A Curious Kind of Magic

"If anyone's looking for me, I live in this book now." - Laini Taylor, New York Times bestselling author of Strange the Dreamer and Daughter of Smoke & Bone

Howl's Moving Castle meets Little Thieves in this cozy fantasy about the teenage owner of a (mostly fake) magical curiosity shop and a girl cursed to turn everything she touches into magic.

Everyone in Ardmuir knows that Willow Stokes is a charlatan, including Willow herself. Her father's shoppe hasn't sold anything magical in decades, and it's only hanging on by the skin of the fake dragon's teeth Willow sells as charms, along with "enchanted" ostrich eggs, taxidermied chimeras, and talismans made of fools' gold.

Until outlander Brianna Hargrave appears and turns Willow's fakes into exactly what they're purported to be. But try as Willow might to enlist Bri's help, she wants nothing to do with Willow and her curiosities.

Because Brianna is harboring a secret of her own: everything she touches turns to magic, and the consequences have chased her all the way to Ardmuir. All she wants to do is find a particular missing grimoire, which contains a spell that can finally put an end to her curse.

Desperate to keep her father's shoppe, Willow proposes a bargain that could save them both. Together with the frustratingly handsome printer's assistant, the girls will uncover a plot that goes far deeper than either could have imagined. But when Willow is forced to participate in an ambitious collector's quest for the rarest magical object in the world--a quest that risks almost-certain death--she learns that not all treasure is for sale, and that true magic is closer than she ever could have imagined.

Author: Mara Rutherford
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Published: 10/21/2025
Pages: 368
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.05lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.30w x 1.30d
ISBN: 9781250359889
Audience: Young Adult


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 07/21/2025
Booklist 08/01/2025
School Library Journal 09/05/2025 pg. 1
Kirkus Reviews 10/01/2025

About the Author
MARA RUTHERFORD began her writing career as a journalist but quickly discovered she far preferred fantasy to reality. A triplet born on Leap Day, Mara has lived all over the world with her diplomat husband and two sons, and currently resides in Brussels, Belgium. Her favorite days involve books, tea, and Mishka (a small red muppet often mistaken for a dog). She is the author of YA fantasy novels including the Crown of Coral and Pearl duology, The Poison Season, and A Multitude of Dreams.