Librarian Ellie is perfectly happy working in her local library and indulging in her interests, baking scones, and investigating mysteries. When such a mystery, a beautiful woman, sipping tea, appears in her library, the chemistry is undeniable.

The mysterious woman, Prospero, is actually a witch from the magical land of Crenshaw might be ruthless, but she is determined to save her homeland, and Ellie is the key. Ellie’s powers haven’t yet manifested, but that’s about to change. It will set the two on a dangerous adventure as their feelings for one another become deeper and more complicated.

This is the first book. No date set yet for the next, but I’ll definitely be revisiting Crenshaw. I mean, they had me at librarian, queer, and magic. What else do I even need in a book? Not much, I’ll tell you that. Ellie and Prospero are at the heart of the story, but there are other important characters who play a prominent role in Crenshaw and saving it. Secrets are revealed (and kept), bonds are formed (and broken) and several characters have to choose between their heads and hearts. There’s solid, queer rep and plenty of tension as well as twists and turns. Definitely recommend.

I will be very honest, I did not know what to expect with this book. It was marketed as romance, but I am not sure if that's exactly what this was. The romance in this book was not truly explored or really explained. It just was...kind of there. I didn't really get any good vibes and truly had a hard time finishing this book. Which I must say is difficult for me to admit as I usually adore what Melissa Marr writes.

Content Warnings: Memory/Mind Manipulation, Arranged/Forced Marriage, Traffic Accident with Injuries, Abusive Relationships

I think this book is misadvertised. From the cover and description, it sounds like it’s going to be a fun, light, romance/fantasy with one central couple. While it contains both romance and fantasy, it is neither fun nor light; likewise, it consistently shifts between multiple points of view and three couples: Ellie & Prospero (Lesbian, Major couple); Maggie & Sondre (Heterosexual, Major couple); Dan & Axyll (Gay/Pan, Minor couple).

I loved some of the world building, especially the different domains of magic. Unfortunately, it was pretty much window dressing for the romance/adventure stories. The plot was all over the place, starting off kind of light and fun, but growing increasingly complex and dark. I like complex and dark, normally, but trying to do it while keeping multiple romances as the focus just didn’t work. It was tonally inconsistent.

Relatedly, of the three romances, I only really liked one: the minor couple (Dan & Axyll), not the least of which because their romance is the only one based solely on mutual attraction and gradually learning about each other. Ellie & Prospero is a toxic romance because of Prospero’s ability to manipulate people’s minds; while there is mutual attraction, there’s no skirting that at the end of the book, Ellie has chosen NOT to pursue Prospero and is roped back into magic land by being brainwashed. Maggie & Sondre is less toxic and more tragic, as both of them are victims of Prospero’s mind manipulation. It’s still toxic in that, again, by the end of the book despite mutual attraction they are only together because they are forced to be – if they weren’t together, Maggie would be killed. The characters thus, ultimately, have no agency, despite all their struggles to get it earlier in the book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a bit torn by this one... on one hand, I've been in an awful reading slump and managed to read this in a few hours. On the other hand... it's was all over the place. I couldn't figure out where the characters were going. It was very VERY fast paced, and didn't let me fully believe in any of the romances. There were waaaay too many magical fix-its, and not enough time spent delving into the fact that Crenshaw is dying. Yes, it's said every other line and poisonous water and stinky water are brought up but that just isn't enough world-building to convince me to buy-in. Your magic can heal cancer instantaneously and stop aging, but your only solution to people who don't want to abandon everyone they know is non existent? WHY?!

I'm frustrated but intrigued by the plot... but just flat out frustrated by our cast of characters too. Prospero and Maggie were by far my favorites, but Ellie felt like a mary-sue. She's so pretty and smart and pivotal to saving the world, but also just the MOST average librarian ever. Again, I'm so torn by this book which is why I'm settling on 3 stars. It annoyed me, but I want to know what happens next.

Marketing for this book is all wrong. There was so much promise and it all fell apart. A librarian falls in love with a witch, discovers she's a witch too, and then has to go to magical college? What's not to love, sign me up!

While this is marketed as a sapphic romance it actually follows three different couples, F/F, M/F, M/M and gives us 6, SIX (!!). POVs to read for some very instalove couplings. That's a whole lot of POVs for a debut novel for a new series. Usually when a new series is starting out you start out with 2-3 POVs and then add on as the series progresses, but 6 at once is entirely too much. Because of having POVs for every character there is zero suspense, you know what every character is thinking and therefore the build up is gone.

This is also supposed to be a cozy romance but nothing was cozy about it. It was fast paced and the stakes were high. A boy being led to believe his mother is dead and forced to live with his abusive father is far from cozy. The jumping around from character to character left you feeling unsettled, that's anything but cozy. A man having to decide between living in the real world with cancer or staying in the magical realm where witches are magically healed from anything and everything? Again, that's not safe and cozy.

This book didn't know what it wanted to be and the ending. Ugh, the ending was awful.

Also how a book in this day and age has a HP reference in a gay book is just wild to me. "Yer a wizard!" Swing and a miss.

Thank you Bramble for the arc.

This book was marketed wrong in my opinion. The description/blurb only mentions a sapphic couple but there are multiple points of view from more than just the two characters in the blurb. I would’ve liked to know in advance that there were multiple couples and it wasn’t just sapphic. The magic system is confusing and hard to understand with all the different character chapters.
Im just really bummed that the summary wasn’t clear or correct and because of that, I DNF’ed at 25%.

The best word I can use to describe my experience with Remedial Magic is ‘forgettable’. Marketed as a cozy romantasy, Remedial Magic instead offers little in the way of romantic chemistry and even less in the way of cozy vibes. With a dark, confused plot and a romance I failed to buy into from the start, this novel was a miss for me.

To be fair, I probably should have DNF’d this novel right from the meet-cute. Main character Ellie is working at the library when Prospero appears out of nowhere, makes out with her, then promptly vanishes again. This, apparently, is enough of a foundation to build a romance on.

I don’t know about other readers, but a stranger making out with me in my very public workplace while I’m on the clock sounds more like nightmare fuel than romance fuel. Even as far as halfway through the novel, Ellie is debating if a really good kiss is enough to stay and play savior in this completely new magical world with Prospero, which I can answer with a resounding no.

This is a short novel and it has six PoV characters, some of whom have their own complicated queer romances going on. Other reviewers have gone into more depth about this, but there’s a potentially problematic employment of a magical healing trope when a main character with cancer is magically cured upon entry into this other world. This may land differently for other readers depending on their definition of ‘escapism’ but it did not work for me.

Other than that? The plot was a muddled mess trying to do too much in too little space. The magical community college quickly got dropped in favor of intense, thriller-adjacent stakes, which is not what I am looking for from a novel pitched as cozy. Add on one-dimensional characters with unbelievable motivations and relationships and you have a recipe for a book I forgot almost as soon I finished.

There’s also STILL somehow a Harry Potter reference in a queer book in the year 2024, which frustrates me to no end. It’s literally so simple not to include and yet here we are!

The best thing I can say about Remedial Magic is that it made me grateful I have an increasingly large pool of lesbian and/or sapphic romances to choose from these days, because not all of them will be a winner.

Thank you to Tor Trade/Bramble and NetGalley for an advance review copy. All opinions are my own.

DNF. I got through the first half and was too bored to continue. There is nothing particularly wrong with the book, just wasn't for me and lacked excitement. If you are looking for a rambling, cozy read, this may be for you. The writing is not bad, though a little purple at times.

I enjoyed this book. There were too many POVS for my preference. But a good story and I do love witches and magic.

I could not put this book down! I have loved Melissa Marr since reading 'Wicked Lovely' in high school, but I haven't ventured into her adult fiction until now. After reading obsessively for two days, I recall why Marr has been on my favs list for so long. "Remedial Magic" pulled me into its world and the characters into their lives. I am so invested in Ellie and Maggie now and I need to know what happens next!

Marr has a gift for describing a world without over-telling, and the world of Crenshaw is enticing, mysterious, and cozy. I want to go to there. I also loved her characters: Ellie, Maggie, and Prospero are all strong women, with different ways of charging into the unknown to take care of themselves and their loved ones. I found Ellie and Maggie particularly relatable, with Ellie's researching heart and Maggie's deep love for her son. I also admired the leaders of Crenshaw and appreciated how Marr displays the complexities of governing, even over a small town. (and badgers! lol!)

The plot had plenty of turns and twists, even for a veteran English teacher trained in following plot patterns, and my only complaint is the book is too short! I really hope we get a sequel!

Thank you to NetGalley for a free, digital copy to review. All opinions are my own.

I read Melissa Marr's "Wicked Lovely" series when I was in high school so when I saw she had a new book out for adults I simply had to request it. It took me a while to get into this one though. I found the beginning to be pretty slow and a little confusing with the different points of view. I'm glad I continued with it though because it got better towards the middle/end and I am curious to see what happens next with Ellie and Maggie. I didn't connect to all of the characters but I was invested in Ellie's magic and role as a potential witchy savior. I also enjoyed that we can't really tell who is good or bad because all of the witches at Crenshaw seem to make very conflicting decisions. I'm not the biggest fan of insta-love and that's what the romance between Ellie and Prospero feels like to me. The different witch houses were cool and I like the badgers. I think the idea for the story is really great and the writing is fantastic, I just think a faster pace might have made it more enjoyable for me personally. Overall, I did enjoy most of the book and will continue with the sequel to see how it ends!

Thank you to Tor Publishing Group, Bramble for the eARC via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Magic? Librarian? Small town? Queer cast?
All checks!
While I appreciated all of the above, in general I found this book a little slow and kind of confusing. Lots of different view points, which is fine, just didn't find myself connecting with any of them. And the world building was lacking for me. That is something I enjoy in fantasy stories and this just missed the mark.

Had to DNF this one early on.

The romance wasn’t as prominent as I anticipated it to be. And the multi povs threw me off.

This may have worked better if it focused more on the magical world and its politics, as the romance seemed more like a plot device than anything of substance. There were a lot of POVs and it made it hard to stay invested. Readers who like Benedict Jacka or similar authors may enjoy the magical world building. Readers expecting cozy fantasy or romance may want to look elsewhere.

I think this was a good start to a new series but it also had too many povs and characters - and it took me awhile to get used to that. The story and the settings were quite interesting though and the plot was fast paced too!

"Remedial Magic" by Melissa Marr offers readers a fantastical journey into a world where magic intertwines with politics, morality, and personal discovery. Marr skillfully crafts a multi-POV narrative that immerses readers in the lives of diverse characters, each with their own struggles and desires.

While the book may not fit neatly into traditional genre categories, its depth and complexity transcend labels. Marr's storytelling prowess shines as she explores themes of love, power, and sacrifice against the backdrop of a dying land in need of salvation.

Although the romance aspects may not align with typical expectations, the relationships depicted are nuanced and compelling, adding layers of intrigue to the narrative. Readers will find themselves drawn into the lives of characters like Ellie, Prospero, Maggie, and Dan, rooting for their success in a world filled with uncertainty and danger.

Overall, "Remedial Magic" is a wild ride filled with high-powered emotion, grey morals, and untrustworthy narration. Marr's expert blend of fantasy and political intrigue makes this a must-read for fans of complex storytelling. While it may not be the cozy fantasy it's marketed as, it certainly delivers a thrilling and thought-provoking experience.

Thank you, Netgalley, the author, and Tor Publishing for the gifted e-book! ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Read this book if you like: Multiple POV, LGBTQ representation, enemies

This had promise, but it was quite different than I expected. It's all over the place. There are too many POVs. Not sure why we needed people that weren't the couple.

Thank you to Bramble for my review copy.

DNF at 10%

10% is way too early to DNF a book, but this book was shockingly different than the marketing, and I absolutely cannot continue reading it.

I thought that it was a cozy, witchy, sapphic romantasy with a single POV. Instead it is a multi POV dark fantasy. At the 10% mark, I started looking at other reviews to see what people liked and disliked about the book, and all the people who finished agreed that I had the vibe right, they only disagreed about whether or not they liked the vibe. Since the vibe was not for me, I’m choosing to DNF.

This book is not without merit, and you might like it if you are looking for a big fantasy with lots of characters and some romance. Most reviewers agree that it is queer affirming and sex positive, but they seem to think that the romances were all pretty instalovey and not really the main focus of the book.

This had a cute premise but ultimately wasn't for me. It was marketed as a cozy fantasy but had much higher stakes than I like. There were too many POVs which left it feeling choppy and confusing. Overall, I gave this a 2.75/5⭐.

I ended up DNFing this book pretty quickly so I don't feel entirely comfortable giving it a rating, but here we are.

The marketing on this book feels pretty misleading. I know "cozy fantasy" is having a moment but let's not just slap that description on anything and hope it works. This was not cozy. It was a little bizarre. And I just could not get into the world.