About the Book
Title: The Spellshop
Author: Sarah Beth Durst
Series: none (but I wish there were more)
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 384
Edition Read: Kindle eBook
Dates Read: August 1 – 22, 2024
Blurb: Kiela has always had trouble dealing with people. Thankfully, as librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium, she hasn’t had to.
She and her assistant, Caz, a magically sentient spider plant, have spent the last eleven years sequestered among the empire’s most precious spellbooks, preserving their magic for the city’s elite. But when a revolution begins and the library goes up in flames, she and Caz save as many books as they can carry and flee to a faraway island Kiela was sure she’d never return to: her childhood home. Kiela hopes to lay low in the overgrown and rundown cottage her late parents left her and figure out a way to survive without drawing the attention of either the empire or the revolutionaries. Much to her dismay, in addition to a nosy—and very handsome—neighbor, she finds the town neglected and in a state of disrepair.
The empire, for all its magic and power, has been neglecting for years the people who depend on magical intervention to maintain healthy livestock and crops. Not only that, but the very magic that should be helping them has been creating destructive storms that have taken a toll on the island. Due to her past role at the library, Kiela feels partially responsible for this, and now she’s determined to find a way to make things right: by opening the island’s first-ever secret spellshop.
Her plan comes with risks—the consequence of sharing magic with commoners is death. And as Kiela comes to make a place for herself among the kind and quirky townspeople of her former home, she realizes that in order to make a life for herself, she must learn to break down the walls she has built up so high.
Review
This book is one of the cutest things I’ve ever read. It’s so adorable.
Starting with our characters. I love Kiela so much. She’s not a people person. She would rather spend all of her time with books. I get that, I do. She is forced out of her comfort zone once she is back at her childhood island home since she does need to figure out a way to survive somehow, and that involves dealing with people. But as much as I love Kiela, I absolutely ADORE Caz. He’s a walking, talking spider plant. We don’t know much of how he came to be (other than it was some illegal magic), but he is sharp, a bit sarcastic, and a very loyal friend.
Now let’s talk about the island. Caltrey is a beautiful island paradise that has fallen on rough times. That said, it’s also an amazing place. The town has stray cats – cats in this world have wings. The townspeople are super colorful. There are centaurs, fauns, and many other non-human citizens (not sure how human Kiela is, to be fair – I kept forgetting that her skin is blue, even though it’s mentioned a few times). There is also Larran, who is a really nice guy who lives near Kiela and who might be crushing on her. Oh, and I should mention Larran’s occupation – he helps the merhorse herd that lives near the island. Merhorses! You can ride them!
The entire story is very cottage core. The magic is very earthy. Kiela has never been trained in magic, but she’s a researcher at heart, and all those books she managed to squirrel away are good for something. Seeing her come out of her shell and begin to trust the townspeople (and even make some friends) was really sweet. The only complaint I had about the series was the lack of a real protagonist. There’s some concern about Kiela getting caught, both for “stealing” the books (she prefers the term “rescued”) and for doing illegal magic, but it doesn’t last long. So there isn’t much tension in the book except for a handful of spots. It could have made for a boring read if the rest of the book wasn’t so charming.
I want to live on Caltrey. The end.
GoodReads rating: 4 stars
Categories: Books I've Read
Life With No Plot 
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