I have spell speakers to read at the moment but I really enjoyed Kissing Magic and will definitely be keeping my eye on everything Day Leitao puts out.

This novel is a good one that I’ve read this year! The characters are so dynamic yet relatable. I loved the flow of the story. It held my attention the whole time.

This was a pretty enjoyable book, if a touch slow in places. Sian and Karina were completely loveable as characters. It took me awhile to find a copy as this book was achieved almost the day I was cleared to read it, so I had to find a copy available elsewhere to review it.

I would totally recommend this to other people....if I knew where they could get a physical copy for themselves!

At 16, Karina has a shot at adventure—and an odd first kiss—when she's called to Whyland, a kingdom in another dimension, to save a guy she barely knows. Why her? No clue, but she's happy to help, and kissing Sian isn't torture, even if he isn't to be trusted. Karina's smart enough not to fall in love—or at least to tell herself not to. Once in Whyland, she realizes that risking a broken heart is the smallest of her problems. Chased by dark magic creatures, she joins Sian and heads to a mysterious castle whose secrets might be tied to her own. But when truths are unravelled, Karina will need to step up and stand between an ancient darkness and the kingdom—never mind her heart.

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I’m excited this year to be able to offer book reviews and author interviews to self-published or small-press published authors of YA Fantasy and Science Fiction, in addition to my regular reviews from my partners at Netgalley. If you are a self- or traditionally-published author, you can submit a request for your review by filling out this form.

The majority of this story takes place in Whyland, the fictional dimension created by the author. This world has a complex magic system that I enjoyed getting to know. I appreciated how unique it was in comparison to the elemental magic that I find in most YA Fantasy series. There is some fairytale-elements to their world, including “true loves kiss” and the magic of promises, but there’s also some high-tech elements, like communication devices and flying lifts, in the story that make it intriguing and memorable. It’s clear that the author has put a lot of work into developing this world and it was a pleasure to explore it.

The plot of the story, though heavy with action and magic, is actually a love story at its core. This is the second book in this series, but the story is completely separate. The same characters are in this book as in the first, so by starting with this book, I missed out on some of the character development that happened in the prequel, but the author makes it easy to start with this book by weaving recaps throughout the series. The book is very fast paced, action happens one after the after in quick succession. While this did keep me reading, it was a bit dizzying to have so many plot elements introduced in a fairly short book.

Since I missed some character development in the first book and the plot’s fast pace dominates the book, I didn’t feel like I got to know the characters very well. The story revolves around Karina’s relationships, so I enjoyed seeing her interact with her love interest and watching their relationship grow. However, I sometimes struggled to understand Karina and other character’s motivations, and they often changed from page to page. The characters had the will-they-won’t-they dynamic of a romantic sitcom. This made things a bit frustrating for me, but I’m sure that fans of that dynamic would love the hot and cold changes in the relationships of this story.

Kissing Magic is the second book in Day Leito’s Portals To Whyland series, but it’s easy to jump in with this second book, like I did. The setting of Whyland is fun and interesting world that will stand out among your other YA fantasy reads. The plot is fast paced and will keep you glued in until the end.

Portal fantasy & YA romance. There's a bunch of awkward YA first romance moments. A lot of eyeroll worthy miscommunication errors to enhance the plot and romantic conflict. Aside from that, which is sadly not unexpected for YA, I enjoyed the book.

There's an interesting magical world that mixes magic with technology almost on par with our own. The MC has a lot of magical power, but barely any idea of how to use it. Mostly. I liked the characters. They were complex and interesting and well fleshed out.

I liked that lover boy was a power hungry evil guy. It was a good change from the usual handsome hero cliche. And even though the MC acted like a sweet damsel at times, it was done in a realistic way. Yeah, sometimes she's a little weak and needs help from friends. But she'll get back up and blow up her problems right after.

I didn't read the first book. As with any sequel, I felt that I was missing some background story at times, but for the must part, everything was clearly explained. It can definitely be read as a standalone.

All said, it was an enjoyable book. Lots of YA romance. I recommend it for YA fans.

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I would loved to have read this book as the description and cover looked and sounded so wonderful. But alas, this book was archived before I got a chance to read it. Hopefully my local library will but the book or I can buy it on a different site because I am very interested in reading it.

I enjoyed this but I got a bit bored in the middle as I felt it lost its way a bit. I like the characters but thought some of the plot was a bit convoluted, I absolutely loved Sian which is why the gets 3 not 2, I liked Karina at the start but she began to annoy me. The pacing was a bit all over the place. I did enjoy it and think it could be better with some work on pacing.

An enchanting tale and quest that put trust, love, and friendship into a test, Kissing Magic by Day Leitao will take readers to once again cross the enigmatic world of Whyland.

The tale picks up after one year and a half after Karina left Whyland. Now, Karina was back to her mundane world where her only problems were passing her exams and dating boys. However, she could not help herself but think about the adventures she had back when she was in Whyland. That’s why when Cayla and Darian, who were bearing a very odd favour about helping Sian, appeared in her bedroom one day, she did not hesitate to come with them. Sian was turned into a stone, and Karina could break his curse by kissing him. However, this was not the only danger that threatened the whole Kingdom. When ancient magic was looming around the Kingdom, Karina needed to choose between what her heart desired and the safety of the kingdom she learned to love.

I am really excited to be back in this series. I can honestly say that this is very different from the first book, but I meant it in a really good way. Plotwise, the story is more engaging and compelling. Its multilayered plot makes it unpredictable. The pacing is consistent, and the transition flows naturally. The world building, together with the magic system is more solid and plausible. The details are very well-written and vividly described. I like how the author still include humor every now and then like on the first book. Leitao surely knows where to drop funny lines in both dialogues and narration. This makes the reading experience more memorable and enjoyable. Moreover, the romantic element did not overwhelm the whole story. It is both sweet and innocent.

Even though this novel can be read without reading the first book, I highly suggest making time reading the first one because of it provides you more insights and information about the characters’ backstories, as well as how they meet, that leads them to their current relationships and situations.

What I really love about this tale is how the characters grow and develop as the story progresses. Almost all the characters are in their teenage years, which the author portrayed realistically. As we know, adolescent time is the most fun, yet challenging phase in one’s life. Here, we can see how the characters struggle and overcome difficulties to become the better version of themselves. Karina learned to rationally balance her mind and heart to avoid making rush decisions. Sian, who was taught to be cold and emotionless, slowly touched his soft side to show that he was capable of giving and receiving love. Cayla took responsibilities and used her past mistakes to make a shield for her loved ones. And Darian realized that fear and doubts would lead to your own fall. Readers, especially young adults, will surely get a lot of values and lessons while reading this novel.

In summary, Kissing Magic by Day Leitao is an exciting journey which will make you believe that life is full of magic, you just need to be brave enough to find it.

5/5 stars!