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Spellshop #4
The Magical Cheese Emporium
Not yet published
Expected 19 Jan 27The Magical Cheese Emporium by #1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah Beth Durst is the fourth magical standalone adventure in the series that started with The Spellshop.
When Eloren joined the revolution against the empire, she didn’t expect to lose everything—her job, her purpose, and her closest friend.
After the Great Library burned down and her position as Assistant Librarian burned down with it, she had no other choice but to return to the only home that will have her grandmother’s shop.
Now, Eloren is stuck at the Magical Cheese Emporium in the remote island town of Dew, struggling to become the cheesemonger heiress she never wanted to be. But the unicorns won't let her milk them, there’s a monster in the cheese caves, and Eloren is more into books than cheese. The only good thing about coming home is reuniting with Garyn, the childhood friend and clever inventor who, at some point, got a whole lot taller.
When Dew’s governor imposes impossible taxes on small business owners like her grandmother, Eloren knows one she didn’t take down the emperor just so someone else could exploit good people.
Eloren, Garyn, a mouse made of cheese, and Garyn’s (mostly) helpful contraptions set off to rescue the cheese emporium and all the other local businesses. And in saving her community, Eloren might finally agree to call it home.
The Magical Cheese Emporium is a fantasy romance about the places that tell you you’re home when everything burns down and daring to see old friends with new eyes. Prepare for hard work, sparkly dreams, and lots of magical cheese.
Standalone romance
Best friends to lovers
Magical creatures
Librarian x engineer
Bramble books by Sarah Beth Durst
The Spellshop series
The Spellshop
The Enchanted Greenhouse
Sea of Charms
The Magical Cheese Emporium
Other novels
The Ninth Life of an Erstwhile Witch
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
When Eloren joined the revolution against the empire, she didn’t expect to lose everything—her job, her purpose, and her closest friend.
After the Great Library burned down and her position as Assistant Librarian burned down with it, she had no other choice but to return to the only home that will have her grandmother’s shop.
Now, Eloren is stuck at the Magical Cheese Emporium in the remote island town of Dew, struggling to become the cheesemonger heiress she never wanted to be. But the unicorns won't let her milk them, there’s a monster in the cheese caves, and Eloren is more into books than cheese. The only good thing about coming home is reuniting with Garyn, the childhood friend and clever inventor who, at some point, got a whole lot taller.
When Dew’s governor imposes impossible taxes on small business owners like her grandmother, Eloren knows one she didn’t take down the emperor just so someone else could exploit good people.
Eloren, Garyn, a mouse made of cheese, and Garyn’s (mostly) helpful contraptions set off to rescue the cheese emporium and all the other local businesses. And in saving her community, Eloren might finally agree to call it home.
The Magical Cheese Emporium is a fantasy romance about the places that tell you you’re home when everything burns down and daring to see old friends with new eyes. Prepare for hard work, sparkly dreams, and lots of magical cheese.
Standalone romance
Best friends to lovers
Magical creatures
Librarian x engineer
Bramble books by Sarah Beth Durst
The Spellshop series
The Spellshop
The Enchanted Greenhouse
Sea of Charms
The Magical Cheese Emporium
Other novels
The Ninth Life of an Erstwhile Witch
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
416 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication January 19, 2027
About the author
Sarah Beth Durst
52 books10.4k followersSarah Beth Durst is the New York Times bestselling author of over twenty-five books for adults, teens, and kids, including cozy fantasy The Spellshop. She's been awarded an American Library Association Alex Award, as well as a Mythopoeic Fantasy Award. Several of her books have been optioned for film/television, including Drink Slay Love, which was made into a TV movie and was a question on Jeopardy! She lives in Stony Brook, New York, with her husband, her children, and her ill-mannered cat. Visit her at sarahbethdurst.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 98 reviews
Want to Read
August 25, 2026This title kills me. Cannot wait for it to be released!!
Want to Read
April 10, 2026Kinda sounds like an April fools joke, but also like just the thing I need in my life.
Want to Read
April 9, 2026Couldn’t be more obsessed with everything that is this book 🧀
“They were always meant to brie.”
I CAN’T CONTAIN MY EXCITEMENT!!! The only thing I love more than romance is CHEESE🧀🧡 and what do you mean they use unicorn milk for their magical cheeses!!
about finding home & purpose
I CAN’T CONTAIN MY EXCITEMENT!!! The only thing I love more than romance is CHEESE🧀🧡 and what do you mean they use unicorn milk for their magical cheeses!!
about finding home & purpose
July 5, 2026
there were tears in my eyes as i got this arc. this series means the WORLD to me!!!
this book expanded the world of the spellshop in the most precious way possible—with political drama, cozy creatures, the sweetest romance, and, of course, cheese. i don’t even like cheese and yet i found myself enjoying every second of reading about the cheesemaking process (a testament to sarah beth durst’s power).
there’s a baby sentient spider plant (yes—related to THAT spider plant), a sentient cheese mouse (a mouse made of cheese, naturally), so many sparkling unicorns, and a mysterious cave-dwelling creature made of stories. genuinely so whimsical and so so perfect.
five stars!!!!!
this book expanded the world of the spellshop in the most precious way possible—with political drama, cozy creatures, the sweetest romance, and, of course, cheese. i don’t even like cheese and yet i found myself enjoying every second of reading about the cheesemaking process (a testament to sarah beth durst’s power).
there’s a baby sentient spider plant (yes—related to THAT spider plant), a sentient cheese mouse (a mouse made of cheese, naturally), so many sparkling unicorns, and a mysterious cave-dwelling creature made of stories. genuinely so whimsical and so so perfect.
five stars!!!!!
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
Eloren left her job at the library after the revolution overthrowing the tyrannical emperor. Her estranged grandmother Mika sent her the money to travel back to her hometown of Dew to train as Mika's apprentice at the cheese shop. Eloren isn't thrilled about cheese and her new position, but she is glad to see Garyn, an old friend from childhood. Finding her passion, standing up for the townspeople, and seeing her grandmother and Garyn with new eyes makes her new home seem, well, like home. The world building is amazing, and I was delighted to not only meet the sentient plant and the helpful mouse made of cheese, but also to learn about the remarkable properties of cheese made from the milk of magical creatures. This was a world I definitely needed to escape to with all of the chaos of current reality. As the author says, "It isn't just about cheese of course. It's about making your little corner of the world a better place--about starting over and finding purpose, even when that feels impossible." Highly recommended for fans of cozy fantasy. Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for allowing me to review the ARC.
Want to Read
April 15, 2026Note to self: Remember to prepare a cheese platter before starting this book.
September 27, 2026
The Magical Cheese Emporium
by Sarah Beth Durst
Spellshop #4
Cozy Fantasy
NetGalley eARC
Pub Date: Jan 19, 2027
Tor Publishing Group
Ages: All
Eloren had no other place to go except back to the island she grew up on after the Great Library burned down. But her parents had moved, so her grandmother was the only person there to help her.
Expected to help with her grandmother's cheese store, the Magical Cheese Emporium, even though she wanted to return to the Great Library, Eloren began to learn, but the unicorns wouldn't let her anywhere near them, and their milk was the key ingredient to one of her grandmother's special cheeses.
Growing up in the town, she is familiar with the place and the people, especially her best friend, Garyn, and their friendship picks up right where it had stopped all of those years ago, but as the days go by, it becomes obvious that their friendship is more.
This is book four of the Spellshop series, and this one picks up after the main 'event' of the others, which is a little different because the other books mostly seemed to revolve around that event, so that makes this a little harder to read out of order. It's not a bad thing, but it kind of took some magic out of the series.
I get that Eloren went through something tragic, but her emotions didn't feel honest, and she came across as self-centered, though she did mature as the story progressed; but I still wasn't fond of her. And because it centered mostly on Eloren's past for the first half of the story, it was a slow read. Towards the end of the story, there was the one 'action' scene that didn't take place in the past, and it didn't have much pizazz, so it really didn't help the story.
The characters and other events from the previous books were mentioned, just mentioned, and that was disappointing, because I was expecting more intertwining between the story like the previous books did.
I do have a few ideas about who the next books could be centered on, and one of them could give this series a boost in action; the other I feel would be similar to this one.
A low
3 Stars
This eARC was granted by Tor Publishing Group through NetGalley (Thank You) in exchange for my honest review.
by Sarah Beth Durst
Spellshop #4
Cozy Fantasy
NetGalley eARC
Pub Date: Jan 19, 2027
Tor Publishing Group
Ages: All
Eloren had no other place to go except back to the island she grew up on after the Great Library burned down. But her parents had moved, so her grandmother was the only person there to help her.
Expected to help with her grandmother's cheese store, the Magical Cheese Emporium, even though she wanted to return to the Great Library, Eloren began to learn, but the unicorns wouldn't let her anywhere near them, and their milk was the key ingredient to one of her grandmother's special cheeses.
Growing up in the town, she is familiar with the place and the people, especially her best friend, Garyn, and their friendship picks up right where it had stopped all of those years ago, but as the days go by, it becomes obvious that their friendship is more.
This is book four of the Spellshop series, and this one picks up after the main 'event' of the others, which is a little different because the other books mostly seemed to revolve around that event, so that makes this a little harder to read out of order. It's not a bad thing, but it kind of took some magic out of the series.
I get that Eloren went through something tragic, but her emotions didn't feel honest, and she came across as self-centered, though she did mature as the story progressed; but I still wasn't fond of her. And because it centered mostly on Eloren's past for the first half of the story, it was a slow read. Towards the end of the story, there was the one 'action' scene that didn't take place in the past, and it didn't have much pizazz, so it really didn't help the story.
The characters and other events from the previous books were mentioned, just mentioned, and that was disappointing, because I was expecting more intertwining between the story like the previous books did.
I do have a few ideas about who the next books could be centered on, and one of them could give this series a boost in action; the other I feel would be similar to this one.
A low
3 Stars
This eARC was granted by Tor Publishing Group through NetGalley (Thank You) in exchange for my honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Sara Beth Durst is back on her game in my mind! I was really disappointed with book three in this series, so I was hesitant to request this one. But then I thought about the fact that I’m not a fan of water-based stories (Book 3), but I am a huge fan of cheese! So I was pleased when Tor gave me the complimentary eARC via NetGalley.
When I read the ARCs for books 2 and 3, I did them as immersion reads, so this is the first time I didn’t wait for the audio. And I’m glad I didn’t because I really enjoyed this one, and I read it at the perfect time. However, I will absolutely read it again once the audio is available because it’s just that endearing.
The book is filled with the typical quirky denizens that’s Durst is known for. This time it takes place in the island town of Dew and the FMC has the now typical trusty sentient sidekick companion; a mouse made of cheese.
I loved the romance, which felt both refreshing and authentic, all while the FMC, Eloren, fought for justice in her new town.
I love that these books are all standalone installments set in the same world, because you can read them in any order, even though they reference various events that run throughout the series and the books aren’t linear in their timeline. Durst also adeptly gives you all the historical information you need without making it feel repetitive. And while you have all the necessary information to understand each individual story, if you do read them all, you get to see how that history and all the different facets of the world weave together. It really is skillfully crafted.
Thinking about it, I think this is my favorite of the series so far, and not just because I really like cheese!
When I read the ARCs for books 2 and 3, I did them as immersion reads, so this is the first time I didn’t wait for the audio. And I’m glad I didn’t because I really enjoyed this one, and I read it at the perfect time. However, I will absolutely read it again once the audio is available because it’s just that endearing.
The book is filled with the typical quirky denizens that’s Durst is known for. This time it takes place in the island town of Dew and the FMC has the now typical trusty sentient sidekick companion; a mouse made of cheese.
I loved the romance, which felt both refreshing and authentic, all while the FMC, Eloren, fought for justice in her new town.
I love that these books are all standalone installments set in the same world, because you can read them in any order, even though they reference various events that run throughout the series and the books aren’t linear in their timeline. Durst also adeptly gives you all the historical information you need without making it feel repetitive. And while you have all the necessary information to understand each individual story, if you do read them all, you get to see how that history and all the different facets of the world weave together. It really is skillfully crafted.
Thinking about it, I think this is my favorite of the series so far, and not just because I really like cheese!
Want to Read
May 19, 2026Am I once again in my Sarah Beth Durst era? It would seem so!!!
Each book in this world just fleshes out the universe more and makes me want a magical cat with wings and a talking plant. Sea of Charms was precious. I can't wait to get back to Dew and see how adorable this book is!!
Each book in this world just fleshes out the universe more and makes me want a magical cat with wings and a talking plant. Sea of Charms was precious. I can't wait to get back to Dew and see how adorable this book is!!
Want to Read
August 18, 2026A MAGICAL WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
MY DREAMS HAVE COME TRUE😆🙌
MY DREAMS HAVE COME TRUE😆🙌
future-releases
April 10, 2026A book based on a magical cheese emporium is kind of iconic
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the ARC.
This is a cozy fantasy about finding your place in the world, discovering your passion and purpose, and finding happiness after everything you know has changed. It’s about discovering what home means to you. It also explores the importance of stories and how they need to be shared, remembered and preserved.
The magical creatures create such a beautiful sense of whimsy. The judgy unicorns cracked me up. It was fun to see the special cheese flavors and magic that come from the different creatures’ milk.
I love how all the books tie into one another through references to the other stories. This book can be read on its own, but I think it is a richer experience to read the others first. The writing is beautiful and encourages you to reflect and appreciate life. Durst’s books always feel like getting a warm hug from a friend, and this is a lovely addition to the series.
This is a cozy fantasy about finding your place in the world, discovering your passion and purpose, and finding happiness after everything you know has changed. It’s about discovering what home means to you. It also explores the importance of stories and how they need to be shared, remembered and preserved.
The magical creatures create such a beautiful sense of whimsy. The judgy unicorns cracked me up. It was fun to see the special cheese flavors and magic that come from the different creatures’ milk.
I love how all the books tie into one another through references to the other stories. This book can be read on its own, but I think it is a richer experience to read the others first. The writing is beautiful and encourages you to reflect and appreciate life. Durst’s books always feel like getting a warm hug from a friend, and this is a lovely addition to the series.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The Magical Cheese Emporium is a delightful, cozy escape that is at once imaginative, relevant, and inspiring. Eloren faces a dilemma that everyone has faced at one time or another...what is my purpose? What is my passion? Set among the unicorns, Gryphons, winged cats, and other magical beings is a story of revolution, self-doubt, and complex family dynamics. Durst does what she does best here... making the ephemeral and impossible seem relatable and tangible. Her world breathes. The romance is a sweet secondary subplot, involving Eloren and Garyn as they navigate their private battles and internal and external struggles.
The Magical Cheese Emporium helps us realize that the dream that's escaped us was with us all along. I enjoyed every moment spent here, and fans of Durst's other books will love the nods and tie-ins from other novels. Easily a five-star read for me.
The Magical Cheese Emporium helps us realize that the dream that's escaped us was with us all along. I enjoyed every moment spent here, and fans of Durst's other books will love the nods and tie-ins from other novels. Easily a five-star read for me.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Eloren heads back to her home island of Dew after losing everything on Alyssium. She's helping her grandmother with her cheese shop, but isn't so sure it's what she wants to do with her life.
Another delightful addition to the series. We get loveable small-town characters with relatable problems.
There's a lot of love and time spent on the art of cheesmaking. It does go into great detail on the processes. I enjoyed it all because I'm a cheesehead (Wisconite). But I can see it being a bit much for others. It also goes into printing press process which was super neat.
There are some heavy topics, but it is mostly a cozy read. It's one of the sweetest feel-good stories of the series. There's so much I loved. But it's not my favorite of the series. I can't believe I'm saying this, but there is a thing as too much cheese.
This book will leave you with a smile on your face... and hungry for cheese. I don't want to give anything away. It's just adorable!
Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the gifted eARC in exchange for my honest review.
Another delightful addition to the series. We get loveable small-town characters with relatable problems.
There's a lot of love and time spent on the art of cheesmaking. It does go into great detail on the processes. I enjoyed it all because I'm a cheesehead (Wisconite). But I can see it being a bit much for others. It also goes into printing press process which was super neat.
There are some heavy topics, but it is mostly a cozy read. It's one of the sweetest feel-good stories of the series. There's so much I loved. But it's not my favorite of the series. I can't believe I'm saying this, but there is a thing as too much cheese.
This book will leave you with a smile on your face... and hungry for cheese. I don't want to give anything away. It's just adorable!
Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the gifted eARC in exchange for my honest review.
July 28, 2026
This was such a great conclusion (I think?) to this series. It was so heartfelt and whimsical, but was emotionally moving at the same time. At the heart of this book is the power of stories and the importance of sharing them with other people. I think that we as readers share this same passion. Why else do we read except to experience the stories of other—sometimes fictional—people and places?
I am so happy that I was able to download this ARC. Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss. How am I supposed to wait until January to own this??
I am so happy that I was able to download this ARC. Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss. How am I supposed to wait until January to own this??
September 18, 2026
Sooo cute and so cozy!! This book was so enjoyable! The concept of cheese made from magical milk is so ridiculous but it really worked in this book! I loved the characters and the little mentions of characters from previous books. Another great addition to this world!
Thanks NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the ARC!
Thanks NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the ARC!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you so much to the publishing group at Tor/Forge for this Advanced Readers Copy of The Magical Cheese Emporium!!!
I just had to wait for Sea of Charms (book #3) to come out so I could read that first and I am so glad I did. That book gave us a little teaser, a taster if you will, of the setting of this book and I was so intrigued. Who doesn't want to know more about cheese made from unicorn milk? This book follows Eloren, another librarian from The Great Library after the fall of the Empire as she navigates what to do with her life now that she can't stay in Alyssium or the library.
I was captivated by Eloren's story, as well as her grandmother and the full cast of characters that surrounds them, including more magical creatures and the drama that follows all of them. Eloren is such a strong main character and she passes that strength to those around her.
If I had to give one critique to this book, it was that the chapters are just so long. I am a short chapter girlie at heart and I don't think any of the chapters showed as shorter than 20 minutes for me, which kind of made it hard to get through. Often I would only be able to get through one or two chapters in a sitting, which is slower than normal for me. But I wanted to read this book, I was just so crazy busy!
I just had to wait for Sea of Charms (book #3) to come out so I could read that first and I am so glad I did. That book gave us a little teaser, a taster if you will, of the setting of this book and I was so intrigued. Who doesn't want to know more about cheese made from unicorn milk? This book follows Eloren, another librarian from The Great Library after the fall of the Empire as she navigates what to do with her life now that she can't stay in Alyssium or the library.
I was captivated by Eloren's story, as well as her grandmother and the full cast of characters that surrounds them, including more magical creatures and the drama that follows all of them. Eloren is such a strong main character and she passes that strength to those around her.
If I had to give one critique to this book, it was that the chapters are just so long. I am a short chapter girlie at heart and I don't think any of the chapters showed as shorter than 20 minutes for me, which kind of made it hard to get through. Often I would only be able to get through one or two chapters in a sitting, which is slower than normal for me. But I wanted to read this book, I was just so crazy busy!
![Profile Image for Chloë [at the cottage].](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1641608177i/5779557._UY200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg)
Want to Read
May 2, 2026With a title like this, how can I NOT be excited!!
Book 1: The Spellshop - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Book 2: The Enchanted Greenhouse - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Book 3: Sea of Charms - TBD
Book 4: The Magical Cheese Emporium - TBD
Book 1: The Spellshop - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Book 2: The Enchanted Greenhouse - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Book 3: Sea of Charms - TBD
Book 4: The Magical Cheese Emporium - TBD
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
3.5 stars
This was very cute; I just really didn't care for the romance at all (which was to be expected since it takes a lot for me to like childhood friends to lovers). I always love returning to this world and meeting more characters, so I hope Sarah Beth Durst has another one planned!
This was very cute; I just really didn't care for the romance at all (which was to be expected since it takes a lot for me to like childhood friends to lovers). I always love returning to this world and meeting more characters, so I hope Sarah Beth Durst has another one planned!
September 20, 2026
Once again, I have been blown away by how amazing the Spellshop universe continues to get. TMCE checks all the boxes of cozy, romantic, and 100% whimsical.
If I could choose to live in any fantasy universe, I am hopping right into these books! Give me some sentient besties & I’m set.
Eloren & Garyn being childhood besties, and reuniting later in life is everything to me. Garyn is a million percent the most perfect golden retriever book boyfriend. Eloren finding herself through this book was so inspiring to me & I hope it continues to touch others the way her character did me.
I love how this story does not shy away from familial conflict or tragedies of an uprising, because so many books tend to gloss over these. I love how Sarah isn’t scared to touch on these topics in a cozy fantasy setting. The stakes are still low, but the lessons and the impact in her expanding world is high ❤️
I need to give a little dedication to Mika, because I have never loved a relative more than in this story. She is full of grace and perseverance & her story was unexpectedly one of the best parts of this book!!
Not to mention the full circle moment at the end that had me straight up bawling my eyes out (in a happy way i swear).
I now have dreams to be a cheesemonger & milk unicorns in another life. I will be taking no questions.
If I could choose to live in any fantasy universe, I am hopping right into these books! Give me some sentient besties & I’m set.
Eloren & Garyn being childhood besties, and reuniting later in life is everything to me. Garyn is a million percent the most perfect golden retriever book boyfriend. Eloren finding herself through this book was so inspiring to me & I hope it continues to touch others the way her character did me.
I love how this story does not shy away from familial conflict or tragedies of an uprising, because so many books tend to gloss over these. I love how Sarah isn’t scared to touch on these topics in a cozy fantasy setting. The stakes are still low, but the lessons and the impact in her expanding world is high ❤️
I need to give a little dedication to Mika, because I have never loved a relative more than in this story. She is full of grace and perseverance & her story was unexpectedly one of the best parts of this book!!
Not to mention the full circle moment at the end that had me straight up bawling my eyes out (in a happy way i swear).
I now have dreams to be a cheesemonger & milk unicorns in another life. I will be taking no questions.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This was the sweetest book I have read so far in the Spellshop series. I loved all the characters - even those who it was hard to like. The setting is lovely; a small island inhabited for years by magical creatures; unicorns, winged cats, grypons, a Throg and kind people. Eloren has lost her job in the burning of the Great Library. Her best friend tragically died in the uprising and Eloren does not know how to move forward in the world. Her long-lost grandmother steps in and offers her a job at her cheese emporium on the island of Dew and reluctantly, Eloren accepts, all the while wondering how she can get back the Great Library and begin her life again.
What waits Eloren is her childhood friend, and people who knew her all her life, before she loved away to boarding school. Surely there must be more to life than the small island community, and Eloren knows she needs to find her way.
This is a feel good story; light hearted in some aspects, alongside some old family drama and trauma that needs healing. A magical cheese emporium and the love of her grandmother and her childhood friend are almost not enough.
What waits Eloren is her childhood friend, and people who knew her all her life, before she loved away to boarding school. Surely there must be more to life than the small island community, and Eloren knows she needs to find her way.
This is a feel good story; light hearted in some aspects, alongside some old family drama and trauma that needs healing. A magical cheese emporium and the love of her grandmother and her childhood friend are almost not enough.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
Thank you Edelweiss for this ARC!
This story and world are like a warm hug. I don't even like cheese that much, but couldn't help falling in love with the cheese emporium and the island of Dew. I want to live there with the unicorns, winged cats, and a little mouse made of cheese. I remember reading about the cheese shop in Sea of Charms and wanting a story about the unicorn cheesemonger. I got my wish.
Although the main character did get annoying at times, she did have growth which made it forgivable. And all the side characters were lovely and entertaining. This might be my new favorite of all the books. Libby and Houda were my favorites.
If you want a cozy, magical read, I'd recommend this one for sure.
This story and world are like a warm hug. I don't even like cheese that much, but couldn't help falling in love with the cheese emporium and the island of Dew. I want to live there with the unicorns, winged cats, and a little mouse made of cheese. I remember reading about the cheese shop in Sea of Charms and wanting a story about the unicorn cheesemonger. I got my wish.
Although the main character did get annoying at times, she did have growth which made it forgivable. And all the side characters were lovely and entertaining. This might be my new favorite of all the books. Libby and Houda were my favorites.
If you want a cozy, magical read, I'd recommend this one for sure.
Want to Read
September 26, 2026I PRE-ORDERED THIS , HAVING READ THE FIRST 3.. AND LOVING EVERY WORD!!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I did not expect a book involving unicorn milk, an opinionated cheese mouse and a monster living in cheese caves to make me think quite so much about what happens when the life you chose for yourself simply disappears.
That is really where The Magical Cheese Emporium worked for me.
Eloren has already helped bring down an empire. She was an Assistant Librarian at the Great Library, believed in the revolution, and had a very clear idea of the person she was supposed to become. Then the Library burns, her position vanishes with it, and suddenly the enormous political victory she fought for leaves her personally directionless. With nowhere else to go, she returns to her grandmother’s Magical Cheese Emporium on the island of Dew.
I really liked that Durst doesn’t turn this into an immediate “she was meant to come home all along” story.
Eloren is not secretly passionate about cheese.
She would still rather have books.
The unicorns refuse to cooperate with her, there is something living in the cheese caves, and she is expected to inherit a business she never wanted. That made her frustration surprisingly relatable beneath all the whimsy. She has gone from being competent and useful in a world she understood to feeling almost useless in the place where everyone assumes she should belong.
Her grief over the Great Library was especially effective for me because she isn’t only mourning a building or a job. She is mourning purpose.
There is a strange emptiness in winning a revolution and then discovering that nobody tells you what comes next.
Eloren has spent so long defining herself by the larger cause that ordinary life initially feels almost too small. That is why I loved the political thread involving Dew’s governor imposing impossible taxes on local businesses. Eloren may not know how to milk a unicorn, but she definitely knows what exploitation looks like. When the people around her are threatened, the revolutionary part of her suddenly has somewhere useful to go.
I thought that was such a clever way to connect her old life with her new one.
Saving a cheese shop obviously isn’t the same as overthrowing an emperor.
But to the people whose lives depend on that shop, it matters just as much.
And that idea — that small acts of resistance and community-building can still be heroic — fits Sarah Beth Durst’s cosy fantasy world beautifully.
Then we have Garyn.
Childhood friends-to-lovers can sometimes feel overly convenient to me because the emotional work has supposedly happened before the book even begins. Here, I enjoyed the opposite effect: Eloren remembers one versi
He is now an inventor whose contraptions are described as mostly helpful, which tells you almost everything you need to know about his particular brand of charm.
Their relationship is gentle rather than intensely dramatic, and I think that suits Eloren.
Garyn does not arrive to rescue her from feeling lost. He doesn’t have a perfect answer for what she should do with her life, either. He simply makes room for the person she is now while still remembering who she used to be.
That distinction mattered to me.
Eloren is already surrounded by people who have assumptions about what “coming home” should mean. Having Garyn be someone connected to her past without demanding that she return to an old version of herself gives their relationship a lovely emotional softness.
The romance is definitely not the spiciest or most tension-heavy element of the book. Readers who want constant yearning and dramatic conflict may find it almost too gentle. I occasionally wanted a little more friction between them myself.
But the emotional intimacy worked.
They have history. They have affection. They have awkward moments where old familiarity collides with adult attraction. And Garyn’s inventions add exactly the right amount of chaos.
The book is officially described as librarian x engineer, best-friends-to-lovers, magical creatures and standalone romance, and honestly that combination captures its personality perfectly.
And yes, we need to discuss the magical cheese.
Because Durst commits.
This is not a book where the title promises magical cheese and then gives you one enchanted wheel of Brie in chapter seventeen.
There are unicorns involved in the dairy production. There are strange caves. There is a cheese mouse. There are magical creatures everywhere, and the absurdity is treated with enough sincerity that it somehow works.
Sarah Beth Durst has a particular talent for writing whimsical worlds without making them feel childish. The magic is playful, but the emotions underneath it are adult: losing your career, returning to family when you feel like you have failed, questioning whether you actually want the inheritance everyone assumes you should be grateful for, and rebuilding a sense of identity after enormous change.
Her prose is warm and uncluttered. She rarely stops to show off a complicated metaphor when a simple sensory detail will do the job. Food, weather, animals, shops and domestic routines create most of the atmosphere.
It feels deliberately comforting.
That said, I do think the cosiness occasionally becomes too safe.
There were places where I wanted a little more emotional discomfort. Eloren’s loss of the Library is huge, and although the book acknowledges it, I could have stayed with that grief longer. I also wanted some of the tension around inheriting the emporium to become messier before things started settling into place.
Likewise, the conflict with the governor works thematically, but I never felt deeply worried that this story was going to become genuinely devastating. That is partly the promise of cosy fantasy, of course. Still, I prefer cosy books where comfort feels earned after difficulty, rather than guaranteed from the beginning.
The middle slowed slightly for me too. Once the basic problems are established — Eloren’s uncertainty, Garyn, the magical creatures, the local businesses — there are stretches where I was enjoying the atmosphere more than feeling desperate to turn the page.
But honestly, the atmosphere is extremely good.
This is the fourth standalone adventure in the world that began with The Spellshop, and I think Durst has become very confident about what she wants this series to be: separate stories about people finding new forms of home, community and purpose inside a world where magic can be extraordinary without every plot needing to determine the fate of civilisation.
And Eloren’s story may be one of the clearest expressions of that idea.
She has already participated in the enormous, history-changing event.
The revolution happened.
The emperor fell.
Now she has to figure out what she wants for breakfast tomorrow.
There is something oddly moving about that.
By the end, the question is no longer whether Eloren can force herself to become the perfect heiress to the Magical Cheese Emporium. It is whether she can build a life from the pieces of the person she was before — librarian, revolutionary, granddaughter, friend — without believing she has to choose only one of them.
And somehow a book with a mouse made of cheese made that feel meaningful.
Warm, silly, comforting and more thoughtful than its dairy-based premise has any right to be.
4.25/5 ⭐
Thank you so much to Sarah Beth Durst, Pan Macmillan, Tor and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary copy of The Magical Cheese Emporium. I really appreciate the opportunity to read and review this book. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
That is really where The Magical Cheese Emporium worked for me.
Eloren has already helped bring down an empire. She was an Assistant Librarian at the Great Library, believed in the revolution, and had a very clear idea of the person she was supposed to become. Then the Library burns, her position vanishes with it, and suddenly the enormous political victory she fought for leaves her personally directionless. With nowhere else to go, she returns to her grandmother’s Magical Cheese Emporium on the island of Dew.
I really liked that Durst doesn’t turn this into an immediate “she was meant to come home all along” story.
Eloren is not secretly passionate about cheese.
She would still rather have books.
The unicorns refuse to cooperate with her, there is something living in the cheese caves, and she is expected to inherit a business she never wanted. That made her frustration surprisingly relatable beneath all the whimsy. She has gone from being competent and useful in a world she understood to feeling almost useless in the place where everyone assumes she should belong.
Her grief over the Great Library was especially effective for me because she isn’t only mourning a building or a job. She is mourning purpose.
There is a strange emptiness in winning a revolution and then discovering that nobody tells you what comes next.
Eloren has spent so long defining herself by the larger cause that ordinary life initially feels almost too small. That is why I loved the political thread involving Dew’s governor imposing impossible taxes on local businesses. Eloren may not know how to milk a unicorn, but she definitely knows what exploitation looks like. When the people around her are threatened, the revolutionary part of her suddenly has somewhere useful to go.
I thought that was such a clever way to connect her old life with her new one.
Saving a cheese shop obviously isn’t the same as overthrowing an emperor.
But to the people whose lives depend on that shop, it matters just as much.
And that idea — that small acts of resistance and community-building can still be heroic — fits Sarah Beth Durst’s cosy fantasy world beautifully.
Then we have Garyn.
Childhood friends-to-lovers can sometimes feel overly convenient to me because the emotional work has supposedly happened before the book even begins. Here, I enjoyed the opposite effect: Eloren remembers one versi
He is now an inventor whose contraptions are described as mostly helpful, which tells you almost everything you need to know about his particular brand of charm.
Their relationship is gentle rather than intensely dramatic, and I think that suits Eloren.
Garyn does not arrive to rescue her from feeling lost. He doesn’t have a perfect answer for what she should do with her life, either. He simply makes room for the person she is now while still remembering who she used to be.
That distinction mattered to me.
Eloren is already surrounded by people who have assumptions about what “coming home” should mean. Having Garyn be someone connected to her past without demanding that she return to an old version of herself gives their relationship a lovely emotional softness.
The romance is definitely not the spiciest or most tension-heavy element of the book. Readers who want constant yearning and dramatic conflict may find it almost too gentle. I occasionally wanted a little more friction between them myself.
But the emotional intimacy worked.
They have history. They have affection. They have awkward moments where old familiarity collides with adult attraction. And Garyn’s inventions add exactly the right amount of chaos.
The book is officially described as librarian x engineer, best-friends-to-lovers, magical creatures and standalone romance, and honestly that combination captures its personality perfectly.
And yes, we need to discuss the magical cheese.
Because Durst commits.
This is not a book where the title promises magical cheese and then gives you one enchanted wheel of Brie in chapter seventeen.
There are unicorns involved in the dairy production. There are strange caves. There is a cheese mouse. There are magical creatures everywhere, and the absurdity is treated with enough sincerity that it somehow works.
Sarah Beth Durst has a particular talent for writing whimsical worlds without making them feel childish. The magic is playful, but the emotions underneath it are adult: losing your career, returning to family when you feel like you have failed, questioning whether you actually want the inheritance everyone assumes you should be grateful for, and rebuilding a sense of identity after enormous change.
Her prose is warm and uncluttered. She rarely stops to show off a complicated metaphor when a simple sensory detail will do the job. Food, weather, animals, shops and domestic routines create most of the atmosphere.
It feels deliberately comforting.
That said, I do think the cosiness occasionally becomes too safe.
There were places where I wanted a little more emotional discomfort. Eloren’s loss of the Library is huge, and although the book acknowledges it, I could have stayed with that grief longer. I also wanted some of the tension around inheriting the emporium to become messier before things started settling into place.
Likewise, the conflict with the governor works thematically, but I never felt deeply worried that this story was going to become genuinely devastating. That is partly the promise of cosy fantasy, of course. Still, I prefer cosy books where comfort feels earned after difficulty, rather than guaranteed from the beginning.
The middle slowed slightly for me too. Once the basic problems are established — Eloren’s uncertainty, Garyn, the magical creatures, the local businesses — there are stretches where I was enjoying the atmosphere more than feeling desperate to turn the page.
But honestly, the atmosphere is extremely good.
This is the fourth standalone adventure in the world that began with The Spellshop, and I think Durst has become very confident about what she wants this series to be: separate stories about people finding new forms of home, community and purpose inside a world where magic can be extraordinary without every plot needing to determine the fate of civilisation.
And Eloren’s story may be one of the clearest expressions of that idea.
She has already participated in the enormous, history-changing event.
The revolution happened.
The emperor fell.
Now she has to figure out what she wants for breakfast tomorrow.
There is something oddly moving about that.
By the end, the question is no longer whether Eloren can force herself to become the perfect heiress to the Magical Cheese Emporium. It is whether she can build a life from the pieces of the person she was before — librarian, revolutionary, granddaughter, friend — without believing she has to choose only one of them.
And somehow a book with a mouse made of cheese made that feel meaningful.
Warm, silly, comforting and more thoughtful than its dairy-based premise has any right to be.
4.25/5 ⭐
Thank you so much to Sarah Beth Durst, Pan Macmillan, Tor and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary copy of The Magical Cheese Emporium. I really appreciate the opportunity to read and review this book. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
firstly - thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC of this book!
3.5 stars!
this was such a sweet and cozy book. like the authors other books in this series, it follows an FMC who recently left Alyssium after the revolution. she finds herself working at her grandmothers Magical Cheese Emporium (hence the name of the book).
i enjoyed the way that the author approached grief in this book. i thought it was a very thoughtful approach. i also liked the romance and found family vibes that this book had.
i did think this book lulled a little bit in the middle and generally enjoy books that’s are a little more fast fast. but i enjoyed this cozy fantasy nonetheless.
3.5 stars!
this was such a sweet and cozy book. like the authors other books in this series, it follows an FMC who recently left Alyssium after the revolution. she finds herself working at her grandmothers Magical Cheese Emporium (hence the name of the book).
i enjoyed the way that the author approached grief in this book. i thought it was a very thoughtful approach. i also liked the romance and found family vibes that this book had.
i did think this book lulled a little bit in the middle and generally enjoy books that’s are a little more fast fast. but i enjoyed this cozy fantasy nonetheless.
Currently Reading
July 20, 2026Got the ARC! i love this series <3
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
Sitting firmly in the nexus of all my professional and nerd interests, this book has it all -- librarians, printing, bookbinding, cheesemaking and mongering, magic, trauma recovery, transparency in government, romance and some delightfully stabby new side characters. I love the Midnight Knitters, the inventions, the quest for new and ridiculous sources of magical milk for cheesemaking. I love the characters and their challenges and the ways they grow and heal and eventually triumph. The Spellshop books remain as the very best in cozy reading, and an absolutely reliable balm to my soul.
Advanced Readers' Copy provided by Edelweiss.
TL:DR for those who are interested, my extra picky nerd notes, which alas were too late to change before publication. SBD was extremely gracious about this feedback.
In case you were wondering, Archivists and Conservators are 2 totally different jobs — totally possible to be both, but archivists don’t bind books as part of their jobs: they catalogue and arrange collections. Book conservators bind books.
Bookbinding by hand: Sew, then Glue, always. Or do a non adhesive binding and just sew, but it's always sew first.
Btw, I have a lot of opinions on glue and this book handled that subject well.
Western style Printing ink is generally not water soluble — it’s almost all linseed oil or rapeseed or soy based, so the clean up isn’t by washing in a sink -- you either need to loosen it with more oil and wipe it up or use a solvent to remove it. I laughed so hard at the image of pouring the ink into a bowl — horrifying! What a horrifying sticky mess!! -- the viscosity means that you use a knife to spread a small amount on a non-porous surface and then either dab it onto printers' balls or roll it onto a brayer (roller) and transfer it to the type that way. I love the iteration of ideas that Garyn works through — 5 stars for inventing printing in a way that doesn’t make me cry.
If you do want to know about water soluble printing ink with historical precedent, look into Mokuhanga -- Japanese style woodblock printing. I don't think that type of ink would work very well in the type of printing process the book describes, because it dries out too quickly. The reason oil base works so well is that you have time to ink and print and ink and print for several hours before it dries out and ruins the type.
Also, all the praise for not attempting any solution to papermaking outside of import. It’s such a huge subject, mostly not made of wood until after the industrial revolution and by far one of the harder things to invent. Both the British and the Americans took more than a hundred years to establish a working paper mill on their soil because of the availability of linen/cotton/hemp based rags. A recent scholar has suggested that one of the reasons papermaking was so centralized in Venice and Fabriano was proximity to worn out sails -- this is a whole other rabbit hole that might be useful for future books.
The blacksmith figuring out how to cast type and do it in 3 days — my partner is a blacksmith and I have done typecasting by hand, so I know the process for creating the punches and the molds and the type — we salute this optimism and laughed really hard and enjoyed the mental puzzle of figuring out whether that would be possible. We think maybe so, under extraordinary circumstances. Mostly it's a question of whether they would have had alphabetical punches already on hand and would "only" have had to invent the hand casting mould -- which is a really genius bit of engineering.
Finally, general note to everyone not to have lead type and food prep in the same space. Or at least make a big deal of anyone messing with type washing their hands thoroughly. It was kind of unclear to me what part of the cheese barn the print shop was set up in -- upstairs? weight can be an issue at some point because lead, but that would be better separation of poison from food. I have been worried about how the little crocheted animals manage to clean their paws after typesetting -- handling lead type leaves a lot of dirt on the fingers. Honestly, handling lead isn't too dangerous, but eating lead is very very bad, as we know.
Yeah, wow, I really liked this book and spent waaaay too much time thinking about all the details.
Advanced Readers' Copy provided by Edelweiss.
TL:DR for those who are interested, my extra picky nerd notes, which alas were too late to change before publication. SBD was extremely gracious about this feedback.
In case you were wondering, Archivists and Conservators are 2 totally different jobs — totally possible to be both, but archivists don’t bind books as part of their jobs: they catalogue and arrange collections. Book conservators bind books.
Bookbinding by hand: Sew, then Glue, always. Or do a non adhesive binding and just sew, but it's always sew first.
Btw, I have a lot of opinions on glue and this book handled that subject well.
Western style Printing ink is generally not water soluble — it’s almost all linseed oil or rapeseed or soy based, so the clean up isn’t by washing in a sink -- you either need to loosen it with more oil and wipe it up or use a solvent to remove it. I laughed so hard at the image of pouring the ink into a bowl — horrifying! What a horrifying sticky mess!! -- the viscosity means that you use a knife to spread a small amount on a non-porous surface and then either dab it onto printers' balls or roll it onto a brayer (roller) and transfer it to the type that way. I love the iteration of ideas that Garyn works through — 5 stars for inventing printing in a way that doesn’t make me cry.
If you do want to know about water soluble printing ink with historical precedent, look into Mokuhanga -- Japanese style woodblock printing. I don't think that type of ink would work very well in the type of printing process the book describes, because it dries out too quickly. The reason oil base works so well is that you have time to ink and print and ink and print for several hours before it dries out and ruins the type.
Also, all the praise for not attempting any solution to papermaking outside of import. It’s such a huge subject, mostly not made of wood until after the industrial revolution and by far one of the harder things to invent. Both the British and the Americans took more than a hundred years to establish a working paper mill on their soil because of the availability of linen/cotton/hemp based rags. A recent scholar has suggested that one of the reasons papermaking was so centralized in Venice and Fabriano was proximity to worn out sails -- this is a whole other rabbit hole that might be useful for future books.
The blacksmith figuring out how to cast type and do it in 3 days — my partner is a blacksmith and I have done typecasting by hand, so I know the process for creating the punches and the molds and the type — we salute this optimism and laughed really hard and enjoyed the mental puzzle of figuring out whether that would be possible. We think maybe so, under extraordinary circumstances. Mostly it's a question of whether they would have had alphabetical punches already on hand and would "only" have had to invent the hand casting mould -- which is a really genius bit of engineering.
Finally, general note to everyone not to have lead type and food prep in the same space. Or at least make a big deal of anyone messing with type washing their hands thoroughly. It was kind of unclear to me what part of the cheese barn the print shop was set up in -- upstairs? weight can be an issue at some point because lead, but that would be better separation of poison from food. I have been worried about how the little crocheted animals manage to clean their paws after typesetting -- handling lead type leaves a lot of dirt on the fingers. Honestly, handling lead isn't too dangerous, but eating lead is very very bad, as we know.
Yeah, wow, I really liked this book and spent waaaay too much time thinking about all the details.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
3.5 stars, rounded up
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
First, I have read and enjoyed all of the books so far in the Spellshop series, even though I generally do not enjoy romance novels. I would rate these as more in the cozy genre than romantasy, though there is certainly a romance plot in each one, it takes a backseat to whatever the major story arc is. In this case, Eloren, a refugee librarian from The Great Library, who flees a civil war and takes refugee with her estranged grandmother Mika and begins working in Mika's titular magical cheese shop. With her life upended and her future uncertain, Eloren must decide what she wants her new life's purpose to be.
I really enjoyed the character of Mika, her friends, and Eloren's eventually solution to what her purpose would be. I just wish more time had been spent on her working on her purpose than on debating what it would be. I can't say more without spoiling her epiphany, but I really liked the direction Durst went in with that, especially because Eloren finds a way to find her own passion and doesn't just surrender herself to her boyfriend, grandmother, or parents' wishes, as I was afraid might happen. Some characters that seemingly exist only as annoyances in the story are revealed to have deeper reasons for their actions and are not as one dimensional as they initially seem, which was also a nice touch. Also, the premise of the magical cheese shop was definitely unique, and I hope Durst continues to be this imaginative with her settings if she writes more in the series.
Though I still liked the book, I found this to be the weakest Spellshop novel so far (the prior novel, A Sea of Charms, was my favorite). The story takes a very long time to get going. Eloren is directionless, so the story is matching the character, but I felt like the first half of the book could have been condensed a bit. There was an excessive amount about cheesemaking that I think could have been cut down - of course, everyone's mileage on that may vary, but personally I prefer eating cheese to learning about the process. After four books, I also found some of the elements a bit repetitive. I know tropes are tropes for a reason; they work, and cozies are meant to be relaxing and predictable to some extent, but it did feel like this one was ticking boxes at some points.
Still, this was a nice cozy and more creative than many others, in my opinion. If you've liked the others in this series, you will enjoy this too. If you haven't read the prior books, you certainly could read this as a standalone, but some characters from earlier books do make brief appearances in this one, so you'll get more out of it if you begin at the beginning.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
First, I have read and enjoyed all of the books so far in the Spellshop series, even though I generally do not enjoy romance novels. I would rate these as more in the cozy genre than romantasy, though there is certainly a romance plot in each one, it takes a backseat to whatever the major story arc is. In this case, Eloren, a refugee librarian from The Great Library, who flees a civil war and takes refugee with her estranged grandmother Mika and begins working in Mika's titular magical cheese shop. With her life upended and her future uncertain, Eloren must decide what she wants her new life's purpose to be.
I really enjoyed the character of Mika, her friends, and Eloren's eventually solution to what her purpose would be. I just wish more time had been spent on her working on her purpose than on debating what it would be. I can't say more without spoiling her epiphany, but I really liked the direction Durst went in with that, especially because Eloren finds a way to find her own passion and doesn't just surrender herself to her boyfriend, grandmother, or parents' wishes, as I was afraid might happen. Some characters that seemingly exist only as annoyances in the story are revealed to have deeper reasons for their actions and are not as one dimensional as they initially seem, which was also a nice touch. Also, the premise of the magical cheese shop was definitely unique, and I hope Durst continues to be this imaginative with her settings if she writes more in the series.
Though I still liked the book, I found this to be the weakest Spellshop novel so far (the prior novel, A Sea of Charms, was my favorite). The story takes a very long time to get going. Eloren is directionless, so the story is matching the character, but I felt like the first half of the book could have been condensed a bit. There was an excessive amount about cheesemaking that I think could have been cut down - of course, everyone's mileage on that may vary, but personally I prefer eating cheese to learning about the process. After four books, I also found some of the elements a bit repetitive. I know tropes are tropes for a reason; they work, and cozies are meant to be relaxing and predictable to some extent, but it did feel like this one was ticking boxes at some points.
Still, this was a nice cozy and more creative than many others, in my opinion. If you've liked the others in this series, you will enjoy this too. If you haven't read the prior books, you certainly could read this as a standalone, but some characters from earlier books do make brief appearances in this one, so you'll get more out of it if you begin at the beginning.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I have read thirteen of Sarah Beth Durst’s books to date. Thirteen books with heart and imagination and laughter and love. I have read her vast variety of fantasy novels, from cozy books about enchanted hotels or island villages to epic fantasy about queens and trials. The Magical Cheese Emporium shows that Durst is the best in the business at making moments that matter.
Our story follows Eloren as her life has been upended. In the wake of the revolution, she has lost her job and her dearest friend and escaped to her estranged grandmother’s cheese shop. In her former childhood hometown, she is able to learn cheese mongering, reconnect with an old friend, and evaluate what in life really makes her happy.
This book hits so many of the Sarah Beth Durst staples. We have two cozy hobbies to sink into (book printing and cheese mongering), a sweet romance, and a cozy small town with meddling but well-meaning community. There are sentient plants and alien-like creatures and the most adorable mouse made of cheese. But there’s also real stakes, both personally and societally; Eloren has to figure out her purpose, and the shopkeepers have the threat of rising taxes. Durst is a masterclass in how to make tension just right in a cozy fantasy, to thread the needle to make the stakes engaging without being overwhelming.
Like two of our previous protagonists, Eloren was a librarian at the Great Library in Allysium. Somehow, Durst is able to make each of these women feel distinct. Eloren is lost after the revolution and left adrift, and this story is her starting over and finding her own way. There’s real tenderness given to Eloren’s grief over losing her best friend, a soft grace that doesn’t feel overbearing but honors her loss. She had found purpose in helping the revolutionaries distribute materials that defied propaganda, but now that the revolution is over, her contributions are no longer needed and she feels lost.
There’s a childhood friends-to-lovers arc that is engaging, but the real crux of this story is Eloren’s budding relationship with her grandmother Mika. The two have no prior relationship at the start of the book, and their relationship really shines on-page. Both characters are guarded, and the two slowly build towards vulnerability as the story progresses. Their relationship feels like the beating heart of the story and is excellent.
We have some cameos from some of our previous characters, which is always fun. But this story does not live for the nostalgia; we have a new story, with new characters, dealing with their own troubles. But, if Durst decides to do an avengers-style meetup with all of her leading ladies, I wouldn’t say no.
Thank you to Bramble, Tor Publishing, NetGalley and Sarah Beth Durst for this advanced reader copy!
Our story follows Eloren as her life has been upended. In the wake of the revolution, she has lost her job and her dearest friend and escaped to her estranged grandmother’s cheese shop. In her former childhood hometown, she is able to learn cheese mongering, reconnect with an old friend, and evaluate what in life really makes her happy.
This book hits so many of the Sarah Beth Durst staples. We have two cozy hobbies to sink into (book printing and cheese mongering), a sweet romance, and a cozy small town with meddling but well-meaning community. There are sentient plants and alien-like creatures and the most adorable mouse made of cheese. But there’s also real stakes, both personally and societally; Eloren has to figure out her purpose, and the shopkeepers have the threat of rising taxes. Durst is a masterclass in how to make tension just right in a cozy fantasy, to thread the needle to make the stakes engaging without being overwhelming.
Like two of our previous protagonists, Eloren was a librarian at the Great Library in Allysium. Somehow, Durst is able to make each of these women feel distinct. Eloren is lost after the revolution and left adrift, and this story is her starting over and finding her own way. There’s real tenderness given to Eloren’s grief over losing her best friend, a soft grace that doesn’t feel overbearing but honors her loss. She had found purpose in helping the revolutionaries distribute materials that defied propaganda, but now that the revolution is over, her contributions are no longer needed and she feels lost.
There’s a childhood friends-to-lovers arc that is engaging, but the real crux of this story is Eloren’s budding relationship with her grandmother Mika. The two have no prior relationship at the start of the book, and their relationship really shines on-page. Both characters are guarded, and the two slowly build towards vulnerability as the story progresses. Their relationship feels like the beating heart of the story and is excellent.
We have some cameos from some of our previous characters, which is always fun. But this story does not live for the nostalgia; we have a new story, with new characters, dealing with their own troubles. But, if Durst decides to do an avengers-style meetup with all of her leading ladies, I wouldn’t say no.
Thank you to Bramble, Tor Publishing, NetGalley and Sarah Beth Durst for this advanced reader copy!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Sarah Beth Durst has once again given life to loveable characters, imaginatively charming settings, mythical creatures and loveable sentient plants. Her stories are sprinkled with warmth, kindness, love, and let’s not forget, flying cats! The Magical Cheese Emporium is all of this and so much more!
The city of Alyssium has fallen, the emperor has been defenestrated (I love that SBD uses defenestrated in her books!). The revolutionaries have won, but the Great Library has burned and with it Eloren’s life as she knows it. She quite suddenly finds herself mourning the loss of her best friend, her library job, and her home. When she writes to her parents, she finds that they have moved without so much of a note or forwarding address, but her grandmother, Mika, offers to take her in, providing a job and a place to live.
Eloren’s return to her home town of Dew is fraught with uncertainty, but as she slowly starts to let people in, she finds herself enjoying her life with her grandmother in her Magical Cheese Emporium - who wouldn’t?! The only problem? The unicorns hate her. How can you make magical unicorn cheese if the unicorns run every time they see you?
In a quest to a. Avoid her overbearing parents that swoop back in, and b. Find her passion and her purpose, Eloren realizes (much slower than any of the readers) that her passion is books and the stories they contain. More so, she believes in sharing those stories with others especially after the evil emperor has declared knowledge only for a selected few. With the help of her new friends, community, Garyn, her love interest, and the blessing of the Great Library, she begins reprinting books to share and sell, creating Dew’s one and only Magical Cheese and Book Emporium.
Eloren not only finds her purpose, she finds a home, family, love, and a community that believes in the power of stories. AND she manages to start a political revolution that overthrows the longstanding, corrupt governor, bringing back the vote, and voice to the people of Dew.
There is not a single thing to dislike about The Magical Cheese Emporium! It hits all the marks: flying cats, cheese, judgemental unicorns, giant cave toads, books, crazy family, sentient plants, an actual cheese mouse, love, and revolution against oppressive governments, big and small. Oh, did I mention cheese?!
The city of Alyssium has fallen, the emperor has been defenestrated (I love that SBD uses defenestrated in her books!). The revolutionaries have won, but the Great Library has burned and with it Eloren’s life as she knows it. She quite suddenly finds herself mourning the loss of her best friend, her library job, and her home. When she writes to her parents, she finds that they have moved without so much of a note or forwarding address, but her grandmother, Mika, offers to take her in, providing a job and a place to live.
Eloren’s return to her home town of Dew is fraught with uncertainty, but as she slowly starts to let people in, she finds herself enjoying her life with her grandmother in her Magical Cheese Emporium - who wouldn’t?! The only problem? The unicorns hate her. How can you make magical unicorn cheese if the unicorns run every time they see you?
In a quest to a. Avoid her overbearing parents that swoop back in, and b. Find her passion and her purpose, Eloren realizes (much slower than any of the readers) that her passion is books and the stories they contain. More so, she believes in sharing those stories with others especially after the evil emperor has declared knowledge only for a selected few. With the help of her new friends, community, Garyn, her love interest, and the blessing of the Great Library, she begins reprinting books to share and sell, creating Dew’s one and only Magical Cheese and Book Emporium.
Eloren not only finds her purpose, she finds a home, family, love, and a community that believes in the power of stories. AND she manages to start a political revolution that overthrows the longstanding, corrupt governor, bringing back the vote, and voice to the people of Dew.
There is not a single thing to dislike about The Magical Cheese Emporium! It hits all the marks: flying cats, cheese, judgemental unicorns, giant cave toads, books, crazy family, sentient plants, an actual cheese mouse, love, and revolution against oppressive governments, big and small. Oh, did I mention cheese?!
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