Book Review: Who Needs Magic?

Author: Kathy McCullough

Publication Date: July 9, 2013
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Series: Magic # 2

The sequel to DON'T EXPECT MAGIC! Now that Delaney Collins knows she’s a fairy godmother, she’s ready to make magic happen. But first, she has to find her next client. And it’s not as easy as she thought it would be.

Delaney’s spending the summer working at Treasures, a secondhand store at the mall, surrounded by cool vintage boots—and potential clients. But when she finally feels a connection with Jeni, a girl who needs a life-changing, happily-ever-after wish . . . Jeni doesn’t want her help. And to make matters worse, Delaney finds herself competing with another f.g. Glittery, sparkly Ariella is an uber-f.g., granting wishes with a flick of her lemon candy stick, while Delaney can’t seem to make anything happen. Not even a summer romance with her boyfriend, Flynn.

It takes more than waving a chopstick to make big wishes come true. But what good is being an f.g. if you can’t make the boy you like want to be with you as much as you want to be with him?

It’s taking all my willpower not to point my Popsicle stick Theo’s way and recharge his phone battery so he can keep playing his war-on-the-high-seas game. But I’m forbidden from using magic in front of Theo. Dad and Gina don’t want to tell him about the whole f.g. thing until the time is right.

Like there’s ever going to be a right time for Dad to tell his girlfriend’s ten-year-old son, “Hey, I’m a fairy godmother.” I really think they should let me tell Theo that I’m a fairy godmother first, because at least I’m female.

“You felt one wish, and you got it wrong. It doesn’t count.”

You know how people say “there were fireworks” when they kissed? I always pictured that as fireworks going off overhead, in the sky, above and around you. But it’s not like that. The fireworks are inside; little explosions of energy and heat in every limb, every cell. Tiny sparklers igniting behind your eyes, in your ears. My whole body flushes hot while my skin prickles from the cool air, and it almost seems like maybe I’ll explode. “Happy Independence Day,” Flynn says when we pull apart.

  Delaney Collins is an f.g. That stands for “Fairy Godmother.” She hasn’t quite embraced the job yet, and she doesn’t quite know if she ever will. She is only fifteen years old herself, and is still trying to figure out a way to fit in, or should I say blend in, in high school. Not only is Delaney an f.g., but her father is one too. Delaney has already had her first client, Flynn, who ended up being her boyfriend after all was said and done. She is working on developing her line of boots and holding down a summer job at Treasures, a local secondhand boutique, when she meets another f.g. The only problem with this is, Delaney thought she and her dad were the only ones. Now Delaney has to deal with “Tinker Bell”, as she calls her, whose real name is Ariella. Ariella proves to be a problem for Delaney because she can grant wishes at the drop of a hat, something that Delaney seems to be having trouble with. Delaney is starting to think that she may not be cut out for this whole f.g. lifestyle, and she may be right!

Delaney is still finding out who is right and what she wants from life. This is one reason that I love her character so much. It really feels like I am talking to a fifteen-year-old hormonal teenager. Delaney is quirky and has her own sense of style. I love reading about her boots and her ventures at the secondhand store where she works. In this book more so than the first one in this series, Delaney is trying to separate her life from the f.g. side and the normal teenager side. She is having trouble distinguishing between the two, and this is a battle that readers will enjoy witnessing firsthand.

Ariella sometimes got on my nerves, just as she did Delaney’s, but I think she was a nice change or addition to Delaney’s story. We have Delaney, who I have described a little bit above, and then we have Ariella, who is the absolute opposite of Delaney. She is motivated, enthusiastic, and completely compelled by her call to be an f.g. Delaney often refers to her as “Tinker Bell” and I think this genuinely reflects her personality. She is an interesting secondary character who is meant to be overly cheerful. I commend McCullough on another f.g. I think the concept is just to die for!

***A copy of this book was provided to me by the publishers at Delacorte Press in exchange for my honest review***