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haileybubs 's review for:
The SpellShop
by Sarah Beth Durst
hopeful
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:
Complicated
I feel like there’s a lot of critiques I can give this book but I still enjoyed the experience of reading it enough that I think 4 stars feels right. The one thing that actually kept putting me off a little was the romance. The love interest is very sweet and a good person which I appreciate but it was just very insta lovey and I didn’t super buy why either of them we’re interested in each other in a meaningful way. Also random complaint but why was Radane pretending to be an imperial investigator? It didn’t make much sense to me. Also her and Bryn being together was very random
Besides that I really liked the magic system, it’s pretty unique and reminded me of the way magic is done in the Earthsea books with a few twists. I will say it definitely feels like the worldbuilding outside of that is meant as just a backdrop to the rest of the story and not something to be thoroughly thought about. That’s most apparent in the first chapter.
I love all the wholesome jam content it’s very appealing to me specifically. Caz was a very fun side character, I feel like he very easily could have been annoying but I really liked him and thought he added to the story a lot. Overall I had a nice relaxing time and I don’t think any critiques I put here should stop someone who’s interested from picking up the book, they just might be worth keeping in mind so you can enjoy it even more.
Besides that I really liked the magic system, it’s pretty unique and reminded me of the way magic is done in the Earthsea books with a few twists. I will say it definitely feels like the worldbuilding outside of that is meant as just a backdrop to the rest of the story and not something to be thoroughly thought about. That’s most apparent in the first chapter.
I love all the wholesome jam content it’s very appealing to me specifically. Caz was a very fun side character, I feel like he very easily could have been annoying but I really liked him and thought he added to the story a lot. Overall I had a nice relaxing time and I don’t think any critiques I put here should stop someone who’s interested from picking up the book, they just might be worth keeping in mind so you can enjoy it even more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Death of parent, War
The abuse is not between a couple being romanticized, it’s described as having happened to a character in the past and is explicitly a horrible thing.