Book Review - 'The Spellshop' by Sarah Beth Durst

I feel like I should apologise to this book for taking so long to finish it. It's a big book, and life keeps getting in the way, but with a beautiful and special fantasy like this, every bookworm instinct and heartbeat in me tells me it ought to have been my top priority, you know?

But on the other hand, 'The Spellshop' is the kind of beautiful and special fantasy that might be best read gradually, carefully, savoringly. It is like discovering and then reciting a spell, where, for the most effective results, one must take the time to absorb it and take it in, bit by bit, in order to appreciate its charming, dainty magic all the more. You devour it like a daily three-course meal. It is relishing.

It is a slow-moving, practically-plotless-in-every-way cosy fantasy - a slice-of-(tomato)life story about unpredictabilities and predictabilities, the mundanities and the extraordinaries, that's set in a world full of magic and magical creatures - but each chapter truly feels like stepping into a magical world; it's a different experience every time, and you almost don't want to read on right away for fear of losing that light, miraculous, wonderous, spectacular feeling. Of enchantment.

But you do, because you are a reader and that's what readers do, and 'The Spellshop' is an engrossing, addictive novel.

It is one of the few entries in the 'cosy fantasy' - other names I've found are 'cottage fantasy' and 'cottagecore' - genre that is genuinely well written, creative, relaxing, yet exciting, and careful, believable, and, well, spellbinding. It is at Travis Baldree's 'Legends & Lattes' level and high bar in the newest popular trend. But it definitely doesn't feel like a trend or a gimmick. It is simply a passionately-written, quiet fantasy/romantasy book.

It is tea-cosy. And jam-cosy, bread-cosy, pastry-cosy, tomato-cosy, and pinecone-cosy.

The content is so enriching and near-perfect!

'The Spellshop', as well as being about a former empire librarian fugitive and her sentient spider plant assistant who find refuge in her childhood cottage home on an outer island, and who in that cottage in the woods open a shop that sells jam and (secretly, on the side) illegal magic spells that help people (seriously, the originality of that premise alone, how enticing!)... *ahem*, it is also about community, friendship, trust, bonds, love, moving on from the past and shaping a better, brighter future, books, scholars, sharing knowledge, environmentalism, the beauty of nature, and anti-imperialism, and -what a relief - it turns out it does not in fact demonise revolutionaries.

It is about how complicated people are, and how, thankfully, not all of them are horrible. No one has to be a one-dimensional villain, or a villain in any way, who harms people; that's no way to live. People have no need to be cruel, selfish, unkind, cold, nasty, distrustful, bigoted, and just plain awful, and who find joy in bringing misery to others. Small-mindedness, warped, shut-in perspectives, politics and capitalism make them like this; like it benefits them. It doesn't. They can be better. Better than who they were, or who the previous generation was.

In addition to the solid, well-planned-out, charismatic and lovely writing, what a warm comfort read 'The Spellshop' is!

I love the characters. I won't forget them anytime soon: from the blue-skinned, blue-haired librarian-cum-jam shopkeeper-cum-sorcerer protagonist Kiela, to her spider plant assistant and best-and-initially-only-friend Caz, to another sentient plant - a baby cactus - to Bryn the friendly and no-nonsense faun woman baker, to Bryn's cheeky and funny nephew Tobin, to the centaur Eadie, to Ulina the multiarmed woman, to, of course, Larran. Larran the neighbour, the merhorse herder, and the love interest.

This guy?

Larran?

He is perfect.

He is like everything a man should be, with all the taint of the patriarchy and toxic masculinity purposefully removed. He is a resilient sea lover, a handyman, and a gorgeous, nice, kind specimen of a man. I haven't had anything even coming close to what could be called a "book boyfriend" in a very long time, but Larran is it, no hesitation. He is not "unrealistic"; he got where he is through hard work, patience, and learning from his family's abuse and mistakes. He knows how important it is to be kind.

A male who is sensitive, and cares for people, no matter who they are or where they come from - that is not a flaw. It is, sadly, a triumph and something to be lauded nowadays. Larran's personality is as miraculous as the magic in this book. He is always striving to better himself, no matter how "good" he already is.

The bar should not be so low when it comes to basic human decency in men!

And he builds bookshelves.

I repeat: HE. BUILDS. BOOKSHELVES!

Larran is my new book boyfriend!

He will come to melt the heart of the shy, isolated, antisocial, neurodivergent, grief-filled Kiela, as he will melt the hearts of the readers of this precious, harmonious, cordial romantasy.

In the magical world of 'The Spellshop', there are talking plants, mermaids, merhorses, multicoloured cats with wings, cloud bears (like tree spirits and guardians), and dangerous storms caused by magic. And a unicorn. And a singing tree.

The human-enforced politics that affect this world feel organic, and run parallel to how our world works (tragically), but it is understated, and does not overwhelm or interfere with the overall light, cosy, yet exciting and enchanting story. A heartwarming and heart-pumping story, where you are not sure what will happen next.

It is so good! I want to live in this world and meet the characters.

Unfortunately, now that I am close to ending the review, I have to bring up 'The Spellshop''s flaws. But it'll be brief:

It is rather long for a book about living life, with no "structure", though there are stakes introduced near the end; I kind of wish we could have had more of Kiela selling jam and spells in her little cottage, though her casting spells in her garden, and further into the woods, to help out the island and preserve its nature is creative and exciting to read about; a character who goes by they/them pronouns is misgendered at one point (oops! and the book is so careful and carefully proofread otherwise); a side romance that is sapphic is presented near the end, and it seems like an afterthought, with no buildup, chemistry, or even an aftermath that is seen; why is this marketed as for adults when there isn't any "mature" content in it?; and how did Kiela's parents, who moved from the humble little island to the big empire city when she was a child, die? It's never explained, although maybe that bit of ambiguity is for the best?

Sarah Beth Durst is a great writer, and always has been. A few of her books I've read in the past - the YA 'Drink, Slay, Love' and 'The Queens of Renthia' series - I used to love, but now I view them as being problematic and not having aged well. Still, I recognise and appreciate how good her writing is in general, plus her clear, sparkling passion and talent. In her Acknowledgements at the end of 'The Spellshop', she says she wanted to write a book that feels like drinking hot chocolate, or eating freshly-baked goods with raspberry jam. Like drinking up joy and sunshine.

In my opinion, she succeeded with 'The Spellshop'.

Reading it is like spending a summer in a garden, surrounded by nature and trees and brambles and berries and nettles. And the sea. It is like summer, and spring water. It made me feel nostalgic for when I spent time in a grandparent's big garden as a child.

What a hopeful, captivating, endearing, pleasant, affectionate, magic-filled teacup this book - this spellshop - is.

In case it wasn't obvious, I recommend it wholeheartedly.


'We've all been through a lot over the past few years. This book is my gift to anyone who wants to escape and sink into a world filled with kindness and enchantment' - Sarah Beth Durst.


Final Score: 4/5