Book Review: The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst

Title: The Spellshop
Author: Sarah Beth Durst
Publisher: Tor Publishing Group
Publication Date: July 9, 2024
ISBN: 9781250333971

Synopsis:
Kiela has always had trouble dealing with people. Thankfully, as a librarian, she and her assistant, Caz—a magically sentient spider plant—have spent the last decade sequestered among the empire’s most precious spellbooks, preserving their magic for the city’s elite.

When a revolution begins and the library goes up in flames, she and Caz flee with all the spellbooks they can carry and head to a remote island Kiela never thought she’d see again: her childhood home. Taking refuge there, Kiela discovers, much to her dismay, a nosy—and very handsome—neighbor who can’t take a hint and keeps showing up day after day to make sure she’s fed and to help fix up her new home.

In need of income, Kiela identifies something that even the bakery in town doesn’t have: jam. With the help of an old recipe book her parents left her and a bit of illegal magic, her cottage garden is soon covered in ripe berries. But magic can do more than make life a little sweeter, so Kiela risks the consequences of using unsanctioned spells and opens the island’s first-ever and much needed secret spellshop.

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This has got to be one of the best books I’ve read all year, and I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to get to it. I’ll admit, the description sounded sweet, albeit a little boring (hence me putting it off for an entire year). But finally, I dove in and was so very pleasantly surprised by Durst’s beautiful, magical, inspiring world.

Kiela is an entirely relatable character. Loving the company of her sentient spider plant, Caz, and the spell books she carries with her as she flees a revolution, Kiela is socially awkward, innocent, and genuinely lovely. She says what’s on her mind and does what she thinks is right, even if it does break the rules a little bit.,

It’s Kiela’s journey that changes her, and her new island home, for the better. This is a story of transformation and magic as an old regime falls and a new community grows far away from the rules of royals.

The romance is light and fluffy, the magic is refreshing and full of adorable characters and delightful magical mishaps. Kiela learns so much about herself and her abilities, finding a place in a world she never imagined returning to and unintentionally making a whole host of friends that bring this vibrant story to life. It’s a joy to read and every page brought a smile to my face.

If you haven’t picked this one up, it’s an absolute must-read. I can’t say enough about it. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.

Happy reading!