This was fine. I liked that it took place in Salem, but I found it pretty hard to root for a main character that is mad everyone hates her because she stalked her ex-girlfriend...

Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches
Kate Scelsa

What is not to like about this book? Salem, witches, tarot, Halloween and realistic teenage characters dealing with real issues. Let’s not forget a great supportive Mom.

This is my first time reading anything by Kate Scelsa. I throughly enjoyed this book, and most of the characters. Eleanor is really going through it in this book. I thought the author did a great job in getting across Eleanor’s depression and anxiety. I loved Eleanor’s mom! Talk about supporting your child the right way! Following Eleanor’s journey kept my attention the whole book. I loved how she found herself in the end. I would highly recommend this book. A Special
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What a cute and fun YA title with LGBTQ rep. Teens love fantasy, and I do think many will enjoy this one. However, it wasn't my favorite. Books on witchcraft just don't interest me as much as other fantastical themes.

This book felt like a warm hug, and I loved it. A very multi-faceted portrayal of witchcraft, a nd nuanced representation of Salem, Oregon was very refreshing from the typical, less nuanced, story of Salem witches that books usually give. I loved the journey the main character takes as she processes her trauma, and thought it was beautifully done and very necessary representation for a young adult audience. The characters were so lovable, the romance so sweet, and I will definitely be recommending this on my page :) 4.5 stars

Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches has been one of those reads that made me go into a rollercoaster journey along with the main character. The emotion, the thoughts, and the flashbacks of Eleanor made me feel the same way she did. I loved how Kate Scelsa had put each of the major arcana along with each chapter, and they all go together so well! There were times when I had to shake my head at the characters, but that’s the whole point of good books—it feels all real and you get to experience each character. Not to mention, I felt Salem come out of the pages and it was as if I was really in the town! Definitely a great read, especially with fall coming along so soon!

Want to know what real witchcraft is like? This book gets it.

I loved the way the book was structured around a quirky read on the Major Arcana, and the character voices were intense and immediate. The romance felt truly believable with all its bumps and hitches and sweet moments, even if I would have liked to see a little more interiority on Pix's part, since we don't get her POV, only Eleanor's.

But all in all this was a fantastic read, and I highly recommend.

I love this book! A pamphlet to the Tarot major arcana is our guide to seeing Eleanor out of the last horrible year of her high-school life. With each chapter, we learn a bit more of the past that brought her life to a screaming halt. And we get to watch the happy reawakening of her spirit.

You’ll love this book if you’re interested in a gentle romance, suffering through second-hand high-school drama, and enjoy watching tensions ease and new friendships form.

I am so grateful to the author and NetGalley for letting me review an early copy of this excellent LGBT YA romance!

Eleanor lives in the witchy capital of the world- Salem, MA and even works in a witch-themed gift shop. However, she is as cynical and uninterested in witch stuff as she can be. Her only concern is making it through the day long enough to get to smoke a joint. One day, she receives a hand-drawn guide to the major arcana of a famous tarot deck. This guide serves as a framework for the story as we learn bits about Eleanor's past, interspersed with her new relationships with a coven of teen witches determined to heal the energy of Salem.

This was such a great story, and I loved how the tarot guide framed the story and made it flow. The characters were a great mix- from tortured Eleanor to determined Ofira to lovely Pix, and more. Definitely an awesome teen sapphic romance, with a little witchiness to add to the story.

Thank you to Harper Collins for this Netgalley book in exchange for an honest review. Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches is a fiction sapphic romance taking place in Salem Massachusetts between jaded skeptical Eleanor and Pix, as well as their new burgeoning friendship and more.

While this is not a magical book in the traditional sense, no flying dragons or enchantments, the magic of this book cannot be understated. There is the literal magic--an accurate, positive representation of many modern witches and eclectic witchcraft. There is the figurative magic--of the relationships between the characters, seeing a truly flawed MC develop throughout the book and acknowledge their faults. The 'bad' characters felt believable and the depiction of PTSD, was so accurate it could be jarring or hard to look at . I am a 30 year old trans man with bills but I was transported into the shoes of a 17 year old girl with a very real life, friends, family, and issues. I felt myself in every step of this book.

As a modern skeptical pagan I loved seeing how magic was portrayed. the pacing never left me feeling bored, and even though I would label this as contemporary more than fantasy, I still think it's a fantastic read even the most die-hard spec fic lover could enjoy. I gave this 5 out of 5 stars. I would take a star away because I woke my fiancee up sobbing in bed next to him while reading this, but that's really my own fault.

We have to start with props for an awesome title. Even with that title, I was sorta expecting a formulaic teen romance with some mopey angst thrown it. I was right, but this book also has layers and unexpected depth. Nothing is over romanticized-from the town of Salem, MA to witchcraft to the actual romance. The author did a nice job balancing the many facets of this novel and has given us some interesting characters as well. If you're into Tarot cards, it's a must-read.
Trigger warnings: attempted rape, drug use, bullying
In all, not your average book about witches!
#NetGalley

I just LOVED Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches by #KateScelsa!
I truly knew nothing about tarot before starting this book, but even the skeptic in me was blown away.

Eleanor is such an endearing character. Though by not without faults, her self conscious and anxiety-ridden nature is so relatable. The flashbacks from Eleanor's previous year that parallel the present storyline with Pix and the other girls from the coven flow so neatly together.

While the themes are a bit too mature for my middle school students, I'd highly recommend this to high school-age and above; particularly anyone who loves YA queer lit and the mystical/magical. They should definitely pick this book up when it comes out!


ARC provided by #HarperCollinsChildrensBooks and #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a super fun, quick read that gave me some very nice autumnal, witchy vibes (which were very nice since I was reading it in the spring). The descriptions of Salem and the area in October made me miss New England autumns. The romance was also very cute, and I really enjoyed the tarot Major Arcana framing chapters and how the story followed the card’s interpretations.

I've read a lot of YA books centered around witches and magic in the last few years, and you might think that might make me tired of them- but I haven't yet! So I was excited to read Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches when I got my hands on it as it seemed like a fun concept. But after reading it, and enjoying a lot of it, it just leaves me with a lot of mixed feelings.

Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches follows Eleanor who lives where else but Salem. After a really tough couple of years of her mom being sick, losing her ex, then being exiled by her classmates, Eleanor is cynical and jaded to many parts of life but especially magic and the town's general festivities. But this changes when a girl named Pix enters Eleanor's life and claims to be a witch, and wants to open Eleanor's eyes to other parts of life she has been neglecting.

I loved about 80% of this book. I really loved Eleanor. She seemed to me to be incredibly strong despite so much happening to her at a young age. She had such a big heart and I really loved watching Pix open her back up to the world. I really enjoyed that aspect of the book.

The formatting and pacing of this story being told through the lens of tarot cards was very cool and creative too. I appreciate the lens in which we could view events happening to and around Eleanor.

I'm personally not pagan but seeing actual pagan practices in a book about witches was really interesting to me. When I first requested my ARC for this book, I assumed it would be a witch book akin to These Witches Don't Burn, (which I did enjoy) but it wasn't really that at all. It was interesting and I was into the story of cleansing Salem too.

But in this book when we learn why Eleanor lost her ex Chloe and was ostracized by her friends leaves me with mixed feelings. Without veering too hard into spoilers, I totally understand why Eleanor was heartbroken over Chloe but the way she handled the aftermath of that heartbreak was not at all healthy and it brought my sympathy level for Eleanor down. It just made me uncomfortable. I understand that it reframes a lot of this book as a redeeming story for Eleanor and it does work for that, but still the way it was handled made me uncomfortable, and I think there are different ways this issue could have been depicted.

Also I think it's worth mentioning the marijuana use in this book. Often when YA books feature alcohol or marijuana I really don't care. I personally both drank and smoked marijuana as a teenager (still do lol). But this book features very heavy marijuana use especially by Eleanor to cope with aspects of her life. And to me this came across as unhealthy and never fully addressed to help Eleanor have healthier coping mechanisms than getting high. I think this could have been a good example of showing Eleanor transferring from unhealthy to healthier coping mechanisms as I think that is an important conversation to have. All the time in my life I see people self medicating for serious things in their life. But this concept in the book didn't get fully fleshed out instead just showing Eleanor high a lot of the time.

This was a fast book for me, I got through it all in about 4-5 hours of reading so it's not a major time investment for a nice little story, though not without flaws. 3.5/5.

Thank you to HarperCollins and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I appreciate the opportunity from NetGalley to listen to and read this advanced reading copy. I will try to let my dislike of the synthetic voice audiobook affect my review. As it turns out, that isn’t how I like my audiobooks. I need it read by an actual person.

Anyway, this is overall a cute witchy queer fantasy book. I do have a few qualms about it. I really wish they hadn’t included the bit of Eleanor showing up at her ex best friend’s (and crush’s) house multiple times when it’s unwanted. The stereotype of the lesbian predator is a tale as old as time, and one I’m sick of seeing. I dislike it being included here.

I’ll be interested to read reviews from Pagans to speak to that part of it as I can’t speak to the truth of that. I did find it really interesting and overall enjoyed reading it. I will also mention that the drug mentions such as marijuana are prevalent throughout the book and may be something to consider when recommending to a younger teen.

Brains are a wondrous organ. The way they mature over time and start mapping out feelings and experiences is a magic all their own. When you read this book, you will quickly be reminded of how far you have matured over the years. When you recall obsessing over the smallest details as a teen, when you had blown small trips into the biggest falls, when someone caught your eye and you needed to know everything about them. Now, having played a grown up for a decade or two, you are able to process failings without free-falling into despair, you can fall in love without it taking over every part of your day, you can hug a little harder and breathe a little more easily as your brain has calmed down and your heart has kept you on your journey.

It was beautiful to experience all those heightened emotions with all the characters. Reading as they find a small niche for themselves in a community that enjoyed ostracizing those that are different. The magic is common day and the energy of the book? You will absorb it as each tarot chapter card is deconstructed. I loved this book and hope you give it a glance because we all need a little reminder, a little magic, from time to time.

I’m kind of obsessed with this book. It was so good! The fact that the story with what happened the year before slowly unfolded as Elenor worked through her trauma was a fantastic choice. I think it played in very well. I related to Elenor so much

Thank you, Balzer + Bray, for allowing me to read Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches early!

I loved the premise, the characters, the setting and the pacing. A really wonderful sophomore young adult novel for Kate Scelsa. I was especially intrigued by Eleanor's introspective journey and the way one needs to confront their past to have a better present.

A delightful book full of adventure, action, and thrills. Fun to read, engrossing world building, and very descriptive imagery made it feel like it was cinematic. It's hard to resist the story as it drives forward. Would recommend.

Wow! I absolutely adored this gem of a novel.. The characters are just SO lovable and the world building of Salem MA drew me deep into the story. I felt like I could see the whole town so clearly in my head and I was deeply invested in the main characters story from beginning to end.

If you are in need for a cozy but heartfelt read that focuses on forgiving yourself, trusting again, and learning how to be proud of who you are then this is the novel for you. Also if you adore sapphic stories with cute moments that will make you squee.

I hadn;t heard anything about this book so I didn't go into it with any expectations. However, if I did the book would have surpassed them. I quite enjoy seeing people grow from mistakes they've made, Seeing Eleanor get accepted in the coven and find a healthy community of friends meant so much to me.