The Spellshop, by Sarah Beth Durst - Jasmin
This book turned out to be a four-star read, once I got to the end, but it took a long time to get there. The first half of the book is a lot of set up - too much in my opinion - but as soon as the 150th page is hit, it’s all a go, and I managed to read the second half in almost a quarter to the time of the first.
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst is a cosy fantasy romance that follows the main character Kiela and her sentient spider plant and best friend, Caz as they escape the capital city after the revolution hits. As a librarian looking after the magical texts, Kiela sees it as her duty to rescue the books and bring them with her to her birth island of Caltery.
The book follows the dilemma of Kiela wanting to help the islanders with their magical problems while also being prohibited from doing so. As well as this, a budding friendship with her neighbour Larren blossoms into an awkward romance. It is however, the last 100 to 150 pages where all the plot twists and action happens, and it did take me a long time to get into the swing of the narrative.
The characters are well-rounded but their flaws are stated repeatedly, which felt unnecessary for me, but would help if you find you pick books up and leave them for a while before getting back into them.
This book is full of magical beings including centaurs, merhorses, mermaids, and flying tabby cats. It is the perfect read for fans of Travis Baldree and TJ Klune.
Jasmin
