cozy fantasy | Book Girl & Little Bear

The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst

If cozy fantasy is your jam, you’re sure to enjoy this book. Lots of jam is made and consumed in this novel, mostly raspberry jam. Librarian Kiela and her assistant Caz flee Alyssium during a rebellion when fire reaches the library. They take five crates of spellbooks down the lift to a sailboat and head for the islands.

Caz is an enchanted spider plant with great penmanship. Kiela sails to a remote island where she was born, and finds that her parents’ clifftop cottage is still vacant. Introverted Kiela soon meets baker Bryn and her friendly neighbor Larran, who tends the merhorses who help the local fishermen. There are also mermaids, winged cats, a harpist with four arms, and a cactus. Kiela has blue skin, blue hair, and magenta freckles. This is lovely cottagecore, but with lots of drama, including some suspicious islanders, dangerous storms, an imperial inspector, and the uncertainty of trying new spells. Kiela and Caz would love to stay in her cottage, now with multi-colored custom shelves for the jam and spellbooks thanks to Larran, but can they? This is a compelling and entertaining read. Readalikes include Shanna Swendson’s Tea and Empathy or Bread and Burglary in her Tales of Rydding Village series.

Brenda

Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch by Julie Abe

I really enjoyed this cozy fantasy marketed for ages 8-12. Eva (short for Evalithimus) Evergreen, 12, is an apprentice witch, taught by her mother, a grand-master. Eva doesn’t have much magic; casting a couple of spells makes her sleepy. She has one month to help a town, have the town mayor approve her work, and fly back to the city on her broom.

On the train to the coast, Eva acquires a magical pet flamefox named Ember. Mischievous Ember chews on Eva’s broom, causing Eva lots of stress, but this scene is funny for the reader who’s seen the book jacket where Eva is flying on the broom. Eva’s Semi-Magical Repair booth in Auteri shows her skill at combining a little magic with creative and practical skill to solve small problems and delight the young children at a nearby orphanage. Eva’s dad, who’s non-magical, often sends care packages with Japanese sweets, which Ember also enjoys.

Late in the month, a terrible storm approaches Auteri from the sea. Eva’s mom isn’t allowed to come and help until the month is up. Can Eva and her newly repaired broom save the town with the help of a few new friends? This is an absolutely charming cozy fantasy. Happily, there is a sequel, Eva Evergreen and the Cursed Witch. Readalikes include Kiki’s Delivery Service by Eiko Kadono (and I just learned there’s an animated film adaptation by Hayao Miyazaki), and The Tea Dragon Society by Kay O’Neil. An older children’s fantasy novel I’ve also enjoyed is The Little Broomstick by Mary Stewart.

Brenda