A cute story, set in a world where magic is common and romance is expected awaits readers within the pages of Love Fortunes & Other Disasters by Kimberly Karalius.
Love is real in the town of Grimbaud, and Fallon Dupree has dreamed of attending high school there for years. After all, generations of Duprees have successfully followed the (100% accurate!) love fortunes from Zita’s famous Love Charms Shop to happily marry their high school sweethearts. It’s a tradition. So she is both stunned and devastated when her fortune states that she will NEVER find love.
Fortunately, Fallon isn’t the only student with a terrible love fortune, and a rebellion is brewing. Fallon is determined to take control of her own fate—even if it means working with a notorious heartbreaker like Sebastian.
Will Fallon and Sebastian be able to overthrow Zita’s tyranny and fall in love?
The premise for Love Fortunes & Other Disasters is a sweet one, and Karalius’s world of common, practical magic is charming. The story is very PG and in fact read more like a middle grade than a YA to me. In many ways, I wanted a little more action; a little more drama; just a little more. Since I was set up to expect a YA novel, I also expected everything to be elevated to a bit more complexity.
But despite my misguided expectations, the book is charming. The world Karalius has created is a fun one, and it’s entertaining to see the inner workings unfold as the plot progresses. (The world building is blended into the story itself very seamlessly — though at times, it does slow down the pace just a bit.)
Love Fortunes & Other Disasters was by no means a ground-breaking book — and it didn’t suck me in completely, or make me feel compelled to read just one more chapter (this was a very slow read for me, actually). But it is a cute book, with a very sweet and charming premise, and an ultimately happy ending that will leave readers pleased. It is especially appropriate for younger readers — and I would certainly categorize it as more middle grade than YA.
It is in stores today.
Novel Novice 
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