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A review by lacrimamundi
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Overall a truly wonderful and magical book.
The only reasons it's not getting a 5-star-rating is the fact that I find the blub describing it solely as 'cozy fantasy' misleading.
Yes, it is a super cosy story, and cottagecore is definitely fitting, but it also contains quite a few heavy and heavy-ish topics, which some readers probably will not expect from a book that get's promoted by another author as 'peaceful delight of a novel' nor by one were the blurb puts a lot of emphasises on how 'cozy' it is.
Don't get me wrong, it is a cosy story, but one that also dedicates a lot of pages to far less cosy, in fact traumatising would be the more appropriate word here, experiences of some of its characters. Well, a lot of its characters, in one way or the other.
I was totally fine with the way it went and would file it under, 'classic old school standard fantasy' with a lot of cosy vibes, delightful humour, and quirky and adorable characters.
If not for the slightly misleading blurb, I'd give it 4.5 stars and round up. As things stand I still give it 4.5 stars, but round down wherever that is necessary due to half-star ratings not being supported.
For those curious about age ratings: suitable for late middle grade and up (~12+), I'd say. But, as I already said in another of my reviews, I have no kids and started reading Stephen King when I was 11, so please take it with a grain of salt.
The only reasons it's not getting a 5-star-rating is the fact that I find the blub describing it solely as 'cozy fantasy' misleading.
Yes, it is a super cosy story, and cottagecore is definitely fitting, but it also contains quite a few heavy and heavy-ish topics, which some readers probably will not expect from a book that get's promoted by another author as 'peaceful delight of a novel' nor by one were the blurb puts a lot of emphasises on how 'cozy' it is.
Don't get me wrong, it is a cosy story, but one that also dedicates a lot of pages to far less cosy, in fact traumatising would be the more appropriate word here, experiences of some of its characters. Well, a lot of its characters, in one way or the other.
I was totally fine with the way it went and would file it under, 'classic old school standard fantasy' with a lot of cosy vibes, delightful humour, and quirky and adorable characters.
If not for the slightly misleading blurb, I'd give it 4.5 stars and round up. As things stand I still give it 4.5 stars, but round down wherever that is necessary due to half-star ratings not being supported.
For those curious about age ratings: suitable for late middle grade and up (~12+), I'd say. But, as I already said in another of my reviews, I have no kids and started reading Stephen King when I was 11, so please take it with a grain of salt.