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.
Title : The Spellshop
Author : Sarah Beth Durst
Format : eARC
Page Count : 384
Genre : fantasy romance
Publisher : Bramble
Release Date : July 9, 2024
Reviewer : Hollis
Rating : ★ ★
Hollis' 2 star review
Just keep on scrollin' by.
I'm sorry to say but as interesting as it was to have fantastical creatures and different-looking people populating this very low-stakes cozy fantasy, set on an island, featuring an introverted and somewhat grumpy librarian and her sentient spider plant friend.. I was so bored.
I didn't need stakes, I didn't need something other than the cozy vibes, so it can't be said I wanted something other than what I was getting into; instead I just needed to care. And I did not.
For those who have been loving this, don't get me wrong, I see why. And for those interested in picking this up, I don't want to sway you to do otherwise. This just wasn't the book for me.
All that to say, this is definitely for the reader looking for something to recapture that Legends & Lattes kind of vibe but is still a little (a lot?) different and very much its own thing.
** I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
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