The Spellshop
The heartwarming, cosy fantasy about first loves and unlikely friendships
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- €5.99
Publisher Description
‘I have read and loved this book so much’ – Lucy Jane Wood, author of Rewitched ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
💖 Perfect for fans of Travis Baldree's Legends and Lattes and TJ Klune, The Spellshop is a cosy fantasy tale full of stolen spellbooks, unexpected friendships, sweet jams and even sweeter romance. 💖
Every home needs a little magic . . . ✨
Kiela has always had trouble dealing with people. But, as librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium, she hasn’t had to.
She and her assistant Caz, a sentient spider plant, have spent most of the last eleven years sequestered among the empire’s precious spellbooks, protecting the magic for the city’s elite. But a revolution is brewing, and when the library goes up in flames Kiela and Caz steal whatever books they can and flee to the faraway island where she grew up. To her dismay, in addition to a nosy – and very handsome – neighbour, she finds the town in disarray.
The empire has slowly been draining power from the island, and now Kiela is determined to make things right. But opening up her own spellshop comes with its own risks – the consequence of sharing magic with commoners is death. And as Kiela starts to make a place for herself among the townspeople, she realizes she must break down the walls she has kept so high . . .
✨ From award-winning author Sarah Beth Durst, The Spellshop is a cottagecore cosy fantasy following a woman’s unexpected journey through the low-stakes market of illegal spell-selling and the high-risk business of starting over. ✨
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Readers are in their cottagecore era . . .
‘If you ever played one of those cosy magical farming games and always wished there was a book like it: look no further’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘This book honestly has the sweetest, clumsiest romance I never knew I needed’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘It has THE MOST ADORABLE magical creatures’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘I want whatever this is (a cute shop where I sell spells and make jam and a hot man builds me floor to ceiling bookshelves)’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘This was the most heartfelt, wholesome, cosiest and cutest book I’ve ever read’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Durst (The Lies Among Us) celebrates the power of community in this whimsical cottagecore romantasy. Introverted librarian Kiela Orobidan and her sentient spider plant assistant, Caz, escape a populist revolution–fueled fire in the the Great Library of Alyssium by sailing to Kiela's abandoned family cottage on the small island of Caltrey with only a few crates of irreplaceable spell books in tow. Imperial law restricts the use of magic to scholars, but when she sees the island's residents struggling with harsh environmental conditions and poverty without assistance from the empire's sorcerers, Kiela quietly uses her spell books to help the locals, claiming the charms she sells in her new jam shop are "family remedies". Meanwhile, her handsome new neighbor Larran Maver helps restore her cottage and becomes a friend—with a spark of something more. Durst packs her cozy and colorful tale full of sweet magical creatures, including unicorns, winged cats, and friendly tree sprits that manifest as bears, and her diverse supporting cast exudes a near-uniform air of kindness. The political plot is largely background noise after serving its purpose of getting Kiela home and on a path to using magic, which may frustrate readers looking for more comprehensive worldbuilding. Those who come for the cheery aesthetic and celebration of everyday successes, however, will find this utterly delightful.
