Back of Book: 

Kiela has always had trouble dealing with people. Thankfully, as a 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.

When 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 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 to help fix up her new home.

In need of income, Kiela identifies 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.

But magic can do more than make life a little sweeter, so Kiela risks the consequences of using unsanctioned spells and opens the island’s first-ever and much needed secret spellshop.

Like a Hallmark rom-com full of mythical creatures and fueled by cinnamon rolls and magic, The Spellshop will heal your heart and feed your soul. 

Book Number: One 

Genre: Adult | Fantasy | Romance 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

A cozy fantasy adventure featuring an ex-librarian and her sentient spider plant research assistant as they start their lives over as owners of a secret spellshop.

Kiela loves her job as a librarian in the Great Library of Alyssium. Alongside her magically enchanted spider plant assistant, Caz, she has happily worked in the library with hardly any human interaction for over a decade. However, unease is growing in Alyssium and things escalate drastically for Kiela when rebels burn the library. Desperate to escape with their lives (and some precious tomes) intact, Kiela and Caz sail for Kiela's home island, Caltrey. Upon arriving, the two take up residence in Kiela's childhood home and begin to fend for themselves. The two soon open a jam shop that doubles as a secret spellshop. Magic isn't sanctioned by the Imperial government, so Kiela knows that she is risking everything to perform magic. However, it becomes increasingly harder to stop as she realizes that magic helps the island truly thrive. There is always the risk that people from the capital may come to hunt Kiela down, but it seems worth it to have the opportunity to start anew and connect with her fellow islanders. 

In my youth, I read two of Durst's books: "Spark" and "Catalyst." I was a huge fan of both, so I was super excited when I first saw that "The Spellshop" was coming out. Little did I know that it would be a huge success and readers everywhere would be raving about how it is the perfect cozy fantasy read. I am reading this one as part of a reading challenge I'm doing in 2026, so thank you Aleisha Parke for finally prompting me to read this one; it was long overdue! 

This book is like uncovering a secret you've been looking for your entire life while simultaneously feeling like you are coming home. It's a warm hug on a cold winter's day and a friend's shoulder to cry on when you're having a rough time. Seriously, the cozy vibes are immaculate and this book features one of the strongest found families I have ever read about. I don't think I've ever felt as soothed by a novel as I did while reading this one. 

Kiela is an insanely relatable main character. She is super anti-social, anxiety ridden, and would rather spend her time holed up in a library than interacting with others. I think most readers can relate to that alone. Gradually, she also begins to yearn for more and wishes to make the world a better place with the actions she partakes in. She does start this book as a standoffish grump, but she grows so much in such a short period of time. It's crazy what a little tender loving care can do to a person who feels so utterly alone in the world. 

The entire cast of side characters in this one are also brilliant. Caz, Kiela's research assistant who also happens to be a sentient spider plant, is such a lovable character. He is an extreme worrywart who fears that something awful is going to happen to him. Seriously, the number of times he worries he is going to get consumed by a goat is iconic. Larran is one of the sweetest men ever that truly just wants to help everyone and is willing to risk his life in the process. He's definitely in the running for new favorite book boyfriends of 2026. To avoid spoilers, I'll just say that the rest of the cast is also superior, but Meep honestly takes the cake for me. They are a true legend and I need more of them in my life. Bryn, Eadie, and Ulina felt like Kiela's aunts who are fiercely protective yet would totally be down for meeting up for book club and just munching on some muffins at the same time. I love all the characters in this one so darn much! Also, the fish ponies (hippocampi) that Larran herds are so precious! 

This book is similar to many cozy fantasy reads in which the main character has to give up their former life and start over again in a quaint little village. Kiela and Caz used to work in a massive library but are forced to flee when rebels take over the Empire that they hail from. This causes them to return to Kiela's home island of Caltrey in which the two begin their new lives as jam makers who dabble in magic on the side. 

In a magical world, it seems perfectly normal that they would work in spells, but in actuality, magic is illegal to those that aren't trained to be sorcerers. This is actually the element that adds suspense to the book because Kiela and Caz are doing their utmost to pass their spells as "family recipes" and "herbal concoctions." They also need to hide the spell books they rescued from the library, and are paranoid that Imperial soldiers could come after them at any minute. As the story progresses, more problems pop up that add even more tension to this already great plot line. For a cozy fantasy, there is a ton at stake and there is no way one could grow bored with this one. 

My favorite part about this novel is the fact that Kiela and Caz truly come to find their people. Kiela learns how to open up and be neighborly to those around her, which leads to many wonderful instances that couldn't occurred if she kept to herself. She also gives back to the land around her, and in turn, it gives back to her. The way that Kiela learns how to care for others before herself is so powerful, too. I wish that everyone could find their people like Kiela's does before their time on this Earth is over. Caz also does a great job at conquering many of his fears before this book is through! 

Overall, "The Spellshop" was such a stunning read! It is seriously one of the coziest books I've ever read, but it has such high stakes at the same time. The magical world that this world is set in is truly enchanting and I'm super stoked that Durst has decided to write more books in this universe. Kiela, Caz, Larran, and the rest of the gang are all such lovable characters that I was seriously satisfied watching them having picnics together for pages at a time. It is hard to put into words just how comforting I found this book. I think the next time I go to the library I'll be checking out "The Enchanted Greenhouse," because I'm not ready to let these cozy vibes go! 

Back of Book: 

Terlu Perna broke the law because she was lonely. She cast a spell and created a magically sentient spider plant. As punishment, she was turned into a wooden statue and tucked away into an alcove in the North Reading Room of the Great Library of Alyssium.

This should have been the end of her story... Yet one day, Terlu wakes in the cold of winter on a nearly-deserted island full of hundreds of magical greenhouses. She’s starving and freezing, and the only other human on the island is a grumpy gardener. To her surprise, he offers Terlu a place to sleep, clean clothes, and freshly baked honey cakes—at least until she’s ready to sail home.

But Terlu can’t return home and doesn’t want to—the greenhouses are a dream come true, each more wondrous than the next. When she learns that the magic that sustains them is failing—causing the death of everything within them—Terlu knows she must help. Even if that means breaking the law again.

This time, though, she isn’t alone. Assisted by the gardener and a sentient rose, Terlu must unravel the secrets of a long-dead sorcerer if she wants to save the island—and have a fresh chance at happiness and love.

Funny, kind, and forgiving, The Enchanted Greenhouse is a story about giving second chances—to others and to yourself. 

Book Number: Two

Genre: Adult | Fantasy | Romance 

Review: ? 

Back of Book: 

Marin had always belonged on the great blue sea. When the man she thought was the love of her life schemed to ruin her parents’ business, she did what her heart knew best: she fled to the sea.

Now working as a supply runner on her own boat, Marin sails from island to island, delivering a varied array of goods: letters, flour, stories, and even the occasional enchanted statue. It’s a lonely life, but it’s hers. Besides, she’s got the company of Perri the sea serpent and Ree the sailor shrub. They’re the best crew she could ask for.

On one of her routine trips to the capital of the Crescent Islands Empire, Alyssium, Marin finds the city on fire and a revolution underway—so she offers transportation to Dax, a composer friend who refuses to leave behind his instruments. What starts as a rescue evolves into a deal: Marin will keep Dax on as a (temporary) member of her crew if he becomes her pretend boyfriend at the End-of-Harvest Festival back home.

Against her better judgment, Marin finds herself intrigued by his stubbornness, his passion for stories, his charming smile—and realizes that perhaps she isn’t saving him. Maybe it’s the other way around.

Sea of Charms is a cozy fantasy romance about finding your crew, your family, and moreover, finding yourself. 

Book Number: Three

Genre: Adult | Fantasy | Romance 

Review: ?