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Verdict: A warm, adventurous YA curse-breaking quest with a lovable airship found family and a sweet rivals-to-lovers romance, held back by a younger register and twists that readers see coming.
Best for: Teen readers and adults who love cozy YA fantasy, who want found family as much as romance, and who are happy with kisses rather than heat.
Heat level: ★☆☆☆☆ (1/5 — young adult, kissing only)
Rating: ★★★★☆ (3.8/5 — a 3.96 Goodreads average across more than 1,200 ratings, with very little dissent and most of it about age range rather than craft)
Tropes: Curse-breaking quest, rivals to friends to lovers, slow burn, grumpy-sunshine, found family, airship road trip, kitchen witch, cursed twins, family curse, bisexual heroine and masc lesbian love interest.
Practical Rules for Cursed Witches by Kayla Cottingham is the first book in a young adult duology from Delacorte Press — a cozy sapphic fantasy romance in which a seventeen-year-old kitchen witch, hoping to break the curse on her own family, is sent instead to break the one binding a pair of noble twins, and falls for the prickly one.
It holds a 3.96 average across roughly 1,200 Goodreads ratings and positive reviews from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus and School Library Journal, and it is a genre switch for an author previously known for YA horror. Its review section is unusually united. The one real disagreement is about who the book is for, and that is worth understanding before you start.
What Is Practical Rules for Cursed Witches About?
Practical Rules for Cursed Witches is a secondary-world cozy fantasy with a quest structure and a romance running through it. The magic is everyday and tactile — Delilah bakes spells into pastries — and the world runs on Callings, the coming-of-age tasks young witches must complete. Cozy here means tone rather than stakes: there are hunters, a cruel family and a curse with real costs, but the book’s centre of gravity is the crew and the kindness between them.
Delilah Bea is seventeen, bisexual, awkward and determined, from a family cursed never to find true love. Briar Pelumbra is the sharp-edged masc lesbian twin of a noble heir, bound to her brother Kieran by a curse that makes one of them grow stronger while the other fades. The story is told through Delilah alone, which keeps the voice light and immediate. Her outsider view of the twins, and of Briar in particular, is where the slow burn lives.
What Makes This Sapphic YA Cozy Fantasy Work
- The found family: The most consistently praised element by a distance — around a dozen reviewers lead with the airship crew, and 93% of StoryGraph readers rate the characters lovable.
- The tone: Readers call it warm, cozy and lighthearted again and again — one reader called it “a warm hug but with high stakes”, which is exactly the balance it strikes.
- The romance: Delilah and Briar’s slide from antagonism to affection is praised for its banter, and Kirkus summed the book up as a treat for lovers of love.
- The worldbuilding: Kirkus called it believable and unfussy, and readers enjoy the Library of Curses, the airship and the baking magic. It is a natural pick for sapphic witch romance readers.
- The queer cast: Almost everyone is queer and nobody’s identity is a source of trauma, which School Library Journal and several readers single out.
Book Synopsis
Delilah Bea has a practical problem and an impractical one. The practical problem is her Calling: every young witch must complete one, and Delilah’s is supposed to prove she is ready to stand on her own. The impractical one is her family’s curse, which guarantees that no one in her line will ever get a happy ending in love. Delilah has a plan for both, and it involves the Library of Curses, where every curse ever cast is recorded and, in theory, can be undone.
Her Calling does not go to plan. Instead of her own curse, she is assigned someone else’s: the one binding Kieran and Briar Pelumbra, twin children of a powerful noble house. As long as it holds, one twin thrives while the other slowly becomes something monstrous, and their family is not interested in a teenage baker solving a problem it would rather control. Kieran is charming and spoiled. Briar is blunt, guarded and openly unimpressed by Delilah.
To break the twins’ curse, the three of them take to the skies on an airship with a crew of misfits, followed by people who want them stopped. Somewhere between the turbulence, the pastries and the arguments, Delilah starts falling for the one twin she was sure could not stand her — which is a problem, because her own curse says exactly how that story ends.
My Review
The crew is the reason this works. Cottingham gives Delilah an airship full of oddballs who become a family over the course of the book, and the found-family warmth is what readers name first and most often. The tone is the other achievement: this is cozy fantasy with real stakes underneath it, and the balance between pastries and peril is handled with a light, sure touch.
The romance is the second real strength. Briar is a well-drawn love interest — prickly, protective and unapologetic about who she is — and the shift from irritation to trust gives the slow burn its texture. StoryGraph readers rate the character development strongly at 87%, and the banter is a recurring point of praise. The book also handles family trauma with care: the twins’ curse and the people who benefit from it give the quest an emotional spine.
The criticism here is modest, and I want to be clear about its size: only about 6% of Goodreads ratings are two stars or lower. The most common reservation is that the book reads young. Its publisher pitches it at 12 and up, and several adult readers say it sits close to middle grade in its dialogue and emotional register. Around that are smaller notes, each from about three readers: twists you can see coming, a romance that feels abrupt before it deepens, and a pace that sags near the end. One reader felt the kitchen-witch hook was used less than the jacket promises, though others enjoyed the baking scenes.
One expectation to reset: it is sold as sapphic romantasy, a label adult readers now associate with heat and high-stakes politics. This is younger YA, closed door, with the romance sharing space with the quest. If you came for adult romantasy, calibrate; if you came for a cozy adventure with a sweet love story, it delivers exactly that.
My honest note: A kind, adventurous book with a crew worth joining and a romance worth rooting for. If you need adult stakes or adult heat, this is not it. If you want a cozy YA quest with a sapphic heart, it is easy to recommend.
| Element | In Practical Rules for Cursed Witches |
|---|---|
| Central relationship | Delilah Bea & Briar Pelumbra — bisexual kitchen witch and masc lesbian noble twin, rivals to friends to lovers |
| Core tropes | Curse-breaking quest, found family, slow burn, grumpy-sunshine, airship road trip, cursed twins |
| Setting | A secondary fantasy world of witch Callings, a Library of Curses and an airship crossing |
| Heat level | 1/5 — young adult, kissing only |
| Series | Duology book 1 — complete arc and a happy ending; book 2 follows Kieran in a male/male romance |
| Content notes | Child abuse, abandonment, emotional abuse, terminal and chronic illness, blood and injury, body horror, violence, minor homophobia (crowd-reported on StoryGraph) |
How Spicy Is Practical Rules for Cursed Witches?
A 1/5. I could not get a romance.io reading for it, which is normal for young adult titles, so the number comes from the publisher and the readers. Penguin Random House pitches it at ages 12 and up, Kirkus at 14 to 18, and School Library Journal at grade 8 and up. Readers consistently describe the romance as sweet, with kissing and no explicit content; one reviewer pegs it as suitable from about thirteen.
The thing worth knowing in advance is not heat but the darker family material: StoryGraph users flag child abuse, abandonment and emotional abuse more than anything else, mostly off the page. No reviewer I found flags anything sexual. If you want cozy fantasy at the same temperature, Legends & Lattes and These Witches Don’t Burn sit in the same band.
Who Should Read This Book?
You’ll likely love it if: you love a found family that forms on the road, you want cozy fantasy with genuine stakes, you enjoy a grumpy love interest who softens slowly, and you want an all-queer cast without queer suffering.
You may want to skip it if: you want adult romantasy stakes and heat, younger-skewing dialogue pulls you out, you dislike predictable twists, or you are mainly here for the baking premise.
In short: a kind, cozy YA quest with a sweet sapphic slow burn, aimed younger than its romantasy label suggests.
What Readers Are Actually Saying (October 2026)
This is a quiet, well-liked book rather than a phenomenon. It has no viral moment that I could find and no visible Reddit conversation; what it has is a steady readership and remarkably consistent reviews — a 3.96 average across about 1,200 Goodreads ratings, 4.07 across nearly 700 StoryGraph reviews, and 4.3 from 88 Amazon ratings. Trade coverage was positive and uncontroversial: Publishers Weekly praised its found family and its handling of generational trauma, Kirkus called it a delight, and School Library Journal recommended it for queer-inclusive YA collections. It also travelled through the Rainbow Crate subscription box, which is a typical route for queer YA. The audiobook, from Listening Library, is narrated by Jess Nahikian and runs 11 hours 28 minutes; the listener comments I found are positive, praising how she brings the crew to life.
Prefer audio? Listen to Practical Rules for Cursed Witches on Libro.fm — the audiobook shop that supports independent bookstores.
Why readers love it (according to the discourse): Found family, first and most consistently — about a dozen reviewers lead with the crew, and “found family” is the recurring phrase. Then the cozy tone, which around eleven readers name. The Delilah and Briar slow burn and its banter come next, praised by roughly ten. The worldbuilding and magic system — the Library of Curses, the airship, the baking — draw praise from about eight, and several readers love that almost the entire cast is queer. Two readers independently compare it to Howl’s Moving Castle, which the author has named as an influence. StoryGraph’s mood data tags it adventurous at 89%.
What readers argue about and complain about: Age register, above everything — and even that is mild. Several readers say it reads younger than they expected, closer to middle grade in places; one reader who did not finish cited childish dialogue. Next come three small, separate notes, each from around three readers: predictable twists and simple resolutions, a romance that starts abruptly before it deepens, and a pace that sags towards the end. One reader felt the kitchen-witch premise was underused, while others singled out the baking as a highlight — so that one is a matter of taste. A single reviewer questioned a theme in which only romantic love can break a curse. The trade reviews and readers broadly agree here, which makes the consensus unusually trustworthy.
The series question everyone should ask first: book one is complete. The curse plot resolves, Delilah and Briar get a happy ending, and there is no cliffhanger. The sequel, Extraordinary Quests for Amateur Witches, came out in September 2025 and rates a little lower at 3.84 on Goodreads. It is told by Kieran and centres a male/male romance, with Delilah and Briar in supporting roles — so for sapphic readers this works as a standalone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Practical Rules for Cursed Witches young adult?
Yes. It is published as YA for ages 12 and up, and several readers say it reads at the younger end of that range. Adults who enjoy cozy fantasy still rate it highly.
How spicy is Practical Rules for Cursed Witches?
Not at all — a 1/5. The romance is sweet and limited to kissing, with no explicit content.
Does Practical Rules for Cursed Witches end on a cliffhanger?
No. The curse plot resolves and Delilah and Briar get a happy ending. The duology continues with a second book about Kieran.
Is the sequel sapphic?
Not primarily. Extraordinary Quests for Amateur Witches, published in September 2025, is narrated by Kieran and centres a male/male romance, with Delilah and Briar as supporting characters.
Is there an audiobook?
Yes — narrated by Jess Nahikian for Listening Library, running 11 hours 28 minutes. Listener comments praise the narration.
If You Loved Practical Rules for Cursed Witches, Read These Next
For the same cozy register with an adult cast, Legends & Lattes trades the airship for a coffee shop and keeps the found family and the quiet sapphic romance. If it was the witchcraft that drew you, These Witches Don’t Burn gives you a YA witch with a lesbian heroine and a mystery in place of a quest. And if you want an older, cozier series with a book-and-tea shop at its heart, Tea You at the Altar is the best-liked instalment of the Tomes & Tea books.
For more like this, browse our guide to sapphic witch romance books or the full Book Reviews collection.
The Bottom Line
Practical Rules for Cursed Witches is a book that knows exactly what it wants to be. The airship found family is a joy, the slow burn between Delilah and Briar is sweet and well built, and the cozy tone carries real stakes without losing its warmth. It also reads young, telegraphs some of its twists, and sells itself with a romantasy label that sets the wrong expectations for adult readers. If you want a kind, adventurous queer YA fantasy, it is very easy to love. Check Practical Rules for Cursed Witches on Amazon →
The Eikna Overall Ranking
On the Eikna scale, Practical Rules for Cursed Witches ranks as a warmly received YA sapphic cozy fantasy — kind, adventurous and anchored by its found family, held back by a younger register and predictable twists, and best approached as a cozy quest rather than adult romantasy.
The Evidence Scorecard
Overall ★★★★☆ 3.8/5
- ✓ 3.96 average across 1,223 Goodreads ratings
- ✓ 4.07 on StoryGraph from 676 reviews
- ✓ Positive PW, Kirkus and SLJ reviews
- ✓ Reads younger than its label suggests
Romance ★★★★☆ 3.6/5
- ✓ Rivals-to-lovers banter widely praised
- ✓ Briar a strong, unapologetic love interest
- ✓ Sweet, complete happy ending
- ✓ Abrupt start for a few readers
Characters ★★★★☆ 4.1/5
- ✓ Airship crew the most-loved element
- ✓ 93% on StoryGraph call them lovable
- ✓ 87% rate the development strong
- ✓ Twists lean on predictable turns
Writing ★★★★☆ 3.6/5
- ✓ Light, warm, readable voice
- ✓ Worldbuilding called unfussy by Kirkus
- ✓ Banter lands for most readers
- ✓ Dialogue reads young to some adults
Emotional Impact ★★★★☆ 3.8/5
- ✓ Generational trauma handled with care
- ✓ Found family carries real weight
- ✓ Curse stakes give the quest a spine
- ✓ Resolutions arrive a little easily
Heat Level ★☆☆☆☆ 1/5
- ✓ Published for ages 12 and up
- ✓ Kissing only, no explicit content
- ✓ No romance.io entry, as is usual for YA
- ✓ Romantasy label implies more heat
Ending ★★★★☆ 4.1/5
- ✓ Curse plot fully resolves
- ✓ Happy ending for Delilah and Briar
- ✓ No cliffhanger
- ✓ Pace sags slightly near the end
Re-read Value ★★★★☆ 3.6/5
- ✓ Cozy comfort-read quality
- ✓ Nahikian audiobook a pleasant option
- ✓ Sequel returns to the crew
- ✓ Twists lose force the second time
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