The Spellshop
Ratings103
Average rating4
This was a solid cozy fantasy and I thought it was absolutely adorable. It was engaging throughout and I felt very invested in Caltrey’s wellbeing. Caz was a great sidekick and has certainly set the standards bar high for my houseplants to live up to now.
At first it was as a cute, cozy read, but I started losing interest once the suffrage survivor character appeared. The story didn’t engage me as much after that point, because it revolves too much around a new character I didn’t even care about.
Overall, the dialogue was sparse, especially in the beginning, with a lot of descriptions. The love interest was a rather uninteresting, quiet man.
Finally, I found the pronouns and adjectives used for the cactus in the Spanish version a bit confusing, which made it harder to follow at times.
I'm starting to notice a clear pattern in many of these so-called cozy fantasy books: there's usually an emphasis on sweets, tea or coffee, a touch of nature, strong inclusivity themes (often with prominent LGBTQ+ representation), and a recurring moral of "do the right thing for the community." While I can see the appeal for some readers, especially younger, it’s beginning to feel formulaic to me, and sometimes even a bit forced.
I was just looking for a break from high-stakes, violent fantasy; something lighter, but still within the genre. Unfortunately, this particular pattern of cozy fantasy just isn’t for me. I guess I’ll have to look elsewhere.
4 stars Cozy fantasy following Keila, a librabrian who flees back to her childhood home after a revolution erupts in the imperial city where she works, taking with her crates of books and her assistant a sentient spider plant named Caz. This was a cute and charming little read. I had liked the authors previous fantasy books, and here she also created a very interesting and original world. I liked the characters and the romance subplot was cute though a bit boring. The pacing and story were not completely perfect for me and some plot elements resolved a bit too quickly without any emotional impact or came too late into the story, it felt a bit too surface level. The magic was also interesting but lacked depth and exploration . Overall I still preferred the other two books I read from her (Race The Sand and The Bone Maker), but this was a nice read overall.
Quick Cozy Read
2025 is my year of unfiltered honesty, and we’re off to an interesting start. My first read of the year was a lackluster 2.5 stars (generously rounded up to 3), but this one? A steady, dependable 3 stars. I picked it up for a group read, and while I still found myself craving more depth, there’s something to be said for a book that’s as cozy as a blanket fresh from the dryer.
The charm of this story lies in its cottagecore vibes and whimsical softness—exactly what I needed after the more intense energy of my first book this year. And can we talk about Caz, the sentient, anxiety-ridden plant? Hands down my favorite character. I never knew I needed botanical existentialism in my life until now.
The story follows Kiela, a fugitive librarian from the magical Great Library of Alyssium, who returns to the island of her childhood to escape her past. She’s grappling with fear, grief, anxiety, and PTSD, all while trying to start over by running a jam shop. Oh, and she’s also selling illegal magic on the sly, with Caz (the aforementioned talking plant) as her assistant.
Oddly, it’s a book where very little happens, yet I was never bored. The townsfolk are brimming with personality, Kiela’s awkward chaos feels deeply relatable, and her neighbor—a pastry-wielding handyman with swoon-worthy kindness—adds just the right amount of sweetness.
Sure, it’s all a bit too wholesome. Conflicts are resolved with unrealistic ease, the stakes are more like background noise, and the climax felt… well, more like a polite handshake than a dramatic flourish. But you know what? Sometimes, that’s exactly what you want.
It’s a story where the real drama revolves around nosy neighbors, snarky customers, and the occasional mishap. The politics are muddled, the world-building has some questionable patches, but Caz—the plant with a penchant for relatable one-liners—roots the whole thing in a kind of magical realism I didn’t expect to enjoy so much.
Es un romantasy cozy, sobre libros y mermelada y encontrar un lugar donde pertenecés. Está escrito como una peli de ghibli, con un cast de personajes muy diversos que al mismo tiempo, fallan al ser tan diversos. La protagonista tiene la piel azul y el pelo azul, la panadera tiene pelaje tostado en vez de piel (tiene rasgos animales? es humana pero peluda? no lo sé, no lo describen), el interés romántico es musculoso y tiene ojos de varios colores (también tiene la piel azul? o rosa? o verde? ni idea, sólo sé q es alto y musculoso) La historia es cute, tiene un par de conflictos que se resuelven de forma cozy y con uno que otro deus-ex, pero weno esto no es Viento y Verdad :v
This was literally the perfect cozy fantasy. It was like a warm hug in a book. It was cute, charming, and relaxing. I loved the characters, I loved the town, and I loved the story. Plus Caz and Meep, literally my favorite parts. If you want a fun little escape from reality, this is it!
3.5⭐️ Exactly the cozy palette cleanser that I needed!
In the first half I was convinced this was going to be a 4 or 5 star read but then it just kept going on and on and on. It felt like it was dragged out even though there were multiple points when it could have ended and that would have been perfectly fine.
Overall it has a very similar vibe to Legends and Lattes though unlike that this is not at all D&D focused, so if that put you off Legends and Lattes definitely give this one a shot! You will be met with fresh baked goods, sentient sassy plants and whimsical mist bears!
This was such a charming read! There were so many elements that I enjoyed in this story, probably because they are things I like outside of the book itself. From the love of books, to cozy cottagecore, to highly imaginative fantastical creatures and characters, and the warm hug that is found family. I think I also enjoyed our main character's journey from anti-social introvert librarian to entrepreneur of her own little shop, and becoming part of a community again in the process. Can I also just say Caz and Meep? Sentient plants are the best fantastical creatures I've come across in a while! I did feel like the story started to meander a bit towards the end and I was anxious for the conclusion and not really because it had me on the edge of my seat. I mean you kind of know what's going to happen anyway and it it just took a bit of an unnecessary amount of time to get there in my opinion. BUT that's a small quibble overall! It was just the right amount of charming, cozy, and fantastical otherwise and I really loved it.
This was one of the most hyped books I have been seeing around. And the hype is totally real. It is a very warm, fuzzy book. There's quite a bit of magic, there's some baking, there's a lot of ‘gardening', there's a lot of simple-village-folk kinda care, there's a heart-in-the-right-place hero and a timid-yet-courageous heroine. A lovely tale that did become a little intense at one point, but ended up all-good-and-fine in every possible way. One of the best books I've read.
Rating Description:
1.0 - DNF/Despise
1.5 - Almost DNFed and wish I had
2.0 - Almost DNFed but had redeeming qualities/just boring
2.5 - Alright with lots of notes
3.0 - Alright with notes but I'm not raving about it
3.5 - Technically good but I'm not raving about it
4.0 - Technically good, and/or I enjoyed it a lot
4.5 - Loved it, I wanted to highlight lines in the book but still with notes
5.0 - Loved it, I wanted to highlight lines in the book, and notes are very positive
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I have not read anything that was described as “Cosy Fantasy”. This is probably the 1st book I’ve read tagged as such.
It’s a good representative of its genre. It was light, easy to read, and relatively small-stakes. It’s very feel-good.
There is a specific thing that I have an issue with. Had it been fixed; I would have liked this a whole lot more. It’s the timeline.
The bulk of the story happened within a week or two. While it made sense that the protagonist starts to experiment with magic almost immediately due to need, it would have been better if suspicion and the fall out from her actions were delayed. Let her worry about it, settle into the possibility that she got away with it, and then have suspicion build up slowly. But there was basically the worry phase and then someone immediately got suspicious and started a ruckus. There was no suspense. No build up.
It’s the same with the relationships that formed. In that short time, she developed tight friendships and a love interest. I am not a fan of that kind of pacing. I know this is a fantasy but I still find that unbelievable.
So, is this exactly what I want to read in a fantasy book? Not really. I have to be in a certain mood for it. But I won’t say no to reading more of it. In fact, I just saw a second book for this. It’s not a sequel from the looks of it, more of an off-shoot of a character that was mentioned in this book. And I am already thinking of getting it.
My first audiobook in months?! This was so engaging from the beginning, considering it starts with books and a library (and a talking plant)! It was cosy as advertised, and warm and fuzzy. Found family FTW! Would definitely recommend this as a light-hearted read with fantasy elements and good neighbours.
Thanks to the publisher and Libro.fm for the alc!
It was cute, but I wouldn't pick up a sequel. The protagonist kind of irked me, but I loved the talking plants.
Read this is if you're looking for a nice, cozy place to escape to filled with tea, friends, raspberry jam, talking plants, and tea (of course). I loved that there was enough of a backstory for Kiela that I could see where she was coming from and understand her struggles. While I wish there might have been more exploration of some of the other characters and their histories, this book read exactly like it wanted to: a warm hug.
Absolutely a warm hug of a book and so absolutely cozy.
My only thing is a wish the romance was more and that we knew exactly what she did for Larren when they were younger. Like, if there was a novella even of their past then this would 100% be perfect. As it is... 98% perfect haha.
Absolutely love the magic system, the friends, found family vibes, and how much I want to make pastries and jam haha.
When I started out, I wasn't sure I was going to like this book but as soon as Kiela and her assistant Caz, a talking walking spider plant, flee the library while it is underseige and they get on the boat and go to the island that Kiela was born and raised on, I was hooked.
The go to find safety in the home that Kiela lived in as a child. It's in disrepair after her family left it and the island isnt the place it once was. Everyone is hurting and the storms that come, full of magic, are no longer control the way they used to. Kiela uses the magical spell books that she liberated when she left to open a secret magic shop in hopes of helping the island balance itself out, while not drawing attention to the fact she is not supposed to do magic or have these books.
It was so good. I loved the dialogue and the plot was phenomenal. I want to buy a copy of the book if it comes out in a special edition hardcover because it is magnificent. Beautifully written and it will suck you into a world of greed but with the humility of people who have nothing but they will give you the shirt off your back. The protect Kiela when the revolutionists come looking for someone else who fled.
I was blown away by how much I loved this book
5 stars
Honestly, I'm speechless. This is probably the exact kind of cosy, magical fantasy that anyone interested in the genres would be looking for.
It has adorable talking plants, it has books, it has a man that will willingly suggest and offer to build bookshelves for said books and most importantly it has a mer-baby. Adorable, tiny tail mer-baby.
This is one of the best cottagecore, cosy fantasies that I have read. It was all very wholesome, with the main character opening up to people and settling down when she once came from. This will definitely be a treat for those with a sweet tooth, since there's so much of it around.
A big, huge thank you to Bramble and Edelweiss Plus for letting me have an advance look at The Spellshop. It was the perfect spring read and I have already pre-ordered a physical copy because I know I am going to reread this.
I fell in love with this book in the first chapter. Kiela and her sentient spider plant, Cas live and work at the city library. Seriously, they sleep in the stacks. When rebels set the library ablaze they barely escape with their lives (and 5 crates of spell books). Kiela has no where else to go but home. She had been born on a small island called Caltry and her parents still have a small house there.
When they arrive- Caltry is in bad shape. the main economy is based around the merhorse farms and the merhorses cannot foal. The trees are dying, and the springs have dried up.
What's a librarian with crates full of spellbooks to do?
I'll leave it there. Just know there are unicorns! spirit animals shaped like cuddly bears! tea shops! jam!
It's literally the most cottagecore thing I've ever read.
I have a very low tolerance for twee, but this is cute and it turns out: I LOVE CUTE. Blame a childhood surrounded by Lisa Frank products.
This was literally perfect.
My only wish was that the book should include a recipe for jam at the end. That is all.