Skip to main content

Don't Expect Magic

Don’t Expect Magic is a YA urban fantasy novel by Kathy McCullough.

A dead mom, a move that takes her across the country – away from her lifelong hometown of New Jersey and her best friend that still resides there – and a new guardian in her absentee father. That’s fifteen-year-old Delaney Collins’ new life.

If you asked Delaney if she believed in fairy tales she would laugh. Probably something close to a cackle.

Problem is, soon after moving in with Dr. Hank (the name her life-coach/author dad is famous under), this comes under question. Her world is turned upside down when she realizes that “life-coach” actually means “fairy godmother”.

And, okay, her dad is a guy – so maybe the technical term might be “godfather”, though she quickly christens the ridiculousness as simply “f.g.” – but apparently that doesn’t matter. He’s got the magic, the wand, etc.

Plus, the f.g. gene? Apparently it’s hereditary.

Delaney, the girl with an anti-social personality, is supposed to make wishes come true? Ha!

Yet, soon enough, she finds that her new high school is full of wistful souls that cause her to experiment with her burgeoning powers. One of which is Flynn, a yearbook photographer that she butted heads with on her very first day, who is hopelessly in love with a beautiful cheerleader – who, of course, doesn’t know he exists.

Deciding she might as well give it a shot, Delaney decides that she’ll do her best to make his wish come true.

But she’s sure as hell not going to start wearing pink, sparkly, poufy dresses!

Don’t Expect Magic was an absolutely delightful, magical novel!

Delaney is a bitter, sarcastic, caustic protagonist to start, which can sometimes be a hard sell, but her grief is very real and her reason for disliking her dad is legitimate. Kathy McCullough manages to make the awkward scenes awkward for all the right reasons – Delaney can sometimes be, well, not so nice and it can be a little painful to witness. Yet this pain is what gravitated me to Delaney – I became invested in her quickly and began hoping for as close to a “happily ever after” as is possible.

After establishing her character quickly, we then get to delve into a truly refreshing storyline and an honestly touching view of a father-daughter relationship healing, slowly but surely. Don’t Expect Magic is funny, original, upbeat and positive without turning syrupy. It stays grounded and believable.

This is a swift read that made me almost deliriously happy – and sometimes that’s EXACTLY what you want! I most definitely recommend Don’t Expect Magic – and I hope for more new, contemporary fairy tales from Kathy McCullough in the future!!!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Author Q & A - Jan Eldredge Stops By!

Next Wednesday y'all will be getting my oh-so-humble opinion of Evangeline of the Bayou , the Summer 2018 Kids' Indie Next List selection! (That means it was picked via booksellers at independent bookstores countrywide.) Until then, I have a Q&A with the Louisiana born and raised author herself: Jan Eldredge! (Don't forget to come back next week for my review!!) A Conversation with JAN ELDRIDGE Author of Evangeline of the Bayou 1) The glossary in the back of the book is so helpful! Where did you learn about all these creatures? Which creature from the book is your favorite? I have a small, but growing, collection of books about mythical creatures around the world. If I couldn’t find what I was looking for there, I researched library books, online websites, and the occasional documentary. Something that really surprised me as I started learning more about mythical monsters was the number of different cultures that share very similar ...

Promotion Celebration for Maximum Ride!!!

Do you love the series Maximum Ride ? How about James Patterson? Are you a huge fan of action-packed books? Well, I’m thrilled to bring to you an opportunity to stock up on some awesome reading!!! ENTER TO WIN A SET OF JAMES PATTERSON PAGETURNERS! MAXIMUM RIDE – IF SHE LIVES, THE WORLD LIVES, IT’S THAT SIMPLE. Read “MAX” - the newest book in the bestselling Maximum Ride series. On sale in paperback 09/01/09! Still reeling from their most recent adventure, Maximum Ride and the rest of the flock must head out to sea to uncover the secret behind a brand new series of disasters—fish are dying off the coast of Hawaii, hundreds of ships are being destroyed. As if that weren’t enough, they’re also being tracked by a criminal mastermind with, oh yeah, an army of mercenaries. Can the flock save themselves and the ocean, and the world, from utter destruction? Now for the rules : The Maximum Ride: Max Promotion is open to legal US residents who are at least 13 years of age as of August 24, 200...

Werelove = YA Paranormal Contest!!!

Now that my CSN contest is coming to a close (you still have until 11:59PM PST to enter today), I am here to offer you another chance to WIN something awesome! :) Author Lakisha Spletzer (to find out more about her and her books go here: www.kishazworld.com) has so kindly offered me a chance to have a giveaway on this blog for all you bibliophiles! There will be THREE winners!!! And there are THREE different prizes that will be awarded. What are they? 1. A print copy of Lakisha's YA paranormal/sci-fi book Werelove: Dusk Conspiracy 2. An e-book version of Werelove: Dusk Conspiracy 3. A T-shirt with a Werelove logo and quote, which you can see here As someone who has just finished reading Werelove: Dusk Conspiracy I can assure you that you will never be bored and that it is a fun, fast-paced read! (For more on the book read my review in the next few weeks when it posts, or click here to look at it on the Amazon.com page.) And that's not all! (I totally sound like a g...