Skip to main content

Member Reviews

This book was so special! Probably the best cozy fantasy that exists. I want to be friends with all of the characters and live in their world forever. Even if you're not a cozy fantasy reader you should give this author a chance. What an amazing read!

Was this review helpful?

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

This was everything I wanted and MORE. It was cozy, funny, sweet, unexpected, and really fun. It was extremely well written with amazing characters, a beautiful setting, and an interesting plot. It walked the line perfectly between keeping me interested but not raising my blood pressure and leaving me feeling lighter.

This has easily risen to the upper echelons of cozy fantasy for me. It had charm and wit and heartwarming relationships, and of course the awkward, imperfect MCs I've come to expect and adore from Sarah Beth Durst. My heart and face smile when I think about this cast of characters and I can think of nothing better to feel after finishing a book.

The ensemble case is AMAZING - I want to live there and meet them all, eating the amazing foods Yarrow makes and learning fascinating things with Terlu; exploring the greenhouses and learn songs with the plants.....I could go on and on about how much I loved it, seriously.

If you love cozy fantasy (or even if you don't), you do NOT want to miss this one. It's beautiful and is a warm hug with a cup of rose tea, a slice of perfectly honey-buttered bread, and a stunning array of flowers to look at and enjoy.

Was this review helpful?

As a big fan of Sarah Beth Durst's "The Spellshop," I was very excited for this adventure in the same universe of the first novel. In this story, we learn more about the librarian of the Great Library of Alyssium, Terlu Perna, who created Cas, the sentient spider plant with illegal magic, breaking the law and dooming her to life as a statue. After years spent in the library, suspended in time, Terlu suddenly awakens in a snowy woods on a barely inhabited island, unsure of how or when she got there, but knowing only that is alive again! When Terlu meets her savior, a reserved gardener whose job it is to care for the hundreds of plants and rooms of the Enchanted Greenhouses now that their creator, a sorcerer who became more reclusive the closer to his death, has passed on.

Terlu is grateful when the handsome but quiet gardener, Yarrow, takes her in and cares for her, but he is reluctant to open up about how the greenhouses' magic is failing now the Laiken, the sorcerer is gone. As Terlu begins to study the late sorcerer's work in hopes of saving the greenhouses and inadvertently awakens the sentient plants he created, she must overcome her fear of imperial retribution in order to help Yarrow and save the great Greenhouses of Belde before it's too late!

While this book moved a little slower than The Spellshop, and some of the initial romance between Terlu and Yarrow felt a little forced, I really appreciated how their relationship blossomed (excuse the pun) over time through mutual care and understanding of what is most important to them. I liked seeing Terlu come into her own and how she worked to build community on this tiny island, overcoming her fear of being punished again for using magic in order to do what was right. There was a strong mixture of humor, regret and grief in this book that made the ending that much more impactful. I will continue to be excited to inhabit this world as long as Durst keeps writing stories in it!

Was this review helpful?

A sweet follow-up to The Spellshop, The Enchanted Greenhouse follows Caz's creator as she gets a second chance at life in a fantastical greenhouse. Focuses on themes of loneliness and learning to ask for help.

Was this review helpful?

On a remote island in a snowstorm, outside a magical huge greenhouse, Turlu wakes from her punishment as a statue, fully human again and really cold. The only other person on the island is the gardener who hopes she is a magician sent to fix the magical greenhouse that has begun to fail. But she's a librarian who was punished because she was lonely and used magic forbidden to make a plant sentient as a friend. How did she get to this island? How is she no longer a statue? Who is this mysterious (and very attractive gardener? Will she be punished again if she translates the spells of the greenhouse creator to heal the greenhouse? Can she heal the greenhouse? A parallel story in the world of The Spellshop readers of cozy fantasy will be enchanted with this new title.

Was this review helpful?

I wanted to give the author Sarah Beth Durst another chance after not really liking her debut novel but this one still didn't hit for me. I have no doubt that this will be popular just as her 1st was though.

I think the thing that really holds me up is the structure of the chapter and the flowiness of the prose. Chapters seem to lake structure and end in odd places and the narration seems too lyrical to be 3rd person.

Despite that I think a lot of people will enjoy this one even though it wasn't for me.

Rated 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC ebook.

Was this review helpful?

The Hype Is Real!

The Enchanted Greenhouse absolutely delivers! Though not a direct sequel to The Spellshop, it shares the same enchanting world—and fans will be thrilled by a cameo from a beloved character that ties the two books together beautifully.

Sarah Beth Durst once again proves she's a master of cozy fantasy. Her worldbuilding is rich and immersive, and the characters are so real, they’ll tug at your heartstrings. The dialogue is sharp, witty, and full of warmth—just the right blend of humor and heart.

If you’re looking for a feel-good read that wraps you in comfort while still offering emotional depth, this book is everything. The vibes are immaculate and the magic is undeniable. Total 5-star read!

Was this review helpful?

This book was cute, but it felt waaaay too long for not a lot going on. I loved Terlu but I could have done without about half the amount of stream-of-consciousness from her! Her relationship with the MMC was cute, but felt extremely lukewarm. To the point where I don’t even remember his name lol. This world is very interesting though, so I’m along for the ride!

🌈Queer rep: Multiple secondary non-gendered sentient plants (they/them), secondary FF couple.

Was this review helpful?

This is the best book I’ve read so far this year. Our main character was a librarian who brought a spider plant to life. As her punishment, she was turned to stone. When she awakes, she’s on an island with magical greenhouses and a very grumpy gardener.

The Enchanted Greenhouse is a story of second chances, learning to ask for help, forgiveness, and hop. It’s magic and whimsy from start to finish and an absolute must read.

It was an absolute honor to receive an early copy of this from Bramble Romance. Sarah Beth Durst has quickly become an auto read author for me.

Was this review helpful?

Admittedly I am in my cozy fantasy era, and I love to garden, so this book ticked ALL of the boxes for me: Lovable characters who do lots of gentle growth while finding their place in the world, plus gardening talk, sentient plants, and a magical greenhouse on a remote island. Sounds like the perfect place to escape the world, and this book is a lovely little literary getaway in its own right.

The Enchanted Greenhouse is a companion follow up to The Spellshop, and while it works just as well as a stand-alone story, continuing readers can enjoy mentions of favorite characters from the first book. Like Spellshop, the Enchanted Greenhouse manages to be a gentle tale set during a time of general upheaval. It starts off with a bit of a dramatic bang, which might put readers off if they're hoping for cozy vibes only, but it does even out pretty quickly as the tale goes along so I'd say to stick with it. Because the real story is about what comes after.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, it's ultimately a tale about extending the same grace to ourselves that we do to those we care for. I would recommend it for fans of cozy fantasy and plant enthusiasts alike.

Was this review helpful?

Absolutely beautiful story. It's been a while since I read the first book and I don't really remember it, but this book beautifully stands on its own.

Was this review helpful?

Not a sequel to the author's The Spellshop, but rather a companion book. The Enchanted Greenhouse explores the fate of the librarian that created Caz (from the earlier book). Terlu created Caz, a magically sentient spider plant, using a forbidden spell from one of the spell books in the Great Library where she worked. When caught, she was found guilty of using magic and sentenced to be turned into a wooden statue in the library...a warning to others. All of this information is found in The Spellshop, so no spoilers. This book tells 'the rest of the story', exploring Terlu's fate. I enjoyed this visit to the author's fantastical greenhouses and the world of magic that she has created in these books.

Was this review helpful?

I LOVE THIS BOOK‼️absolute favorite of the year. dare i say... more than the first one?? gorgeous, gorgeous writing with characters i adore, stunning visuals, and a story that melts the heart. sarah beth, you could do no wrong in my eyes

Was this review helpful?

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC of The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst! There’s no doubt that Durst is an excellent cozy writer, but she outdid herself with The Spellshop last year. I loved The Spellshop and it shocks me to say, but I loved The Enchanted Greenhouse just as much! I could feel myself walking thought the greenhouses of Belde alongside Terlu and Yarrow. I could smell the flowers, taste the vegetables, and hear the flowers sing. Talk about atmospheric! Not to mention the cute romance story between Terlu and Yarrow. A little bit of mystery and a whole lot of cozy, you have to give this one a read! FIVE STARS!

Was this review helpful?

I fell in love with The Spellshop and was super excited to read this advanced copy of The Enchanted Greenhouse. Set in the same world as Keila and Caz’s adventure, this story was just as cozy. It felt a bit slower but I didn’t mind it. The pace of the story fit the setting in my opinion. I loved how the greenhouses were described. The author does a great job in both stories of describing a magical world just enough that the reader can paint their own picture. Overall, I loved this one. I maybe would have enjoyed a bit more external conflict but again, the story was definitely centered around the characters internal conflict so that’s just a preference of mine. I hope there will be more stories set in this world in the future. It’s vibrant , magical and relatable!

Was this review helpful?

The Author does Cozy Fantasy like no other. All I want is a Honey Cake a talking plant and a life full of love after hardship. I absolutely adored every aspect of this book! I am so happy we got this perspective!

Was this review helpful?

First, the good things: I did like the characters. I was super excited to see Terlu was getting her own book. The author says in her note that Terlu's fate was the one thing that continuously bothered her and Terlu was wonderful. She's endearing and her and Yarrow's relationship was very sweet. I did like that we had a whole collection of talking plants this time. I also liked the setting of the greenhouses and the many different creatures and types of plants that lived in them.

Unfortunately, I had a few major issues with this book. The first is the pacing. It takes a long time to get going. Nothing really big happens until about the middle of the book and I would argue it really doesn't get going until about 2/3rds of the way through. This means a lot of important characters aren't introduced until much later, so I never got the time to actually come to like them. In the Spellshop, we spent a good amount of times with the side characters and they came off as endearing. The side characters in this book kind of come off as abrasive and annoying. There simply wasn't enough time to develop them, especially with some of the revelations about them and how everyone feels about each other. Another major issue I had was that Terlu doesn't fully feel like the main character, even thought we are in her POV. Yarrow makes more sense as the main character. Terlu does have the internal conflict of having been transformed into a statue for illegal magic and hesitating to want to do magic again, but she doesn't really hesitate that much. Yarrow instead is having his home literally falling apart around him and he also has a very defined conflict with this family. In fact, some of the scenes just have Terlu kind of hanging out while Yarrow unearths trauma with his family and Terlu's even thinking "Should I be here right now?" It was very awkward.

Overall, I just liked the Spellshop more and it sucks to be comparing them so much, but they are in the same series and obviously have similarities. I don't think this is a bad book and I would be interested in other cozy fantasy the author writes, I just felt this book maybe needed a bit more tweaking to hit as well as The Spellshop.

Was this review helpful?

See review notes for publisher. It was too similar to The Spellshop, which was wonderful, and the self confident fat main character missed the mark for me. Too many references to her body and all in a commentary manner.

Was this review helpful?

The Enchanted Greenhouse was full of whimsy. I really enjoyed this story & was so happy to return to this wolrd created by Sarah Beth Durst.
Thank you to NetGalley for the arc.

Was this review helpful?

I loved Spellshop sooo much. I will admit this took me a long time to get in to. I tried both reading and listening to this. I loved the atmosphere, the coziness of the greenhouse, and the magical elements. There’s so much potential for this really. I don’t know if it’s because I liked Spellshop so much much but this just didn’t feel the same. I can’t put my finger on it either. It was good, just not as good as the first. Thank you for the ebook. I will definitely suggest it for customers who liked Spellshop.

Was this review helpful?