A Curious Kind of Magic - Mara Rutherford - ★★★★

AUTHOR: Mara Rutherford

NARRATOR: Anna Burnett

GENRE: YA Fantasy

PUBLICATION DATE: October 21, 2025

RATING: 4 stars.

In a Nutshell: A YA Cozy Fantasy centring on the spunky young owner of a (fake) magic shop. This book took me by surprise! Whatever complaints I usually have about YA novels were mostly missing. I liked the characters, the storyline, the magic (though relatively minimal), the writing and the ending. Except for a few developments in the final quarter, I enjoyed this book. Definitely recommended, as long as you keep in mind that it is YA and has YA characters.

Plot Preview:

Seventeen-year-old orphan Willow Stokes has been running her father’s magical curiosity shop ever since his sudden death. So what if she too is a charlatan like her father and knows there’s nothing magical about their stock? A girl has to survive!

When an outlander named Brianna Hargrave enters the shop, something about her makes Willow realise that there might be some magic in the Stokes stock after all. However, Brianna is clear that she wants nothing to do with Willow and her curiosities. She has come only for one purpose: she needs a grimoire that can get rid of her curse. Determined to finally make some decent earnings that can get her out of debt, Willow proposes a bargain that can help both the girls. But are things ever that easy?

The story comes to us in Willow’s first-person perspective.

PSA: The Goodreads blurb reveals too much.

Rare is the day when I tell you that I enjoyed a YA Fantasy. Today is one such day! 🥳 This isn't a perfect book, but it is quite charming and does what it promises.

Bookish Yays:

🔮 Willow. She behaves seventeen throughout, in her thoughts as well as her actions. I loved her spunk, but more than that, I enjoyed her self-deprecating humour. Moreover, she is not exceptionally talented in anything nor is she supposed to be stunning or perfect in any way nor does she try hard to be loved by all – how refreshing! Her first-person narration is apt for her age, with the right balance of snark and vulnerability.

🔮 This thought by Willow deserves a separate Yay: "I wanted to wear something that would highlight the new gloss in my hair and the colour in my cheeks. Not for Finley, mind you. But for myself." Love that attitude!

🔮 The portrayal of the closeness Willow had with her father, though we know him only indirectly through her thoughts. I love how the story explored the complex feelings of grieving for an imperfect yet loving parent.

🔮 Brianna. A good contrast to Willow and a strong character in her own way. Her desperation is used well in the story. I liked her gradually-developing friendship with Willow – much more convincing than an instant bestie bond.

🔮 Finlay, the eighteen-year-old printer’s assistant who is Willow’s bestie. Probably a bit too goody-goody, but the kind of male lead I would like to see in YA fiction – one whose masculinity isn't defined only by pursuing macho stuff. I also appreciate how Finlay doesn’t get to do the heroics just because he’s the guy. The story is mainly Willow’s.

🔮 The budding romance. A slowburn friends-to-lovers story that is really sweet. Nothing beyond kissing. For a while, I was worried it would turn into a romantic triangle, but the author uses the three main characters interestingly without succumbing to that trope.

🔮 The magical curiosity shop and its magical collection and all the other magic in the book. Charming.

🔮 The cozy vibes, whether in the shop or through the friendship or the magical creatures or the small coastal location. The world-building isn't overly elaborate but just enough for us to picture the scene properly. Everything is just right for cozy feels.

🔮 The adult characters are also mostly good – a rarity in the YA genre. We do have a couple of nefarious people, but there are many more helpful and sensible adults.

🔮 The stunning cover art!

Bookish Okays:

🥚 The tagline on the cover says: “An Unlike Friendship. An Undeniable Love. An Unforgettable Adventure.” Just know that the adventure doesn’t come until well into the second-half. If you read this mainly for the adventure, you will be disappointed.

🥚 The villain is suitably creepy. I just wish there was a more action-packed fate in store for them. Then again, this is a cozy story meant for YAs, so I guess it had to be kept relatively low in intensity.

🥚 After a certain decision, Willow suddenly starts keeping many secrets. A part of this miscommunication is understandable as she has her reasons, but it is also frustrating. Thankfully, she does redeem herself when the time is right.

Bookish Nays:

🧹 The final quarter – the only part of the book where I rolled my eyes. Overly convenient. A couple of the developments bordered on a deus ex machina. (I usually need to do this a lot more in YA fiction.) One major plot point is left dangling. (Not a cliffhanger; just a development that couldn’t practically have stopped at the point it did.) The finale is too neat with many sudden reveals. This entire section brought down my overall rating.

🎧 The Audiobook Experience:

The audiobook, clocking at 10 hrs 40 min, is narrated by Anna Burnett. I loved her narration. She uses a beautiful accent to voice Willow’s first-person POV and a separate one for Brianna to establish her foreign roots. Her performance is a perfect match for Willow’s age and personality. As the story is fairly straightforward and linear, I’d definitely recommend the audio version. It would be a comfortable listen even for audio newbies.

Overall, I'm genuinely surprised at how well this went for me, partly because I am not exactly fond of the YA genre and partly because a few of my GR friends disliked this. I still don’t know if it will click with YA readers because they usually love what I hate in YA: the exaggerated emotions and the idiotic adults and the sole-saviour trope and the overdose of physical attraction. 🤭 But to me, this book felt YA in a good way. The audiobook narrator and my low expectations also might have helped a bit. The lead character did test my patience at times. But she was young and with no good adult role models, so her behaviour felt believable to me.

Definitely recommended to readers who enjoy YA Fantasy. Not for those who want likeable characters because Willow is not likeable at least on the surface level. She grows over the course of the story, if that helps.

My thanks to St. Martin's Press and Wednesday Books for providing the DRC, and to Macmillan Audio and Macmillan Young Listeners for providing the ALC of “A Curious Kind of Magic” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.