The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst (book review)

GENRE: Adult Cozy Fantasy

LENGTH: 372 pages

PLOT

Terlu used magic to create a sentient plant, breaking the law that only sorcerers may use magic. As punishment, she was turned into a statue. Later, she wakes on the island of Belde which is home to an enchanted greenhouse and a singular gardener named Yarrow.

CHARACTERS

Terlu and Yarrow are polar opposites in terms of their personalities. Terlu is chatty and craves companionship – she created a sentient plant to begin with because she was lonely and wanted a friend. Yarrow, meanwhile, is quieter and introverted, content with solitude. In the beginning, Terlu’s attempts to get Yarrow to open up are like pulling teeth. He really only becomes animated when talking about gardening.

Their romance is slow to develop, but I like this better compared to them being in love at first sight as that would have felt forced. Some readers may prefer a romance where the characters have fiery hot chemistry, but I have always loved a more smoldering love story with a quieter but just as powerful chemistry. Terlu and Yarrow are the latter. Terlu’s love language is quality time, whereas Yarrow’s is acts of service.

Terlu’s physical appearance is described in a way which implies she is what would be considered plus sized if she existed in our world. As a plus sized person myself, I was pleasantly surprised as I can’t recall the last time I read a story with a plus sized protagonist. The way her body is spoken about is never negative, either, nor is Terlu insecure about her body, which was a welcomed change from the way that such bodies are typically spoken about.

Lotti is a sentient rose known as a resurrection rose. At first, I wasn’t a fan of Lotti as I found her to be rather haughty. She grew on me as the novel progressed, however, and I felt for her as she struggled with grief. She also begins to demonstrate that she cares and wants to help.

            Emeral is a winged cat owned by Yarrow. He behaves much like a real life cat with the exception that he has wings and is capable of flight. He’s a very cute and playful addition to the story.

WRITING

The novel is told from Terlu’s 3^rd person perspective. The novel is a companion sequel to The Spellshop with Terlu being a side character in that story. I wasn’t aware of this when I picked up this book to read, but I never had any trouble following the characters or plot without having read book 1. So, if you picked this up not realizing like me or simply aren’t interested in reading The Spellshop because the plot doesn’t call to you, then you should have no problem. The only thing is that this book’s opening is rather abrupt, and I think that’s because the author is assuming you have the background from the first book.

The world of Belde is full of whimsy from singing plants to honey loving mini dragons. The entirety of the book takes place in a singular island location. Yet I never felt like the setting was limited because there were so many rooms within the massive titular greenhouse, and each one had a new kind of enchanted flora and fauna. As Yarrow remarks – “There are wonders through every door.” (page 269).

Given this is a cozy fantasy, I was surprised how many heavy topics the novel tackled. There is Terlu who is coping with her trauma from being turned into a statue, Yarrow who is estranged from his family, and Lotti who is grieving a father figure while grappling with the realizations that he wasn’t who she idolized him to be. Not to mention, we learn that in the greater world outside of Belde a revolution is taking place. In the acknowledgements, Durst describes wanting to write the story to express her belief that, “there is light after darkness, warmth and wonder to be found even in the coldest winters, and kindness in the world that can heal us.” Given that context, she was, in my opinion, successful at conveying this message. The story is all about Terlu and Yarrow healing and growing together with the greenhouse feeling very symbolic of their own journeys. As they’re sealing their cracks in the greenhouse, they’re sealing the cracks in their own mental health. For all the moments of sadness and anxiety, there are just as many if not more of warmth and love.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I don’t read a lot of cozy fantasies as I generally tend to prefer higher stakes fantasies. I picked this book up because I found it in a charming fantasy themed bookstore. Based on the synopsis it sounded fitting as something to serve as a trinket of sorts to remember my trip there. I’m very glad that I did pick it up, because I was endeared by this story and its characters. I plan to read The Spellshop at some point and the third book, The Charmed Sea, after it releases. If you’re looking for a cozy fantasy to read, then I recommend this one!

FINAL RATING: 4.5⭐️