I am always down for a cozy fantasy with found family and first loves, which The Spellshop definitely delivered on. I was quickly swept away by the magical coastal village Caltrey and the villagers that occupied the seaside. I could easily picture the merhorses, mermaids, cats with wings, an anxiety ridden plant that has a love for books and a fear of anything that moves. It felt warm and cozy, or like the author stated in the acknowledgements "a warm hug".

So many wonderful things; however, The Spellshop wasn't without its faults. The main one, our female main character. I know many other reader's connected with her due to her being an introvert and her love/dying passion of books and I did too. BUT I struggled with how she treated other people in the beginning. I understand being an introvert, but the author wrote Kiela on the extreme end of being an introvert and many times she came across as extremely unlikeable. If she was a real person in reality I couldn't see myself as friends with her just because of how rude she can be. I know it's part of her character arch but I found it hard to look past some moments.