The back blurb for Sarah Beth Durst’s The Spellshop says it is “Like a Hallmark rom-com full of mythical creatures and fueled by cinnamon rolls and magic.” That is pretty much a perfect descriptor, since this charming novel is a lovely, magic-infused delight.

Kiela and her sentient spider plant friend/assistant, Caz, have spent the past eleven years managing the spellbooks section at the Great Library of Alyssium. It’s been a fabulous job for them. Caz, created by illegal magic, finds safety sequestered among these highly restricted volumes, and Kiela loves the solitude of working in a closed, confined section of space. Scholars send her lists of what they need, and if their request gets approved, she delivers the volumes to them. It’s a quiet, peaceful life.

Until it’s not. When whispers of revolution first reach her, Kiela is unconcerned. She is confident no one would burn books and that both sides of whatever fighting takes place will show respect to the librarians and the tomes they care for. Caz is less sanguine and urges her to prepare for the worst. Very reluctantly, she places emergency provisions in one of the ships the library uses to transport books across the canals of the city to those who request them. Kiela also begins sorting through her inventory, setting aside any duplications and making sure she places in crates those volumes she thinks are most rare, most valuable, and most powerful. So she is semi-ready when an angry mob storms through the building, burning and pillaging as they sweep through the many floors of the structure. Because Kiela and Caz are in one of the upper stories, closed to the public, they have extra time to take the crates and themselves to the back of the building, board a boat, and sail towards safety. At first, Kiela is unsure where to go, but lacking clear direction and ill-equipped to be out at sea indefinitely, she heads to the faraway island home she and her parents left long ago. Her folks have died, so their old house technically belongs to her.

The good news is that the dock her family used to moor a boat to is still standing. So is the house. The bad news is that both are in need of the kinds of repairs Kiela doesn’t know how to do, and nor does she have the funds for major renovations. But those are problems for the future; for the present, she needs rest. She spends the night in a very dusty abode after consuming a dinner of the limited provisions she’s brought. She awakes to see an extremely handsome man wielding a scythe standing in her doorway. His name is Larran, he’s her neighbor, and he claims he knew her as a child. Kiela has limited memories of living in the outer islands – she left when she was nine – but she accepts his word for all of it, assures him she has a legitimate claim to the cabin, and sends him on his way.

Kiela and Caz’s initial goal is simple: to build a decent shelter for themselves and the precious cargo they are preserving until the rightful government returns to power. But as Kiela settles into this surprisingly satisfying new life, she comes to a startling realization. The empire hasn’t been protecting magic, they’ve been hoarding it. By limiting the number of people who can practice wizardry, they have harnessed the power of sorcery for the benefit of only the rich and powerful. The end result has been magic run amok, with crops and livestock failing due to magical malnourishment and destructive storms caused by residual enchantments raging across the seas. As the gatekeeper of the magical volumes of their land, Kiela has played a role – albeit unknowingly – in creating this messy situation. Determined to right this unintentional wrong, she begins to use the knowledge in the books surreptitiously. She doesn’t dare sell spelled items or potions outright, but labeling certain goods as “home remedies” that heal trees and speed crop production seems like a doable alternative. It has the added benefit of bringing in some necessary income so she can pay for repairs and other necessities. But it’s risky. Extremely risky. The consequences of the unauthorized use of spells are often far more agonizing than mere death. Yet Kiela is determined not to let fear keep her from doing the right thing. Of course, that’s easy to say now while the war rages far from her bucolic new home. Will she still feel that way when whoever wins arrives at her door?

As mentioned above, this little meringue of a book is saccharinely sweet. Kiela is all the things a heroine should be – honest, earnest, clever, caring, and politically correct. Larran is the hero equivalent – brave, handsome, loyal, supportive, loving, and open-minded. While both are initially a bit wary of each other and unsure how to go about building a relationship – Larran is taciturn by nature, and Kiela is keeping some big secrets – they soon settle into a rhythm of neighborly camaraderie that blossoms into something more.

While Kiela is initially described as a pretty intense introvert, the story uses the ‘finding your tribe’ trope to bring her out of her shell. The village is full of quirky, kindly denizens eager to embrace the recently (reluctantly) returned Kiela and her surprisingly effective “home remedies”. The vast bulk of people she meets on the island are welcoming and go out of their way to be helpful and accepting. They are so nice, you can’t help but fall in love with them.

In addition to the terrific characters, I appreciated the world-building and the view of magic as a tool – anyone can do it; it just takes training, patience, and courage (spells can go dangerously awry) to pursue it. The writing is excellent, the plot intriguing, and the romance handled with deft balance. It doesn’t overshadow the initial storyline, but it isn’t just tacked on to the narrative, either.

This leads me to my one and only complaint about this book; like a diet comprised only of sweet baked goods, the fact that the story doesn’t give us a nuanced look at how good people can differ or how small towns rarely accept outsiders, even those born there, makes it impossible to see this as anything but light, fluffy and ultimately inconsequential. Even though the entire tale begins with people dying, buildings burning, and necessities being hoarded, the removal to a remote location allows the reader to focus on a dream world where everyone is working to make things as they ought to be – and they all agree on what that is!

The Spellshop is a wonderful read, appropriate for everyone who loves fantasy, whether they are 12 or 120. It is, however, a cinnamon roll – sweet, warm, and uplifting but totally lacking nutritional value. Pick it up, savor it, and love it. But don’t expect a whole lot of depth.