Book Review: The Spellshop
As a reader, I tend to get totally immersed in a book. However, as a working mom of four, once the book is finished I tend to immediately forget all the details. My forgetfulness is by no means a reflection of the quality of a story (it’s totally me, not the books!), but every once in a while a read stays in my living memory a bit longer than the rest.
For the month of November one of my most memorable reads was The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst.
The Spellshop tells the story of librarian and people-avoider Kiela and her sentient spider plant BFF, Caz. The dynamic between these two is one of the first things that stood out to me in this book and it’s still sticking with me almost a month after finishing. I’m pretty sure Caz is the first plant-based character I’ve read. But no matter if he is the first or the tenth, he is definitely my favorite.
I also love Durst’s world building. Somehow she manages to create a landscape and magic system that is at once vivid and cozy. I would try and describe it but it would just be a pale imitation–and why rob you of the joy of discovery!
Based on the cover you might not expect this book to be political, but power disparities between the wealthy and the everyday folk is a significant plot element. The story starts with a coup and ongoing hardship due to the restriction of magical resources drives the narrative. Greed, corruption, and abuse of power aren’t things I was actively seeking in my escapism during November 2024, but I was surprised to realize that reading about them wasn’t making me angsty. I think Durst’s FMC is to thank for that.
Kiela is navigating a lot of change in this story, while also processing some delayed grief. In spite of those things, she has an unwavering loyalty to the preservation and dissemination of knowledge. Her survival instincts are strong, which made her feel very real, but so is her desire to do the right thing, which made her very likeable. A lot of her character growth takes place in the emotional space where those two traits intersect. Watching Kiela pragmatically face seemingly insurmountable odds, one determined step at a time, somehow managed to (temporarily) calm my anxieties about the state of the world. Kiela’s story inspired hope.
As a diehard romance reader, I of course appreciated the romantic plotline in this story but I would call this a fantasy novel with romantic elements, rather than a romantasy. Caz’s commentary on the developing relationship was delightful.
Durst is a new-to-me author and I am already impatiently waiting for her July 2025 release, The Enchanted Greenhouse. This appears to be a sequel to The Spellshop featuring Caz’s creator and I’m seriously looking forward to it.