4.5/5 stars, rounded up.
I loved the cozy vibes of this fantasy! The main character, Delilah, expresses her magic through baking, which is a super cute idea. There are high stakes to her mission, because not only will her family's curse not be resolved if she fails, she will also lose her magic. Her mission-- to fix the magic draining spell on the son of a wealthy family. Along the way they run into his twin sister, Briar, who is cursed to absorb his magic. I loved the bonding that Delilah and Briar go through during the book. Briar has almost no one in her life and revealing her secret is really scary, but Delilah grows to really care about her.

The pacing can be a little slow, especially in the middle, but it was a very relaxing read for me and picked up more towards the end.

This book was fun and made me smile throughout! I liked that this book was about hope and persevering. I loved the characters and kept rooting for them all to be happy. If you want a love story that reminds you that an love can take you at the most unexpected times then this is the story for you!

I wanted to love this book so. much, but ultimately it just fell flat for me. The characters were not presently whole, they might have check off the personality list that the author had in mind but they never quite came alive for me. It saddened me that I never felt the urge to root for them and their causes. Others seemed to love this book, though, and I would still recommend it to readers who are yearning for more of that Ghibli spark. As for me, I'll have to keep looking.

It's more fantastical than realistic, has found family, and coming of age themes. Talk about a plot twisat! I was on the edge of my seat when I realized what had happened.

I know I was looking for a cozy fantasy and I found it with this book.

Delilah just turned 17, and when the witches counsel comes, she sets an idea of what she wants to do for her Calling, and that is to break the curse upon the women in her family. Little did she know, Kieran was going to interrupt her calling so he can have her break the curse on him and his twin sister. Kieran suffers attacks to where he loses his powers and his twin sister takes that power. They start on a journey and find Briar.


We find so much to love about this book. Adventure, finding love, found family, and how we're not defined by one bad thing about us. This book gave me the hug that I needed.

Perfect Sapphic romance set in a fantasy world that ties together the real world and modernization. There is a unique magical system in play that is delightful and intriguing. All the characters have interesting backgrounds and development as they try to work together to rid themselves of their miserable curses.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75

I really loved this book. I absolutely loved the cute and coziness of this book. Delilah is a witch but she is also cursed. She has to break another families curse. The twins, Briar and Kieran Pelumbra has a family curse that 1 twin magic weakens and 1 gets stronger and takes the other twin magic. I just absolutely loved the ending of this book. There is sapphic romance in this book and I absolutely loved it.

I absolutely loved the narrator Jess Nahikian. They were amazing and their voice was absolutely amazing and they brought these characters to life.

I really enjoyed this read. It was a sweet palate cleanser of a YA romance. It has an interesting magic system which I really liked. The found family aspect and the relationships between all the characters were great. I thought the book struggled a bit to balance the main protagonists while also the romance aspect.

4.25 stars

I've previously read YA horror from Kayla Cottingham, so I was delighted to see that she wrote a cozy, queer, witchy fantasy story. This was a perfect read when I was in my fall delulu era - grasping at any crisp breeze and convincing myself the season was changing. The story was cute, the magic was interesting, and I loved the main set of characters. I only wish that some of the other members of our lil found family were fleshed out a bit more, but otherwise a perfect read for fall!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review

3/5 Thank you netgalley and delacorte press for the oppurtunity to review! I think this book was very sweet. I really wanted to love it because it has all the things I love: witches, interesting magic system, found family, sapphic romance. However, the writing was really a miss for me. I don't think its bad, its just TOO light and fluffy for my taste. The characters didn't feel fully developed so I wasn't that into it maybe? I'm honestly not sure what exactly it was that missed the mark for me, but it just felt like something was missing. Regardless, I think I would still recommend this to people who want a truly light and fluffy cozy fantasy read.

In this fascinating and exciting YA fantasy novel, readers discover a world where witches practice magic in different ways and where teenage witch Delilah Bea is preparing for her magical Calling. Daughter of the most famous cursebreaker in the world, Delilah has plans to break a curse on her family until rich kid Kieran Pelumbra, a son of the most powerful family in the country, hijacks her Calling to have her break a curse on magical twins in his family. Delilah, Kieran, and his twin Briar must break this curse sooner rather than later, but the curse itself is much more complicated than they thought. With a fascinating magic system and complex curses featured throughout the novel, Cottingham’s magic system is diverse with steampunk elements playing a massive role in this fantasy world. The characters themselves are fascinating, and the dynamics between Delilah, Briar, and Kieran are particularly complex because of the tensions and narrative elements involved. All three protagonists are complicated characters with familial curses in common, though they all have different and fully formed personalities. An exciting YA fantasy novel with a fun magic system and clever, complex protagonists, Cottingham’s latest book is a great and fun read for fans of steampunk, fantasy, and LGBTQ+ teen romance.

I loved this cozy YA romance fantasy. The curse breaking parts were really interesting--I love that kind of thing so much. I loved the characters, and their romances, and the setting and magic. It was all just really well done and transported you right into the world. This was absolutely awesome!

This was a sweet YA romance. I really like curse breaking tropes. This gave me a bunch of giggles. Kieran and his crush cracked me up. However, Delilah and Briar take center stage. Very much enemies to lovers - grumpy & sunshine. I also like the message of finding someone to love you for you.

"Practical Rules for Cursed Witches" by Kayla Cottingham is the cozy, witchy romance you didn’t know you needed until now. The vibe? Think Practical Magic meets She-Ra, with a hefty dose of angst, magic, and forbidden love that keeps you hooked from start to finish. Delilah’s struggle to break not just one curse but two—her family’s and the Pelumbra twins’—is heart-wrenching, especially when her feelings for Briar throw everything into chaos. The chemistry between Delilah and Briar is electric, and the tension is so real it practically crackles off the page. Cottingham's writing is lush and immersive, wrapping you up in a world where love is as dangerous as it is beautiful. It’s the kind of book that makes you want to curl up with a hot drink, a fuzzy blanket, and just feel all the emotions. Perfect for fans of queer fantasy, slow-burn romance, and stories where the stakes are just as high as the swoon factor.

"She'd started with I only kept staring at her mouth because I wanted to punch it, followed by my hands were sweaty because the kitchen is always warmer than the rest of the ship, and my heart was beating so fast because I was angry. Angry. Definitely angry. It was the only logical reason for the whole affair."

"'Just three decks. Practically a poor man's ship.' 'A poor man's ship would be his legs.'"

This book was a cozy, whimsical, romantic adventure reminiscent of stories I loved as a kid.

The world was so creative, full of magic and curses, aeroships, and government-regulated witchcraft. I loved the different cities we explored.

The characters are loveable and become a found family by the end. The main character Delilah is a witch on her Calling, a 6 month test that will cost her magic if she fails. She is creative, caring, and headstrong, making for a great protagonist. On her calling she is to break the curse upon twins Kieran, a sweet but sickly boy, and Briar, a prickly girl who's only ever had herself. As Delilah grows closer to both twins, especially Briar, they all grow as people.

The relationship between Delilah and Briar is an enemies-to-lovers dream that reminded me a lot of Adora and Catra from She-Ra which I also loved! They start off so certain that they hate each other, when the truth is something else entirely. I love how their feelings towards each other evolve.

Overall, this is a heart-warming coming-of-age story of love, magic, and hopefully curse-breaking.

A little different story about witches, curses. friendships romance.
With slight intrigue, drama ,twists and romance.
Voluntarily reviewed

A curious protagonist who made me giggle and gasp throughout the story; hilarious supporting characters; lessons in the meaning of ‘love’ and ‘family’; creative problem-solving — this delightful LGBTQ+ story has it all!

A delight sapphic witchy romance about breaking curses, falling in love, and getting your happily ever after. This was a touch of Practical Magic meets Howl's Moving Castle, Delilah Bea's family is cursed so that any man who falls in love with a Bea woman will forget all their memories of said lover once they fall in love. Delilah is a witch who's father is a famous cursebreaker and when it's time for her Calling, a ceremony in which she is tasked to perform a magical feat to prove that she should be allowed to keep her magic, she opts to break the family curse.... too bad someone objects and sets a new task for her: to break his family curse. Kieran Pelumbra is the spoiled son of the most powerful family in the country and breaking his family curse has become her official assignment. Delilah should be mad but when she finds out that Kieran is dying and he doesn't have much time left and he is sorry for doing this to her but she is his final hope before he dies... she relents. Keiran needs Delilah to help him break his family curse: a curse that has killed every single set of twins in the family, and Keiran needs Delilah to help him find his twin Briar who has run away. Delilah is determined to break both her own curse and Keiran's curse, yet when she meets Briar she doesn't expect to be so completely taken aback by the prickly, eye patch wearing snarky girl who would sooner wrap vines around someones neck than ask for help. Delilah and Briar immediately get off on the wrong foot but the longer they spend together the more Delilah is beginning to realize that the reason Briar gets under her skin so much might be because she is falling for her. But can she fall for a woman when she is cursed to have all her lovers forget her? With the clock ticking and so many curses to break, can Delilah do it all? This was such a cozy romantic read and I loved the witchy atmosphere and the banter between Briar and Delilah was really cute. It's a great read for the autumn time and it's got a sweet love story at the center. I've loved Kayla Cottingham's books and this one was another great read! If you want a witchy sapphic read I would absolutely recommend this one!

Release Date: August 27,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley , Random House Children's | Delacorte Press, and TBR Beyond Tours for sending me an arc in exchange or an honest review*

Picking up this book I was immediately intrigued by the premise of curse breaking witches, even more so when each had a curse of their own. For me reading this book came with ups and down of moments where I was really engaged and really into the story and then their were moments when I was pulled out because the pacing or momentum didn’t seem quite right. But I didn’t ultimately end of enjoying this story overall because the final reveal is so worthy it!!

Curses

Delilah’s goal when her Calling comes around is to break her curse. She doesn’t want to be one more Bea who is destined to be without love for the rest of her life.

Magic

There isn’t just one type of magic in this fantastical YA Fantasy but many. It’s even got a bit of a cozy vibe with the magic system which was a lot of fun to learn about while reading!

Romance

Romance! Not much more needs to be said really?

Space Ships

It was so fun seeing this found family, crew on the move, getting around on a ship. There’s even one scene where they literally have to drop from the sky in order to survive a pursuit!

Pastries & More

Food! I love that Delilah is a kitchen witch who loves to bake a good pastry with both love and magic!