The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst | Cozy Fantasy Fiction Review

So much cottagecore coziness.

My 2 Cents for Free!


The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst

Released July 2024
Source: Spotify Audio
Get it at your local library or see more @ Goodreads

I'm giving this a five because I didn't want it to end. It is a bit rushed at the end which is my only complaint but it's going on my favorite shelf so five stars it is. If you want something that is magical and leaves you with that cozy feeling, this one is probably meant for you too.

I originally picked it up because I requested The Enchanted Greenhouse from Netgalley not realizing that it was a sequel. I'm not sure if they need to be read in order but I didn't want to take a chance.

The Spellshop tells the story of Kiela, an introverted and sorta grumpy librarian who is forced to grab her sentient plant, hop in a little boat and leave her beloved safe place when the overlords who want to hoard all of the magic start destroying everything, as overlords tend to do. She sails over to the island of her youth and moves back into her family cottage where she begins to make a new life for herself.

She's rude and crabby and very anti-social when the book begins but most people are awful in her experience and the neighbor guy is entirely too nosey and inserts himself into her world entirely too much for her liking. She's also hiding some secrets that she needs to keep safe. But, as these things go, she warms up as the locals welcome her (except for one nasty old guy) and magic happens.

This book was lovely and charming, and I highly recommend it if your feelings need a break.

Final Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


Publisher Plot Synopsis 

The Spellshop is Sarah Beth Durst’s romantasy debut–a lush cottagecore tale full of stolen spellbooks, unexpected friendships, sweet jams, and even sweeter love.

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.

Like a Hallmark rom-com full of mythical creatures and fueled by cinnamon rolls and magic, The Spellshop will heal your heart and feed your soul.

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