Reviews with content warning for Confinement - The Enchanted Greenhouse

Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst

40 reviews

bellebookcorner's review against another edition

4.5

emotional funny 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

“You make my world better. Every day, in a million different ways.
You brought me to life.”

This was my first read by Sarah Beth Durst, and even though I haven’t gotten to The Spellshop yet, I jumped straight into The Enchanted Greenhouse and had no trouble following along.
Even so, I bet longtime fans will have extra fun spotting easter eggs woven into the story.

What I loved most ? Honestly, the greenhouse itself and all the magical, sentient plants totally stole my heart — pure cozy fantasy magic.

From tiny dragons and winged cats to dancing dragonflies and singing flowers, this felt like the kind of whimsical escape I’d happily move into.

Lottie, the sentient resurrection rose with a full-on sassy personality, lights up every scene she’s in — I adored her!

Character-wise, I really enjoyed watching Terlu come into her own. After years of loneliness, she finds a sense of belonging with Yarrow and the plants, and starts building confidence in her magic and spellcasting.

Yarrow, the grumpy greenhouse keeper, has a quiet but heartfelt way of showing love and support. I liked how Terlu’s sunshine energy slowly rubbed off on him — their friendship evolving into something deeper felt really sweet.

That said, I found myself wishing for more moments between Terlu and Yarrow. Their bond was touching, but I wanted extra layers of chemistry and emotional intimacy.

Moreover, Yarrow’s reconciliation with his family felt slightly rushed — I was hoping for more emotional buildup or tension before the resolution.

Still, this story is a cozy, heartwarming delight about healing, found family, and second chances.

If you’re looking for a gentle, low-stakes fantasy with lush worldbuilding and a big dose of comfort — this one’s for you.

P.S. I’m 100% grabbing The Spellshop next to meet Caz — the sentient spider plant sounds iconic and I need to know their story.

I received a review copy through Netgalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Huge thank you to the author and publisher!

⚠️ 𝐓𝐖: confinement, war, abandonment, grief, death

Content Warnings

devynreadsnovels's review against another edition

3.5

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Content Warnings

purplemalena's review against another edition

5.0

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Advance Reader Copy (ARC)

This book was phenomenal! It was adorable and heartwarming. I literally cried at the wonderful ending. It gave me hope for the world.

FMC is the lonely librarian who made Cas (sentient spider plant from the first book). She is turned into a statue as punishment. After a while she wakes up on an island with a giant enchanted greenhouse and only 1 grumpy gardener who thought she would be a sorcerer to help him.

Cas isn't the only sentient plant in this world now!!

I really hope we get more to books in this series. I have loved them both dearly.

Content Warnings

heathersdesk's review against another edition

5.0

emotional hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Sarah Beth Durst returns to the world of The Spellshop to expound upon the fate of the woman in the statue in the library. Her story is full of all the same charm and magic as the original. Rather than a sequel, this book takes place concurrently with Spellshop in a different location. There is some amount of crossover, and fans of the original (and grumpy sunshine romances) will enjoy the sequel. The characters are well-developed, the world building is cozy, and several of the same plot elements carry over and are more fully resolved from Book 1 . Suitable for those who love cozy fantasy and "clean" romance. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend to my church book club.

I received the audiobook from the publisher from a Storygraph giveaway. I was delighted to read this one before the release date.

Content Warnings

thecatconstellation's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous funny hopeful 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: Complicated

I adored this book even more than the first one. So many great characters, so much interesting world building. So much lightness and hope and love against a backdrop of the fall of an empire. 1000/10 recommend for a light, happy read.

Content Warnings

sixcatsinacoat's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous emotional lighthearted 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: Complicated

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is such a cozy, magical, romance. I really wish I could visit these greenhouses as they just seem like the best place imaginable. The descriptions were so on point that I could feel myself there.

The romance was sweet and clean and the secondary characters were hilarious and compelling. Another cozy read from Sarah Beth Durst!

Content Warnings

librariangie's review against another edition

5.0

funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

creolelitbelle's review against another edition

5.0

funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Magical greenhouses and charming, sentient plants urged me, someone not typically interested in plants, to care about the gardens of Belde. Terlu felt like a footnote in Spellshop, but The Enchanted Greenhouse breathes true life into her character with a slow, natural progression of relationships. The world Durst has created shoves characters into little boxes that society and/or their families have decided fit them, then, she flips nearly everything they know upside-down to discover who else they can be if given their own choices. Terlu and Lottie break free from their prisons and find family and chances they never thought possible. Yarrow reminds me of Luke Danes in the best way, and like Terlu, I cherished every piece of himself that he exposed while tending to the beings he felt responsible for. Maybe eventually the village will be reminiscent of an island Stars Hollow? I also got giddy over the peek into book 3 that we are given through Belde. The best fantasy writers present worlds that we wish we could visit, and I do long for a chance to walk through those greenhouses.

Every book in this world seems to be connected to the others, and I surely hope we get a reunion later.

Huge thank you to Tor/Bramble and Netgalley for early access to the book.

Content Warnings