Published: July 9, 2024
Publisher: Bramble
Series: N/A
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 384 (Kindle)
My Rating: 4.5 Stars
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis:
The Spellshop is a cottagecore cosy fantasy following a woman’s unexpected journey through the low-stakes market of illegal spell-selling and the high-risk business of starting over . . .
Kiela has always had trouble dealing with people, and as librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium, she hasn’t had to.
She and her assistant, Caz, a sentient spider plant, have spent most of the last eleven years sequestered among the empire’s precious spellbooks, protecting the magic for the city’s elite. But a revolution is brewing and when the library goes up in flames, she and Caz steal whatever books they can and flee to the faraway island where she grew up. She’s hoping to lay low and figure out a way to survive before the revolution comes looking for her. To her dismay, in addition to a nosy—and very handsome—neighbor, she finds the town in disarray.
The empire with its magic spellbooks has slowly been draining power from the island, something that Kiela is indirectly responsible for, and now she’s determined to find a way to make things right. Opening up a spell shop comes with its own risks—the consequence of sharing magic with commoners is death. And as Kiela comes to make a place for herself among the quirky townspeople, she realizes that in order to make a life for herself, she must break down the walls she has kept so high.
Perfect for fans of Travis Baldree and TJ Klune, The Spellshop is a romantic and cosy fantasy.
The Spellshop is a brilliant cozy fantasy, perfect for fans of Legends and Lattes! I really needed a change of pace from the heavier fantasy books I had been dedicating my time to, so I picked this up well before the release date. This was the perfect, heartwarming balm for my soul.
The Spellshop follows Kiela, a librarian fleeing from the capital city of Alyssium as political unrest boils over into something more deadly. The library is burning and Kiela and her spider plant companion Caz flee with several crates of books to her home island of Caltrey. Caltrey is a small, backwater island where folks protect their own and Kiela’s parents never sold their family home, making this the perfect place to rebuild a life.
As one expects from a cozy fantasy, the stakes aren’t quite so big as saving the world, but they’re high enough to matter to the characters. Kiela’s main concern is fixing up her childhood home to a livable state, while finding a new way to make a living and keep the spellbooks hidden and covertly make use of them to improve things on Caltrey. Due to the political unrest, the sorcerer’s no longer come out to the small, more remote islands and magical storms have begun to boil up suddenly and other spells that kept fruit trees growing or springs producing water have begun to fade away. Kiela’s new home is slowly dying and she must find a way to help it… so she starts a jam shop. It’s all a cover for her more illegal magical workings, which I totally love. She’s not great at subterfuge, but Caz the spider plant is a cutthroat negotiator and would definitely stab someone.
As one might expect, there’s also a darling slow burn romantic element to The Spellshop as well. It’s well done and fits the characters actions and personalities which is delightful! While it’s not the main focus of the plot, it does play a central role in the story overall. Larran, the handsome fellow, keeps the merhorse herd on Caltrey. Who doesn’t love a guy that cares for his animals AND can fix a chimney and build shelving??
I loved The Spellshop immensely, which is no surprise given how much I’ve enjoyed Sarah Beth Durst’s previous standalone books. She’s a talented writer and her range is vast – each book has been so different from one another but I’ve enjoyed all of the ones I’ve read. I can’t recommend this enough for any cozy fantasy fan, but particularly those who loved Legends and Lattes.
Powder & Page 
I love seeing such a high rating for this book! Now I can’t wait to start it, and I’m especially curious about Caz the spider plant😂
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Its absolutely delightful! And Caz is the best 😁
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