The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst
The Spellshop
by Sarah Beth Durst
Fantasy | Romance | Cozy
384 Pages
Released July 2024
Rating: ★★★
Goodreads
Content Warnings
This book was everything I didn’t know I needed. It’s a cat napping in a sunny spot. It’s a warm cup of tea on a brisk fall day. It’s standing in a sun-dappled jam shop on a beautiful spring morning. I could rave about this book all day. (Side note: I wrote all this prior to reading the author’s note which says she wanted to write a book that felt like a warm hug - and she 100% succeeded).
This book follows Kiela, an introverted librarian in the city of Alysia*. Alysia is in a state of unrest and when the rebellion suddenly attacks, Kiela is forced to flee alongside her co-worker Caz (a spider plant!) and a couple crates of magical spellbooks from the library. Unsure of where to go, she ends up returning to her home island of —-. Shaken from their harrowing experience, Kiela and Cam reclaim her former family cottage, and decide to open a small jam shop as means of making money. But despite her best efforts to keep to herself, the townsfolk are curious about their new island inhabitant.
This book was a pure joy to read from beginning to end (I love when book cover delivers on its promise). After reading some darker fantasy and literary works lately, I found that something light and cozy was the perfect counterbalance. The characters were all kind and whimsical, though my favorite was definitely Caz (seriously, where can I find a sentient house plant?). The island setting is atmospheric and lovely and felt like laying in a garden in spring. The food descriptions made my mouth water. But more than that, I loved the overall themes of this story. It’s about found family, uplifting communities and just plain do-goodery instead of being afraid to let others in. There’s also a little romance sprinkled in and I appreciate that it wasn’t gratuitous.
If you love cozy fantasy, with a pinch of romance, magic and whimsy, I think you’re absolutely going to love this.