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Searching... Salem Main Library | TEEN Cestari, C. | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
Amber Sand is not a witch. The Sand family magical gene somehow leapfrogged over her. But she did get one highly specific bewitching 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.
Author Notes
Crystal Cestari lives just outside Chicago with her daughter. Her hobbies include avoiding broccoli and wandering the aisles at Target. She holds a master's degree in mass communication, and writes all her stories in longhand. She is the author of the Windy City Magic series and Super Adjacent .
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 7-10-Amber Sand comes from a family of highly respectable and powerful witches. Except Amber isn't a witch. She's a matchmaker, down on the lower end of the supernatural scale. Amber enjoys giving people the news they want to hear-that they will not end up alone-and she works out of her mother's magic shop. Unfortunately, she can't see her own perfect match. Not helping matters is her best friend Amani, who can see into the future but won't give Amber any hints. The mayor's son, Charlie, asks for her help. His dad's girlfriend has disappeared. While the mayor wants to find her, Charlie wants to break them up. Amber agrees to help, and they are soon making their way through Chicago's supernatural world. The teens start to develop feelings for each other, but Amber knows they're not meant to be. What good is it to date someone when you know you won't end up together? Though initially this fun read seems to be another cutesy supernatural tale, it also explores the question of fate. Amber is a strong heroine who refuses to back down from bullies and struggles with her relationship with her mother. There is a bit of mystery with the missing girlfriend, but it's solved well before the end. The conclusion and the characters will leave readers wanting more. VERDICT This is a perfect light summer read and a good addition to most libraries.-Faythe -Arredondo, Tulare County Library, CA © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
A missing person leads the mayor of Chicago to call on the supernatural community for help in debut author Cestari's enjoyable first book in the Windy City Magic series. High school senior Amber Sand is a wannabe baker with a gift for matchmaking, but her powers pale in comparison to those of her mother, a witch, and Amber's psychic best friend, Amani, a "precog." Even so, Amber and the mayor's son, Charlie, are thrown together to help, leading to plenty of consternation when things start to take a romantic turn, though Amber knows she's not his soul mate. Cestari adds amusing magical underpinnings to familiar growing pains: feelings of inadequacy in school, trying (and failing) to meet parental expectations, and botched romantic entanglements. (That girl who always seems to have Manchester Prep's students and teachers falling all over her? A siren.) Amber's doubts about her abilities-both in the magical community and in the kitchen-and her sharp wit make her an authentic and relatable narrator as she's forced to learn how to see the magic in the everyday. Ages 12-up. Agent: Jess Regel, Foundry Literary + Media. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Amber's already lowly position in Chicago's magical community is challenged when she begins to doubt her matchmaking powers. This identity crisis affects both high-school and city politics as Amber helps her classmate, the mayor's son Charlie, find his missing stepmother-to-be (while fighting off her own feelings for him). Despite plot inconsistencies, Cestari's debut fantasy is appealing, limning as many real-world issues as magical ones. (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A magical matchmaker searches for her own true love in this magic-infused Chicago.Amber Sand descends from a long line of witchesher family goes all the way back to Salembut all she can do is look into someone's eyes and see their true love. Matchmaking is a far cry from being a witch like her mother or a precog like her best friend, Amani Sharmaor a siren like Ivy Chamberlain, the villain in an underbaked bullying plotline. Also poorly developed is Amber's relationship with her mother, summed up with her frustration that "Mom always thinks like a witch first and a mother second." Then Charlie Blitzman, one of Amber's classmates, asks for her help in finding his father's missing girlfriend. As they investigate, Amber and Charlie draw closer, but Amber can't help feeling guilty. She's falling for Charliebut she knows she's not his true love. Or maybe her matchmaking isn't sure-fire, given how Amani reacts to her predicted true love.Character development feels forced. Amber seems to act immaturely for a high school senior, and her use of sign language with Amani comes across as obtrusively quirky. Despite the use of a Swahili first name and Sanskrit surname to signal that Amani may be a person of color, there is no exploration of her identity. The conclusion clumsily sets up a sequel, one bound to blow up Amber's sweet, engaging romance with Charlie. Somewhat enjoyable provided it's not examined too closely. (Fantasy. 12-16) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Amber Sand is definitely not a witch. Her mom is, though, and Amber has spent her entire life surrounded by Chicago's secret magical underworld. Amber's just a matchmaker: she can see everyone's soul mate but her own. She works in her mother's magic shop on tourist trap Navy Pier and hangs out with her best friend Amani, a reluctant seer. When Charlie Blitzman, son of Chicago's mayor and the most eligible guy in school, asks Amber for help tracking down his dad's missing girlfriend, she isn't sure how she can help, but promises to do what she can. Problem is, the more time she spends with Charlie, the more she falls for him. But she can see that she's not Charlie's true love, so what's the point? Supporting cast members are a little one-sided, but this cute take on paranormal romance is stuffed full of entertaining supernatural creatures: a nightclub-owning vampire, a high-school siren, a gold-digging leprechaun. Though this particular mystery is neatly wrapped up, enough loose ends promise more adventures to come.--Reagan, Maggie Copyright 2017 Booklist