A plucky writer of spells must team up with a frustratingly charming magician to uncover the secrets of a dangerous grimoire—and maybe open her heart in the process—in this light academia young adult romantasy perfect for fans of Margaret Rogerson.

No one is allowed past the gargoyles guarding the doors of Thistledown Library. Spellwright Fia Ives should know—for months she’s hoped to be admitted inside to find a magic powerful enough to locate her late mother’s spellbook. One midnight, she finally breaks in, only to discover three mysterious figures already searching the forbidden stacks.

When the library announces the theft of a dangerous grimoire, suspicion falls on Fia. The only way to clear her name is to root out the thieves she spied that night. However, solving a magical theft isn’t easy while running her inherited spellshop alone. So Fia hires the first person who applies to help—the insufferably charming Penbrook Madbury, who is as sleepy as a cat and just as stubborn. Fia isn’t sure she can trust him with her reckless plan (let alone her beloved shop), but there’s something about the secretive magician that tempts her to try.

As a strange magic curls through town, Fia must risk her own heart to unravel a string of curses before they claim both her and Penbrook. And if some of those curses require kisses to break them, well, that’s just the whimsy of magic.