After six years of solitary confinement by way of being a statue for bringing a plant to life, Terlu wakes, alone, to snowflakes falling on her nose and a greenhouse in view. Inside, plants of all shapes and sizes, some that sing and some that dance. But there is a plight affecting the greenhouse. Something has happened to the spells clast by the sorcerer that used to run the island, causing the greenhouse to fail in some areas.
From the author of “The Spellshop,” “The Enchanted Greenhouse” follows the perspective of Terlu as she, the gardener left to care for the greenhouse, and a sentient rose work to restore the greenhouse to its former glory.
The way this story was done so cleverly. It was written as, not a sequel, but a parallel story within the same universe. I love the way that there were little nods to the original book throughout this one, considering the fact that Terlu is the one who made Caz, the sentient spider plant featured in “The Spellshop.”
I really liked the way it felt as if you were solving the problems of the story with the characters. The way that different bits of information was given to readers made the connection to the characters that much better.
I absolutely adored the way the relationship between Terlu, and the gardener grew gradually over the course of the story. It did not feel like it was rushed, and it reflects everything that a cozy novel should show. The way that Terlu got to interact with all the other characters, especially the plants, makes it that much cuter.
This is one of those books where I struggled to find something that I did not like about it. It was well written, the pacing throughout the story was wonderful, and the way the character building just worked in such a way that you feel like you know characters you have not even met yet.
I suppose, if I were to choose something though, it would be the way some of the character backstories are introduced to the storyline felt abrupt in a way that made some plot points feel a bit unfinished. It was typically done, however, in a way that you get the finishing touches on the plot points much later in the story.
I do like the way fear is dealt with in this story. Going from being absolutely terrified of something to understanding that not everything you do will lead to it over the span of the story made the occasional information drop better in the end.
This was such a cute and cozy story, and it was everything I could have ever hoped for and more in a story from this author. When reading other books in the same subgenre, I have used “The Spellshop” as a guideline for what I am looking for in a book, and this one exceeds that and so much more. I give this book a 5/5.