I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC.

This book is a cozy read. The characters and world are well written. However I didn't really mesh well with the writing style. I never really felt drawn into the world and was wanting more out of it. It's not a bad book at all and I think many readers will enjoy it. However this one was just not for me.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of A Curious Kind of Magic.

This was the perfect cozy little fantasy book. A relatively low-stakes plot full of flawed but loveable characters, animal companions, magic, a whimsical small town, a sprinkle of romance, and a fun little adventure.

Willow was a very realistic FMC who felt the need to prove to everyone around her that she could get by on her own. She so badly wanted to see the magic and hope that her father saw and I really admired that about her. Seeing her growth throughout the story as she gradually accepted the love she deserved was so heartwarming!

There was so much to love in this book and I truly enjoyed it! I can’t wait for its official release so I can discuss this with everyone.

When I read the description of this book and saw it likened to Howl’s Moving Castle, I knew I had to read it if it even came close to the same amount of charm. It did not disappoint; not only is A Curious Kind of Magic charming, but it’s also a cozy and magical read. The story follows Willow Stokes as she attempts to keep her late father’s curiosity shoppe open in the face of debt and public disapproval. Opportunity arises in the form of Brianna Hargrave, a young outsider who’s able to turn Willow’s unmagical curiosities magical with a single touch. In exchange for help breaking her curse, Brianna agrees to assist Willow in bettering her circumstances, ultimately attracting unwanted attention from a collector and being sent on a dangerous quest that could ruin everything they worked for.

A Curious Kind of Magic was such a warm and enchanting tale, filled with friendship, heartwarming romance, and beautiful settings. The characters are unique and lovable in their own way—I especially liked Finlay and how selfless and caring he is. While it hurt to see how Willow often treated her friends in her grief and anger, there was an excellent display of how such actions and deceit can wound others and damage trust, as well as how easily one can fall into further lies. The relationships were another thing I enjoyed; I loved watching the friendship unfold between Willow and Brianna into something almost sisterly.

All in all, I loved this book; it’s a perfect, cozy read for fall, and I enjoyed every moment of it (although the ending did seem a bit sudden). This was the first book I’ve read by Mara Rutherford and will certainly not be the last. Anyone looking for a relatively short and entertaining read filled with magical charm and adventure should definitely check this one out.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC and the chance to read this wonderful book early.

A Curious Kind Of Magic by @mararutherfordwrites

Well, I absolutely ADORE this story and these characters with my whole heart! This was the coziest witchy story. I loved it so much, I made sure to take notes while reading so I wouldn’t forget anything, so here’s some things I noticed and loved!

Witty dialogue
Endearing, imperfect characters
Willow is prickly and determined
Bri is soft and sweet
Finlay is loyal and full of love
Grief journey
Found family
Grump/sunshine
Friends to lovers
The swooniest love confession EVER
A magical antique shoppe
A kitten companion and other familiars
Tea and fresh pie
Perfect mix of character/plot/setting/relationships/self growth
I love Torian! I want a book about all his adventures.

Overall, I adored this book. If you’re looking for something cozy for spooky season this fits the bill perfectly. I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy! The cover is gorgeous!

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress @wednesdaybooks for the arc!
Pub date: 10/21/2025

What an absolutely cozy, warm, well written book! This is for the girlies who miss autumn and want a book that makes them feel all comfy and warm. Sonso good!

I fell in love with sassy Willow Stokes. She inherited a Magic Shop after her father passes away. She knows that the curiosities are fake but sells them to anyone who will pay. Willow is facing losing the shop and financial ruin then one day Brianna Hargrave shows up. Brianna has the ability to turn things magical, but only for a short time. Bri is searching for a grimoire to undo a curse upon her. Willow and Bri team up on an interesting adventure that leads to magical and spellbinding characters.
I loved the friendships that develop and the bit of romance. It's a YA fantasy novel however still very much fun to read. My only regret with this book is that it was an ebook and I didn't have the gorgeous cover art.
I'm buying this BOOK!

Thank you NetGalley for the arc of A curious kind of magic.
Spoiler free!
A warm and cozy young adult book, bringing you fun loving characters. Grab a fuzzy blanket and immerse yourself in this wonderful world.
I loved this book so much! Started it on a rainy day, and absolutely fell in love.

Lighthearted, warm and fuzzy, this book will bring you much happiness.

I enjoyed this book. I definitely struggled with the first half. The phrasing/words the author used seemed odd and cliché at time. It pulled me out of the story for sure because Rutherford wasn't consistent with how she worded things. I also didn't find that Bri felt like a real person, she was lacking character development. Most of the time I didn't buy her and Willow's friendship. For being such an important part of the story she just lacked so much. You could almost take her out of the story, she's just there. Like necessary for the plot but doesn't do anything. I will say the second half has more action and the ending is sweet. I did enjoy the banter between Willow and Finlay and I'm glad they ended up together.

A Curious Kind of Magic delivers solid cozy fantasy with an intriguing magic system and genuinely strong writing. The worldbuilding around Willow’s curiosity shop and the magical community of Ardmuir feels lived-in and charming.
My struggle was with the character dynamics. Willow’s growth arc is well-executed, but she starts in such an unlikeable place that it took significant patience to stay invested. Her initial selfishness and dismissiveness felt more grating than endearing. The main male character - I wanted to see more realistic conflict and boundaries rather than endless forgiveness.
The low-stakes plot works well for what this book is trying to be. If you’re looking for cozy fantasy comfort reading with interesting magic, this delivers.
Good for fans of gentle fantasy.

A big thanks to NetGalley for providing an eARC and YABC for providing a physical ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Perfectly cozy and magical, and perfect for anyone both wanting to dip their toes into the fantasy genre without having to commit to 800 pages of worldbuilding.

A Curious Kind of Magic by Mara Rutherford is a YA fantasy novel about a girl who runs a enchanted curio shop, that isn't all the magical. Everyone in Ardmuir knows that Willow Stokes is a charlatan, including Willow herself. Her father's shoppe hasn't sold anything magical in decades, and it's only hanging on by the skin of the fake dragon's teeth Willow sells as charms, along with “enchanted” ostrich eggs, taxidermied chimeras, and talismans made of fools' gold. Until outlander Brianna Hargrave appears and turns Willow's fakes into exactly what they're purported to be. But try as Willow might to enlist Bri's help, she wants nothing to do with Willow and her curiosities. Because Brianna is harboring a secret of her own: everything she touches turns to magic, and the consequences have chased her all the way to Ardmuir. All she wants to do is find a particular missing grimoire, which contains a spell that can finally put an end to her curse. Desperate to keep her father's shoppe, Willow proposes a bargain that could save them both. Together with the frustratingly handsome printer's assistant, the girls will uncover a plot that goes far deeper than either could have imagined. But when Willow is forced to participate in an ambitious collector's quest for the rarest magical object in the world-a quest that risks almost-certain death-she learns that not all treasure is for sale, and that true magic is closer than she ever could have imagined.

Okay, I must admit that most of Mara Rutherford's previous titles have been hit or miss for me. Unfortunately most have been on the miss side of things. HOWEVER THIS BOOK. THIS A CURIOUS KIND OF MAGIC is my new instant favorite of hers. It has everything a fantasy reader is looking for, a delectable world, a unique magic system, and characters that don't fall flat with each trial and tribulation they endure. Now, mind you, A Curious Kind of Magic is considered a cozy fantasy, so the stakes aren't that high. But boy does Rutherford not hold back. Much so that I am sad that I finished it, and there aren't more adventures to go on with Willow and Brianna and Finlay.

The only thing I really found off-putting about this book, was it's plot. I felt like some of it was rushed and had no real explanation or backstory to support. And the general amount of times I wanted to shake Willow for being a slightly irritable teenager. (But mind you, she is a TEENAGER, and that is totally applicable and normal for a younger protagonist)

Regardless, A Curious Kind of Magic is a whimsical, cozy fantasy that is prefect for fans of Margaret Owen's Little Thieves and Dianna Wynne Jones' Howl's Moving Castle.

A Curious Kind of Magic by Mara Rutherford is about a young woman coming into her own and discovering the importance of friendship. Willow Stokes is just trying to keep herself afloat, nearly two years after her father died and she took over his struggling magical curiosities business. She is three months behind on rent at the shoppe and deep in her grief. She holds her best (only) friend Finlay Barrow at arm’s length, despite his efforts to take care of her. One day, Brianna Hargrave enters the shoppe to an ominous pronouncement from a stuffed magical creature (which Willow thought was a fake, like much of the shoppe’s inventory). Bri is on the hunt for a grimoire to remove the curse that has plagued her since infancy: she can awaken latent magic through touch. Bri is just what Willow needs to finally turn a profit and they make an uneasy agreement to help each other. As they refresh the shoppe and search for the grimoire, Willow grows closer to both Bri and Finlay – so much that a rich, unscrupulous collector can blackmail Willow into stealing a priceless object by threatening to hurt her friends.

This book is billed as being about Willow and Bri's friendship, and it is; but I was also expecting it to be either queer or romance-free. Neither is true, but the publisher's description leaves out Finlay almost completely – which is a shame because he's *also* really important to Willow's growth. Even her jealousy of Bri’s friendship with Finlay helps Willow recognize the depth of her feelings while teaching her what it’s like to have multiple friends.
My initial confusion over the characters’ relationships aside, the friendship that grows between Willow and Bri is really lovely. Each learns to let down the walls she’s built around her heart in a way that feels genuine to the character. Since Willow is the narrator, the reader can understand the complexities around her drive to self-isolate in a way that the other characters can’t. This makes it really satisfying when she realizes she doesn’t want to be alone anymore and is truly honest with her friends.

The characters are well-developed, obviously possessing internal lives (even those who aren’t narrating). Tonally, parts of the novel feel cosy (going to the university to research grimoires, cleaning out the shoppe) while others are more high-stakes (the heist). This led to a strange reading experience, where I somehow wanted more of both tones. If you like teenagers striving to make it on their own and learn who they will become, this would be a good book for you.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of this book. I really enjoyed this book, especially once I was able to get invested in it. The first part started out a bit slow for me, but as the plot developed and we got to know the supporting characters a bit more I found myself loving every moment! Willow took a bit to grow on me, for she was most definitely an imperfect FMC. Her growth throughout the story was amazing, though, and totally worth the things she did that annoyed me. Definitely would recommend this book to a friend! Another beloved book by a new favorite author of mine!

A cozy fantasy that follows our FMC Willow Stokes as she grapples with grief, poverty, and self discovery. Willow, at just 17, has endured more hardships than many who are much older than her. After losing her father to a mysterious heart disease, Willow is not only left an orphan, but in charge of his derelict magical cabinet of curiosities. Only things are much less magical than he would have people believe. Until one day, a mysterious outlander visits the shop and begins changing Willow’s life. With the help of her friend Finlay and the outlander Brianna, Willow embarks on adventures to save her father’s shop, help Brianna break a curse, and come to terms with her budding feelings for Finlay.

While I enjoyed this book, I found each half felt very different from the other. The first half was a cozy fantasy and the second an adventure fantasy. The two halves just didn’t mesh well and felt like two separate stories trying to be one. Finlay was a highlight but Willow’s constant self-sabotage and lying became tiring.

I think if I would’ve been 16, this would’ve been right up my alley. Unfortunately it just didn’t quite do it for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Mara Rutherford, and St.Marten’s Press/Wednesday Books for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts. These opinions are my own.

This book fully exceeded my expectations. I knew going into it to expect a cozy and witchy book, and it fully delivered on that and also brought a beautiful story of friendship, family, who we really are and the choices we make. There were great moments of growth and reflection. I love the magical objects and business. The stakes were relatively low, but had its moments of action. I felt like the book was engaging the entire time and the plot twists really brought everything together. Finlay is one of my favorite characters now: he is just so wonderful and sweet. This book was incredible and I think it will be perfect for fall. But really it will be a great read any time of the year for a beautiful cozy book. I can’t wait to buy a physical copy of this one!!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Whenever I see the word cozy used to describe a book, I usually assume it's going to be a predictable and comforting read. That was not the case here—and I mean that in the best possible way. This story delivers everything I love about a magical universe: rich world-building, memorable characters, and just the right dose of wonder.

What truly sets this book apart, though, is its heart. The characters are vivid and lovable, each bringing something unique to the story, and the way they grow together as a found family was beautiful to witness. There were plot twists that genuinely surprised me and moments that made me smile, laugh, and root for them all the way through.

I adored the ending, and I’m already hoping we’ll get to revisit these characters again someday. This book has officially redefined what “cozy” means to me.

I loved this book right up until the whole dragon egg subplot and then it felt like it got totally derailed. Too much happened too fast for any of it to feel believable.

Other than that tho, this one really shone with the characters. The friendship between Willow, Bri, and Finlay was incredibly satisfying to watch progress. Bri’s story was so sad but felt so realistic and full of depth. Her growth made me so happy. The best part of this entire book was the found family dynamic. I appreciated how the romance was present, but not the forefront of the story. It felt like the romance existed to support the friendship which I loved.

Bottom line: hell yea magic shop

A Curious Kind of Magic is a cozy fantasy filled with witches and whimsy. The story follows Willow, the heir to her Dad’s magical curiosities shop that hasn't sold a magical object in years. Determined to revive the business, Willow sees the potential when Brianna arrives in town. Lucky for Willow, everything Brianna touches turns to magic.

What unfolds is a story of unlikely alliances and the kind of magic that comes from believing in yourself and those around you. Watching Willow and Brianna become friends while diving into more than they bargained for is a reminder of the power of friendship.

If you love cozy, small towns with a magical charm, A Curious Kind of Magic should be on your TBR.

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC!

If you’re in the mood for a cozy YA fantasy with strong friendships, satisfying character growth, and lots magical whimsy, this one delivers.

The world-building really stood out to me. It’s rich, magical, and fully immersive. It actually reminded me a bit of the video game Strange Horticulture, with its atmosphere of enchantment and mystery. I loved learning about the magical objects and the lore behind them, especially the idea of items that weren’t inherently magical but had the potential to become so. That twist on magic felt fresh and intriguing.

The trio dynamic between the main characters was a highlight. Their relationships felt authentic and full of heart. Willow was a standout - complicated and occasionally frustrating in the best way. Watching her grow was deeply rewarding. Bri also had a great arc and her journey felt well-earned. And Finlay? Total cutie. The ultimate cinnamon roll character.

I really, really enjoyed my time with this book. It gave me that warm, satisfying feeling you get when you fall into a magical world and don’t want to leave.

This was my first time reading Mara Rutherford and I look forward to read more of her work in the future!

Thank you NetGalley, Mara Rutherford, and the publisher St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Light cozy fantasy to read on a rainy day. Enjoyable read with a slow buildup. Secrets to unveil. Characters with trust issues that each have secrets they are hiding from each other and that are hidden from themselves. Nice conclusion that leaves you wanting to know what’s next

This cozy fantasy moves rather slowly, but the setting (the non-magical magic shop) makes you want to hang out anyway. the characters are interesting and likable enough, the quest they go on adds just enough adventure. The book is well written, too.