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A review by bookishntea
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
β¨ ππππ ππππππ: ππ‘π ππ©ππ₯π₯π¬π‘π¨π©β¨
Tropes:
π± Unique Magical Characters
πͺ New Beginnings
π± Going Home Again
πͺ Found family
π± Small Town Setting
πͺ Reluctant Heroes
Spice level: None!
Rating: β4.0β
"Some people are like that. They derive joy from sapping other people's joy. The trick is to not let them. Just keep playing your own song." - The Spellshop, Sarah Beth Durst
_________________________________________
The Spellshop is the book equivalent to a cozy sweater on a rainy fall day, sitting fireside with a hot tea and pumpkin bread in the oven. It is the coziest of cozy fantasy novels complete with magical creatures, community, love and friendships, and with enough action and plot to keep you intrigued. Think Netflix's "Virgin River" meets Heather Fawcett's "Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries".
We follow Kiela, a studious librarian, and her talking spider plant, Caz, who find themselves obligated to start their lives anew after tragedy strikes. Kiela has convinced herself that their new life at her childhood home is a temporary situation and they will live a solitary life until they can get back to their library. All that is thrown to the wind when life happens, a cΜΆuΜΆtΜΆeΜΆ "nosy" neighbor stops by, and Kiela begrudgingly finds herself having to meet the townsfolk in order to survive.
The action and plot in The Spellshop was written perfectly. It wasn't too much where it dismantled the warm fuzzy feelings but it was just enough to peak readers interest. The action allowed for the development of community in the book and further development of the characters as well.
Community, friendships and love in The Spellshop were equally important themes. Sometimes I feel like authors can overlook community and friendships in the name of love but not Sarah Beth Durst in The Spellshop. I enjoyed that love was part of the book but it didn't take over the whole story it was more of a subplot. I was still rooting for the characters most deserving of love but I was also seeing the beautiful development of friendships, found family and a community willing to risk everything for those they considered their own.
The magical creatures in The Spellshop were creative and gave the book a fun spin. They were everywhere and I loved it! They were explained in sufficient detail that I could imagine what they might look like and their personalities were very apparent in the way they spoke (or didn't speak).
Overall, I really enjoyed Sarah Beth Durst's " The Spellshop" it was exactly what I needed when I was searching for a cozy fantasy novel. I hope it will be the read that everyone is cuddling up with and talking about as this year's cozy fall read! Now if you don't mind, I'll be on the lookout for a talking spider plant and a cactus to call "Meep"... π
_________________________________________
Check out my profile for other reviews and my socials
IG: @bookish.n.tea
Tiktok: @bookish.n.tea
Tropes:
π± Unique Magical Characters
πͺ New Beginnings
π± Going Home Again
πͺ Found family
π± Small Town Setting
πͺ Reluctant Heroes
Spice level: None!
Rating: β4.0β
"Some people are like that. They derive joy from sapping other people's joy. The trick is to not let them. Just keep playing your own song." - The Spellshop, Sarah Beth Durst
_________________________________________
The Spellshop is the book equivalent to a cozy sweater on a rainy fall day, sitting fireside with a hot tea and pumpkin bread in the oven. It is the coziest of cozy fantasy novels complete with magical creatures, community, love and friendships, and with enough action and plot to keep you intrigued. Think Netflix's "Virgin River" meets Heather Fawcett's "Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries".
We follow Kiela, a studious librarian, and her talking spider plant, Caz, who find themselves obligated to start their lives anew after tragedy strikes. Kiela has convinced herself that their new life at her childhood home is a temporary situation and they will live a solitary life until they can get back to their library. All that is thrown to the wind when life happens, a cΜΆuΜΆtΜΆeΜΆ "nosy" neighbor stops by, and Kiela begrudgingly finds herself having to meet the townsfolk in order to survive.
The action and plot in The Spellshop was written perfectly. It wasn't too much where it dismantled the warm fuzzy feelings but it was just enough to peak readers interest. The action allowed for the development of community in the book and further development of the characters as well.
Community, friendships and love in The Spellshop were equally important themes. Sometimes I feel like authors can overlook community and friendships in the name of love but not Sarah Beth Durst in The Spellshop. I enjoyed that love was part of the book but it didn't take over the whole story it was more of a subplot. I was still rooting for the characters most deserving of love but I was also seeing the beautiful development of friendships, found family and a community willing to risk everything for those they considered their own.
The magical creatures in The Spellshop were creative and gave the book a fun spin. They were everywhere and I loved it! They were explained in sufficient detail that I could imagine what they might look like and their personalities were very apparent in the way they spoke (or didn't speak).
Overall, I really enjoyed Sarah Beth Durst's " The Spellshop" it was exactly what I needed when I was searching for a cozy fantasy novel. I hope it will be the read that everyone is cuddling up with and talking about as this year's cozy fall read! Now if you don't mind, I'll be on the lookout for a talking spider plant and a cactus to call "Meep"... π
_________________________________________
Check out my profile for other reviews and my socials
IG: @bookish.n.tea
Tiktok: @bookish.n.tea
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Child abuse