First and foremost, I think it needs to be more clear on the fact that this book is a sequel. It made many aspects of the book confusing and left me guessing who someone is or what is going on. This book is very cute. A typical adventure story about finding yourself.

That aside, I thought this book was a cute witchy adventure book. Kieran is trying his best! He wants to find who he is while also trying to figure out his magic. After accidentally cursing his "boyfriend" to be unable to see him, he goes on a quest to find a 'panacea' (a curse breaking thing?) and finish his Calling. He meets Sebastian, an alluring boy who is working for the other man trying to find the tools to make a panacea. Sebastian leaves to work for Kieran; the two grow close quickly and they both want to learn more about each other. After finding out Sebastian is cursed, Kieran wants to do what he can to help. Both Kieran and Sebastian are trying to find who they are outside of who they once were.

"Life's kind of like a book, isn't it? You need all the chapters that came before to understand where the story's going. Acting like they didn't happen won't help. It's just a matter of honoring how they shaped your story, so you can move forward."

I'm writing this review a pretty long while after I've finished this book (a huge mistake; don't be like me), so I'm kind of struggling a little with how best to articulate my review. For some of it, it's because this was just... a fine book that didn't really stand out in any way. Unfortunately, for me, I think Kieran shined more as a side character rather than a protagonist. That's not to say that he didn't have his good moments in this book, it's just I feel like he couldn't quite carry the entirety of the novel on his back alone.

I did struggle a bit with the pacing, if I'm honest, which had an effect on the relationship building, for me. Sebastian was an okay character, but I don't know if I ever really fully bought in to his relationship with Kieran. I do appreciate what the author's intentions were with the way they introduced the romance; it just didn't fully work for me.

I will say that this book was strongest when Kieran had his more introspective moments. There was one scene in particular that I think about a lot. It hit me particularly hard and I wish the pacing had been a little better so as to give that moment more weight.

Overall, this was fine, but I don't feel the need to go back and re-read it. I think it just missed some of the magic of the first book for me.

I really enjoyed this! The plot felt very true to YA stories, in that it was slightly predictable while still being enjoyable. All the characters were well fleshed out and I didn’t feel like I missed anything by not having read Delilah and Briar’s book. The romance was the true star of this story— Kieran and Sebastian shone, and I fell in love with them both. Kieran and Sebastian were painfully endearing, and I was cheering for them every step of the way.

Before I begin, I would like to thank Kayla Cottingham for allowing me to read a Net Galley copy of her upcoming book, Extraordinary Quests for Amateur Witches, which will be available on September 23rd, 2025.

Kieran was recently freed from a curse designed to kill him and ruin his twin sister’s life, but other aspects of his life aren’t so great. After his boyfriend tells him they need a break and Kieran writes horrible poetry that makes him invisible to the person he was dating, the Witches Council ends up on his couch telling him that he needs to declare his Calling. Put on the spot, Kieran blurts out that he will be searching for something that could cure any curse even though he knows that he won’t be successful. Still, he’s joined by his sister Briar, her girlfriend Delilah, and a handsome and mysterious stranger named Sebastian for his quest. If Kiernan makes it out alive, he might have the chance to figure out the kind of person he is, and the witch and boyfriend he aspires to become.

I loved this book. You have Kieran, a sweet, awkward, genuine, and handsome young man that just got out of a curse and accidentally created a new one on the person he’s dating. The interactions between Kieran and Sebastian were sweet, thoughtful, and funny. Kieran was relatable especially when he dealt with social interactions, and dealing with insecurities and wounds from his past. Seaweed was adorable. I appreciated how the author wrote about setting things right, protecting nature instead of satiating greed, and healing from past trauma. The worldbuilding is fantastic and I was cheering on Kiernan and his friends throughout the story. Overall, if you like great worldbuilding, complex characters, LGBTQIA+ representation, magic, and sweet romance with low spice, then I would highly recommend this book.

I enjoyed the plot overall, though I sometimes found my attention drifting because the tension wasn’t very strong. What stood out most was Kieran’s self-growth, as he finally comes to accept who he is and what he’s becoming. However, the heavy focus on his arc left the relationships with other characters feeling neglected and underdeveloped. The cover eats which is why I gave it an extra star and the story has the potential to be great.

God, I love cozy adventure fantasy. This was an absolute blast to read, with just enough of an emotional gut punch!

This was a cute little book. Very YA, sometimes pressed the line as the characters got a bit handsy. At one point I started highlighting all of the “he’s a vampire” hints that the author kept dropping. Overall it was a good book. I’m very happy that I got this ARC to read, and I will be watching to see if the author publishes in this universe again.

What can I say? I love this story, I love this author and I love the world that is built. Keiran is just a lovely character and it's great to see him expanded on in a novel focused on him. He is more than y9u expect him to be, a struggle in a teenage form. I loved his relationships with other people and especially how the author moved away from Ash and him to something that felt more real and solid, with Sebastian. Speaking of Sebastian, what a fascinating character! I loved his little tidbits, like with the *wood*. It made the character very real and likeable, someone that you could see in any place. The relationship that grew between Sebastian and Keiran was gorgeous and felt very organic. There was that crush stage that Keiran had, but it grew into something real and solid. What I'm saying here, is that this story is gorgeous. Beautifully fleshed out places and feelings and the adventure was great as well. IT was a fun romp and I would love to see more of this world explored.

Representation: achillean main relationship, sapphic side relationship, non-binary side characters

Summary: Kieran Pelumbra is at loose ends. After the curse on him and his twin sister was broken last year, Kieran has spent the last few months making coffee and hanging out with his boyfriend, Ash, while avoiding thinking about what he'll do for his Calling. However, none of that is going great - Ash wants Kieran to take his future more seriously AND he's drawing away, and Kieran's Calling is approaching whether he wants it to or not. After Ash tells Kieran they should take a break, Kieran accidentally curses Ash, and in an effort to cover it up, makes it the mission of his Calling to find a curse panacea. Kieran, and his twin and her girlfriend set off to complete his Calling, picking up the mysterious Sebastian Feng, a boy who is hiding a few secrets of his own. Together, the four of them will trek all over the country, and Kieran will face his fears, learn to use his magic, and maybe - just maybe - find real love.

Review:
Wowwwwwwwwwww Kayla Cottingham I love you! I have read two of their other books, including Practical Rules for Cursed Witches (which is not quite in a series with this one, but with the same characters and also very good), and I just love their writing. This book, as well as Practical Rules, are just so beautiful - Cottingham is incredible at describing these bright, vivid scenes, the use of color and imagery is fantastic. Having known Kieran from the previous novel, I loved getting to see him come into his own in this novel. Sebastian was also such a fun character, I loved the uniqueness of his curse and I liked his backstory. Can confirm Cottingham is an auto-read author for me, after this book!

This is an extraordinary work of fiction, fantasy, and fun. I am an older adult and found this story to be an exceptional piece of literature for the young adults of our time. I wish this book had been around when I was in my mid to late teens. This is a story of the heart. It is inspirational, hopeful, buoying to the spirit and quite an adventure. The hero of the story, Kieran, is a young man whose spirit is lost. He doubts himself at every turn and questions what his future could possibly hold. So, basically, he is like almost every child/young adult in the world; just trying to figure out where they fit in. This is Kieran's journey and along the way he discovers so much about himself and the world around him. He has a pure heart and is extremely brave, as he faces his fears and anxiety head-on. We can all take a page from Kieran's book and try to be more understanding, giving, and brave.

Extraordinary Quests for Amateur Witches left me feeling very confused about what it wanted to be. It’s marketed as YA but feels more like middle grade. Even though it's a sequel, you could read it as a standalone without too much issue as the author clues you in well on what happened in the first book. The world is an odd amalgamation of fantasy and present day that can be jarring sometimes but has some charming aspects to it.

It was nice to see Kieran get his own story and Sebastian was an enjoyable new character but the character development felt too surface level, even if I ultimately liked how the book ended. I enjoyed the book up until about the first third then it mostly went downhill for me from there. We’re told the stakes are high but instead they are treated more like the stakes in a cozy fantasy. I appreciated the queer-normative world and what the author wanted to tell about first loves, especially in a YA novel. I think younger teen readers may really enjoy this book as well as the first in the series.

Thanks to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for the eArc opportunity, all thoughts and opinions are my own. 2.75* rounded up to 3*.

This was a good unlikely allies, enemies to lovers romantasy. I enjoyed these two men, and all of their awkward (read: realistic) interactions. One is on an impossible quest to develop a panacea, correct his ex-boyfriend's (who he really wants to still be with) memory. In the meanwhile, the other man has been cursed by his ex-employer (who is also trying to find the panacea). As they develop feelings for each other, who is going to get to use the panacea? Can they even develop one? Trials within trials in this one, quite enjoyable!

I love how this author writes Kieran he is not the best witch and not the most confident person. He is sweet and kind, but there are a lot of expectations regarding his family name. It's his time to do the calling, and he has proposed to do something almost impossible, but it's ok because he would rather lose his magic that accidentally hurt others. The main reason for his quest is to grow and prove to his ex that he is worth repairing the broken relationship, but sometimes quests lead us to another destiny, new love. Sebastian is a fascinating character deserving of a second chance. Quest, action, and adventure in a cozy sweet adventure with expressos, cupcakes, Ramem, magic, and curses.

This was a very fun read. I think the stakes are a little lower than Practical Rules for Cursed Witches, but the characters are just as fun. There is a lot of character growth throughout the book, even though the plot is a little slow in a few places. I really enjoyed Kieran and Sebastian, and would have liked to learn more about Sebastian throughout the book.
While I read Practical Rules for Cursed Witches before reading this book, I don't think that you need to read it in order to enjoy this book. It definitely added to my enjoyment of the book to know the characters' backstory, but none of the plot points depend on knowing the plot of the first book.
Rating: 4.5/5
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 ⭐

Thank you to Random House Children's Books and Kayla Cottingham for the ARC of this book in exchange of my honest opinion.

Following my reading slump, i thought i was going to struggle more with this book, but it was quite a pleasant read. However, if you're expecting some high tension this book might not be for you.

I enjoyed the plot, but at times i struggled with keeping my attention because the tension was kind of non-existent.

Nevertheless, i did enjoy a lot the fact that you get to see Kierans self-growth and finally accepting the peson he is and knowing what he is becoming. The problem with it is that because it was so focused on his character arc, at times, i felt like the relationships with the rest of the characters in the book were a bit abandoned and underdeveloped.

a note. the cover is STUNNING!

Cottingham keeps writing and I keep reading. It's as simple as that. Their style just lures you in and their stories keep you glued to the page.

Extraordinary Quests for Amateur Witches was another fantastic hit.

Gotta be honest. I wasn't really a fan of Kieran in Kayla Cottingham's first book in this duology. But now, I'd die for him. This sequel hit all the highs and lows you want from a true adventure tale. Cottingham's worldbuilding makes her characters work for their growth. It's why she's one of my auto buy authors. Overwhlemingly enjoyed!

Thank you to Random House Children's | Delacorte Press and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC for a honest review.

Heads up: this book is a sequel, but that wasn’t advertised anywhere when I received a copy of this ARC. I probably would have given this book a higher rating had I read the first book. There are a lot of lovable characters that presumably make a reappearance in this sequel. That being said, I was able to keep up with the plot, although I would have understood a LOT more had I read the first book. Particularly the messy history between Kieran and his family members. Piecing together what possibly happened in the first book was confusing at times. I didn’t realize until a third of the way through that Kieran and Briar did not grow up together. Up until that, I didn’t understand why Kieran seemed to be closer to Delilah than his own twin. And I’m still not entirely sure what ledrith is.

All that aside… this book overall was so adorable and exciting. There are plenty of funny zingers that had me audibly laughing. I really enjoyed the descriptions of the fantasy world, and the world building is *chef’s kiss*. I’d might even describe this book as a cozy fantasy… if you ignore all the murder and body horror. It checks off a lot of boxes for what I love in cozy fantasies: selfless sacrifices, adorable animal side kicks, tea, nerdy protagonists with hearts of gold, found family, magic spells, etc etc.

Does this book have diverse representation? The main character is presumably a white man, but there are many non-white side characters. Including one of the love interests, Sebastian, who is ambiguously Asian, likely Chinese-coded. I loved the characterization of Kieran, who is such a soft, sweet boy who wears his heart on his sleeve. We definitely don’t have enough representation of soft, caring boys like him. And Seaweed was the star of the whole book.

Overall this was a really exciting and good read - I only wish it was advertised as a sequel as it is somewhat confusing as a standalone.

Many thanks to the author and publisher for the opportunity to have read an advanced copy this book for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Kayla Cottingham’s Extraordinary Quests for Amateur Witches is a charming, queer, and magically chaotic romp that blends heartfelt self-discovery with hilarious mishaps and adventurous charm. Full of sibling banter, awkward romance, and an epic quest that’s more than a little above the hero’s skill level, this story delivers humor and heart in equal measure.

Kieran is the kind of lovable disaster readers will root for from page one. His love life is in shambles (thanks in part to an accidentally cursed poem), his magical career is off to a rough start, and his impromptu "thesis" project—finding a mythical cure-all—is more of a panic response than a plan. But what follows is a delightful journey packed with magical oddities, surprising character growth, and a ragtag team worth cheering for.

The standout dynamic lies in the relationships—especially between Kieran, his fierce and supportive twin sister Briar, and her girlfriend Delilah. Their banter and loyalty bring warmth and grounding to a story filled with magical mishaps. Sebastian, the brooding new companion with hidden depths, adds a satisfying slow-burn romantic subplot that helps Kieran explore not just what he wants in love, but who he wants to be.

Some worldbuilding elements could have been fleshed out more, and the plot occasionally leans into familiar quest tropes, but Cottingham’s snappy dialogue, inclusive cast, and emotional undercurrent make this journey one worth taking.

Extraordinary Quests for Amateur Witches is a feel-good fantasy with a big heart and even bigger magical misfires—perfect for readers who love messy heroes, found family, and queer romance with a dose of spellbound adventure.

this was such a fun concept and I was engaged from start to finish. It had a strong concept in the fantasy world and enjoyed getting into this with the characters. I was glad this had that sequel element that I was expecting from this book and enjoyed the overall continuation of this storyline. I'm so glad I got to get back into this world and characters and left me wanting more. Kayla Cottingham has a strong writing style and was glad I read this.