Synopsis:

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.

Review:

A wonderfully written, magical tale that follows Terlu Perna, a once-librarian, now wooden statue, who finds herself washed up on a seemingly deserted island. Someone has undone the spell that kept her wooden, and as she begins to explore her new surroundings, finding hundreds of magical greenhouses along the way, she discovers a grumpy gardener. Not all is as beautiful as it seems, for the magic on the island is fading, and together they must figure out how to save the greenhouses and the plants within.

I adored this story SO much that I read the whole thing in one afternoon. Sarah Beth Durst has such a whimsical feeling to her writing – the magic practically seeped off the pages. Everything was so richly described using all the senses, and it was easy to imagine myself in the world alongside the characters.

As a professional horticulturist, discovering the world of the greenhouses was everything I hoped it would be, and oh how I wish they were real! There were so many unique and interesting things that just added such whimsy to the book.

Terlu was a lot of fun to have as a PoV character. She has a very chatty internal monologue that I thought was very endearing. She spent her life trying to fit in and make friends, perhaps too overenthusiastically, and now being faced with only one person who emphatically doesn’t like conversation was difficult for her, and I liked watching her learn to adapt and consider how best to approach the situation.

Yarrow was the perfect counterpart to Terlu –  quiet and grouchy on the surface, but it is easy to see he has a heart of gold. The romance was slow and oh so sweet, and I adored watching the trust and warmth build between the pair.

I was utterly smitten with this tale of hope, second chances at life, and the importance of community. It left me feeling warm, fuzzy and hungry for honey cakes! Highly, highly recommend!

A huge thank you to @PanMacmillan for sending an ARC my way! The Enchanted Greenhouse is out on July 17th.