A Curious Kind of Magic by Mara Rutherford

The quick cut: A teen girl desperate to keep her father's shop open finds a new hope when a girl turns their fake enchanted objects into real ones.

A real review:

Family businesses aren't always big corporations with illustrious reputations. For Willow, the family business is renowned for selling fakes.

All Willow has left is her father's shoppe and it's desperately holding on. Since it is known by the locals for selling fakes, the only customers they have are tourists. When a girl named Brianna comes in, that is all changed when the fake enchanted objects suddenly become very enchanted for real... albeit temporarily. Can Brianna answer all Willow's problems?

This book has a great premise, but I got bored with the story the more it continued on. While there's supposed to be an element of chemistry and romance, I didn't feel a connection between the characters. Without really feeling strongly for the characters, it's hard to remain interested.

The world building really needed more work too. There's nothing in particular that makes it stand out from every other fantasy genre story. Enchanted objects, curses, and witches? A twist or unique element would have helped this book stand out more.

I enjoyed the read, but the only reason I finished is because I didn't hate it. Nothing in particular compelled me to enjoy it in particular.

A cute fantasy story that needed more to stand out.

My rating: 3 out of 5