Book Review: The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst
Title: The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst
Publication Date: 9th July 2024
Publisher: Tor UK
RRP: $34.99
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Synopsis:
Kiela has always had trouble dealing with people. Thankfully, as a librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium, she and her assistant, Caz—a magically sentient spider plant—have spent the last decade sequestered among the empire’s most precious spellbooks, preserving their magic for the city’s elite.
When a revolution begins and the library goes up in flames, she and Caz flee with all the spellbooks they can carry and head to a remote island Kiela never thought she’d see again: her childhood home. Taking refuge there, Kiela discovers, much to her dismay, a nosy—and very handsome—neighbor who can’t take a hint and keeps showing up day after day to make sure she’s fed and to help fix up her new home.
In need of income, Kiela identifies something that even the bakery in town doesn’t have: jam. With the help of an old recipe book her parents left her and a bit of illegal magic, her cottage garden is soon covered in ripe berries.
But magic can do more than make life a little sweeter, so Kiela risks the consequences of using unsanctioned spells and opens the island’s first-ever and much needed secret spellshop.
Book Review:
This is the perfect cozy Fantasy novel! It has all the elements I love in the genre: descriptions of delicious food, luscious greenery, nature, patchwork clothing, a bakery, and so much more! As the author puts it in her acknowledgement, this book truly feels like a warm hug 🤍 It was the perfect book to pick up on a Saturday morning when I can take it slow, soak up the morning sunshine, and read it alongside some cozy music and a latte 🥰 I listened to this playlist specifically for the cottagecore vibes (link here!) and it was sooo perfect!!!
It’s cold and gloomy where I am now, but this book made me crave for a raspberry jam and cinnamon rolls 🥹 I love the wholesome friendships and the development of our main character, who is an introverted librarian needing to recoup her overturned life by returning to her hometown. We see her slowly coming out of her shell from the gentle encouragement she gets from the people around her. We love to see that! 🥹 The stakes are low in this one, but it still keeps you engaged all throughout the story! It’s got vibes and a plot (though i also love books with just one or the other alone 😍)!
The writing was great too, though it can be juvenile at times with the dialogues and monologues. I appreciate that all the characters are adults though which means there’s no unnecessary drama involved (yay!). I enjoyed the whole story and some comments just made me chuckle 😂 I loved Caz the most (our sentient sassy spider plant assistant)! He was so witty and relatable, and he adds sooo much to the story. Another thing I love about the book is how great the MC is at pointing out the importance of boundaries and privacy! I’ve never seen a character outwardly talk about setting boundaries and scolding people for privacy intrusion. It was amazing!
I highly recommend picking this up if you're in the mood for something soft, cozy, wholesome, and delicious 🤍🤍
Many many thanks to Macmillan Australia for sending over a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review!
