The Spellshop (Spellshop #1)
Publisher: Bramble
Pub Date: 9 July 2024
Genre: Cosy Fantasy
Panda Rating:
(3.5 pandas)
๐ SYNOPSIS
The Spellshop is Sarah Beth Durstโs romantasy debutโa 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, Cazโa magically sentient spider plantโhave spent the last decade sequestered among the empireโs most precious spellbooks, preserving their magic for the cityโs 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 sheโd see again: her childhood home. Taking refuge there, Kiela discovers, much to her dismay, a nosyโand very handsomeโneighbor who canโt take a hint and keeps showing up day after day to make sure sheโs fed and to help fix up her new home.
In need of income, Kiela identifies something that even the bakery in town doesnโt 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 islandโs 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.
โ ๏ธ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS
Domestic abuse (recounted), death of parents (recounted)
I buddy read this with Charlotte @ Bewitching Books, Ravenous Reads and I’m so glad we did cos I loved our discussions about this (and thanks for patiently allowing me to bombard you with questions, lol)! ๐
TL;DR: The Spellshop is a whimsical and magical cosy fantasy that many readers have loved and I know many readers will continue to love. Unfortunately, while I liked it, I didnโt wind up loving it the way I thought I would. The best parts of this cosy fantasy are the descriptions of the lush verdant greenery of the island, especially the area surrounding our MCโs cottage in the forest, the magical creatures, and Caz, the sassy sentient magical plant.
WHAT WORKED FOR ME
- The magical and whimsical setting! Caltrey is one of the outer islands in this kingdom, and itโs a small enough island and community that everyone knows all the nosy details about everyone, and you canโt get away with anything if you tried. I loved the lush verdant forest where Kielaโs cottage was located and how sheโs surrounded by so many magical elements including magical creatures. I mean, cloud bears and cats with bird wings are real and I wished they were IRL, too. ๐ย They sounded terrifyingly powerful and adorable at the same time! I loved how much the appreciation for mother nature came through in the writing and it fit the island vibe very well. Paired with the quiet and charming air of island village life, and the (mostly) welcoming residents, and you have a very cosy and atmospheric fantasy that makes you feel right at home.
- Caz. I didnโt think that a magic-made sentient plant would steal the show, and yet here we are! For me, Caz was literally the life of this book. He brought so much sass and personality where I found the other characters fell a bit flat, and it was such a joy to read about him! Even if she wasnโt my favourite, I did love his relationship with Kiela. They were ride or die librarian besties and I loved that for them! Thereโs another magic-made plant that joins the gang later on and I loved their relationship with Caz, who wound up being like an older brother to them. It was very sweet and wholesome! ๐
- There were other characters I enjoyed reading about, but was a bit sad we didnโt get to know more about them, especially for how central a role they play in the story. Larran is the biggest example of this. I thought he was an absolute sweetheart from the start and I loved his acts of service and the way he just showed up every time. He was a good egg! I just wanted to get to know more about him from him, not from other people whoโd give his story away. Bryn was another character that I really loved reading about, as well as the rest of the โsecret covenโ members: Eadie and Ulina. They were a great trio who brought such lively and healing energy to the page and I genuinely enjoyed their interactions.
- I thought the magic was interesting although I wished that we learned more about how it works, where it originated, and emperorโs decree aside, who can actually use it if they had access to the knowledge. For how central a role the magic played in the plot and Kiela’s arc, I would’ve liked to learn more about it.
WHAT DIDN’T WORK FOR ME
- There were times the direction of the story left me confused because it felt unnecessary. Certain elements such as our MC making a big decision was done in such a roundabout way that it made what couldโve felt like a natural decision seem contrived and rather too convenient. Thatโs just one example but it would crop up here and there, especially towards the end with lots of โnew revealsโ, and sadly, it did lessen my enjoyment overall. I just wound up thinking โbut why?โ instead of focusing on what was happening!
- Kiela. Oh, I donโt know where to start with her. I donโt want to be too harsh but there was so much hypocrisy in her characterโs thoughts and actions that it really got under my skin. I understand how hard it is to interact with people when youโre more used to spending time alone, but I would never reject other peoplesโ kindness. She did that a lot, especially with Larran, and the longer it happened, the more I didnโt understand it. There were things she kept secret due to paranoia but this was another thing that confused me because it felt unnecessary. Why was she so reluctant to be truthful about what was happening in the city? Why was she getting frustrated by peoplesโ kindness? What made her so distrustful and closed off in the first place because that I never really understood either because it wasnโt ever explained (unless I missed it?)!
- The romance. Considering my mixed feelings about Kiela, I guess itโs no surprise that I didnโt feel the romance. The flip from disliking Larran to being unable to stop thinking about him and then wanting to be in a relationship with him, felt too sudden and forced. I didnโt doubt Larranโs feelings for a second but I didnโt feel the same from Kielaโs side.
And well, I could go on but Iโm going to leave it here. Ultimately, the mixed reviews that Iโve seen for this now all make sense because I also have some very mixed feelings about it, if you couldnโt tell. ๐ Does that mean I wonโt be reading the next book? No! I quite like the sound of the second book and Iโm looking forward to giving it a try, but I donโt think Iโll be jumping to get first in line and reading it as soon as it comes out either. Iโll wait for a good deal first! ๐ย
Have you read The Spellshop or is it on your TBR? Did you enjoy it or did you also struggle with it a bit?
dinipandareads 
I read this recently and loved it! I did have to ignore some plot points that did really make sense though. I also didn’t get the point of making the protagonist someone who literally never left the library or spoke to a single person in years. That’s just extremely odd and she should probably have some mental health issues from that. She could have been private and introverted in a normal way!
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I’m so glad to hear that you loved it! And haha, yeah, I do wonder why Kiela was written that way when she could’ve just been like any book loving introvert, as many of us are! ๐คญ I hope that the second one will be more enjoyable for me (and I hope you love it too if you read it)!
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This book has been on my TBR for a few months now but I’m keeping it for that cozy autumn season because it seems like the perfect time for it ๐
I’ve also read a couple of reviews that had mixed feelings, just like you did, and I’m hoping the good will outweigh the bad when I finally get into it ๐
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I can see it being a nice cosy read for the cosy season! Even with the mixed reviews, I think there are still more people who enjoyed itโespecially for the cosy, whimsical vibesโthan who didn’t. I hope you wind up loving it whenever you do read it ๐
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what a great review dini! agreed, i’m considering giving the book a similar rating (from what i’ve read so far)+ i found that kiela feels like an “incomplete” protagonist she’s got her story and everything but she still feels like a stilted character and some parts of her personality aren’t explored enough…๐ญโจ
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Yeah, I think one of the bigger disappointments for me was the lack of character exploration. I think there was a lot of potential there to expand on character arcs and it wasn’t taken. I found everyone a bit flat, tbh. I’m sorry that this wasn’t a hit for you either, but it’s nice to commiserate, haha ๐คญ
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Great review! I still haven’t read this one yet, but I’ve got the second book on deck for my next audiobook listen. It became available at the library, and I decided to just go for it since they are supposedly standalone books.
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The FMC of the second book is mentioned in passing in the first book, but this can defo be read as a standalone! I’m curious about the second book and I hope you enjoy it when you give it a go ๐ Happy reading!
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Your review really echoes what I felt about this. I never really engaged with Kiela and I think that cosy fantasy really needs you to like the central character as there often isn’t a lot of plot. I did love the setting though and I’ve got the second one on hold at the library so hoping that the characters work better in that one for me.
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It’s nice to see other people with mixed feelings about thisโI almost felt as if I was reading a different book to everyone else that loved it! I fully agree that while the cosy comforting vibes are essential for the cosy fantasies, a lot still hinges on the character arcs. When it’s hard to gel with the MC, it’s so hard to love the story. I hope we both enjoy the second book whenever we get around to reading it! ๐
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Probably this weekend as itโs waiting for me at the library. ๐
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I enjoyed our first buddy read experience too, even if the book was pretty frustrating at time. Kiela’s lack of common sense and hypocrisy still make me want to grit my teeth even now. I’m looking forward to the upcoming ones too, they all sound like books that should come with plenty of discussion points.
I love how you set this review out and think it’s got the good and bad points detailed beautifully. I was sceptical when I saw everyone raving about Caz tbh but he definitely stole the show. So it was a total surprise for me too that I could love a sentient plant ๐ the cloud bears were fantastic, such a nice touch. I truly did love the world which is why I’m hopeful for the sequel still (especially as a lot of the issues were character linked, although if a lack of common sense pops up again I may cry). I definitely agree that the romance was believable on just one side too. It could have worked but there was no real softening of feelings, it was like someone hit a switch.
I’m still sorry that our first buddy read book was a mixed experience. At least we both enjoyed the experience though.
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Total mood because every time I think about her I feel the same way! ๐คฃ
I’m trying something new-ish with this review. I thought it’d be easier for me to get my thoughts down by breaking it up to what worked and what didn’t, especially since I’ve been struggling to write reviews this year, lol. It did help with making this review happen! I can’t believe that I didn’t hear about Caz before picking this up but he was such a great character and really the one I loved most out of the lot. I hope that we get an awesome sentient something to love in the second book as well!
I’m so glad we read this together and were on the same wave-length about it as well. Let’s hope the second one will be more enjoyable for the both of usโand that common sense prevails! ๐
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๐๐ it’s a shame Caz loved her too much to slap some common sense into her ๐
Aww well it worked wonderfully. I always think it’s a fun way to check out people’s thoughts too as it clearly divides the good and the bad โค๏ธ I’m glad it helped make writing your thoughts down easier. Here’s hoping ๐ค it’s about his creator so I’m sure she’ll meddle somehow again.
Yes here’s hoping ๐ฅฐ if the detective lacks common sense I may well cry ๐ surely that won’t be the case with the hype though??
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Hahaha, honestly, I don’t know how Caz managed to *not* do that! ๐คญ๐คฃ Also, if the detective lacks common sense I’ll defo be crying with you! Let’s hope that’s not the case and that the hype proves right this time! ๐ค๐ฝ
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I still really want to read this book, but I think I’ve read enough mixed reviews about this one that my hype levels have been brought down significantly. Maybe that means I’ll like it better? I can hope, anyway.
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Honestly, I hope that’ll be the case for you and you end up loving this a lot! ๐ Happy reading!
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Great review, I had similar feelings for this one Dini. Caz kind of stole the show and the rest fell a little flat.
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Never knew how fun magic made sentient plants could be! Caz is amazing ๐
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