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A review by breabooks
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
4.5 rounded up. This is truly a cozy fantasy that left me feeling so good I was bawling happy tears at the end.
This book is marketed as a cozy cottage core fantasy and it lives up to that reputation. This low(ish) stakes story follows Kiela’s as she journeys away from her beloved Great Library of Alyssium to escape civil unrest. She is a librarian, so she dutifully saves a few chests of spell books once she realizes the library is on fire. Kiela, along with her sentient plant companion Caz, sails away with the chests to her childhood home - a small island far away from Alyssium. The problem is, it’s been a long time since Kiela has interacted with anyone. Her job as a librarian does not require much, if any, social interaction and that’s just the way she likes it. Kiela soon discovers the residents at her old island home are VERY friendly. There’s also a slew of problems that need fixing at the island.
Kiela’s character is anxiety and adhd personified. As someone with both, I find her highly relatable. She often goes on tangents, overthinks everything, and is slow to trust anyone. I can see how someone may find her character annoying, but I found her endearing. The plant, Caz, is the perfect amount of comedic relief. I don’t recall any other story that has sentient plants, making this a fun new addition to fantasy. The love interest is sweet, respectful, and has a sad backstory. All of the characters are well developed.
The fantastical Hallmark-esque world Durst created is lovely. Unique is the only way to describe it- horse fish (seahorse?), cloud bears, unicorns, sentient plants, centaurs, and Kiela is even blue. The descriptions are lush without being overdone.
The plot and pacing are great. This book explores a ton of themes. The world is not heteronormative. Kiela struggles with trust and self-doubt. Characters find acceptance, learning what it means to be cherished by others in return for nothing. The book wraps up nicely, much like the sweet endings of tv romcoms.
I received an advanced listener copy thanks to NetGalley. The narrator was perfect for this type of story. She wasn’t too slow as I often find narrators. She did an excellent job of changing her voice for each character. Make characters were a lower register, but not at that commonly ridiculous low tone I often find with female narrators who are trying too hard to sound like a male. Her “meeps” for a particular character were hilarious.
This is one I’m sure many will reread over and over again. I’m sure I’ll find myself taking comfort in this book every time I need a palette cleanser.
This book is marketed as a cozy cottage core fantasy and it lives up to that reputation. This low(ish) stakes story follows Kiela’s as she journeys away from her beloved Great Library of Alyssium to escape civil unrest. She is a librarian, so she dutifully saves a few chests of spell books once she realizes the library is on fire. Kiela, along with her sentient plant companion Caz, sails away with the chests to her childhood home - a small island far away from Alyssium. The problem is, it’s been a long time since Kiela has interacted with anyone. Her job as a librarian does not require much, if any, social interaction and that’s just the way she likes it. Kiela soon discovers the residents at her old island home are VERY friendly. There’s also a slew of problems that need fixing at the island.
Kiela’s character is anxiety and adhd personified. As someone with both, I find her highly relatable. She often goes on tangents, overthinks everything, and is slow to trust anyone. I can see how someone may find her character annoying, but I found her endearing. The plant, Caz, is the perfect amount of comedic relief. I don’t recall any other story that has sentient plants, making this a fun new addition to fantasy. The love interest is sweet, respectful, and has a sad backstory. All of the characters are well developed.
The fantastical Hallmark-esque world Durst created is lovely. Unique is the only way to describe it- horse fish (seahorse?), cloud bears, unicorns, sentient plants, centaurs, and Kiela is even blue. The descriptions are lush without being overdone.
The plot and pacing are great. This book explores a ton of themes. The world is not heteronormative. Kiela struggles with trust and self-doubt. Characters find acceptance, learning what it means to be cherished by others in return for nothing. The book wraps up nicely, much like the sweet endings of tv romcoms.
I received an advanced listener copy thanks to NetGalley. The narrator was perfect for this type of story. She wasn’t too slow as I often find narrators. She did an excellent job of changing her voice for each character. Make characters were a lower register, but not at that commonly ridiculous low tone I often find with female narrators who are trying too hard to sound like a male. Her “meeps” for a particular character were hilarious.
This is one I’m sure many will reread over and over again. I’m sure I’ll find myself taking comfort in this book every time I need a palette cleanser.