Image copied from Goodreads

In the cold winter months when the days are short and the nights are long, I often find myself drawn to books that offer romance and a cozy setting of some sort. In the midst of all the division and upheaval going on in the real world, disappearing into a cozy fantasy, for me, seems like the perfect escape. I was not at all disappointed in this latest cozy fantasy, The Spellshop, that I found by an author who is new to me, Sarah Beth Durst. Like the synopsis implies, this novel is a Hallmark version of a fantasy read and contains many of the same tropes, nosey, mostly well-meaning neighbors, a big city girl returning to small town life to start over, and a handsome and kind love interest. The spice level is also low similar to other cozy reads and also Hallmark movies.

All of this is incorporated into a story that also has a magical island as its story setting, flying cats, merhorses, and cloud bears to name a few magical and mythical creatures. The inhabitants of the town aren't all human either. From the moment main character Kiela escapes from the capital city after it falls into chaos from a bloody rebellion, we get to rediscover the magical island where she was born and the sweet cottage that still holds so many poignant reminders of her beloved parents along with Kiela. Many reviews of this book have mentioned that Kiela is an unlikeable main character. But to me she just seemed like an inordinately shy person who, as a librarian who lived and worked in the great magical library in the capitol city, did not have to develop social skills. Her being an only child with her parents as her only family in the capitol city, where they all settled when Kiela was very young, also played into her lack of social skills. Once they passed away, Kiela had no other motivation to leave the library. Instead, she is content to live and work there amongst the books she loves with her library assistant, a talking spider plant named Caz, as her only companion. (It must be said, I loved Caz her best friend!) Most introverts like Kiela could get a little rusty at interacting with others in a situation like that where they could easily retreat from the outside world. Add to that the fact that in leaving the city after the library is set ablaze by the rebellion, she makes off with several of the magical books she was a caretaker of, an act that if discovered by the magical police of the empire could cost her her life and Kiela's distrust of others is very plausible. Anyone in Kiela's position would be leery about who they could trust under those circumstances. All of this is to say that these things make Kiela complicated more than straight up unlikeable. 

I also loved her next-door neighbor, Larran. Part of this might have been because he is so helpful in a practical sense. The other reason might be because he raises merhorses. Handsome neighbor willing to build someone floor-to-ceiling bookshelves to repay a past kindness and who raises merhorses too, yes please. Negatives mentioned about this relationship were that some felt that Larran experiences insta-love for Kiela. Again, I would argue that their past history and Larran's crush that he has harbored all of these years might have more to do with his instant attraction to her than actual insta-love. I could buy into his interest in her under those circumstances. His past history, which I won't spoil here, could also make him more empathetic to her as a shy person who finds it hard to trust others as well. I will say that aside from the books and the magic that Kiela explores and learns to use for the betterment of the island, there isn't a whole lot that takes place for a few chapters there in the middle. That is a fair point in the cons list for this story. But that seems to be a part of the worldbuilding and plotline for the cozy fantasy genre in general. The conflict seems to be more internal for much of the book as the character learns to settle into their new place and new business and the external conflicts that come later are all usually neatly handled and wrapped up at the end with the help of the main character's newfound community and friends. I will say though that Kiela does a lot to help her found family in the book to warrant the aid given to her later in the story. Nevertheless, Kiela doesn't lack agency at the end. In fact, she is very clever at finding ways to save her friends, her books, and her new life in her own right. 

The Spellshop is a fun and light-hearted read, with a main character that is distrustful and prickly in the beginning, but who under her awkward exterior has a kind and generous heart. It does a very good job of weaving in some conflicts and perils that deal with hoarding resources by a few, issues with climate change, or in this case magical climate change, child abuse, and human environmental misdeeds that cause nature and animals to suffer. The fact that the magic used in this novel is nature based makes these perils an organic part of the plot and also adds some justification for a librarian stealing her books from an empire overthrown as a result of this resource hoarding in order to protect the knowledge contained in said books for future generations. All in all I found this to be a thoroughly enjoyable read and a nice escape. If you love fantasy that also contains many Hallmark vibes in its plot, then you will likely love The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst.

Next month, my first book review will be of YA epic fantasy, The Scorpion and the Night Blossom by Amélie Wen Zhao. Check out the blurb and book cover for it below, both copied from NetGalley.

In a world at war with demons, one girl will face the ultimate test when she is forced to enter into an ancient, deadly competition for the chance to save her mother's soul… before she loses her forever. From the New York Times bestselling author of Song of Silver, Flame Like Night comes the beginning of a dark and opulent fantasy duology, perfect for fans of Throne of Glass.

Nine years ago, the war between the Kingdom of Night and the Kingdom of Rivers tore Àn’yīng’s family apart, leaving her mother barely alive and a baby sister to fend for. Now the mortal realm is falling into eternal night, and mó—beautiful, ravenous demons—roam the land, feasting on the flesh of humans and drinking their souls.

Àn’yīng is no longer a helpless child, though. Armed with her crescent blades and trained in the ancient art of practitioning, she has decided to enter the Immortality Trials, which are open to any mortal who can survive the journey to the immortal realm. Those who complete the Trials are granted a pill of eternal life—the one thing Àn’yīng knows can heal her dying mother. But to attain the prize, she must survive the competition.

Death is common in the Trials. Yet oddly, Àn’yīng finds that someone is helping her stay alive. A rival contestant. Powerful and handsome, Yù’chén is as secretive about his past as he is about his motives for protecting Àn’yīng.

The longer she survives the Trials, the clearer it becomes that all is not right in the immortal realm. To save her mother and herself, Àn’yīng will need to figure out whether she can truly trust the stranger she’s falling for or if he’s the most dangerous player of all . . . for herself and for all the realms. 

Why Amari Peters is Even More Magical Than Percy Jackson

Image copied from Goodreads

Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston is one of the best fantasy adventures I've read in a quite awhile. Reading it was the perfect way to kick off black history month. She's a heroine that I wish had been out when my kids were middle grade readers. Her story bears some resemblance to the well-known Percy Jackson series in that Amari is from a single parent home, she struggles to fit in, and she's discovers a world full of supernatural adventure while attending summer camp.

But that is where the similarities end. Unlike Percy, Amari has an older brother she's always idolized. Despite the large age gap between them, Quinton always loved his little sis and did everything he could to look out for her. He paved the way for her to attend the same exclusive private school he went to and graduated from, though Amari worked hard to make the good grades needed to be awarded the same scholarship as her brother. And even though he has been missing for six months with no trace, Quinton is still looking after her, having left her a nomination for attendance at the same summer camp he went to when he was twelve. But despite how much she looks up to him, Amari has also always felt overshadowed by Quinton and is convinced that she doesn't quite measure up to him. 

The fact that Amari is bullied at school and doesn't seem to be able to make friends with anyone at Jefferson Academy seem to just prove her right. When Quinton's disappearance gives Amari's bullies more ammunition to taunt her she finally fights back, shoving the ringleader of the mean girls picking on her, which costs Amari her scholarship. But summer vacation takes a turn for the better when a mysterious briefcase delivered to Amari from Quinton offers her a nomination to attend summer camp with The Bureau of Supernatural Affairs. From there we are swept up into a magical world of magic and adventure.

I could not put this book down from the first page. Amari leaps off the page as a real and relatable character right from the start as she explains why she's in the principal's office, yet again. The pacing of the story also never lets up, with short chapters full of some new challenge or new discovery for Amari that keep you wanting to turn the page to see what will happen next. Alston builds a truly imaginative and fun, yet dangerous world for Amari to discover once she accepts the summons of the briefcase, sure that if she goes to the Bureau it will help her figure out what happened to her brother. Upon opening the case, Amari is shown wonders she never imagined with the aid of a pair of magical sunglasses. Special eye drops the instructions in the briefcase tell her to dose herself with also help her to see past glamours and reveal that supernatural beings live all around her, even in her own housing project. The nosy, mean neighbor her mother has always gotten to "keep an eye" on Amari might actually be a green complexioned witch. One who disappears in a cloud of smoke when Amari questions her about it. On the car ride to her first day at summer camp, Amari spots werewolves, and a pair of glowing eyes in a dark alley. Once they arrive at the Vanderbilt Hotel where the camp is taking place, Amari is whisked, in a talking elevator, to a labyrinthine compound below the hotel. Her roommate she ends up with is a weredragon and Amari finds herself immediately in the spotlight because her brother Quinton was part of a famous duo of investigative agents for the Bureau. This doesn't give Amari an advantage, though. It leaves her with yet more to live up to and the nomination doesn't guarantee her a spot at the camp. Amari will still have to earn it by passing a series of challenges, which will be harder for her since she is one of the few kids nominated who hasn't grown up knowing that magic exists. Of course things take an even more perplexing turn for Amari when she discovers that her "gift" that most students have supernaturally enhanced the first day of camp is actually a power that is illegal. In fact, Amari is someone that shouldn't even exist according to the Bureau. A circumstance that causes most at the Bureau and those associated with it, to be suspicious and distrustful of Amari, making it even more of a challenge to secure her place among them. 

In spite of these setbacks, Amari is determined to prove that she isn't in danger of turning into the evildoer everyone is convinced she will and fights to become a junior agent so that she can do what no one else has--find Quinton. Amari Peters is an underdog that readers can easily root for and her story is a fast-paced, imaginative adventure to rival any of popular series that have come before. It also handles topics such as not judging someone on where they come from, how they look, or for being unique in someway in ways that young readers can easily identify and empathize with. I found Amari's story to be even more magical and fun to read than Percy's and I loved the Percy Jackson series. I highly recommend this series by B.B. Alston to anyone in the middle grade reader age group who loves fantasy adventures or for anyone young at heart who enjoyed Percy Jackson or similar fantasy series. 

As for the next review for February, I'll be discussing cozy fantasy, The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst. Check out the book cover and blurb, copied from Goodreads, below.

The Spellshop is Sarah Beth Durst’s romantasy debut–a lush cottagecore tale full of stolen spellbooks, unexpected friendships, sweet jams, and even sweeter love.

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.