Delilah Bea is no stranger to magic: her absentee father is the world’s most famous cursebreaker, and all the women in her family are fated to never find true love. Delilah plans to use her magical Calling to break the Bea family curse but is instead tapped to break the curse of the Pelumbra twins. In their powerful family, one pair of twins every generation is doomed to have one twin drain the other of life and magic. Kieran Pelumbra is growing weaker as his twin sister Briar grows stronger and monstrous. Setting out together to break the curse, it's soon apparent that others in the family don't want the curse broken. Delilah is also drawn to Briar. Time is running out for the twins, and Delilah has her own curse to bear.

This world is full of magic, with curses, blessings, and geasa commonplace. Witches must take part in a Calling to prove themselves worthy of their magic; if they fail, their magic is sealed away. Delilah has six months to complete her task, which is complicated by the fact that no one knows the actual wording of the curse itself. Kieran tracks down Briar, who has been on the run for months, and they go from place to place looking for clues about the curse. The Pelumbra family has grown prosperous over the generations, and it's due to the twins and the curse that haunts them.

As the team travels around, Kieran gets a chance to see more of the world than the estate he was kept in, Briar gets a chance to be something other than a curse repository, and Delilah grows up and faces herself as well as the legacy of her father. We eventually find out what the curse actually is, as well as the curse on the Bea family. Not everything is what they thought it was, and I enjoyed the showdown at the end, and the hint of happily-ever-after endings for our main cast. A fun book I couldn't put down.

This was pretty cute, loved the found family and characters and relationships, didn't love the emphasis on love healing all (especially when it was all romantic love that I can think of) but ah well.

Best YA thus far in 2024
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I loooooved the cozy vibe. I’m not a huge YA reader but was very interested in this book. I could def feel that I wasn’t the target audience (I’m 27) but I still felt how cute and entertaining this book was! This is the type of book I would’ve 1000% loved to have growing up!

Very much still an enjoyable read for anyone older. Just feels like some things are fast paced at times or brushed off but I feel like that’s more due to audience rather than it being a fault of the book.

Thanks to Net Galley and Random House for the ARC. This was an enjoyable and cute read. While the romance was just alright, there were many funny parts that I liked.

An adorable and whimsical fairytale fantasy filled with queer characters and found family. If you’re looking for some cozy yet adventurous vibes, this is perfect for you!

This was a fun and cute coming of age story. Loved the magic and supernatural aspects of this book. Even though this book is targeted towards a younger audience, me an adult, still found it interesting and would recommend.

This was really cute!! I loved the premise and the main cast of characters, though I wish Santiago and Ariel were more useful, specifically in the final battle. Briar was definitely my favorite!!

One complaint I had is that one thing mentioned in the book description isn’t actually revealed until halfway through the book….its supposed to be sort of a plot twist, but I already knew it from the description. Also, I do wish the world building was fleshed out a bit more — I was a bit confused about the technology, the cultures, etc. They have cars and flying balloons but we never actually see any cars, so the mention of them just felt out of place for an otherwise whimsical setting.

First, thank you Random House and Netgalley.

Second, this was such a cozy palette cleanser.. Witchy quest, curses that need lifting, a family set on seeing them fail even if it means betraying their own, and queer!! I mean seriously, did I miss something you’re still looking for? This has it all.

A quick read for lovers of YA cozy fantasy!

* 4.5 Stars *

Forced down an unexpected journey, the main characters set forth on an adventure of a lifetime in a quest for answers that must be revealed before time runs out. Practical Rules for Cursed Witches is an entertaining adventure wrapped around curses, new relationships, and coming into who you are as a young adult.
This LGBTQIA+, young adult fantasy held my attention, engulfed me with magic, and kept me excited for what was coming next.
Highly recommend this book for those looking for a light-hearted palette cleanser.

Practical Rules for Cursed Witches by Kayla Cottingham is a cute story with witches, magic and unexpected humor - that I thoroughly enjoyed. Cottingham's writing stye was generously descriptive, inviting for the readers, and enjoyable to follow. I wasn't fond of the mix of technologies and there were moments where I felt a chapter or two were rushed.

Cozy, coming of age, witchy and queer?! I’m not sure what more you could ask for?! This was such a charming, warm, and fun read. This was my first book by this author and I will definitely be looking into other works.

"Practical Rules for Cursed Witches" was a fun book. The main characters were enjoyable and eclectic; and I liked the heavy LGBTQ representation. The plotline of breaking curses was interesting, and the nature of the curses and how they were broken was clever. I liked that two of the main characters -- Delilah and Kieran -- had had somewhat sheltered lives but in vastly different circumstances -- Kieran raised in luxury as a member of one of the most powerful families in the land, and Delilah raised in a small village. It was amusing reading Delilah's reaction to the sights, sounds, and experiences of a big city, and Kieran's reaction to witnessing how "regular" people live and interact, and how different it is from what he had been taught. The main characters, especially Briar and Delilah, have doubts about their own worth, but also have an inner strength that serves them well.

This was such a good cozy read that I needed right now! I honestly thought it was brilliant and well written, and giving studio ghibli vibes throughout it. It also showed great representation for the LGBTQ+ community showing Delilah throughout her journey! I would definitely recommend this book for a fall read and just a good read in general! Thank you netgally for the ARC!

This was a lovely surprising book, filled with magic and curses. It follows Delilah Bea, as she studies magic and works to become a certified witch. She gets tangled up in magic that is connected to the Pelumbra family and her Calling to break her own family curse gets subsumed by a cursed boy. This book is filled with unexpected love of all sorts and a richy imagined world. I loved followng Delilah's story and hr relationship with the members of the airship crew. Each has their own story and while I wish they had explored more of each of the crew members past, it wasnt their story, it belonged to Briar and Delilah. This was a book that was unputdownable. and I would defintely read more stories set in this universe. Briari's story is heartbreaking and you really feel for her. It's a story of discovery fo4 all parties involved. The tale of curses and blessings and how it shapes lives was fascinating. A+ storyelling.

I received an ARC from Netgalley but my reviews express my own opinions.

I loved this book, and am so glad it introduced me to a new author. The characters are all fun and the book is sweet, where you root for all the romances and the angst and miscommunication plots are short-lived. I read it incredibly quickly, and had a huge smile on my face the entire time. With the exception of a few characters, you grow to love pretty much everyone and they don't disappoint you. Even the ones who disappoint in the beginning step up by the end.

Loved it, can't wait to read more by this author.

Kayla Cottingham does not miss.

Her first cozy fantasy was spot on. Curses, a trial where you have to succeed or you lose your powers, a found family, and LGBTQ+ love stories? Sign me up.

We follow Delilah, a witch who just turned 17, as she goes on her Calling: a task either of your choosing or assigned to you that proves your abilities as a witch.

Raised by a single mom in a small town, Delilah navigates a new world, new friends, and a very long magical history as she works towards breaking a curse.

I really enjoyed this read. Would be perfect for spooky season. I will continue to read all of the books Cottingham publishes.

This is a brilliantly funny, adorably charming story that brings to mind the likes of Kiki's Delivery Service, Eva Evergreen, and the Honey Witch. a delightfully cozy read that fills you with joy, comfort, laughter and a passion for baking. (and man do i wish this book came with recipes.) a beautiful queernormative world, with a colorful cast and crew. a fantastical coming of age story filled with magic, life lessons, and a good deal of witty banter. you'll laugh, you'll roll your eyes, you'll giggle and you'll want to hit the main antagonist in the face! all in all, a fantastic read!

we follow seventeen year old Delilah as she goes on her Calling. a test that every Witch must undergo in order to keep their magic. She had it all planned out, and then some kid comes in and hijacks it! well, whatever, breaking one curse is just as easy as breaking another right? well, so she hoped. catching feelings was never part of the equation. especially not when she and her entire family were cursed so that no one could ever fall in love with them.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC for the ARC of this YA cozy romance, super good. Will be recommending this to my daughter once the book is published. Great representation of LGTBQ. I loved how the book played out and how it had a happy ended. Hopefully I can read more with Delilah, Briar, & Kieran

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I really enjoyed this cozy little read! It has just such a great vibe- found family, going on a quest/adventure and finding yourself, tons of diversity and well developed characters. I’ll check out more from this author!

I haven’t read any of Kayla cottinghams other books, but while I haven’t heard the best reviews of my dearest darkest, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I like this!!

literally all the vibes were there, and it really got right into the story which was very engaging

I LOVED the whole band of misfits go on a journey ->found family
it was so so sweet, just like the ending-it was very satisfying

I also really liked the romance subplot and tension between briar and Delilah (and Kieran +his love interest-no spoilers :)

loved the magic, curses, family relationships, friendship,journey, and again, the overall vibe

highly recommend checking this out when it is published on August 26!!!