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The Dues & Don'ts of Magic
Not yet published
Expected 6 Oct 26The Spellshop meets Legends & Lattes in this new cozy romantic fantasy trilogy about magic gone wrong, by the bestselling author of The House Witch series! Spidena Kettle runs a quiet magic shop at the edge of town, selling just enough spells and potions to keep herself afloat—and out of trouble—when Benthrop Hozel enters her shop one day. On the run from the nefarious sort, he simply wishes to be forgotten by his pursuers. In exchange, he promises a favor. Such a deal could have dire consequences if Ben is unable to fulfill his end of the bargain. Not that the witch is overly concerned—after all, there’s no risk to her making such an arrangement with a normal human. Only…Ben may be more than he seems. With their fates forcibly intertwined for a full journey, Spidena and Ben must not only evade their enemies and use precious magical resources to get by, but confront the secrets they’ve long kept…that is, if they can manage to stop getting on each other’s last nerve for long enough to do so.
- GenresFantasy
Kindle Edition
Expected publication October 6, 2026
About the author
Delemhach
11 books2,147 followersDelemhach is the Canadian author of the popular online series, The House Witch, and is already hard at work on the sequel series, The Burning Witch. When they aren’t following the whims of their unfortunately intelligent cats, Kraken and Pina Colada, they are teaching music privately to their students. In their spare time outside of writing and work, they enjoy cooking, reading, hiking, spending time with family, and trying not to remember their socially awkward moments.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 3, 2026
Rating: 3.5 stars
The Dues and Don’t of Magic is Delemhach’s traditional publishing debut. The story is a cozy fantasy novel about two people who are traveling together after being connected through magical fate. Spidena is a witch who specializes in various magical practices but needs a traveling companion. When Ben requests that he use her magic on a major spell, Spidena requires he travel with her to protect her. The two engage in a series of adventures and misadventures along the way, making friends and encountering foes.
The story is a lot of fun, following two characters who are trying their hardest not to fall in love. Spidena and Ben are both grumpy and secretive, keeping things from each other that often become relevant. The side characters in the story are quirky and nuanced, creating a lot of extra chaos in our characters’ already chaotic situation. There are dryads and mushroom-headed sprites and faeries and talking ducks and lots of fun, quirky characters that feel entertaining and engaging.
This book has a decent amount of violence for a cozy fantasy; we have lots of fights involving our characters, including injuries and bloodshed. There is also discussion of genocide that can feel heavy in the story. The romance plotline is a notable subplot but there is no explicit content beyond a few jokes between characters.
The pacing in the third act of the story didn’t feel quite right; I felt underwhelmed by the climax, and was surprised when the book ended so abruptly. I understand that cozy books tend to have lower stakes, but the moment didn’t feel like it had enough gravity, especially given all of the scrapes that our characters had already encountered. Upon reflection, I can see which moment was the story’s climax, but at the time it felt like yet another magical fight in a long string of magical fights.
Altogether, this was a really fun cozy fantasy with engaging characters, silly hijinks and fun adventures. The stakes feel a little higher than most cozy fantasy stories, but it’s an enjoyable time and worth a read if you love the genre.
Thank you to the publisher for this advanced reader copy!
The Dues and Don’t of Magic is Delemhach’s traditional publishing debut. The story is a cozy fantasy novel about two people who are traveling together after being connected through magical fate. Spidena is a witch who specializes in various magical practices but needs a traveling companion. When Ben requests that he use her magic on a major spell, Spidena requires he travel with her to protect her. The two engage in a series of adventures and misadventures along the way, making friends and encountering foes.
The story is a lot of fun, following two characters who are trying their hardest not to fall in love. Spidena and Ben are both grumpy and secretive, keeping things from each other that often become relevant. The side characters in the story are quirky and nuanced, creating a lot of extra chaos in our characters’ already chaotic situation. There are dryads and mushroom-headed sprites and faeries and talking ducks and lots of fun, quirky characters that feel entertaining and engaging.
This book has a decent amount of violence for a cozy fantasy; we have lots of fights involving our characters, including injuries and bloodshed. There is also discussion of genocide that can feel heavy in the story. The romance plotline is a notable subplot but there is no explicit content beyond a few jokes between characters.
The pacing in the third act of the story didn’t feel quite right; I felt underwhelmed by the climax, and was surprised when the book ended so abruptly. I understand that cozy books tend to have lower stakes, but the moment didn’t feel like it had enough gravity, especially given all of the scrapes that our characters had already encountered. Upon reflection, I can see which moment was the story’s climax, but at the time it felt like yet another magical fight in a long string of magical fights.
Altogether, this was a really fun cozy fantasy with engaging characters, silly hijinks and fun adventures. The stakes feel a little higher than most cozy fantasy stories, but it’s an enjoyable time and worth a read if you love the genre.
Thank you to the publisher for this advanced reader copy!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
If cozy fantasy is your thing, you need to add The Dues & Don’ts of Magic to your TBR immediately. Seriously. The book blurb does not do this story justice at all. It does not remotely prepare you for the absolute chaos waiting inside these pages, and I mean that in the best possible way.
This book was delightful from start to finish. The writing style is fantastic, descriptive enough to fully pull you into the world without ever slowing the story down. Delemhach has a way of making scenes feel vivid and alive while still keeping the pacing light and fun.
The world-building was also so well done. It takes fantasy elements and creatures we are already familiar with and gives them just enough of a twist to make everything feel fresh and unique again. It felt cozy and whimsical while still having enough depth to stay engaging.
And the characters? I loved them. Spidena and Ben could not be more opposite, and the banter between them was absolutely fantastic. Their personalities bounced off each other perfectly and created so many genuinely entertaining moments.
The side characters deserve praise too because every single one felt purposeful. They were not just background filler standing around looking decorative. They added to the story, to the humor, and to the emotional weight of the book. Everyone felt fully realized and important.
And then there’s that ending.
Rude. Absolutely rude. Gut-wrenching in a way I was not expecting from such a cozy, chaotic fantasy. Why do authors do this to us?
I need the next book immediately.
This book was delightful from start to finish. The writing style is fantastic, descriptive enough to fully pull you into the world without ever slowing the story down. Delemhach has a way of making scenes feel vivid and alive while still keeping the pacing light and fun.
The world-building was also so well done. It takes fantasy elements and creatures we are already familiar with and gives them just enough of a twist to make everything feel fresh and unique again. It felt cozy and whimsical while still having enough depth to stay engaging.
And the characters? I loved them. Spidena and Ben could not be more opposite, and the banter between them was absolutely fantastic. Their personalities bounced off each other perfectly and created so many genuinely entertaining moments.
The side characters deserve praise too because every single one felt purposeful. They were not just background filler standing around looking decorative. They added to the story, to the humor, and to the emotional weight of the book. Everyone felt fully realized and important.
And then there’s that ending.
Rude. Absolutely rude. Gut-wrenching in a way I was not expecting from such a cozy, chaotic fantasy. Why do authors do this to us?
I need the next book immediately.
Read
May 14, 2026Delemhach as once again start an amazing series and I am so excited to see where this one goes.
First off - I want to take NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read the eARC of this. I have read every other Delemhach book and was extremely excited for this.
Delemhach has created a completely different world - nothing like the environment created in the House Witch and related spin of series. In this world there are pixies, werewolves, faeries, nymphs, etc. The story centers around Spidena and Ben who are fate tied due to a transaction of magic. This story line follows their journey across the land to another town. While the story started with limited background information, the characters' histories were developed along the story line.
I am surprised how others have commented that the story line is darker than Delemhach's other series. While this world does not appear to be as joyful as the House Witch, I did not feel there were any scenes in this book that would make it significantly darker. I still have my moments where I would snort-laugh and something the characters did. Overall this is a great start to a new series and I am ready for the next book to come out!!!
First off - I want to take NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read the eARC of this. I have read every other Delemhach book and was extremely excited for this.
Delemhach has created a completely different world - nothing like the environment created in the House Witch and related spin of series. In this world there are pixies, werewolves, faeries, nymphs, etc. The story centers around Spidena and Ben who are fate tied due to a transaction of magic. This story line follows their journey across the land to another town. While the story started with limited background information, the characters' histories were developed along the story line.
I am surprised how others have commented that the story line is darker than Delemhach's other series. While this world does not appear to be as joyful as the House Witch, I did not feel there were any scenes in this book that would make it significantly darker. I still have my moments where I would snort-laugh and something the characters did. Overall this is a great start to a new series and I am ready for the next book to come out!!!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I do like a cozy fantasy and the author's House Witch series has been something that I've wanted to read for a while, but sometimes a cover just grabs your attention and title latches on to your imagination and you find that the newest book jumps ahead in the queue. The Dues & Don'ts of Magic has all the low-stakes fantasy atmosphere, a bit of adventure mixed with magic and a (slow-burn) romance between two of the most resistant of romantic partners. The repartee between Spidena and Ben, the two main characters, is sharp and funny and the lengths that they go to keeping each other near but at arm's length is on par with some of the best rom-coms I've seen. The friends they make along their journey compliment the characters and make this already enjoyable story even more so. As with many first books in a series, the ending is not the end and, in this case, I can't wait for the next installment to pick up where we dropped off.
I received access to this eARC thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher, Saga Press) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.
I received access to this eARC thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher, Saga Press) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Was very lucky to receive an e-ARC of this cozy cottage core fantasy story. I will admit it’s not my usual genre, I have read the Spellshop and saw a lot of comparisons to that kind of story.
This is a story of an odd witch named Spidena and a man on the run named Benthrop. When Ben approaches Spidena looking for a magical solution to his problems, the side effects and consequences of their deal unleashes a whole chain of events that bind them together through a quest. But together is not what either is particularly excited about - it would be fair to say neither is a fan of the other. But as they journey together, they learn more about each other and themselves. Add in a crew of secondary characters that are an assortment of magical creatures (and some non magical), this is a really cozy world to dive into for a while.
For me, this read more on the YA side of fantasy, not so much in lacking spice, that’s fine, but in the immaturity of the relationship between the two main characters. Kind of repetitive bickering and banter. And the pacing for me was verging on too slow.
This is a story of an odd witch named Spidena and a man on the run named Benthrop. When Ben approaches Spidena looking for a magical solution to his problems, the side effects and consequences of their deal unleashes a whole chain of events that bind them together through a quest. But together is not what either is particularly excited about - it would be fair to say neither is a fan of the other. But as they journey together, they learn more about each other and themselves. Add in a crew of secondary characters that are an assortment of magical creatures (and some non magical), this is a really cozy world to dive into for a while.
For me, this read more on the YA side of fantasy, not so much in lacking spice, that’s fine, but in the immaturity of the relationship between the two main characters. Kind of repetitive bickering and banter. And the pacing for me was verging on too slow.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for a review.
I've read some of Delemhach's work before (The House Witch trilogy), and I think I enjoyed the start to her new series even more. Spidena and Ben are fantastic, well-drawn characters, and the cast of folks that end up surrounding them on this part of their journey are wonderful. The benefits and the issues of the magic system were interesting, along with the slow revelations of the more political side of issues in the world.
But the banter and annoyances between Spidena and Ben were hilarious and delightful, and the slowest of slow burns of their romance felt really natural. Along the way, we learn more about Ben and Spidena's secrets, but of course, there's more to come in the next books of the trilogy!
I've read some of Delemhach's work before (The House Witch trilogy), and I think I enjoyed the start to her new series even more. Spidena and Ben are fantastic, well-drawn characters, and the cast of folks that end up surrounding them on this part of their journey are wonderful. The benefits and the issues of the magic system were interesting, along with the slow revelations of the more political side of issues in the world.
But the banter and annoyances between Spidena and Ben were hilarious and delightful, and the slowest of slow burns of their romance felt really natural. Along the way, we learn more about Ben and Spidena's secrets, but of course, there's more to come in the next books of the trilogy!
Review of advance copy
I received this Adnvance Readers Copy from Monkeykat (independent bookstore) for an honest review.
Ben (ex-military) and Spidena (independent chaotic whitch) embark on a timeless journey together after striking a magically infused deal. Their fates become tied and more complex as they travel through robbers, magical creatures, and make friends to join the adventure. But not everything or everyone is as it seems..
This cozy fantasy was a nice cold pillow for my brain to rest everytime I needed a break from reality. I enjoyed the entire thing and can't wait to see where this duo and their friends end up!
Ben (ex-military) and Spidena (independent chaotic whitch) embark on a timeless journey together after striking a magically infused deal. Their fates become tied and more complex as they travel through robbers, magical creatures, and make friends to join the adventure. But not everything or everyone is as it seems..
This cozy fantasy was a nice cold pillow for my brain to rest everytime I needed a break from reality. I enjoyed the entire thing and can't wait to see where this duo and their friends end up!
May 20, 2026
4.5 ⭐️ Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
This cozy fantasy adventure is filled with laughs, chaotic encounters, and fantastic banter. The mostly good-natured quarrelling between the main characters is what made this book for me.
The world is packed with magical creatures and whimsical moments, but beneath the lighter tone there are hints of deeper emotional wounds and past traumas that give the story a darker, more intimate feel.
The romance is a very satisfying slow burn that slowly sneaks up on you. By the end, I was completely invested in these fate-tied reluctant allies and already desperate to know what happens next.
This cozy fantasy adventure is filled with laughs, chaotic encounters, and fantastic banter. The mostly good-natured quarrelling between the main characters is what made this book for me.
The world is packed with magical creatures and whimsical moments, but beneath the lighter tone there are hints of deeper emotional wounds and past traumas that give the story a darker, more intimate feel.
The romance is a very satisfying slow burn that slowly sneaks up on you. By the end, I was completely invested in these fate-tied reluctant allies and already desperate to know what happens next.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I really wanted to love this book, but it just wasn't for me. The writing itself is very good with nice world building and the characters are well thought out, but I couldn't stay engaged in the story and found my mind wandering quite often. It felt like I was supposed to be excited but I just... wasn't. That said, I would still recommend it for lovers of cozy fantasy as I believe there are many readers who would enjoy it.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I would like to express my gratitude to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read this e-book.
Good start to the trilogy. I love all the different characters and how they fit together in their adventure. I loved the twist at the end of the book too. I didn't see it coming, but looking back I can't believe I missed it. That's the magic of great writing! I'll do my best to wait patiently for the second book.
Good start to the trilogy. I love all the different characters and how they fit together in their adventure. I loved the twist at the end of the book too. I didn't see it coming, but looking back I can't believe I missed it. That's the magic of great writing! I'll do my best to wait patiently for the second book.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley for an arc of this book. Spidena Kettle is a quirky witch who meets Bentrop Hozel in need of some help. As Spidena agrees to help him for a favor which is taking her to Kintel, it becomes this journey. A journey of chaos and magic. A cozy fantasy when you want to take a magical journey.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I really enjoyed this. not too serious, extremely cozy vibes, some slow burn romance and a bunch ot weird goofy side characters? count me in, ill be waiting for the second book
*arc received from Netgalley in exxhange for an honest review
*arc received from Netgalley in exxhange for an honest review
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This is a cozy fantasy read, but it just couldn't hold my interest.
Our MCs, Ben and Spidena are fate tied into going on a journey together. They keep running into trouble because of the tie. They meet some fun side characters along the way.
The banter between the characters was fun as they were growing to like each other.
Even so, this one wasn't really for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Sage Press for the e-arc in exchange for honest feedback.
Our MCs, Ben and Spidena are fate tied into going on a journey together. They keep running into trouble because of the tie. They meet some fun side characters along the way.
The banter between the characters was fun as they were growing to like each other.
Even so, this one wasn't really for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Sage Press for the e-arc in exchange for honest feedback.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews