kieran has never had much luck in love or magic, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise when he accidentally writes a poem so bad it makes him invisible to his boyfriend. this leads to a visit from the witches council. with their demands that he finishes his magical training, kieran signs up for the enormous task of finding a magical cure-all that can break any curse. he sets off to accomplish the impossible with his sister briar, her girlfriend delilah, and the swoony new crewmate sebastian.

the premise of this book seemed pretty funny, and i’ve enjoyed another book by the author, so i was really excited to start this one! luckily, this book did end up being enjoyable to me. i loved kieran and the growth he went through. he and sebastian were so cute together! i also loved how magical this was. it was funny that kieran accidentally cursed himself from bad poetry, but there were some cooler magic moments in the book.

i went into this having no idea this was a spin-off to another book. it was pretty clear from the beginning that there was more to briar and delilah’s story, so i wasn’t surprised when i went to the author’s goodreads page and saw that they are the main characters in the book practical rules for cursed witches. i was still able to follow this book just fine, but hopefully, i didn’t ruin that book for myself by reading this one first! they were great as side characters, so i do plan on reading that book one day. i just want to provide this warning in case anyone else is unaware.

i’d recommend this book to anyone looking for a witchy, achillean YA read. i will be going back to read briar and delilah’s book!

4.25

Extraordinary Quests for Amateur Witches is a cozy and witchy coming-of-age story. At the start of the book, Kier had already helped save his sister and himself from a family curse (and yes, I realized there was a prior book only after starting this one; I haven’t yet read Blair and Delilah’s story). You would think he should be happily ever after-ing.

This book showed that growing up isn’t one-and-done, and allowed Kier to develop his sense of self-worth and confidence. There was a strong sense of found family, trust, and loyalty among the characters. While the plot wasn’t too detailed, I don’t think it needed to be to tell Kier’s story.

I particularly loved how Kier’s magic developed as well, and stayed true to his character and passions (in comparison to Briar’s and Delilah’s magics). The concept of a Calling was fun, and l’m curious how varied Callings can be.

I would love to see the gang go on another adventure, maybe a sequel novella?

Also, while I haven’t read the first book, Kayla Cottingham did a great job of setting the scene and filling the gaps. So, I never felt like I was missing information.

Thanks to NetGalley for this e-ARC!

(Maybe a little spoilerly). Thank you for letting me read this ARC! This was a super cute coming into oneself/adventure book. I love how Kier was able to find his one confidence and figuring out he’s not afraid of his past and learning to accept what happened to him is part of what makes him who he is. Also figuring out that the relationship he was (wasn’t really) in didn’t suit his feelings of what a relationship should be and to stop hanging on to the feelings of comfort and make yourself a little uncomfortable to find what really makes you happy. There is a little angst between him in Sebastian but they quickly figure it out and I LOVE for the most part the characters communicate! (I hate miscommunication tropes most of the time lol). I also really enjoyed seeing them outwardly support the other’s hobbies/hopes/dreams/ideas, and actually invest an interest in one another.

This book feels like a road trip through grief, magic, and messy friendships. Kieran accidentally curses his ex and sets off on a quest to undo it, dragging his twin, her girlfriend, and a too-charming stranger along for the ride. At its best, the story leans into found family and the awkward, tender ways Kieran stumbles toward healing. His voice is vulnerable and flawed in a way that makes him easy to root for, and the romance that sparks along the journey has just enough tension to keep you hooked.

Where it stumbles is in the pacing. The middle sags with detours that don’t always add much, and some characters—especially Sebastian—deserve more depth than the page gives them. The stakes never feel quite as sharp as they should, so while the emotional beats land, the larger quest feels a little thin.

Still, there’s charm here. It’s a cozy, witchy adventure that balances humor with heartbreak, and though imperfect, it left me warmed by its softness and its insistence that even curses can be undone.

This was just as cozy and witchy as the first book (which I definitely recommend reading before this, otherwise there will be spoilers and it might be difficult to keep up). It was nice to see Kieran take center stage and really come into his own in the sequel. I also adored the new love interest, Sebastian. Sorry Ash, but I was firmly rooting for Sebastian to with Kieran’s heart from the moment he first appeared. If sapphic romance is more your thing, fear not, because there’s plenty of Delilah and Briar being smitten with each other and they’re along for the most of the ride. There also was an adorable spirit/familiar, Seaweed, who gave me Studio Ghibli vibes in the best possible way. I absolutely LOVED her and wanted to adopt her.

All in all the book to curl up with under a blanket while sipping hot cocoa, full of found family with a lovely message of self-acceptance.

I received an advanced copy from the publisher and am voluntarily leaving this review.

It’s the last Wednesday of September, so it’s book review time! This month, I went for some fluffy, gay fantasy. I didn’t realize it was actually the second book in a loosely connected series when I requested it, but it stands fairly well on it’s own. I just hate reading things out of order because if I do go back to the first book, it’s spoiled. But I digress. Extraordinary Quests for Amateur Witches by Kayla Cottingham was released by Delacorte Press on the 23rd (yesterday). As usual, I must thank them and NetGalley for access to an ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Let’s do the thing.

Extraordinary Quests for Amateur Witches follows Kieran, who is currently reeling from a series of unfortunate events, as he accidentally curses his (on a break) boyfriend and sets off on an impossible task to fix it. The task? Finding a panacea (cure all) which may or may not exist. To make matters worse, this quest is also his Calling, the test of his own choosing that the Witch’s Council will use to determine whether or not he keeps his magic. Why did he choose something so difficult? But at least he gets to go adventuring with old friends and even a new one. Why does the new one have to be so attractive, though? Kieran has no idea what he’s doing. Hopefully, he can figure it out before everything falls apart.

The plot. It’s cute and predictable. The romance is a little too slow burn for me, but it’s adorable. The main part of the story is broken down into three tasks, then the culmination and climax. I went right through the first two tasks, but by the third one, I had a little trouble continuing. It was just so clear what was going to happen that I lost a little interest. The climax was also super disappointing. This is supposed to be all about Kieran growing and becoming the hero, but when it comes to the final boss (if you’ll excuse the video game reference), someone else takes care of everything while he cries over his inability to save someone. It felt lazy.

The characters. I loved most of the characters. Especially Kieran and Sebastian. Seaweed was my favorite, of course. I thought Ash was an asshole and not worth all the angst, but maybe if I had read the first book, I’d feel different. If he was even in it. There was also a baddie who shows up for like five pages that was useless. They were supposed to be this formidable opponent, but the way they showed up and disappeared was weak. They were literally used to make Kieran freak out about the fact that Sebastian had dated before, then thrown back into the ether like they had never existed. They could’ve been a much larger part of the story. Adelaide also feels completely random, but I’m almost positive that’s because I didn’t read the first book where she seems to play a big role.

The writing was good. There was nothing mind blowing about it, but it flowed nicely and made for an easy read.

Ultimately, I enjoyed the first half or so of Extraordinary Quests for Amateur Witches, then got bored with it. I seriously thought about going back and reading the first book, but this book basically spoils the whole thing, so I probably won’t.

Overall, I gave it 3 out of 5 stars. It wasn’t bad per se, it just wasn’t for me. If you enjoy super light gay fluff fantasy, check it out. But there are a lot of better ones out there.

Cozy and adventurous

I loved Kieran and his character development.

This book is like a D&D game and I’m here for it.

From the Netgalley listing, I did not realize that this was a sequel. I saw a few other people mention that it's a sequel, which would probably explain why I felt like I was missing something while reading it. I liked the writing style, and the way the characters were written. And I believe that I would have enjoyed the first book in the series, given what I enjoyed about this second installment. I wanted to love this, though, and I just couldn't because it felt like I was missing so much backstory. Even on GR, it doesn't seem obvious that this is a companion novel/sequel. As it stands, I know my library is going to order copies since we ordered the first book back when it came out. So, maybe I'll give it another go once I've read the first one. I'm going to give this four stars because I liked the writing style, what we learned of the characters, the bits of world-building, and the plot. It seems unfair to knock the book because I didn't know it was a sequel---that definitely is a failure of the publisher's marketing and NG in general.

3.5/5 Stars rounded up.
Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Accompanied by his sibling, her girlfriend, and a mysterious new friend, Kieran Pelumbra must journey to find three pieces of a magical staff in search of a magical cure-all: a panacea. This quest will be his Calling, with his magic at risk if he fails. But Kieran is being hunted, and he keeps finding dead birds on the aeroship..

Extraordinary Quests for Amateur Witches is such a lighthearted, fun, and whimsy adventure. For such a light and easy to understand novel, it certainly does not shy away from its overarching themes of finding yourself and young romance. Cottingham sets out to describe a young man's difficulties coming into himself and I think she succeeds in doing so.

As an adult reader, I am not this book's target audience. I think it is great, however, for young queer readers. It embodies the worries, fears, apprehension, and tension present in a young adult's life; relationships, family, careers, and internal conflicts.

I strongly recommend this novel for you if you like whimsy, lighthearted fantasies, with extremely gay casts, and lots of DND vibes!

I didn’t realize this was a YA novel—or part of a series—when I picked it up, but I’m glad I did. It works well as a cozy standalone, even for new readers.
Kieran is a young witch who can’t quite seem to get magic right, though he’s determined to discover his true calling. When he accidentally curses his ex-boyfriend, he suddenly has the chance to make amends. Along the way, he’s supported by a band of family and friends, while facing off against a few villains. The witchy mishaps, intrigue and more than one curse keep the story engaging.
The highlight for me was watching Kieran grow into his power and, more importantly, learn to believe in himself.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to enjoy this magical adventure.

DNF'd 30% in because I felt like a lot of info was missing. I didn't know it was a sequel, so I DNF'd so I can read book 1. I will not put this review on GR. I enjoyed what I had started reading, but I definitely want to fill in the missing blanks! I enjoyed the characters and the plot so far.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This started off very strong, but as I continued to read, I never fully got invested in the story.

I thought I would like this even better than the first book because Kieran was my favorite, but it fell flat at times.

I love Kieran, but he didn’t really stand out to me too much. The relationship with Sebastian felt very forced and I didn’t feel any chemistry between them. Not that I disliked Sebastian, but I didn’t think he was that fleshed out of a character.

I thought Kieran had good development in being more confident in himself. He was a pathetic man at first, and I say that with all the love in my heart, but he really grew into his own. Not sure if we need a full book on it though.

Even though there was a lot of action, I found myself bored throughout most of it.

At first I was shocked this wouldn’t be about Ash and Kieran being together, but I ended up liking how the author did it. She mentioned why she did it the way she did in her author’s notes, but it’s true! Not everyone stays with the first love interest they meet, as it seems to happen in many books. It’s very realistic, which I appreciated.

I loved to hate Elias. There was just something about him. He wasn’t a crazy good villain, but he had some chilling and cool lines.

I don’t think it hurts to read this book, but if you don’t, you’re not really missing much. I would just stick with the first book and read about Delilah and Briar’s love story!

I’m a big time fan of Cottingham and her YA thrillers. So you know I had to read her new cozy fantasy romance.
And y’all she did not let me down.
Extraordinary Quests for Amateur Witches by Kayla Cottingham is a phenomenal queer cozy romantasy story.
And one I’ve been dying to read.
This queer cozy romantic fantasy has the perfect amount of romance, magic, curses and witches.
The world-building and magic system was so intriguing I was hooked.
I enjoyed the romance between Kieran and Sebastian. It is impossible not to fall for their chemistry.
I loved how Briar and Delilah were also apart of this journey.
I adored the in book one.
Overall, I absolutely loved this book and I’m looking forward to see what Kayla comes up with next!

Thank You NetGalley and Delacorte Press for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

DNF @ 25%

I think most people will like this but nowhere on the blurb for this book does it say it’s second in a series. It’s obvious that whatever happened in book one is need to know info and I’m confused not knowing exactly what happened. It’s been kind of explained but not enough that I can connect with this book so I’m going to stop here until I get around to reading the first one.

Thank you netgalley for the arc.

3.5 ★

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this book!

I didn’t realize that this was the second book in a series when I requested it, so that was my bad! I realized pretty quickly after starting it and felt like I missed out on some of Kieran’s characterization, but I will say that the story included some of the necessary context at the beginning and was still easy to follow.

Kieran was a fun protagonist- I especially liked the moments where it seemed like you were in on the joke about him, despite the story being from his POV (his melodramatic poetry, for example). His decision making occasionally made me want to knock some sense into him, but it made for an entertaining story. Sebastian was also a very interesting character and I was immediately curious about him from the moment he appeared on page. The found family vibe on the ship was also very cozy and I enjoyed it.

One of my complaints was that some of the dialogue read like a video game, with everything explicitly spelled out like instructions were being given, which is just not how people talk. It wasn’t necessarily the worst thing and it seemed like a stylistic choice, but it got to be a bit too cartoonish in places and pulled me out of the story. There were also certain character reactions that just didn’t seem to make a lot of sense to me or moments where the writing made their decisions seems confusing, but overall it wasn’t enough to put me off of the overarching story.

Overall, a cute, easy, & witchy fall YA read!

Defiantly a cute story. love the magic and mystical adventure of a cursed ex boyfriend, maybe. But it placed them on a grand adventure to find a magical cure to find found family, build self esteem and to become on the most important apprentice in his time, Cute Fall YA read

This is just a lovely book. Kieran’s character is unique and truly endures themselves to the reader. His plight of trying to navigate life post curse and assessing if he would like magic or not is just a lovely journey. Their interactions with Sebastian are also lovely. Overall, this is a fantastic book that has beautiful character arch and representation. I know that readers are going to fall in love with it.
Thank you to Random House Children’s and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

3.5 ☆
this was such a cozy witchy read, perfect for beginning of fall. our mc, kieran, accidentally curses his ex-boyfriend…and of course this results in a quest. he is joined by briar, his twin; delilah, his best friend and briar’s girlfriend; and sebastian, a mysterious boy.

there was really amazing character growth and i loved all the relationships. there was a nice balance between the quest and being with the characters. it was a little predictable at times, but it was a fun read overall.

kieran’s character arc was full of self-reflection and growth…and i was rooting for kieran and sebastian from the beginning. they are the cutest!!

Practical Rules for Cursed Witches was one of my favorite books last year and I was so excited about Extraordinary Quests. I love the cozy little magical world Cottingham has built here and especially the characters. Kieran was my favorite character in the first book and I loved him as the main character this go around. He was so beautifully written and his journey going from being insecure in his relationship, magical ability and himself in general to fully believing that he is capable of great things and also deserves them was amazing. I loved seeing the old gang back together again and meeting new additions like Sebastian and Seaweed. The story here is full of magic, adventure and fun twists and turns that kept me flipping pages as quickly as I could to see what would happen next. The found family the characters created in book one was as stronger as before and I felt like I was smiling for the majority of the book. I really hope we get more books set in this world (maybe an Ariel and Santi story?!) Highly recommend for a cozy adventure full of great characters and whimsical magic!
CW: violence, mentions of child abuse, death

Thank you to Delacorte Press for the digital readers copy!

4.5 stars

After being freed from his family’s curse, Kieran thought that his life would get better. However, that hasn’t seemed to be the case thus far. Unlucky in love and magic, Kieran has resigned himself to a life without both. Especially after accidentally cursing his boyfriend right after he breaks up with him.

In order to break the curse, Kieran volunteers to make a panacea in order to break the curse as his Calling in order to become a full fledged witch. The problem is? He has no idea where to start. But he starts off on his quest with his sister, her girlfriend, and a new friend who has caught Kieran’s eye.

Thanks to Delacorte and NetGalley for an advanced copy of Extraordinary Quests for Amateur Witches by Kayla Cottingham to review! I absolutely loved the first book set in this world, Practical Rules for Cursed Witches, so I was excited to see that there was another book! The magic system is so interesting, and the characters are ones that linger long after you finish reading the book. It’s lovely to get to see where they went after the previous book ended!

My favorite aspect of these books is that, in order to become a witch, you have to complete a sort of research project. A culmination of subjects you’ve been working on up until then (theoretically). While Kieran’s is sort of spur of the moment in this book, his writing takes a large part in his journey to become a witch. You get to see him gain confidence as we move through the story, and it’s such a great thing to see.

Kieran also had great chemistry with Sebastian, and they are both so supportive of each other. I’d honestly read this book just for the romance alone; which is saying something, since I love magical stories.

If you’re looking for a witchy fantasy for the fall, definitely check out this series by Cottingham! They do an excellent job in transporting you to this world they’ve created.