#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A teen girl decides to spend her summer helping her eccentric great aunt manage her quaint Vermont inn—only to discover that the fixer-upper is hiding a magical secret—in this cozy and irresistible new young adult fantasy from the New York Times bestselling author of The Spellshop.
This stunning first edition of The Faraway Inn features gorgeous designed edges!
“Frosted with whimsy and sprinkled with joy, The Faraway Inn is a testament to why Sarah Beth Durst is the queen of cozy fantasy!”—Tricia Levenseller, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Darkness Within Us
When sixteen-year-old Calisa arrives at her great-aunt’s B&B in rural Vermont for the summer, she’s shocked to find a rundown inn rather than the cozy bed-and-breakfast she was expecting. Grumpy and eccentric, Auntie Zee is determined to keep anyone from messing with her beloved inn . . . even though she clearly needs the help.
To convince her great-aunt to keep her around, Calisa sets to work fixing up the inn, enlisting extra help from the groundskeeper’s (handsome) son. But the longer she stays, the surer she is that there’s something strange about the B&B—and its guests. Something almost . . . otherworldly.
The inn is keeping a magical secret—but to protect the place she’s come to love, Calisa must unravel the truth before it’s too late.
Magical world building and sweet story
"Book review: 4/5 ⭐️ Genre: cozy fantasy Themes: heartbreak, imagination, support system, otherworldly I was in need of a pick me up and this book surely delivered on that. This cozy fantasy features a derelict inn nestled in the woods that is hiding more than a leaky roof and a grouchy innkeeper. This B&B in a nexus between worlds, it is a place of magic and healing where possibilities bloom and friendship form. This book felt like a warm hug on a winter’s day. High schooler Calisa is desperate to escape Brooklyn after discovering her boyfriend, who was apparently a well known philander, in the arms of another. When her mums suggest a summer helping her great aunt in Vermont, Calisa jumps at the opportunity. Upon arrival, she discovers this once charming inn has now become rundown and what’s more she was not invited. Auntie Zee is determined to remain independent, neither wanting nor needing help, despite the obvious fact that she needs it. To earn her trust and convince Auntie Zee that she can stay, Calisa starts to fix up the inn one room at a time. Enlisting the help of the groundskeeper’s son, Calisa will find more than just a capable pair of hands, but a true friend and perhaps something more. The eccentric guests and the strange events that sweep into the inn gave this sweet tale an air of mystery as Calisa discovers the truth to the inn. As the veil between universes begins to fray with the inn on the brink of collapse, this fairy tale like story reaches a crescendo. It was an otherworldly portal that literally transported me into shimmering new worlds with magnificent creatures and vivid descriptions of people and traditions that made these scenes come alive. This book is brimming with magical whimsy and it made me dream and ache in equal measure. I don’t normally like books centred on a YA protagonist, but this one was full of heart and made me smile. Melidor, Mulligan and Kendra were an odd assortment of guests to round out this cast and inspire the otherworldly. It perfectly toed the line of magical realism, though the fantastical elements really knocked it out of the park for me. Cannot end this review without mentioning the mini-dragon/lizard and the mouthy magical mirror who was a barrel full of laughs and the night market I wish was real. Thank you to Random House Children’s Books and Netgalley for an eARC. This was just the book I needed last week! And now I will be searching for this author’s entire backlist."
