Readers loved the alternate world that Sarah Beth Durst created in THE SPELLSHOP. In her new novel, THE ENCHANTED GREENHOUSE, she takes us back to that charming, magic-filled world where flying cats roam and miniature dragons pollinate huge sunflowers in magical greenhouses. In the first book, we learned of Terlu Perna, a lonely librarian who broke the law when she created a sentient plant to keep her company in her solitary life among the stacks of magical spell books. She was sentenced to be turned into a wooden statue forever.

Now we meet Terlu as she is transformed back into a person. She comes to life in a lonely spot in winter, and she doesn't know how or why she has been moved from the Great Library of Alyssium to where she currently is. She's cold and hungry. Unbeknownst to her, it's been six years since she became an inanimate object, and she has no idea what has gone on in the world.

"THE ENCHANTED GREENHOUSE works equally well as a beach read or to curl up with in front of a roaring fire.... Hopefully there will be another novel about this special magical world because I know there is more to share about it."

When Terlu meets Yarrow, her benefactor, he is surprised and disappointed to find out that she is not what he had requested. He had written letters to the capital, begging for a sorcerer to help him. But Terlu is merely a librarian. The only spell she cast, which cost her dearly, was to create Caz, the sentient plant and her friend.

Terlu learns that Yarrow is the gardener on an island where a sorcerer built an enormous complex of magical greenhouses. Durst's descriptions of them are extraordinarily detailed, and it's delightful to imagine different immense greenhouses --- one filled with nothing but fragrant roses of every hue, another containing pine trees and smelling like a forest, and yet another populated with huge sunflowers as far as the eye can see. Each has a different climate, from tropical humidity to a dry desert greenhouse filled with cacti. There are also magical creatures who inhabit the greenhouses, such as the flying tiny dragons.

Perhaps best of all, Terlu finds a sentient plant that reminds her of Caz, the one that caused all of her problems. But some of the plants are dying, others are asleep, and the magic that has kept the greenhouses alive is failing. Whole greenhouses are falling apart, and all the flora inside are dying because their essential needs in terms of temperature and humidity are not being met.

Questions abound. Will Terlu and Yarrow be able to fix the problems that have been caused by the now deceased sorcerer? What is Terlu willing to risk in order to do that? Would she be punished again for performing magic if anyone found out? There's also the delightful relationship that develops between open, life-embracing Terlu and Yarrow, who is the handsome, dark and brooding heartthrob type. When Yarrow, who is very careful with his emotions, asks Terlu how she keeps opening herself to others after what has happened to her, she replies that she doesn't like the alternative. "I suppose I choose to think it will all be okay because then at least, even if I can't control what happens, I can control how I feel about it."

Terlu and Yarrow have a personal journey to make, and they might find that not being alone makes all the difference in the world. There's also the fact that Yarrow is an amazing cook who bakes bread and makes honey cakes, which Terlu enjoys eating and Yarrow loves to provide. Terlu isn't a svelte beauty; this very relatable main character is plump with wild curly hair.

It's difficult not to spoil the surprises at the end, which are sweet happenings rather than twists. But the head librarian, who saved Terlu when she was a wooden statue from being burnt along with the rest of the Great Library during the revolution, explains why she broke the law to save her. "It's my duty --- in fact, I believe it's every person's duty, especially those in power --- to reject unjust laws. To choose kindness and empathy, whenever we can."

And that's a message that should jump out of the pages of this book and into each person reading it. Kindness and empathy are what Terlu represents --- loving people, welcoming and accepting others no matter how different, and providing a safe haven for those in need.

THE ENCHANTED GREENHOUSE works equally well as a beach read or to curl up with in front of a roaring fire. It might be winter in the real world, but in Durst's greenhouses, summer is bursting with sunshine, fruit and veggies. I just wish that she had provided a few recipes. The honey cake sounds delicious, and Yarrow's favorite dish made from tomatoes and squash seems scrumptious. Hopefully there will be another novel about this special magical world because I know there is more to share about it. And there are many people who want to read about it.