The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst
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.
For the Reading Challenge(s):
2025 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #23: A sprayed edge)
The Reason
It was on my Winter and Spring TBRs!!
The Quotes
“It wasn’t that she didn’t like people. It was that she liked books more. They didn’t fuss or judge or mock or reject.They invited you in, fluffed up the pillows on the couch, offered you tea and toast, and shared their hearts with no expectation that you’d do anything more than absorb what they had to give.”
“Books should be shared with everyone who wants to open their minds and hearts to them.”
“Of course knowledge is dangerous. But ignorance is even more dangerous”
“If there was a book involved, that automatically made any course of action much more sensible.”
The Narrator(s)
Caitlin Davies. I enjoyed it very much!
My Thoughts
This was such a fun book and I loved it! I love found families, I love magic, and I love books!! This story hit all the right notes for me. It just felt so cozy and inviting, and I love how imaginative it is. Caz is wonderful and I love him. There were parts that made me a little anxious but it’s mostly low stakes. There were also parts that were cute and convenient, but you know, it’s not a very serious book so I won’t take it too seriously either. I love the connections Kiela makes, I love the magical elements, and the very interesting ways they find solutions in this book. It’s just a nice, comfort read.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
