The Enchanted Greenhouse (Spellshop #2)
by Sarah Beth Durst
My Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Cozy Fantasy
Age Category: Adult
Type of romance: m/f
Blurb:
#1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah Beth Durst invites you to her new standalone novel set in the world of The Spellshop! Follow her to The Enchanted Greenhouse, a cozy fantasy nestled on a far-away island brimming with singing flowers, honey cakes, and honeyed love.Terlu Perna broke the law because she was lonely. She cast a spell and created a magically sentient spider plant. As punishment, she was turned into a wooden statue and tucked away into an alcove in the North Reading Room of the Great Library of Alyssium.
This should have been the end of her story . . . Yet one day, Terlu wakes in the cold of winter on a nearly-deserted island full of hundreds of magical greenhouses. She’s starving and freezing, and the only other human on the island is a grumpy gardener. To her surprise, he offers Terlu a place to sleep, clean clothes, and freshly baked honey cakes—at least until she’s ready to sail home.
But Terlu can’t return home and doesn’t want to—the greenhouses are a dream come true, each more wondrous than the next. When she learns that the magic that sustains them is failing—causing the death of everything within them—Terlu knows she must help. Even if that means breaking the law again.
This time, though, she isn’t alone. Assisted by the gardener and a sentient rose, Terlu must unravel the secrets of a long-dead sorcerer if she wants to save the island—and have a fresh chance at happiness and love.
Funny, kind, and forgiving, The Enchanted Greenhouse is a story about giving second chances—to others and to yourself.
Expect:
Standalone romance
Grumpy x sunshine
Magical creatures
Just one cottage
My Review
I read The Spellshop last year and bought The Enchanted Greenhouse right away. It took me until last winter to pick it up, but then I set it aside as I struggle reading books set during winter when I am dealing with my winter depression and this book takes place during winter. I ended up waiting till it was warmer to get back at it and then I really enjoyed this magical cozy story.
Terlu, the main character of this book, is the one who created the talking plant Caz from The Spellshop. She got turned into a statue and Caz never knew what happened to her and whether she made it out of the burning library alive, but in this book we find out that she did and she makes it to an island with magical greenhouses and teams up with the grumpy gardener Yarrow to try and save the greenhouses.
This was such a fun story, it’s just as magical and whimsical as the first book. I liked reading about the magical greenhouses and seeing Terlu try and figure out the magic to keep them intact and why they were failing. I like the way magic works in this universe with how some minor changes can lead to very different spells. Besides the talking plants, who are a lot of fun, there’s also a winged cat and some small dragons on the island as well. I liked learning more about this island and the magical greenhouses. I also liked the themes of second chances and resolving things. As well as seeing how Terlu followed her dreams and they didn’t quite turn out how she hoped and now she has a new chance to find a home.
Terlu is such a great main character. I liked how she craves connection and social contact and that’s why she created Caz. I felt so bad for her being turned into a statue and so happy when she got turned human again. It makes sense she has some struggles to deal with and fears getting turned into a statue again and I admired her for still decided to do magic even with the risk. I liked Yarrow as well, he also has his own struggles with how his whole family left the island and he’s the only one left there. He’s grumpy and doesn’t like social contact, but it’s clear he’s a kind person who cares a lot.
Yarrow and Terlu are very different characters, but somehow they make for a lovely couple. I especially liked how Terlu never tried to change Yarrow or pushed him to do things he wasn’t ready for. I really liked that about her. I liked how Yarrow might struggle with words at times, but he always let her know he cared in some way like baking for her, which was so sweet. I really liked seeing these two grow closer. The romance did progress rather quickly, but I liked them together.
The ending was just perfect and ended things on such a high note. I really liked the ways some things got wrapped up and how the characters got some closure and clarity on some things. I liked the way the plot line about the failing greenhouses got resolved as well. And the ending just felt so bright and hopeful and cozy.
To summarize: I really enjoyed this book. The Enchanted Greenhouse is about Terlu who got turned into a statue waking up human again on an island with magical greenhouses and a grumpy gardener. The greenhouses are failing and the two of them team up to figure out how they can save them. This book was so cozy, hopeful and magical. There are talking plants, a winged cat, lots of interesting magical greenhouses and small dragons, the book has such a magical and whimsical feel. I like the way the magic works in this universe and I liked seeing Terlu try to figure out how to save greenhouses even at the risk of doing magic might get her punished again. Both Terlu and Yarrow have some struggles they need to deal with and I liked seeing how that developed throughout the book. I liked their romance. The way Terlu loved Yarrow the way he is and never tried to change him or push him to do things he wasn’t ready for, was just lovely to read about. I liked how Yarrow showed how much he cared by taking care of Terlu and baking and cooking for her. The ending was awesome and really ends things on a high note, wrapping up the main greenhouse plot line and side plot lines. It was such a magical, cozy and hopeful read and I look forward to more books in this series.
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