I had high hopes for this book but I did not finish it. I had a hard time keeping up with who was who. Maybe it was me as life had been crazy. I may try again another time.

i am so sorry, but i just feel like this book is very wrongly marketed. i have tried numerous times now to get through the 25% part of this, and it's just a lot darker, dealing with some very triggering things, that the synopsis, cover, and lack of tw/cw at the start lead the reader not to believe.

When I first heard of the premise of this book, I was immediately hooked. It sounded just fascinating and like it would be a good time. I haven't read this author before (or that I can remember) so I was excited to dive in. But after I got through the first few chapters, I quickly realized that I had made this story up to be more in my head than the reality of it.

This is certainly a more laid back type of urban fantasy. It felt like there was a lot of sitting around often feeling without direction. And once some action started happening I was already not invested in the outcome. Overall it took a bit too long for me to truly care. But the premise still holds a certain appeal.

If you're in the mood for a book that goes a little slower paced, then this might be a good one for you.

At first it was hard to keep whose point of view it was. But after the first few chapters it became easier.

3 people have accidents that would have killed them trigger their magical ability’s. Causing them to be forced to go into a hidden society and attend magic school. However two witches escape into the normal world to get their families back. And then punished by having to marry people they were already falling for.

The ending was like the writer wanted to be done and just wrapped it up the quickest way possible. Was started off god then it was just rushed.

While the story and characters are, for the most part, quite interesting everything is explored so shallowly because so much is going on. I particularly think the back cover copy gives a false impression of the type of reading experience people are in for.

I feel like I'm being a bit generous by giving this book a three-star review. It wasn't at all what I was expecting after reading the description. Although it's categorized as a fantasy romance, it includes themes that require a trigger warning, such as abuse.

The main reason for the three-star rating is Melissa Marr's remarkable ability to vividly depict her story. Her world-building exceeds expectations. While I did enjoy the book, it left me wanting more. I likely wouldn't have finished it if I hadn't wanted to give it a fair chance.

This review is based on an ARC from NetGalley. I'd like to thank the author, publishers, and NetGalley for the opportunity to share my honest and voluntary thoughts on this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book.

I had such high hopes for this book based on the description, but I felt like I was expecting something this book wasn’t. I was expecting a cozy wlw fantasy book, but this was definitely not that. All the relationships present in this book were kind of toxic. I thought the story was kind of interesting, but I also didn’t like how the characters are basically taken from their deathbeds to come to a magical place where all of their physical problems disappear.

It was engaging enough to keep me interested , the characters were good , the storyline was ok , maybe a second book will help this story reach its potential .

First of all, this book is WILDLY mis-categorized. If I was the author I would be rioting in the streets about about the mismanagement of marketing this book to the correct audience. This is NOT Cozy Fantasy. It is NOT RomFantasy. There is romance and fantasy inside, but it is not a feel good, snuggle in for a comfort read type.

Second, if you loved The Once and Future Witches you are going enjoy this book. Not because "oh they're both witches and they're gay plus political." But because this is a multi-POV expansive-plot book with a big picture situation happening while all these other characters have their own situations happening. There are at least 10 characters that have in depth moving parts.

That being said I did enjoy this book and look forward to the next installment. There's so much high powered emotion happening, many people that aren't willing to be woo'd with the pleasures of being magical. We need more of these grey witches books. Economics, politics of both worlds. So many secrets and moving parts, it's a wild ride. Worth it 100%, it's just such a shame that the publisher has shoved it into Cozy Fantasy. This is a book filled with villain's, strong willed woman and high stakes. It's a dark fantasy dealing with grey morals, and untrustworthy narration.

ROMANCE: Romfantasy is laughable as a genre for this book. There are 3 major "romances" I assume by the blurb they are pushing the lesbians' one as being some soulmates type situation but babe, that's not how soulmates work. Out of the three this is NOT the romance I'd be focusing on, like I'm invested in the outcome of their entanglement but in a how is she going to get away manner, not how are they going to tell their future children about this sh*t show. The gay romance is the one they should have used as flagship, as it's the healthiest relationship in this tragedy. Though, how Maggie's story ended, they are going to be the one I'm rooting for moving forward. Honestly, partnership against the baddies. They are all being handed a bad deck, but it's who you choice to align with and trust that makes the difference.

TW: It's 2024 HP references aren't okay. I get it, peOpLe DisCovErIng MaGic would relate it to modern media, but there are hundreds of better books to give a reference to, let's not have an LGBTIA+ book that is literally being political about LGBTIA+ and then drop HP references. Performative support isn't support. Do better.

Also TW: Abusive spouse/parent, suicide, death-ish scenes. Mind meddling, forced marriages.

Thank you to NetGalley for an early copy of this book.

**Review ⭐⭐.5/5**
This book had so much to offer for me, and I wish it could have lived up to everything it promised. I wish I could describe what the book is about, but I actually don’t think I can. Basically, the story is about a magical society that secretly exists in the world, which people only go to when their magical abilities are revealed in traumatic events. People go to the Remedial School of Magic to learn to use their powers and either stay forever, or are stripped of their power and memory and returned to the normal world. Throughout the book, we meet a variety of characters who are transported into the magical world, and another series of characters who run this magical society. The society is under threat from a mysterious disease that is impacting the land and witches there, and it seems that some of the new arrivals may be the key to saving it.

>> What I loved: The narrators of this audiobook—Jeremey Carlisle Parker and Max Meyers—were great. The potential of this book was so great. There was some sneaking fun dialogue and conceptually a really interesting world the author was creating, both also great.

>> What I didn’t love: I think a big miss with this book was the way it was marketed—while it bills itself as a sapphic fantasy romance, it is not really that at all. This is a multiple POV story with a wide variety of characters, and includes many relationships. The description would also lead one to believe it was a cozy fantasy. It is not. The balance of the different perspectives was an interesting choice, and in this case I felt like it worked against us getting to know any of the characters beyond a surface-level, which really hurt the characterization of the book. All of this I was doing ok with, but around halfway through the book the plot really took a turn that grew more confusing, which culminated in an ending that, while I won’t describe, I will just say that I immensely disliked.

Unfortunately, I can’t see myself recommending this book. However, I know this is planned as a series, and there is enough in this first book that is interesting that I think a second book could build off in really compelling ways and I would consider reading it.

**Acknowledgments & Disclaimers**
✨ Thank you to NetGalley, Melissa Marr, and Macmillan Audio, for providing an ARC and the opportunity to share an honest review of this book.
✨ All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
✨ My reviews and ratings strive to evaluate books within their own age-demographic and genre.

“Remedial Magic,” by Melissa Marr

Ellie likes her life in a small town; baking and working at the library is everything to her. One day she meets an alluring woman in the library. When she almost dies, she is transported to a world of witches and magic.

Okay first off, I didn’t like this book much. The number of characters were annoying and confusing. I have an ick of accents in books and this had so many accents that I can’t believe I finished it. A good thing in the book was its transgender friendly with gender neutral characters. The relationships between characters felt weird to me and out of place. I was really bummed I didn’t like this book because Melissa Marr is one of my favorite authors. I listened to the audio book version and the audio aspect was okay, not bad but also not outstanding. 2 out of 5 stars.

-Magic
-Alt Dimensions
-M/M and F/F

Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.

"Remedial Magic" by Melissa Marr is a captivating fantasy romance that combines magic, mystery, and romance in a delightful tale. With enchanting characters and a thrilling storyline, Marr weaves together a spellbinding adventure that will leave readers eagerly awaiting more.

This wasn't really what I expected it to be and I honestly had a hard time getting into it and keeping up with all of the characters. I ultimately did not finish it and don't anticipate that I'll come back to it.

Thank you NetGalley for the audiobook!

I didn’t get a chance to finish before it was archived but I did get a physical copy.

This book was a quick read than what I thought it would be. I enjoyed it

Remedial Magic by Melissa Marr is a good fit for readers who enjoy stories about self-discovery, magical abilities, and sapphic romance, all presented in a contemporary setting.

I received the audio book version of this book. Overall I enjoyed the voice of the two narrators but this book is told from so many different point of views. So I kept confusing the different point of views. I liked the idea of this book but I feel like execution of the plot could have been a little better. I really had to push between 20-70% of this book. I think a lot of my issues would be solved with physically reading this story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audio arc!

A funny and engaging fantasy romp. It felt like Narnia crossed with a wizard school, but with adults instead of children - and those adults aren’t always super happy to find themselves uprooted from their lives.

I was completely captured by the story in Remedial Magic and absolutely raced through it once I got started. It was very accessible despite being set half in a completely fantasy world with entirely different rules and customs from our own, which can be hard to do.

The characters were relatable and felt really different from each other and well rounded. I enjoyed seeing all their contrasting opinions and motivations.

Overall, I really enjoyed Remedial Magic and will definitely continue the series!

I NEED BOOK 2 STAT!!!! I'm so invested. There's no way i can handle an ending like that. But holy moly i'm so into this whole world. a gender accepting sapphic book in a world of magic. Heck to the yes!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audio ARC.

Jeremy Carlisle Parker and Max Meyers were great narrators. Loved their voices for the “house elf” like creatures.

This story was cute. I am looking forward to the next book!

I loved the idea, but the execution was not there. There were so many POV’s, too many for me. Another problem was the lack of female narrator. I didn’t enjoy this nearly as much as I wanted to. I feel like the synopsis was for a different book because I didn’t get hardly any of that. This was very hard to follow.
I did enjoy the hobs though.