Blog Tour: The Best Kind of Magic by Crystal Cestari...Review, Quotes, & Giveaway!!!

Today I have a really fun and magical book to tell you all about!

Keep reading for more info on the book, the author, and my thoughts on the book!

And don't forget to enter the giveaway!

The Best Kind of Magic

by Crystal Cestari
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Release Date: May 16, 2017
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Fantasy

Synopsis:

Amber Sand is not a witch. The Sand family Wicca gene somehow leapfrogged over her. But she did get one highly specific magical talent: she can see true love. As a matchmaker, Amber's pretty far down the sorcery food chain (even birthday party magicians rank higher), but after five seconds of eye contact, she can envision anyone's soul mate.

Amber works at her mother's magic shop--Windy City Magic--in downtown Chicago, and she's confident she's seen every kind of happy ending there is: except for one--her own. (The Fates are tricky jerks that way.) So when Charlie Blitzman, the mayor's son and most-desired boy in school, comes to her for help finding his father's missing girlfriend, she's distressed to find herself falling for him. Because while she can't see her own match, she can see his--and it's not Amber. How can she, an honest peddler of true love, pursue a boy she knows full well isn't her match?

The Best Kind of Magic is set in urban Chicago and will appeal to readers who long for magic in the real world. With a sharp-witted and sassy heroine, a quirky cast of mystical beings, and a heady dose of adventure, this novel will have you laughing out loud and questioning your belief in happy endings.

With rainbows in my hair and stories in my head, I am a writer drawn to magic in the everyday world.

My debut novel, The Best Kind of Magic, arrives May 16, 2017 from Hyperion. Follow Amber Sand, a magical matchmaker who can actually see true love, as she takes off on a fun and romantic adventure toward happily ever after.

Title: The Best Kind of Magic 

Author: Crystal Cestari

Format: Digital ARC

Source: Blog Tour/Netgalley 

The Best Kind of Magic is a fun read filled with magic, wit, and a bit of romance. I thoroughly enjoyed myself as I read Amber's story and even laughed out loud a few times (literally).

Amber is such a fun, snarky character that I found quite relatable and entertaining. You see somehow Amber didn't inherit the gene that would make her a witch like the rest of her family.  However, she still has a mystical talent of her own as a matchmaker who can see true love.  As she struggles to fit into a family full of witches who don't fully appreciate her specific talents, she also has to deal with pesky classmates hounding her about their true love matches.  She does this all with plenty of sass and humor that had me smiling as it was almost exactly what how I would (or hope I would) react.

And after the mayor comes to her mother's magic shop, Windy City Magic, for help, she somehow manages to become involved in the search for a missing person.  She soon finds herself falling for Charlie, the mayor's son, despite the fact that she knows she's not his true love match.  But sometimes you have to make your own happy ending...right?  Well, you'll just have to read for yourself to find out what happens.

If you do read the book, you'll find a very interesting and colorful cast of characters each with their own distinct qualities and personalities that make them stand out from one another.  And while the characters may come across as a bit formulaic, I have to say, the characters of this story are really what made me keep reading.  From our narrator, Amber, a snarky, humorous character who struggles to fit in to her sassy, clairvoyant best friend, Amani, to mean girl/ siren Ivy, each character added a little something to the story that I could appreciate and enjoy.  I really enjoyed the friendship and other relationships in the book as well.  And I can't forget about Charlie...he is such a sweetheart (who just happens to share my fondness for dragons and the film, Pete's Dragon...a favorite from childhood). I could easily see how Amber could fall for him (and not just because of the dragon thing).  And thanks to their distinct personalities and the author's writing, I could easily picture each character as I read the story.

Crystal Cestari has also managed to create a fun, magical world that I wish I could be a part of in this urban fantasy set in Chicago.  While it's similar to our own world, it still has enough magical realism to make it a different and fascinating place to read about.  There are all kinds of magical beings living there and an interesting history to this place which really added to my enjoyment.

But if I had to nitpick, my one complaint would be the pacing of the story and plot.  It just seems to move a tad slower than I'd prefer.  Despite this, The Best Kind of Magic was very entertaining and I look forward to reading more about Amber and her adventures in the next book.

*I received a digital ARC of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

There were so many to choose from (Amber is a fun character filled with a snark sense of humor, and plenty of charm), but I narrowed it down to these:

One lucky winner will win a copy of The Best Kind of Magic!

Rules/Details:

• 1 Finished Copy of THE BEST KIND OF MAGIC by Crystal Cestari
• US/Canada Only
• Each tour stop will be giving away a copy of the book
• Each winner is only eligible to win one book on the tour (You may enter on as many stops as you like, but if you have won on another tour stop, please be honest and let me know. Failure to do so will result in disqualification).
• Runs through May 28th

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don't forget to follow the Tour for more chances to win!