A CURIOUS KIND OF MAGIC

A surly shopgirl, a kindly boy, and a girl who’s struggling with a curse forge an unlikely alliance.

After the death of her Da, 17-year-old Willow Stokes manages their family business, Edward Stokes’s Cabinet of Magical Curiosities, a store with precarious finances that sells purportedly magical items. When Brianna Hargrave arrives in Willow’s small village seeking a grimoire, the two, joined by Willow’s gentlehearted best friend (and possible love interest), Finlay Barrow, find themselves on a whirlwind adventure to save Willow’s shop and break Bri’s curse. Willow has a tough exterior, preferring to keep her feelings internalized, something that’s becoming increasingly difficult as she wrestles with her newfound feelings for Finlay. Bri, on the other hand, has a gentle demeanor, but she grapples with self-imposed isolation—if she touches anyone, she’ll imbue them with magic. Rutherford’s sweetly wrought fantasy is bespelling in itself, combining magic, witches, an enchanted dragon egg, a heist, and a swoonworthy friends-to-lovers romance. From a visit to a grimoire library to a tempestuous journey on the high seas, fantasy fans will find much to enjoy here, from the popular, recognizable tropes to the themes of found family and working through grief, all presented with a dash of wish fulfillment. Willow, Brianna, and Finlay are white, and there’s some racial diversity among the supporting characters.

Bewitching.