On This Page
Description
"Kiela has always had trouble dealing with people. Thankfully, as librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium, 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. Then 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 show more 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 help fix up her new home. In need of income and reluctantly inspired by the beauty and people of the island who have welcomed her into their hearts, Kiela discovers 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 that become the town's, and her handsome neighbor's, new favorite confection. But magic can do more than make life a little sweeter, so Kiela decides to open the island's first-ever and much-needed secret spellshop. Her plan comes with risks--the empire condemns the use of unsanctioned magic, and the consequence of sharing spells with commoners is death. But Kiela has only just found a place that feels like home and people who feel like family, and she'll risk anything for a chance at happiness."-- show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Recommendations
Member Reviews
Absolutely delightful cozy fantasy. The author wanted it to be like drinking hot chocolate and she succeeded, wildly. I love the characters, especially Caz, the sentient and ambulatory spider plant. I love the whole-hearted embrace of lovely magics, from the mer-horses to the winged cats, to the forest spirits. I love the emphasis on kindness and on healing trees. And I really, really love that the main character is an awkward, socially-phobic librarian who would rather read and research than ever go to a party. It's also full of interesting people, with no judgment or hesitation in accepting romances and identities. Joyful. Belongs on my happy shelf with Legends and Lattes and A Psalm for the Wild-Built and Bannerless and Clean Sweep show more and In Other Lands.
Advanced Readers' Copy Provided by Edelweiss.
Re-read as an audio book -- excellent narrator, very enjoyable. show less
Advanced Readers' Copy Provided by Edelweiss.
Re-read as an audio book -- excellent narrator, very enjoyable. show less
When the revolutionaries reach the Great Library and begin burning it, librarian Kiela and her sentient spider plant Caz escape on a boat which already has crates of spell books Kiela has stolen - er, saved - from the library. She returns to the faraway island her parents were from, meets a super-helpful neighbor named Larran, and generally tries to keep to herself. But her neighbors won't quite let her, and soon she decides that she should open a jam shop and perhaps scour the spell books for some helpful "remedies" (spellcasting if you're not a sorcerer is illegal) to help the magic-scoured island bounce back.
This cozy fantasy is exactly what you'd expect from the genre, a read with all the vibes of a nice warm sweater and cup of tea. show more I tend to prefer my world-building more complex, and at times I was trying to figure out the reasoning behind things that are never given - how can Caz talk without a mouth and see without eyes? Why is Kiela blue? How are merhorses a thing and when did they become domesticated? Kiela's choices and what some of the other characters do seemed like that too, working fine as I was carried along by the story but falling apart under any prolonged scrutiny. When I started reading it, I thought it was a debut, but Sarah Beth Durst is a prolific author for various ages and has been short listed for several awards. An enjoyable read but ultimately not my favorite example of the genre. show less
This cozy fantasy is exactly what you'd expect from the genre, a read with all the vibes of a nice warm sweater and cup of tea. show more I tend to prefer my world-building more complex, and at times I was trying to figure out the reasoning behind things that are never given - how can Caz talk without a mouth and see without eyes? Why is Kiela blue? How are merhorses a thing and when did they become domesticated? Kiela's choices and what some of the other characters do seemed like that too, working fine as I was carried along by the story but falling apart under any prolonged scrutiny. When I started reading it, I thought it was a debut, but Sarah Beth Durst is a prolific author for various ages and has been short listed for several awards. An enjoyable read but ultimately not my favorite example of the genre. show less
As much fun as I had reading this book, its frenetic narrative pace was almost too much. Following the adventures of a rogue librarian (absolutely choice protagonist) and her sidekick animated spider plant (odd, but actually worked well) as they flee the capital city for the isolated island on which Kiela grew up with crates of illegally saved books in tow, the story does not lack in potential for adventure. Unfortunately, Durst took the opportunity to explore every single potential challenge, pack the setting with every single potential magical creature, and have Kiela try out numerous magical spells to solve her many challenges, so the story winds up reading like the novel equivalent of doomscrolling on TikTok. The book was show more entertaining for sure, but I found I could rarely read more than one or two chapters at once, since they were mentally exhausting and gave me little time to settle into the story. If Durst’s ideas weren’t so intriguing and her setting and characters reasonably engaging, I doubt I would have kept reading this novel, so I will give her credit for creativity - even if it maybe needs to be honed a little bit rather than spilt with abandon over the pages. show less
The Spellshop is a cozy fantasy with a hint of clean romance, the kind of book best read on a rainy day, tucked under a blanket with a cup of tea and jam on a muffin. The story is told in third-person from Kiela’s POV.
Kiela is a librarian at the Great Library of the Empire, until revolutionaries overthrow the emperor and burn the library to the ground. Forced to flee by boat, she escapes with her best friend Caz (a sentient spider plant) and a collection of spellbooks she has sworn to protect. They take refuge on Kiela’s childhood island, settling into her late parents’ cottage. Safety, however, doesn’t solve everything: Kiela still needs to survive, make a living, and find her place in a struggling community. When she realizes show more the island is in trouble, she decides to use her “stolen” spellbooks to help the islanders, and herself.
I identified strongly with Kiela. My skin and hair aren’t blue, but I’m very much a book dragon: I hoard books, and I often prefer my books and cats over people. One of my cats is even named Meep, just like Kiela’s cactus.
The story starts off slowly but picks up after the first quarter of the book. Yes, there are plot holes. Yes, the magic system could use more explanation, and the world-building could be more detailed. There are no major surprises. But none of that detracted much from my enjoyment. This is, above all, a comforting and gentle read.
I read most of it during a week’s holiday and ended up finishing the final third on my return trip. I simply couldn’t put it down. If you’re looking for a warm, low-stakes fantasy focused on books, belonging, and quiet resilience, The Spellshop is a lovely choice. show less
Kiela is a librarian at the Great Library of the Empire, until revolutionaries overthrow the emperor and burn the library to the ground. Forced to flee by boat, she escapes with her best friend Caz (a sentient spider plant) and a collection of spellbooks she has sworn to protect. They take refuge on Kiela’s childhood island, settling into her late parents’ cottage. Safety, however, doesn’t solve everything: Kiela still needs to survive, make a living, and find her place in a struggling community. When she realizes show more the island is in trouble, she decides to use her “stolen” spellbooks to help the islanders, and herself.
I identified strongly with Kiela. My skin and hair aren’t blue, but I’m very much a book dragon: I hoard books, and I often prefer my books and cats over people. One of my cats is even named Meep, just like Kiela’s cactus.
The story starts off slowly but picks up after the first quarter of the book. Yes, there are plot holes. Yes, the magic system could use more explanation, and the world-building could be more detailed. There are no major surprises. But none of that detracted much from my enjoyment. This is, above all, a comforting and gentle read.
I read most of it during a week’s holiday and ended up finishing the final third on my return trip. I simply couldn’t put it down. If you’re looking for a warm, low-stakes fantasy focused on books, belonging, and quiet resilience, The Spellshop is a lovely choice. show less
Librarian Kiela and her sentient spider plant friend Caz flee the Great Library of Alyssium as it burns and sail to Kiela's home island of Caltrey to hide in her old house - along with five crates of books she's saved (or stolen, depending on your point of view). Kiela is used to a quiet, isolated existence in the library, with Caz as her only companion, but realizes that on Caltrey her survival depends on others - like Bryn the baker and Larran, who herds merhorses.
After a few hiccups, Kiela and Caz settle in, use a little magic to encourage raspberry bushes to grow, and start a jam shop. But their precarious safety and happiness is threatened when Radane arrives from Alyssium during a storm. Larran rescues her from the water, but show more then she proceeds to wreak havoc on the island's delicate balance.
It's a pleasure to watch Kiela go from being independent to opening up to other people, and begin to question some of what she learned as a librarian in Alyssium and develop her own philosophies: that information should be free, and magic should be used to help people, not hoarded for the wealthy and powerful.
Quotes
"Of course knowledge is dangerous....But ignorance is even more dangerous." (66)
She didn't really know anything about running a shop or magic or jam....But I do know books - and that meant there was nothing she couldn't know, eventually. (81)
"It doesn't hurt to ask...Questions are the heart of a functioning society." (154)
Books should be shared with everyone who wants to open their minds and hearts to them.
Keeping them, keeping knowledge, from people who needed it, that was the real crime. (248)
...and it all felt so eternal and so ephemeral at the same time. (279)
"The more people who know, the more risk there is."
She wasn't certain that was true. "The more friends I have, the safer I am." (305)
"Trusting anyone is a risk....But it's better than doing it alone." (322) show less
After a few hiccups, Kiela and Caz settle in, use a little magic to encourage raspberry bushes to grow, and start a jam shop. But their precarious safety and happiness is threatened when Radane arrives from Alyssium during a storm. Larran rescues her from the water, but show more then she proceeds to wreak havoc on the island's delicate balance.
It's a pleasure to watch Kiela go from being independent to opening up to other people, and begin to question some of what she learned as a librarian in Alyssium and develop her own philosophies: that information should be free, and magic should be used to help people, not hoarded for the wealthy and powerful.
Quotes
"Of course knowledge is dangerous....But ignorance is even more dangerous." (66)
She didn't really know anything about running a shop or magic or jam....But I do know books - and that meant there was nothing she couldn't know, eventually. (81)
"It doesn't hurt to ask...Questions are the heart of a functioning society." (154)
Books should be shared with everyone who wants to open their minds and hearts to them.
Keeping them, keeping knowledge, from people who needed it, that was the real crime. (248)
...and it all felt so eternal and so ephemeral at the same time. (279)
"The more people who know, the more risk there is."
She wasn't certain that was true. "The more friends I have, the safer I am." (305)
"Trusting anyone is a risk....But it's better than doing it alone." (322) show less
THE SPELLSHOP was an engaging fantasy. Kiela lived as a librarian in the capital city. She worked in the Great Library of Alyssium until revolutionaries burned the libary. Kiela fled with some boxes of books and her sentient spider plant Caz. Her destination was the remote island where she was born and lived until she was eight.
Arriving there, she found the cottage she inherited in a state of disrepair and determined to fix it up. She had some help from Larran who knew her when she was a child and who cared for the herd of merhorses that helped the local fishermen.
Kiela's relationship with Larran gradually improved as the solitary woman slowly began to trust Larran. And her circle of friends grew as she began to make a place for show more herself on the island. She decided that, even though it was forbidden, she would learn some of the spells from the books she rescued in order to help herself and the other people on the island survive.
Her spells ranged from accelerating plant growth which let her restore her raspberry patch so that she could make her living selling raspberry jam to magically fixing magical springs. She also made a spell to repair the trees on the island which had been failing since the traveling sorcerers had stopped visiting the outer islands.
While there are greater events going on off the island where Kiela and Caz have taken refuge which impact her choices, the main concern of the story is Kiela's learning to trust others and build a new life for herself.
I enjoyed this cozy, feel-good fantasy. show less
Arriving there, she found the cottage she inherited in a state of disrepair and determined to fix it up. She had some help from Larran who knew her when she was a child and who cared for the herd of merhorses that helped the local fishermen.
Kiela's relationship with Larran gradually improved as the solitary woman slowly began to trust Larran. And her circle of friends grew as she began to make a place for show more herself on the island. She decided that, even though it was forbidden, she would learn some of the spells from the books she rescued in order to help herself and the other people on the island survive.
Her spells ranged from accelerating plant growth which let her restore her raspberry patch so that she could make her living selling raspberry jam to magically fixing magical springs. She also made a spell to repair the trees on the island which had been failing since the traveling sorcerers had stopped visiting the outer islands.
While there are greater events going on off the island where Kiela and Caz have taken refuge which impact her choices, the main concern of the story is Kiela's learning to trust others and build a new life for herself.
I enjoyed this cozy, feel-good fantasy. show less
I am absolutely the target audience for this book, it's even edge-sprayed in my favorite color, and it definitely worked for me. I'm fascinated by the number of folks who dislike the protagonist because I 100% relate to her and I loved seeing a less-than-perfect prickly person in the center of things. A perfect cozy romantasy, with a clueless protagonist and a sweetheart love interest, lovely and detailed worldbuilding (you can tell when an actual fantasy author does romantasy because the world is fully thought-through) and so many adorable touches that I kept having to stop reading for a moment in order to have some feelings about them. There's enough plot that things feel compelling but this book really is a hug from top to bottom. show more Read it with a fuzzy blanket, a nice cup of tea, and maybe some lovely bread, with jam of course! show less
Members
- Recently Added By
Lists
al.vick-wishlist-scifi-fant
180 works; 2 members
Top Five Books of 2024
795 works; 264 members
Books Read in 2025
4,090 works; 97 members
Book Worlds We'd Like To Visit
322 works; 158 members
Top Five Books of 2025
950 works; 302 members
Books Read in 2026
1,715 works; 62 members
Found Family
32 works; 1 member
Author Information
39+ Works 11,465 Members
Sarah Beth Durst is a LibraryThing Author, an author who lists their personal library on LibraryThing.
Some Editions
Awards and Honors
Awards
Distinctions
Notable Lists
Series
Work Relationships
Is abridged in
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The Spellshop
- Original publication date
- 2024-07-09
- People/Characters
- Kiela Orobidan; Caz (spider plant); Larran Maver; Bryn; Eadie; Tobin (show all 16); Ivor; Fenerer; Hailo; Radane (Ravandil Etra L'san); Meep (cactus); Ulina; Marri (merhorse); Sian (merhorse); Captain Varrik; Amarin (merhorse)
- Important places
- Caltry, Crescent Islands Empire
- Dedication
- For Adam,
with love and raspberry jam - First words
- Kiela never thought the flames would reach the library. She was dimly aware that most of the other librarians had fled weeks ago, when the revolutionaries took the palace and defenestrated the emperor in a rather dramatic dis... (show all)play. But surely they wouldn't touch the library. After all, there were books here. Highly flammable, irreplaceable books. -Chapter One
- Quotations
- How often did you meet someone who offered to build you bookshelves?
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)'I'm happy i'm home.'
- Original language
- English
- Canonical DDC/MDS
- 813.6
- Canonical LCC
- PS3604 .U7578 .S64
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 3,449
- Popularity
- 4,810
- Reviews
- 78
- Rating
- (4.03)
- Languages
- 7 — Dutch, English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Spanish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 19
- ASINs
- 7