“The Spellshop” by Sarah Beth Durst creates a cozy atmosphere using unique characters, new friendships and more.
Kiela is a librarian at the Great Library at Alyssium, where she works to preserve and care for the country’s spellbooks alongside her assistant Caz, who is a sentient spider plant that was created illegally with magic by another librarian. Magic has been restricted to just the country’s elite sorcerers, so any use of magic outside of that has been deemed illegal with extreme penalties.
They spend their days together away from people, which works out well since Kiela’s people skills are lacking. However, that all changes when the country’s unrest comes straight to their doorstep.
As the rebels engulf the library in flames, Kiela and Caz are forced to flee with whatever spellbooks they manage to grab. With nowhere left to go, Kiela decides to return to her childhood home on a remote island that has been left open since she and her family moved to the city.
The two think they are able to just hide away and remain unnoticed, but they are quickly proven wrong when a friendly but nosy neighbor, Larran, enters her house in the early hours of the morning. It was odd for him to see people in the vacant house.
That isn’t the last they see of him either. Larran constantly shows up offering to help, and from him Kiela learns of the struggles the island has been enduring. With the use of spellbooks and the help of Caz, Kiela risks it all to help the island using magic.
In order to protect herself, Kiela opens a jam shop to hide the spells she is giving to the people of the island. When strange things start to happen, it is hard for people not to notice that something is amiss.
This story is easy to immerse yourself in with all of the whimsy within the pages. For starters, the creatures and characters in the story are unique and fun. Caz is an amazing example of that. He is a spider plant that can do almost everything a person can do. He also offers a lot of fun humor to the story with his jokes and commentary. He isn’t the only unique character either. There are cats with wings, mermaids, merhorses, and so many more.
“The Spellshop” has a much cozier feel in comparison to a lot of the more popular fantasy books and series. This book focuses more on found family and friendships, giving it a more comforting vibe in comparison to fantasy books like “Fourth Wing” by Rebecca Yarros, which als has some found family aspects. However, the main focus of “Fourth Wing” is the conflict and the war going on.
Durst’s book does have a bit of romance between Kiela and Larran sprinkled in throughout the book, but it does not overshadow the other relationships, like friendships, in the book, which can sometimes happen when romance gets added.
For example, in “Cruel is the Light” by Sophie Clark. It felt like the relationship that the main characters had with their friends was entirely overshadowed by the romance between them. However, friendships are still a focus in “The Spellshop,” even with romance brewing, which can be seen in the friendship between Caz and Kiela.
From beginning to end, “The Spellshop” made it easy to fall in love with the cozy atmosphere it creates with every page.
