The Spellshop
Ratings26
Average rating4.2
15
Ratings26
Average rating4.2
A gorgeous hardcover edition featuring lavender sprayed edges! The Spellshop is Sarah Beth Durst's cozy fantasy debut-a lush cottagecore tale full of stolen spellbooks, unexpected friendships, sweet jams, and even sweeter love. Join Kiela the librarian and her assistant, Caz the sentient spider plant, as they navigate the low stakes market of illegal spellmaking and the high risk business of starting over. "Sarah Beth Durst is the hidden gem of the fantasy world." --Book Riot Kiela has always had trouble dealing with people. Thankfully, as librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium, she hasn't had to. She and her assistant, Caz, a magically sentient spider plant, have spent the last eleven years sequestered among the empire's most precious spellbooks, preserving their magic for the city's elite. But when a revolution begins and the library goes up in flames, she and Caz save as many books as they can carry and flee to a faraway island Kiela was sure she'd never return to: her childhood home. Kiela hopes to lay low in the overgrown and rundown cottage her late parents left her and figure out a way to survive without drawing the attention of either the empire or the revolutionaries. Much to her dismay, in addition to a nosy--and very handsome--neighbor, she finds the town neglected and in a state of disrepair. The empire, for all its magic and power, has been neglecting for years the people who depend on magical intervention to maintain healthy livestock and crops. Not only that, but the very magic that should be helping them has been creating destructive storms that have taken a toll on the island. Due to her past role at the library, Kiela feels partially responsible for this, and now she's determined to find a way to make things right: by opening the island's first-ever secret spellshop. Her plan comes with risks--the consequence of sharing magic with commoners is death. And as Kiela comes to make a place for herself among the kind and quirky townspeople of her former home, she realizes that in order to make a life for herself, she must learn to break down the walls she has built up so high. Like a Hallmark rom-com full of mythical creatures and fueled by cinnamon rolls and magic, Sarah Beth Durst's The Spellshop will heal your heart and feed your soul.
Reviews with the most likes.
This was one of the most hyped books I have been seeing around. And the hype is totally real. It is a very warm, fuzzy book. There's quite a bit of magic, there's some baking, there's a lot of ‘gardening', there's a lot of simple-village-folk kinda care, there's a heart-in-the-right-place hero and a timid-yet-courageous heroine. A lovely tale that did become a little intense at one point, but ended up all-good-and-fine in every possible way. One of the best books I've read.
Honestly, I'm speechless. This is probably the exact kind of cosy, magical fantasy that anyone interested in the genres would be looking for.
It has adorable talking plants, it has books, it has a man that will willingly suggest and offer to build bookshelves for said books and most importantly it has a mer-baby. Adorable, tiny tail mer-baby.
This is one of the best cottagecore, cosy fantasies that I have read. It was all very wholesome, with the main character opening up to people and settling down when she once came from. This will definitely be a treat for those with a sweet tooth, since there's so much of it around.
When I started out, I wasn't sure I was going to like this book but as soon as Kiela and her assistant Caz, a talking walking spider plant, flee the library while it is underseige and they get on the boat and go to the island that Kiela was born and raised on, I was hooked.
The go to find safety in the home that Kiela lived in as a child. It's in disrepair after her family left it and the island isnt the place it once was. Everyone is hurting and the storms that come, full of magic, are no longer control the way they used to. Kiela uses the magical spell books that she liberated when she left to open a secret magic shop in hopes of helping the island balance itself out, while not drawing attention to the fact she is not supposed to do magic or have these books.
It was so good. I loved the dialogue and the plot was phenomenal. I want to buy a copy of the book if it comes out in a special edition hardcover because it is magnificent. Beautifully written and it will suck you into a world of greed but with the humility of people who have nothing but they will give you the shirt off your back. The protect Kiela when the revolutionists come looking for someone else who fled.
I was blown away by how much I loved this book
5 stars
Rating Description:
1.0 - DNF/Despise
1.5 - Almost DNFed and wish I had
2.0 - Almost DNFed but had redeeming qualities/just boring
2.5 - Alright with lots of notes
3.0 - Alright with notes but I'm not raving about it
3.5 - Technically good but I'm not raving about it
4.0 - Love but with notes
4.5 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book but still with notes
5.0 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book and notes are very positive
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I have not read anything that was described as “Cosy Fantasy”. This is probably the 1st book I’ve read tagged as such.
It’s a good representative of its genre. It was light, easy to read, and relatively small-stakes. It’s very feel-good.
There is a specific thing that I have an issue with. Had it been fixed; I would have liked this a whole lot more. It’s the timeline.
The bulk of the story happened within a week or two. While it made sense that the protagonist starts to experiment with magic almost immediately due to need, it would have been better if suspicion and the fall out from her actions were delayed. Let her worry about it, settle into the possibility that she got away with it, and then have suspicion build up slowly. But there was basically the worry phase and then someone immediately got suspicious and started a ruckus. There was no suspense. No build up.
It’s the same with the relationships that formed. In that short time, she developed tight friendships and a love interest. I am not a fan of that kind of pacing. I know this is a fantasy but I still find that unbelievable.
So, is this exactly what I want to read in a fantasy book? Not really. I have to be in a certain mood for it. But I won’t say no to reading more of it. In fact, I just saw a second book for this. It’s not a sequel from the looks of it, more of an off-shoot of a character that was mentioned in this book. And I am already thinking of getting it.
