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.

Although the plot is a little messy in places, this had such great found family vibes that I didn't even care. This was magical and wonderful and like eating a really satisfying slice of cake, I was sad to leave the trio after their adventures, but happy with how much they'd grown over the course of the story.

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ Pre read ~ Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC ! This book has such a gorgeous cover and gives me very cozy fantasy vibes which will be perfect with my chai latte tonight <3

Unfortunately, I DNF'ed this book, which is something I rarely do. It was just too slow for my liking.

So, i was so sure I was going to like this book, but it was just SO SLOW. Or maybe that's the point of cozy fantasies. I've learnt my lesson, i'm sticking to action filled romatasy from now on 😔.

However, if you like cozy fantasy stories, this one is definitley for you. The characters were very well written, and so was the world building and backstories, but when i don't see a potential love interest in the first 50%, you've lost me. This was a good book, but it just wasn't for me. <3

This was a cozy fun read. I immensely enjoyed the first 2/3 of the book. I loved the characters, the found family aspect, the Irish setting, and the magical aspects. The writing was fun a quirky, making Willow a likable character despite her flaws. I was intrigued by the plot and the character arcs. Even though I am not usually a fan of friends to lovers I even enjoyed the romance. Although there were quite a few moments I felt that Bri and Willow had as much chemistry as Willow and Fin.

Unfortunately the last 1/3 felt very rushed and forced to me. Willow was put in positions that her character had no reason to be put into, and for absolutely no reason succeeds when she shouldn’t. Some of the scenes felt pointless and just uncomfortable. The tension between characters was very dramatic, then cleaned up within a page or 2. Some of the twists were well established through the stories but wrapped up to perfectly by a third party telling the MCs what really happened/was going on, while others felt like they came out of nowhere. It almost felt like the author had two ideas for a story, a cozy fantasy read and an epic heist, and tried to squish them together in a way that just fell flat for me. There is really no reason the heist should have gone the way it did.

This was a fun, original read. There was a variety of well-developed characters, conflicts, and moments that will be relatable to teens. There is something for almost everyone in this book.

Thank you for the opportunity to preview the ARC.

There's magic in finding your people.

This is a sentiment that seems completely unnecessary to Willow Stokes, the teenage proprietress of a curiosity shop that's known to be a scam in the village of Ardmuir. When a mysterious girl named Brianna enters into her world, Willow finds herself embroiled in a quest to break Brianna's curse that makes everything she touches turn to magic.

Along the way, Willow must come to terms with the fact that it's possible for others to actually want to be a part of her life. And that maybe having a found family isn't such a bad thing after all.

A Curious Kind of Magic is a heartwarming book that will delight readers with its magical whimsy and rollicking adventure. Willow is standoffish, yes, but she is so well-developed that I found myself rooting for from the very beginning. Bri and Finlay round out the loveable trio, making for an unputdownable read that infuses humour and heart into each chapter.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the opportunity to read this book for free in exchange for my honest review.

A Curious Kind of Magic is a charming and heartfelt story about two girls on the brink of adulthood, each carrying burdens that set them apart from the world—and from each other. One is determined to keep her late father’s magical curiosities shoppe afloat while navigating grief, suspicion, and a reluctance to trust. The other is quietly suffering under a magical curse that keeps her isolated, afraid of touch, and hesitant to form connections.

When fate draws them together, their tentative friendship becomes the key to healing, truth, and transformation. Their journey is filled with emotional nuance, gentle magic, and subtle surprises that make the story feel both grounded and enchanting.

Mara Rutherford’s writing beautifully captures the complexities of vulnerability, trust, and identity. I especially appreciated the slow-building relationship between the two main characters and how their strengths and fears were allowed to evolve naturally.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it to readers who love character-driven fantasy with a strong emotional core and a touch of mystery.

"A Curious Kind of Magic" presents a charming and imaginative narrative, rich in themes of magic and camaraderie. While the overall experience was positive, certain aspects of the magical system, specifically the mechanics of touch and its relation to the magic, proved to be a source of confusion. The inconsistencies in the application of this element detracted from the narrative flow. A more comprehensive explanation of these magical principles would have enhanced the reader's understanding and immersion in the story.

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⁀➷ : thanks to netgalley + the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review

→ if no can find me, im working at edward stoke's cabinet of magical curiositiesand im probably not coming back. bonus points if i can find myself a finlay because dang that man was yearning like crap for willow.

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→ i went into this book not knowing anything at all, and you know what--im glad i did. because i think if i knew something about it, i probably wouldn't have read it. because at a whole a curious kind of magic is a very slow paced book with a very light magic setting.

and that's okay !! i enjoyed it very much. i love willow, i love brianna (she's a girlboss can i be friends with her ??)

and finlay, this guy jokingly said "you know my heart belongs to you, willow." on page 12. PAGE TWELVE. i repeat that man has been obsessed with her since they were children. but enough of that. let's move onto the next section

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→ as i said before, this book is slow paced, we dont get into the "action" if you can call it that, until about fifty or sixty percent into the book. it's moreso a quest that they go on. its hard to explain without spoiling the book. and the resolve with the bad guy is very hea which i loved, i stan a happy endng. it's a low stakes vibes where nothing feels like it's going to crumble. you aren't going to cry or anything.

i felt so much for willow and how she's just surviving without her parents, and for finlay with his mom being sick, and for brianna basically being the "black sheep" of her family ! i have some questions about the town being lowk not there ??? but that's for another day.


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→ all in all, if you are okay with light witch magic, a slowburn friends to lovers (where's hes been in love with her forever), two girls becoming best friends and girlbossing their way through it, a magical shop, and if you are a fan of emily wilde's encyopledia of faeries (same vibes), then this book is for you! i will be deffo buying a copy !

If you’re looking for a sweet and cozy fantasy, this is the book for you. A Curious Kind of Magic is as whimsical as its beautiful cover, and was a perfect light-fantasy break between some darker reads.

Willow sells fake magical goods in her father’s curiosity shop. Unfortunately, the whole city knows the “magical” items are fakes; so of course, her business is struggling. But one day, a girl named Brianna with a gift (or curse?) that turns everything she touches into magic wanders into the store, and Willow sees a way to solve both her reputation and financial troubles. As the girls work together to save her store and find a spell that would break Brianna’s curse, they find that perhaps friendship is the most magical thing in the world.

This is a very sweet story, with well-developed characters I couldn’t help but root for. There are a few plot holes here and there with Brianna’s magic, but they didn’t take me out of the story or impact the overall read for me; I feel that cozy fantasy is all about the vibes & atmosphere, and this one nailed it on those counts. This is a very different tone from Rutherford’s last book, A Multitude of Dreams; and I’m impressed that she can write both gothic fantasy & cozy fantasy with equal atmosphere. Overall, I really enjoyed this one, and can’t wait for more readers to discover it when it publishes soon!

I would recommend A Curious Kind of Magic to readers who enjoy cozy fantasy and found family.

Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for the arc! All thoughts & opinions in the review are my own.

This story is full of such lovely characters. My heart breaks for Willow, but she is so stubborn and wonderful. A wonderful tale of found family, found inner strength, and curious magic.

A Curious Kind of Magic is a very cozy and whimsical story, brimming with magic and friendship. I really enjoyed it, but some of the magic aspects confused me and took me out of the story. I didn’t understand the whole touching and magic thing. I feel like it was inconsistently written throughout the book. Sometimes she could touch something, sometimes she couldn’t, it just didn’t make sense. I wish there would’ve been more of an explanation on this.

Willow inherited a curiosity shop full of fake magical objects from her recently deceased father, and she's struggling to stay afloat because everyone in her city knows she's a charlatan. Enter Brianna, a girl looking for her family grimoire, who turns a fake magical item in her shop truly magical. The two girls team up with Brianna helping Willow turn a profit at her shop and Willow promising Brianna to help find the grimoire and break her curse, but Willow didn't expect to find true friendship out of the deal.

This was a sweet book with fun characters. It was fun to read, and I honestly think I preferred the shop management parts and the relationships between the characters to the heist part. The heist didn't make up most of the book, but it did contribute significantly to character development and the climax was during the heist. I think some of the character development was a little too strong too fast and unrealistic — Willow basically turns from being a shut-in who keeps everyone at arms' length and lies to everyone to being completely selfless and valuing her relationships over everything else. I get that character development is supposed to happen in novels, but it feels like the author took that perhaps a little too literally.

The romance between Willow and Finlay was sweet and important to Willow's character arc without overpowering the book. I think he was a big factor in why she changed as a person, which could raise concerns about girls changing for boys, but he really was such a sweetheart so it didn't bother me much. I loved the reluctant friendship between Willow and Brianna and thought it was realistic. The fantasy aspect of the book was interesting, but I would have liked to see a little more worldbuilding. It especially sometimes jumped out at me when the characters used modern words and concepts like talking about adrenaline and using therapy-like language about boundaries. Overall, though, it was a fun and sweet book. If you like cozy fantasy, clean YA romance and friendships between rivals, you'll enjoy this book.

** spoiler alert ** Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I loved this cozy warm hearted story about magic and friendship. I do hope there will be more!

Only taking a star off because there were a few pretty noticeable "mistakes" in the logic of the story. Times when Bri touches something/someone after we know that if she touches anything it will make that item's inerent magic come out (no explanation for why some things have magic and others don't) but her touch does nothing. And I was confused by her "knowing" which items had magic (as when they are going through the store's inventory)--but if she knows, why is she afraid to touch things? Maybe a nitpicky detail, but I was taken out of the story each time it happened.

A curious kind of magic is a definite add to you October reading! It was a cute and cozy story with a little magic and friendship! I would recommend! Thank you to Netgally and the publisher for the opportunity to review this ARC.

This book really surprised me. I was intrigued and interested in it from page one, and it kept me interested through the end. There were twists and turns I anticipated, and others that I didn't see coming. The main character, Willow, takes you with her on a fantastic journey through not only her adventures but also her character development. She is joined with Finlay, Brianna, and a host of secondary characters that only appear for short times but manage to make their mark. You'll find yourself in a world that treasures magic, but finds it in scarce supply.

This book is truly one that hits everything I look for in a good book: great fantasy plot, unlikely friendships, unexpected villains, blooming romance, and characters who get you invested. Hats off to Mara Rutherford for writing a book that I can enjoy, and that I can share with my daughter. I look forward to.purchasing her a copy when this book releases in October!

Hugs thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday books for providing me with this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A cosy cute adventure romance. I loved the mystery and adventure we went along with the main character. The whole plot wrapped up well and the reveal and twist at the end was great. The romance was lovely and fit the journey of the characters. Would definitely read a sequel and recommend to readers who love fantasy written by the likes of Laini Taylor for the magical elements running through this book she is also known for. 4.5 stars 🌟

A Curious Kind of Magic
by Mara Rutherford
Pub Date: Oct 21 2025

Howl's Moving Castle meets Little Thieves in this cozy fantasy about the teenage owner of a (mostly fake) magical curiosity shop and a girl cursed to turn everything she touches into magic.

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.

A Curious Kind of Magic is an enchanting read that blends cozy fantasy with heartfelt emotion in the most delightful way. This isn’t your typical epic saga with dense world-building—instead, it pulls you into a whimsical and magical setting that feels fully realized without overwhelming detail.

Mara Rutherford’s writing is effortlessly charming, and the story strikes a beautiful balance between magic, friendship, and love. The pacing is tight, the characters feel real and lovable, and the magic system is subtle yet satisfying.

I found myself completely immersed and genuinely didn’t want it to end. The tone is light without being fluffy, magical without being overly fantastical, and full of heart. If you love character-driven fantasy that’s easy to fall into and hard to leave behind, this is a must-read.

Perfect for fans of Legends and Lattes or The House in the Cerulean Sea.