A review by irl_bookworms
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst

adventurous emotional funny slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Sarah Beth Durst has been a juggernaut in fantasy for over a decade and her writing feels just like that. The Spellshop is warm, comforting, like biting into a freshly baked roll smothered in jam, there’s also joyous, shameless, and silly human, but themes woven in that go much deeper than “cozy.” My favourite one to watch evolve and chew over was Kiela’s initial stance of “well I agree with the rebels, but I wished they’d asked for their demands less violently.” It’s an excellent character study in privilege and accepted placement in a society that benefits you.

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Also no one does romance like Durst and it’s a way that I love so much - approaching it first as strangers, then slowly becoming rock-solid friendships, and then opening it up for the potential of romance by seeing each other in a different light. Kiela and Larran are totally a couple I would route for over and over because they discover and become better themselves first before exploring the potential of romance together - gah, Durst does it every damn  time and I love it.

This book came to me at the right time, right when I needed it. The audiobook is fantastic and I will definitely be sniffing around to see if I can snag any really pretty editions.

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 Hisses & Kisses 🐍

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*I received an audioARC from Macmillan Audio & NetGalley. All opinions are my own.*