I picked this book up on a whim. The cover and description drew me in and it was good but maybe not my cup of tea. The characters are interesting and the overall vibe of the book is very cute and definitely cozy. It reminds me of Legends and Lattes in a way and if that is your jam, this book is for you!

Thank you to Macmillan for the audio ARC of this book. The narrator does an awesome job voicing all the characters and differentiating them. I also greatly appreciate her pace as a lot of narrators talk very slowly.

I love me some cozy fantasy, and I had been seeing this one everywhere, so I was excited to give it a try. Sadly, it was not for me.

This story has a decently cozy and interesting premise– a revolution destroys the great library where Kiela is a librarian and she flees to her home island with her sentient spider plant assistant Caz and a few crates of stolen spellbooks. Kiela decides to open up a combination jam / spell shop in order to help her homeland that’s fallen onto hard times back into the place she remembers from her childhood. Add in a burly, all-too-happy to help love interest, some magical mystery, and a few surly islanders to win over, and it could be the plot of Nintendo’s next Harvest Moon game.

Instead we have an inconsistent heroine who’s positively irate that anyone would have the AUDACITY to *gasp* bring her a basket full of goodies to welcome her back to her family’s cabin. In fact, after she lights a fire without checking the chimney in her previously ABANDONED house and fills it with smoke, the MMC comes to check on her (and you know, make sure she’s not dead in a burned out cabin) and is roped into some repairs by Caz, and is telling her stories of how they knew each other before she left the island. Innocent, right? Well our FMC loses her mind on him because he “embroiled her in his emotions without her consent” and then on the next page justifies her actions as trying to protect him from being an accomplice to the theft of the spell books that he doesn’t know she has. In fact, no one knows she was even a librarian so this argument feels so forced.

I won’t lie, I was going to DNF this around 15% because I despised the FMC so much. She’s been through trauma and is definitely autistic coded, but that doesn’t excuse her being such a bitch. However, after her blow up with our MMC, her talking plant becomes the voice of reason and tells her that she needs to calm the heck down and start believing that people can just be *NICE*. She seemed to change her attitude and actually *try* a bit to break out of the stereotypical zero social skills only books trope, so I continued on. And then... nothing happens. She decides to use the aforementioned illegal spell books to help the island and I found myself zoning out and having to repeat sections of the audiobook. I gave up at 56% because I was bored and life is too short to continue on with books you're not vibing with.

What a fun and entertaining way to do a cozy fantasy book.
In a time that cozy fantasy is pretty copy and paste this coming home/finding yourself story really stands out.
The world was full of vibrant characters and creatures, including the best character in my opinion, Caz, the slightly murderous talking house plant.
I found myself laughing out loud (that doesn't happen often for me with books) and really connecting with the characters who all felt familiar to me.
There were a few things this book could have really done without, like the full chapter of cleaning... but overall was such a good time.
The romance was sweet and just enough for a book like this (imo).

5/5 all of the way! This is such a wonderful and cozy fantasy read. I am all for a nice cozy book! It is more than I could’ve hoped for and definitely worth the read. I have officially added the physical copy to my shopping list. The book is beautiful.

***I received this copy in return of an honest review via NetGalley

When the Great Library of Alyssium is set ablaze due to the revolution, the librarian Kiela must flee with her talking spider plant Caz. Kiela takes as many books as she can and returns to her childhood home. She finds the home abandoned after her parents passed. What Kiela didn’t expect to find was some nosy neighbors who are a little too helpful. Kiela finds the town in despair and decides to help it by using some of the magic spell books that she stole from the library. Even though magic is banned Kiela secretly creates spells for the town while selling jam out of her home.

Cozy fantasy is a new genre for me this year and I’m loving it. I loved the author’s writing. She creates beautiful imagery and it put me there. I felt like I could visualize the story. I also love how she created a cute little jam shop.

The characters and Kiela’s hometown are charming. There are a ton of interesting characters and creatures in this story. How can you not love Caz?! He’s such a sweet little worry wart who will do anything to protect the people he cares about. I love how the town (most of it at least) embraced Kiela as their own and supported her. Once Kiela got over her skepticism she was an amazing friend and partner.

My main issue with the book is how long it is. For the first 65% of the book there are no major conflicts, just minor inconveniences. I think some of the filler parts could have been cut down to get to the real issue in the book.

I highly recommend if you like cottage core, cozy fantasies and enjoyed Legends & Lattes!

A cute and cozy cottagecore fantasy with likeable characters and, of course, a happy ending.

Kiela is relatable but frustrating at times, as the constant miscommunication and catastrophizing became a bit tiresome. At least Caz was there saying what we all wish we could. I loved how ride-or-die the ladies of the Pinecone Coven are, they definitely gave this story a bit more life and kept things interesting for me.

I found myself wanting to know more about all the character's histories, about the different races described (was there this much diversity in Alyssium and elsewhere?), or more on the magical creatures of the island - the cloud bears and winged cats, etc.
The plot was mostly predictable but in a comforting way, not too many surprises .
This was an easy read/listen, especially with Caitlin Davies' great narration and voices, and I would definitely look out for another book by this author set in the same world!

Thanks NetGalley for the free advanced copy

3.75 rounded up.
Kiela the librarian and Caz, her assistant, a sentient spider plant, flee the library in Alysium during rebellion and unrest and sail away. They land on the Caltre, the island she was born on, and try to settle in quietly with the books they spirited away from the library, but the locals have other plans.

What a cozy book! Yes, there are some serious themes in the background and Kiela and Caz seem to be suffering from fleeing unrest. Otherwise, the stakes are much lower while still a fantasy. You might enjoy this if you liked Bookshops and Bonedust or Legends and Lattes. Caitlin Davies does a great job with narrating and her voices are enjoyable

Thank you to Macmillian Audio for an ALC on NetGalley. All opinions are my own. This book is due to be published 7/9/24.

This book was a splendid treat.

If you want a cozy low stakes fantasy, this book is the perfect fit.

Our main character, Kiela, finds herself in a precarious situation when the library she worked and lived in is burned and raided. She seeks refuge in a small village that was her first home as a child and is now the place where she keeps some of the worlds most precious objects... books. But these are no ordinary books, they are spell books that contain forbidden magic. In her mission to protect the books, she uses them to help the people of the village and that's when things go a little haywire...

I loved everything about this. It was such a warm read that made me excited to jump back into fantasy after a long hiatus (I've been on a romance binge as of late). I absolutely recommend this book especially to people just starting out with fantasy. I think it's the perfect intro.

As for the narrator, Caitlin Davies did a fantastic job!

4/5

This book didn't end how I thought it would, that being said it also didn't start how I thought it would. I was gripped from the second the story began in a library then thrown into the sea with Caz and Keila and along for the journey. I loved the growth Keila showed, and all of her depth of character. Caz was a delight, the merhorses were wonderful and all the fantastical world building.

What a treat of a story!
I don't have much familiarity with cozy fantasy books, but to me, this is such a wonderful example of one!
Sarah Beth Durst infuses this story with such incredible and vivid descriptions of the town, surrounding environment, and a lovely tiny cottage home, making the setting a vital character to the story. She really transports the reader to the island of Caltrey, providing the perfect backdrop for our characters to play off of.
While I felt like our main character went through some growing pains upon her arrival in Caltrey with regards to her treatment/approach with others on the island, she does become such a sweet and endearing character. As the reader, you spend the entire book wanting her to succeed in each and every one of her ventures, following her explorations and experimentations with true investment in the outcome.
While reading this story I was so impressed with the way Durst executed the development of each and every secondary/side character. These characters are fun, funny, and don't feel two dimensional. They have histories that enrich the way they interact with our main character and add so much to the overall story.
For me, the one stumbling point in this book is the romance. I initially really enjoyed the way it was developing and evolving as the story progressed and our characters became involved with more and more high jinks, but I do think Durst pushed the relationship a bit too quickly towards the end. Sometimes less is more and I feel that sentiment would have improved the execution of the romance in this story.
Overall, I absolutely adored this story! The audiobook was so much fun with a narrator whose voice breathed brightness and sunshine into the written words. If you're in the mood for a cozy fantasy or want to give this genre a try you can't go wrong with The Spellshop.

This book was magic. Pure, simple, cozy vibes and fresh ripe raspberry magic. I love the characters in this book, from Caz to Larran to Eidith, and Meep. There wasn't a character in this book that I didn't want to introduce myself and make friends with. Even the secondary cast of beings was amazing. The tree guardians, the seahorses, mermaids, and the flying cats! Kiela is an amazing MC, she started out so timid and stuck in her comfort zone. As more fantastical things started to happen around her it was great to see her grow and become such an integral part of the island. I enjoyed the romance between her and Larran and how sweet and awkward it was, Caz's remarks on such were hilarious and i found myself giggling at the banter. I also loved that there was so much representation in this book, some kinda disguised and fantastical but it was there none the less. I love this idea that with the right mid set and a little magic anything can be accomplished. The determination, sense of community, and loyalty all made this such a cozy read. One that i will reread and keep on my shelf .

The Narrator did an amazing job of bringing to life my tandem read!