Lots of good stuff here: a delightful setting; engaging characters; and a thoughtful narrative that explores the idea of coming home. Like the protagonist, I’m a librarian, and so I particularly enjoyed the attention the story pays to the value of books, good research skills, and the stubborn pursuit of slow, incremental improvement.

The pace of the story is uneven, with the late-breaking revelation of a triple threat (political, magical, and romantic) to Kiela’s newfound refuge. There’s a fun plot twist that almost immediately neutralizes the danger, so Kiela can return to the more important business of making jam, reading books, and falling in love. 

The scale of the world is a bit suspect, too. Caltrey is supposed to be on the neglected outskirts of a greedy Empire—the amiable island folk apparently have zero knowledge of the world’s political realities—but is simultaneously within a day’s easy sailing from its capitol. The authority of a lone unsupported shipwrecked representative of the aristocracy is not questioned, even though it was clearly within the power of the oppressed populace to drop her quietly off a cliff somewhere. 

The physical book has a lovely design, with purple-shaded pages and dreamy cover art. I’m glad I read a print copy of this one.