The Spellshop

One of the primary plot devices in The Spellshop is the way that magic, and the knowledge of magic, is hoarded by the wealthy. At the beginning of the novel, Kiela is an unwitting part of this flawed system. She works at the major central library where sacred knowledge is carefully guarded, and she is employed as a custodian of this knowledge. Within the safe confines of the library, Kiela is shut away from the political unrest happening just outside her walls. When the revolution finally comes to the library doors, it is a natural progression of the tension that was escalating for a long time. Because Kiela’s life and worldview are so limited, she has no idea how the less privileged classes are suffering. She herself soon admits, “The empire was hoarding magic, and the outer islands […] were suffering because of it. She hadn’t thought of what that meant on a practical day-to-day level” (47). Kiela is able to acknowledge that she willfully turned away from the problem because it didn’t directly affect her.

Once Kiela escapes with a small selection of this coveted knowledge, she’s able to see firsthand the results of hoarding magic for the elite.