EXTRAORDINARY QUESTS FOR AMATEUR WITCHES

A failed mage who’s been dumped by his boyfriend must find a magical cure-all.

In the last six months, 17-year-old Kieran Pelumbra has broken his family curse, moved in with his sister and her girlfriend, and begun dating a handsome apprentice librarian named Ash Bartelle. Everything should be coming up roses—but for some reason, Ash is avoiding him. When Ash asks for some space, Kieran writes some deeply angsty poetry, in the process accidentally afflicting his erstwhile love with a curse. Now, in a manifestation of his feelings, Kieran is literally invisible to Ash. Aghast (and terrified of the Witches’ Council), Kieran and friends travel by aeroship on a quest for a panacea to break Ash’s curse. Once Kieran acquires the cure, Ash will love him again, right? With the help of Sebastian Feng, a gorgeous, bisexual 18-year-old, Kieran races against an evil CEO who’ll happily kill them all if he gets to the panacea first. Gloomy and businesslike, Sebastian is like catnip to Kieran, a talkative boy who wears ruffles and sweater vests. With so much going on—constant attempted murder, lustful efforts at curse alleviation, lots of side quests—it’s impressive that Kieran has time to discover his magical talent. Kieran is cued white, Ash has “warm brown skin” and “tight curls,” and Sebastian is from a fantasy analogue to East Asia.

A trope-packed queer romance with a satisfyingly happy ending.