DNF at 20%.
I was expecting to be so thoroughly drawn in immediately, as I was with This Delicious Death by the same author. The first 14% was an info dump, mixed with a random declaration of love. The plot was jumping from a magic lesson to a birthday party, the declaration of love, the main character running away from the party, the main character and her mother falling asleep and waking up the next day, only to be immediately thrust into the Calling ceremony, where Delilah sets out to break the curse placed on the women of her family, and have her plans crushed by a stranger using her to break his own curse. Normally, the idea of a twin curse is extremely intriguing. This one was more of an info dump, no actual compelling storyline was used to explain the twin curse that Delilah has to now break for a stranger, all within six months if she wants to keep her magic.
Overall, I was underwhelmed, and that was beyond disappointing due to my high hopes for the story.

ARC provided by Netgalley.

Practical Rules for Cursed Witches is so cute and cozy. I recommend this book if you enjoy stories about witches, fantasy, and found family.

The Honey Witch meets Beauty and the Beast. There were a lot of elements added into this fantasy world, including steampunk type airships, magic ley lines. witch councils and powerful wealth imbalances. In a lot of ways the worldbuilding reminds me of The Spellshop, though I probably have more unanswered questions about the details of how a number of things work in this universe.

We follow Delilah, who is cursed, in her journey to break another curse on a set of twins, with the help of additionally cursed characters. Curses abound! The enemies to lovers storyline reminded me a lot of The Honey Witch (though obviously not adult). I enjoyed the various types of magic each witch could do and how varied it was. I wish there had been a little more skill/witchcraft involved in curse breaking, as that seems to be a major element of the story & several characters’ profession and yet we didn’t really learn any methods of breaking curses other than reading them & following their clear instructions, which it doesn’t seem like you’d even need to be a witch to do. So how is curse breaking a profession?

Anyway, this cozy fantasy balances high stakes without being overly stressful or action packed, coming to a sweet resolution.

This book was just not really what i enjoy reading. It felt a little too young adult and I found the FMC really annoying and ‘pick me’

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

Delilah Bea is no stranger to magic: her absentee father is the world’s most famous cursebreaker, and all the women in her family are fated to never find true love. Delilah plans to use her magical Calling to break the Bea family curse but is instead tapped to break the curse of the Pelumbra twins. In their powerful family, one pair of twins every generation is doomed to have one twin drain the other of life and magic. Kieran Pelumbra is growing weaker as his twin sister Briar grows stronger and monstrous. Setting out together to break the curse, it's soon apparent that others in the family don't want the curse broken. Delilah is also drawn to Briar. Time is running out for the twins, and Delilah has her own curse to bear.

This world is full of magic, with curses, blessings, and geasa commonplace. Witches must take part in a Calling to prove themselves worthy of their magic; if they fail, their magic is sealed away. Delilah has six months to complete her task, which is complicated by the fact that no one knows the actual wording of the curse itself. Kieran tracks down Briar, who has been on the run for months, and they go from place to place looking for clues about the curse. The Pelumbra family has grown prosperous over the generations, and it's due to the twins and the curse that haunts them.

As the team travels around, Kieran gets a chance to see more of the world than the estate he was kept in, Briar gets a chance to be something other than a curse repository, and Delilah grows up and faces herself as well as the legacy of her father. We eventually find out what the curse actually is, as well as the curse on the Bea family. Not everything is what they thought it was, and I enjoyed the showdown at the end, and the hint of happily-ever-after endings for our main cast. A fun book I couldn't put down.

This was pretty cute, loved the found family and characters and relationships, didn't love the emphasis on love healing all (especially when it was all romantic love that I can think of) but ah well.

Best YA thus far in 2024
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I loooooved the cozy vibe. I’m not a huge YA reader but was very interested in this book. I could def feel that I wasn’t the target audience (I’m 27) but I still felt how cute and entertaining this book was! This is the type of book I would’ve 1000% loved to have growing up!

Very much still an enjoyable read for anyone older. Just feels like some things are fast paced at times or brushed off but I feel like that’s more due to audience rather than it being a fault of the book.

Thanks to Net Galley and Random House for the ARC. This was an enjoyable and cute read. While the romance was just alright, there were many funny parts that I liked.

An adorable and whimsical fairytale fantasy filled with queer characters and found family. If you’re looking for some cozy yet adventurous vibes, this is perfect for you!

This was a fun and cute coming of age story. Loved the magic and supernatural aspects of this book. Even though this book is targeted towards a younger audience, me an adult, still found it interesting and would recommend.

This was really cute!! I loved the premise and the main cast of characters, though I wish Santiago and Ariel were more useful, specifically in the final battle. Briar was definitely my favorite!!

One complaint I had is that one thing mentioned in the book description isn’t actually revealed until halfway through the book….its supposed to be sort of a plot twist, but I already knew it from the description. Also, I do wish the world building was fleshed out a bit more — I was a bit confused about the technology, the cultures, etc. They have cars and flying balloons but we never actually see any cars, so the mention of them just felt out of place for an otherwise whimsical setting.

First, thank you Random House and Netgalley.

Second, this was such a cozy palette cleanser.. Witchy quest, curses that need lifting, a family set on seeing them fail even if it means betraying their own, and queer!! I mean seriously, did I miss something you’re still looking for? This has it all.

A quick read for lovers of YA cozy fantasy!

* 4.5 Stars *

Forced down an unexpected journey, the main characters set forth on an adventure of a lifetime in a quest for answers that must be revealed before time runs out. Practical Rules for Cursed Witches is an entertaining adventure wrapped around curses, new relationships, and coming into who you are as a young adult.
This LGBTQIA+, young adult fantasy held my attention, engulfed me with magic, and kept me excited for what was coming next.
Highly recommend this book for those looking for a light-hearted palette cleanser.

Practical Rules for Cursed Witches by Kayla Cottingham is a cute story with witches, magic and unexpected humor - that I thoroughly enjoyed. Cottingham's writing stye was generously descriptive, inviting for the readers, and enjoyable to follow. I wasn't fond of the mix of technologies and there were moments where I felt a chapter or two were rushed.

Cozy, coming of age, witchy and queer?! I’m not sure what more you could ask for?! This was such a charming, warm, and fun read. This was my first book by this author and I will definitely be looking into other works.

"Practical Rules for Cursed Witches" was a fun book. The main characters were enjoyable and eclectic; and I liked the heavy LGBTQ representation. The plotline of breaking curses was interesting, and the nature of the curses and how they were broken was clever. I liked that two of the main characters -- Delilah and Kieran -- had had somewhat sheltered lives but in vastly different circumstances -- Kieran raised in luxury as a member of one of the most powerful families in the land, and Delilah raised in a small village. It was amusing reading Delilah's reaction to the sights, sounds, and experiences of a big city, and Kieran's reaction to witnessing how "regular" people live and interact, and how different it is from what he had been taught. The main characters, especially Briar and Delilah, have doubts about their own worth, but also have an inner strength that serves them well.

This was such a good cozy read that I needed right now! I honestly thought it was brilliant and well written, and giving studio ghibli vibes throughout it. It also showed great representation for the LGBTQ+ community showing Delilah throughout her journey! I would definitely recommend this book for a fall read and just a good read in general! Thank you netgally for the ARC!

This was a lovely surprising book, filled with magic and curses. It follows Delilah Bea, as she studies magic and works to become a certified witch. She gets tangled up in magic that is connected to the Pelumbra family and her Calling to break her own family curse gets subsumed by a cursed boy. This book is filled with unexpected love of all sorts and a richy imagined world. I loved followng Delilah's story and hr relationship with the members of the airship crew. Each has their own story and while I wish they had explored more of each of the crew members past, it wasnt their story, it belonged to Briar and Delilah. This was a book that was unputdownable. and I would defintely read more stories set in this universe. Briari's story is heartbreaking and you really feel for her. It's a story of discovery fo4 all parties involved. The tale of curses and blessings and how it shapes lives was fascinating. A+ storyelling.

I received an ARC from Netgalley but my reviews express my own opinions.

I loved this book, and am so glad it introduced me to a new author. The characters are all fun and the book is sweet, where you root for all the romances and the angst and miscommunication plots are short-lived. I read it incredibly quickly, and had a huge smile on my face the entire time. With the exception of a few characters, you grow to love pretty much everyone and they don't disappoint you. Even the ones who disappoint in the beginning step up by the end.

Loved it, can't wait to read more by this author.