Kiela has always had trouble dealing with people, and as librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium, she hasn’t had to.

She and her assistant, Caz, a sentient spider plant, have spent most of the last eleven years sequestered among the empire’s precious spellbooks, protecting the magic for the city’s elite. But a revolution is brewing and when the library goes up in flames, she and Caz steal whatever books they can and flee to the faraway island where she grew up. She’s hoping to lay low and figure out a way to survive before the revolution comes looking for her. To her dismay, in addition to a nosy—and very handsome—neighbor, she finds the town in disarray.

The empire with its magic spellbooks has slowly been draining power from the island, something that Kiela is indirectly responsible for, and now she’s determined to find a way to make things right. Opening up a spell shop comes with its own risks—the consequence of sharing magic with commoners is death. And as Kiela comes to make a place for herself among the quirky townspeople, she realizes that in order to make a life for herself, she must break down the walls she has kept so high.

Sadly, I was really disappointed by this cozy fantasy, despite all the hype surrounding it. The plot sounded like something I’d love, but unfortunately, it fell short for me. I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrator did a fantastic job with the character voices, but even her performance couldn’t redeem the story for me. That said, I did appreciate that the book included no language or spice. To note, there are gay side characters and a sentient cactus uses they/them pronouns—a quirky touch that didn’t resonate with me but may appeal to others.

The world itself was enchanting, filled with whimsical fantasy elements and magical creatures. It felt like stepping into a cozy video game, which I can see appealing to fans of that style. The author’s creativity and imagination really shone, and I enjoyed the found family dynamics between the characters.

However, while the premise was interesting, the execution felt flat. The story didn’t captivate me, and I found myself bored for much of it. It took longer than expected to finish because I wasn’t invested. The characters lacked depth, making it hard to connect with them or care about their journeys. The narrative felt disjointed, with scenes resembling disconnected video game quests rather than a cohesive story.

The pacing was another issue—it was slow, with overly detailed descriptions and long paragraphs that I ended up skimming. Without a strong overarching goal or engaging plot, the book felt too long and could have benefited from tighter editing. As for the romance, while it was present, it lacked chemistry and wasn’t central to the story. I’d classify this as more fantasy than romantasy.

Despite my disappointment, there were elements I enjoyed. It’s undeniably cozy, heartwarming, and charming, with moments of humor. My favorite character was Caz, the sentient spider plant who acts like a mix of a loyal pet and a quirky friend to Kiela. His antics made me laugh out loud and brought much-needed levity to the story.

If you’re a fan of slow-paced, whimsical cozy fantasies, you might enjoy this book. But if you’re looking for depth, action, or a gripping plot, you may want to skip this one. While this wasn’t a new favorite for me, I might give the author another try to see if her other works are a better fit.