My first thought when I finished reading this around 4 in the morning was this: Aww, that was so sweet!
Charming. Poignant, even. I have not had the chance to read many books by Rutherford yet, (by my count, I have at least 4 of them, unread), so I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. When I saw Howl mentioned in the synopsis, I thought, okay, I'll bite, and I was not disappointed by the comparison at all.
The book follows Willow Stokes, a seventeen-year-old determined to keep her father's shop going, despite the fact that the entire town knows that her father was a fraud and she is following in his footsteps. Willow is desperate to make a sale, so when Brianna Hargrave shows up in her shop, Willow thinks Brianna is the answer she's been looking for. With a touch from Brianna, the items in the shop become magic again, and Willow sees so many possibilities ahead of them, all of it dependent on if she can just get Brianna to stay and help her. Except Brianna does not want to help, she wants to find a book of spells tied to her "curse", and get rid of it once and for all. The two make a bargain, Brianna will help with the shop while Willow helps to find the spell Brianna needs to get rid of her curse so she can go back home. As the girls work together and learn more about each other, they start to discover that the things they knew to be true aren't what they thought, and that what they saw in their futures is different than what any them would have believed could be possible.
The writing is concise, the pace a little more of a walk than a sprint, with quiet moments to sit and reflect which helped develop the cozy feeling needed for the narrative. The point of the story is the growth of the characters, which does not mean racing through character interactions, or quick banter. The development takes its time, allowing room to expand in a way that feels natural to the storytelling. Everything feels earned with the story and characters, even that what-just-happened moment near the end where I thought, okay, just go with it, and I laughed right along with Willow and Brianna when all was said and done.
With talking about the characters, yes, Willow bugged me at the start. She was selfish and stubborn, and kept putting her wants first instead of considering what was best for other people, Brianna and Finlay mainly, her new friend and the young man who has been her best friend since her father passed away two years before the start of the book. I wanted to shake her every time she did something without thinking first, so when Willow finally starts to consider her actions and their consequences, I thought FINALLY, she's getting her head on straight. I understood how she'd become that way and I appreciated how her journey was able to make her into a better version of herself and that Willow knew that as well. I liked her dynamic with Brianna, and how the two of them made each other think of things differently. Brianna was stubborn as well, and the two of them were two halves of the same whole. They challenged each other and supported each other and I thought they were wonderful together. Finlay was a sweet addition to their group, helping Willow to understand that having more friends to care about only made her stronger.
I loved how the book turned into a story about acceptance. Each character, Willow, Brianna and Finlay, had to accept each other and themselves, flaws and all, and once the ending hits, I wanted to gather them all into a hug and squeeze so tight. That's why I thought this book was so sweet. Some books can come off too strong with driving home a theme like that, but this book shows how Rutherford put in the work that makes the ending feel like the payoff readers need. I'll be reading the other Rutherford books I currently own, and be looking forward to future releases as well. Job well done indeed and I tip my hat to this book and to Mara Rutherford.
Rating on my scale: After sitting with this overnight, I've decided 10 stars. It gave all the right feelings, reminded me of all the best cozy fantasy books of my youth, and has made me determined to read more of Mara Rutherford's books. If a book manages to do ALL of that, doesn't it deserve all the stars?
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