Kristin's Bookshelf

Practically Magic
by Jen Calonita
Narrated by Ferdelle Capistrano
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
(I dual listened + read)
Release Date: August 25th

I’m still a little new to the YA genre, but since I’m moving into a middle school teaching role this year, I figured I should start exploring more. Naturally, I skipped straight past everything else and found myself some witchy cozies. 😂🔮

This book was SO MUCH FUN.

Boy-crazy Kat was such an entertaining FMC, and I loved the little glimpses we got into her history of crushes. The carnival boy was easily my favorite because it took me straight back to my own youth. The “carnival dates,” or in my case, dates at the local KC BBQ, were where RELATIONSHIPS WERE DEFINED. 😂

The Hadley sisters were another highlight for me. I loved their dynamic, and it gave the story that Practical Magic sister-witch energy I was hoping for.

And then we hit about the two-thirds mark and things got WILD.

Ghosts. Vampires. Kraken. Gnomes. Goblins. Basically, throw every mythical creature you can think of into the mix and hang on for the ride. It was zany and chaotic in the best way. And obviously, the wolf boy was my favorite. 🐺

There’s also plenty of YA romance, and while I spent most of the book internally screaming, “KAT, STOP WITH THE BOY CRAZINESS,” I was simultaneously rooting for her to find someone. Make it make sense.

And the narration? SO GOOD. Ferdelle Capistrano absolutely nailed it. Every character felt distinct, and I was seriously impressed by how easily I could tell everyone apart. I listened at 1.5x for most of the story, and the pacing worked perfectly for me.

Five stars for the story and an easy five stars for the narration, too.