Thanks to Netgalley for the audio arc.

I had to dnf at 33% when the headmaster banged Maggie and then admitted to misleading her about her son. The relationship felt icky anyway, but bruh.
The beginning made it seem like Crenshaw was the good magic place, but the more we got to know it through these kidnapped characters the shittier / more elitist it seemed.
I was so so bored, and every character was so annoying. I don't know how we were inside so many different character's heads and still learned so little about them and whats going on. I had no one to root for, everyone was just insufferable. I thought Maggie's storyline would at least be interesting but it really did not take much for her to go from worried mother to jumping her "captor's" bones.
Speaking of which. There is so much insta-lust it's a little nauseating. I love some good romance and/or smut but this didn't have either. No substance to the lust.

Unfortunately, this wasn't it for me. The pacing was tough and I felt like I had to force myself to keep reading at points. It also felt like it had too many POVs for how they related to the substance of the story. The insta-love didn't click with me and I just overall couldn't get into this story even though I very much wanted to.

I found this book a bit all over the place to be honest. I found the setting and magic so unique and cool but with the multiple POVs in an audiobook it just got very mixed up and confusing to be honest. Also i did not like the ending like why did it end like that..

BE WARNED — this is the beginning of a series and will end on a cliffhanger! :)

I have been a long time fan of Melissa Marr and am excited to explore her witchy world of Remedial Magic! Marr is a master storyteller and this story did not disappoint. I was a little nervous about tracking all of the different story lines and povs at the beginning of the book, but about 25% of the way through didn’t even think twice about it. Once you fall into the cadence of the story, it envelopes you completely.

I went into this story thinking it was mainly a romance, but was pleasantly surprised to see that it was a fantasy first (with some romance added). I enjoyed Prospero and Ellie’s overall connection, but the insta-love trope is not really my favorite. However, I did love the extra care that Marr took to explain witch dynamics, specifically calling out that Warlocks are not simply male witches.

I will be recommending this one to all of my fellow readers who enjoy fantasy and all of the Melissa Marr fans that I know.

Thank you NetGalley, Melissa Marr, and Macmillan Audio for a chance to read this beautiful story in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are all my own.

This was a cute little YA fantasy. It was a very easy read (listen) and enjoyable. I don't think it was super memorable in uniqueness, but it was good and the narration was great.

This is a wonderful book for anyone interested in young adult fantasy but is a little newer to the genre. The world building is minimal as the magical place they live, Crenshaw, exists within our world. The magic system isn’t too complex, and we’re from the point of view of witches learning how the magic works. And the story is very fast paced, an easy book to pick up and not set down until you’re done.
I was expecting this to be a sapphic romance based on the cover art and the description, while that is a part of the story there are a few other relationships going on at the same time. The book is dual-pov and hops between the sapphic relationship, an MLM relationship, and a straight relationship. Typically I read books that focus on one relationship and spend a lot of time developing that, so I felt the amount of relationships in this book was a bit extreme. It was hard to really get to know each of the characters and then root for the relationships because we were hopping around so much. However, this is definitely personal preference and my opinion based on the type of romance stories I typically gravitate towards. As I mentioned earlier this book is very fast paced so the speed of the relationship development fits in with the speed of the book overall. If I had read this book when I was in highschool, before I started reading the adult romance books I do now, I really think I would have loved all the different relationships.
The plot of the book is excellent. It is a simple concept of a world falling apart and the people that love it doing everything in their power to stop it mixed with corrupted morals and questions of love and sacrifice. The ending leaves you wanting so much more, I’m excited to read the next book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book had a lot going on and that made it challenging to follow at points. There were many characters who had point of view chapters and at first it took a little bit to figure out where this story was going and how the characters would be connected. I enjoyed the world that the book took place in and wish there would have been more focus on the types of magic they were able to wield and the world they lived in out of sight of the real world. I hope more of these elements are explored in the next world to really build this world.

⭐ 2 / 5
🌶️ 2.5 / 5

Thank you @netgalley, @torbooks, and @macmillian.audio for allowing me to listen to this audiobook ALC. The unbiased opinions presented in this review are mine alone.

Okay, where to start? I am saddened to give this a low rating. I was looking forward to this read and I love supporting queer romance and authors, but I promised my unbiased opinion…so, I’m going to be bluntly honest.

I agree with many of the other reviewers. This book needs a marketing revamp. It is advertised as a cozy, sapphic, witch romance with one main character. The cover is so whimsical and fun and I was drawn to the idea of a magical community with a college for newly awakened adult witches. Add a cozy romance between a novice witch and her powerful female love interest and I was looking forward to a sweet, magical read. Remedial Magic is not that.

Trigger Warnings (may not be a complete list): Animal death, death of parents (past), intimate partner violence (past), attempted murder, car accident, child abuse (suggested), hospitalization, Harry Potter references, mind-manipulation (magical), self-harm (past), overdose (past), suicide attempt (past), cancer diagnosis / terminal illness.

Ellie is an unassuming research librarian who is trying to live a low-key life. After a potentially life-threatening kiss from a mysterious woman, Ellie is involved in a serious car crash. Dan is battling cancer and a gambling addiction when he has an accidental fall while hiking. Maggie is a lawyer fleeing an abusive ex-husband. While driving, her son in the passenger seat, she realizes her brakes have been cut, resulting in a serious crash. Her son was unharmed but Maggie is catastrophically injured. After their respective life-threatening accidents, Ellie, Dan, and Maggie separately find themselves in the magical community of Crenshaw. They are miraculously healed and informed they are witches whose powers manifested as a result of their brushes with death. As new witches, they are required to attend the College of Remedial Magic - whether they like it or not - after which time they will either be accepted into the Crenshaw community or they will be returned to their nonmagical lives (after their memories have been wiped and all magic siphoned of course). But don’t worry, Crenshaw is “safe” and “accepting,” except for the ableism. Oh and by the way, the town is also in crisis. The water is tainted, there are food shortages, and witches are dying in droves of an unidentified illness, but we’re going to hide that need-to-know information from the newcomers. Cool? Cool.

The description makes it sound like there is a singular romance with Ellie as the main character. In truth, there are six POVs paired up into three ‘romantic’ relationships (FF, MF, MM). This would be ambitious in most novels but is incredibly difficult to pull off effectively in 336 pages. There’s little room for meaningful development for any of the individual characters, let alone time to build tension and anticipation in their relationships. Secondly, too much of the plot is based on trauma, deceit, and manipulation to consider this a comfy, cozy story. I don’t mind moral ambiguity and iniquitousness in a story, I just think the description should match the vibe. Readers may find the current description misleading, which may be reflected in the reviews.

As for the “romance(s).” I put it in quotes as all three were more like insta-lust/love. As soon as they arrive in Crenshaw we are thrown into three relationships, all of which lack natural progression. Other than superficial attraction I didn’t buy how any of the couples fit together. Not to mention there are issues with power differential in the head master-student relationship, deceit and unconsenting mind-manipulation in Ellie’s relationship with Prospero, and Dan’s shaming of Axel’s depression and addiction. Oh and the “whoops, sorry Ellie, I forgot all the dormitories are under observation, so we were totally being watched when we were in bed together. My bad.” Gross. Don’t even get me started on the nonconsent and coercion-infested ending, the rationale for which didn’t even make sense.

I wish there was more story dedicated to the magical school. There are a couple of classroom scenes, that had the potential to become interesting, but otherwise, the school just seems to be a setting placeholder.

There is a prophecy thrown into the mix. It’s super vague. It involves Ellie, saving the town, and Prospero somehow, but that’s as far as it gets explored. I’m assuming that will be addressed later in the series but I won’t be sticking around to find out.

One element, really more of an aside, I found to be quite entertaining was Crenshaw’s justice system. Those who break laws are turned into badgers for the duration of their sentence period. It’s called “badgering” and the local bar is full of badgers engaging in shenanigans. Why badgers? Don’t know, but the imagery is funny.

A couple of other things I want to make sure to bring attention to since I am reviewing this as an ARC and they could be easy edits.
- Take out the Harry Potter reference. Bri’s review eloquently describes the issues here. It is not pertinent to the story and could be removed without any real impact.
- Referring to the nonmagical realm and people as the “Barbarian lands” and “Barbarians,” is cringey. Say nonmagical or come up with different terminology.

Since I received this as an audiobook I want to make sure to shout out the narrators: Jeremy Carlisle Parker and Max Meyers. Their performances probably kept me engaged in the story longer than I would have been otherwise.

There are reviewers who have enjoyed this book, so it will certainly hold appeal for some. There are many dangling, unresolved issues at the end and it left off on a morally uncomfortable cliffhanger, but I won’t be picking up the next installment to find out what happens next.

📚Review: Remedial Magic ✨

By: Melissa Marr
Published: February 20, 2024

Our main character, Ellie, works at her local library, bakes scones, and investigates missing people in her free time before the mysterious, tea sipping, beautiful Prospero shows up at her library. Prospero is a powerful witch that is ruthless in her goals and ambition. A prophecy tells her Ellie is the key to saving Crenshaw, so she’ll do everything she can to make that happen. But Ellie isn’t the only witch to come into their powers and end up transported to Crenshaw to learn to use their magic.

My first @brambleromance review! In this version of Earth, people whose magic awakens are transported to Crenshaw to learn how to use their abilities. It all seems idyllic, but is a lot messier and darker than you think - Crenshaw is dying and cannot sustain its population for long, let alone take on new residents. So, tensions are high and some heavy decisions are made.

The book has multiple POVs, which was a little confusing at first, but you get settled into their stories and voices as time goes on. The world building was fun, but I’m still a little unsure about the magic system and where everyone’s varying powers come from. The book’s strength is the relationships between characters, both platonic and romantic. With a large cast of characters, we get to see a lot of relationship dynamics play out and some **magical** romance. Crenshaw is very queer friendly, so there’s a lot of queer love happening.

As always, I love a good magic school and was really intrigued by the classes and how each character’s powers manifested. Beware - the books does end on a cliffhanger, so I’ll be impatiently be waiting for book two to see where Marr takes things and builds off of what she’s given us in book one.

Verdict: Really Liked 😍

Shoutout to @brambleromance for the #gifted copy - thank you! 🥰

#QOTD: what are you currently reading? 👀

*3.5 stars rounded up here.

This book is overall a very fun and enjoyable fantasy read! I expected it to just be about Ellie and Prospero, however there are multiple characters and multiple POVs (about 6), which I personally enjoyed.
Prospero is described as a very powerful (and dangerous) witch who lives in Crenshaw, a magical land. She journeys to the Barbarian lands in hopes of finding Ellie, who is mentioned in a prophecy. According to this prophecy, Ellie is the one who can save Crenshaw, Prospero's dying land. Prospero's plan when she meets Ellie is to speed up her witching process. She'd kiss her, stop her heart, and give her a near-death experience, which will awaken her inner-witch and allow her to be taken to Crenshaw. Prospero's plan didn't go the way she hoped, for there was an instant attraction between them and she could not see herself hurting Ellie. Eventually Ellie does make it to Crenshaw by ways of a near death experience. In their time spent together, Prospero and Ellie start falling for eachother. Ellie starts discovering her powers and discovers she is quite powerful, and so does the Crenshaw community. They believe Ellie can be the one to cleanse the water in Crenshaw and stop more witches from dying. Will she be able to help them? Would she want to stay in Crenshaw? Would she be able to experience the kind of love she's always desired?

Other POVs include Maggie, a mother and lawyer who experiences a near-death experience (car accident) at the hands of her greatest enemy- her son's father. She is brought to Crenshaw but is determined to be seiphoned and make it back to her son.

Dan is also a newly discovered witch. His near-death experience is cancer-related and he will do anything to stay in Crenshaw and not risk going back and dying of cancer.  He too is also on a quest to find true love, which he believes he discovers with another witch named Axel. Dan discovers his powers, however not as quickly as the others. Can Ellie, Maggie, and Dan collectively help save Crenshaw all the while making their way to their heart's truest desires?

This book would have been great if the problems in Crenshaw were solved instead of ending the way it did. I would have loved to see the 3 unite and save Crenshaw.


I received this book as an ARC, courtesy of Melissa Mar and NetGalley. Thank you!

2.5 Stars
I really wanted to love this one, but it ended up becoming one of those books I dreaded picking back up. Not that it was all bad - I think the author just tried to do too much and it took away from the story. This is the first book in a new series and before we even understand what is happening we are thrust into multiple different POVs. I think by the end we have followed SIX different POVs and that is just too many. I think it would have been much more effective to follow from one or two characters, at least while the world so stole being built.

Also, Remedial Magic is not the cozy queer romance it’s described as. Yes, there are romantic entanglements between several of the main characters, but the connections all felt surface level and more lusty than lovey. Maybe there is a direct correlation between unlocking your witchy powers and unending horniness? Because these baby witches were thirsty. I did appreciate the LGBTQ+ rep.

I read this via audiobook and thought both did a great job with their narration. Even though there were so many POVs to keep track of, the narrators made it easy to distinguish whose POV we were following. I definitely the audiobook is the way to go with this read.

All that being said - I do think the premise was interesting. And despite not loving this one, I was still curious to see how the book ended. Will I pick up the next book in this series? I’m still undecided.

This book was a mixed bag for me. The concept and world are very interesting. I enjoyed a lot of the characters but did feel there were too many POVs. The characters also jumped into the romances so quickly. I will probably check out the next book in the series but hope the focus is narrowed somewhat to focus on fewer character at a time. The audiobook narration was very good.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.;

The premise of this book is very interesting but I found it difficult to follow the audiobook with so many points of view.

Absolutely not. This book has so much problematic content I don’t even know where to start. Not sure how this made it to this stage of the process.

Also for so many POVs we really need more narrators.

I was drawn to the concept of Remedial Magic generally, but if I'm being honest, it was the tagline of '"The Magicians" meets "One Last Stop"' that really sold me. Remedial Magic follows a large cast of characters, including a librarian and a lawyer, as they find out through near death experiences that awaken some latent magic. They are then whisked- or kidnapped- off to a school that teaches- you guessed it- remedial magic.

I struggled with this book on several levels, but I think the biggest problem for me was probably misaligned expectations. I was thinking this would be a cute story, more on the magical realism end of the fantasy spectrum based on the cover and description of the book. That was not my experience, I found the rules of the fantasy world a bit difficult to discern and really struggled with the fact that everyone met and immediately lusted after everyone else, without much relationship or character development (kind of the opposite of One Last Stop. This book did make some strong points about homophobia, transphobia, racism, and on some levels explored free will.

I reviewed this book on audio, and found the narration to be engaging and entertaining. I did struggle at times to determine what was being spoken aloud and what was an internal monolog, which may also have contributed to some of the confusion I felt throughout this book.

Thank you to Melissa Marr and Macmillan Audio for an ARC of the audio book of Remedial Magic in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this cliffhanger ending so much that I will definitely continue with this series. I was immersed in this fun "romance" about a magical community college that deals with some heavier topics below the surface. And the cover is just perfect.

<I>Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
Remedial Magic is advertised to be a romance between a librarian and a mysterious woman she meets in her library with magic around as she comes into her power. Instead we get a book that doesn't have much romance beyond insta lust (if you call that romance) and the main character somehow just knowing she is the love of all loves despite not knowing her at all. All of the characters in this novel seem to couple up immediately. The lack of tension, build up or real connection building is incredibly disappointing.
Beyond that the romance isn't even really the main focal point of the novel. Yet the plot didn't seem to know what it wanted to be. There were multiple main story lines and the priorities of the people in charge seemed to change from one moment to the next. The novel didn't seem cohesive and the point of interest and conflict changed rapidly.
The author paused the story line to make pointed political and social commentary. I usually enjoy political intrigue in novels that weave the topics into their story. However this author didn't use her story to give opinions she just paused the story to give them. It quickly took me out of the story.
On top of everything else this novel ends so abruptly!! I looked down and saw I was at 95% complete with nothing resolved. Everything ends up kind of just being swept under the rug and then ends in a cliffhanger.
I was so excited when I received an arc of this novel based on what was advertised I was expected a sweet, magical, witchy romance, but instead I don't even know what to call what this novel is trying to be. I am so disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this advanced copy! You can pick up Remedial Magic now.

I tried listening to the first few minutes of this book, but I quickly realized that this writing style is not for me. I found myself tuning out during important expositional moments, and I didn't quite feel a connection to the characters. Perhaps it's because I'm not in the mood for the story right now, or because I have other books occupying space in my head, but I feel unable to continue reading in my current headspace.

*Title: Remedial Magic-A Course in Magic Book #1

*Release date: 2/20/24 read: 2/22/24

*Author: Melissa Marr-new to me author

*Format: audiobook

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC💙 ! I voluntarily give an honest review and all opinions expressed are my own.

*Narrator: Jeremy Carlisle Parker and Max Myers-loved all the different accents, only I hated when the hobs spoke. I couldn't understand them. Axell's accent was great and stands out for me.

*Run time: 12:24

*Setting: Ligonier, PA to Crenshaw(magical world)

*Genre: Fantasy, Sci Fi, LGBTQ+ Romance

*Tropes: small town, slow burn romance, forced proximity, opposites attract, multiple POVs

*Synopsis: Ellie is living a quiet life working as a research librarian in her small town. A mysterious woman (Prospero) comes to the library with the attempt to awaken Ellie's witch magic, but they kiss and Prospero disappears. Ellie along with several others (.Maggie, Dan, and Axell ) experience death or near death to enter into Crenshaw and rouse their magical abilities. They enter the College of Remedial Magic with the hope to stay and help the witches dying homeland.

*Characters

* Elleanor "Ellie" Brandeau: the main heroine, lives with aunt Hestia after parents death. Gets into a car accident w/ a cow and is thrown into Crenshaw.

*Prospero: a powerful witch, ruthless and ambitious. She's able to manipulate minds, mainly memories. She received a prophecy from Cassandra (their only seer) that Ellie is the key to saving their lands.

*Margaret " Maggie" Lynch: a lawyer with a teenage son (Craig) and custody problems because of ex Leon. Her and son in a car accident, Maggie protects son in a bubble and is taken into Crenshaw.

*Hestia: Ellie's aunt, lived in Crenshaw(Ellie never knew) an archaeologist who disappears a lot on Ellie.

*Daniel "Dan" Monahan :a gambler dying of cancer was on a hike, fell off a ravine and wakes up in Crenshaw.

*Axell: A Norwegian, almost dies of a drug overdose but appears in Crenshaw

Sondre: the headmaster of the college

*Review : It started slow and a little confusing. I didn't know where things were going but once all the new witches arrival in Crenshaw things pick up. The headmaster Sondre, Prospero, and Walter(the chief witch) seem to be the masterminds of the operation. They help assess the new arrivals to see if they get to stay in Crenshaw or go back to the" Barbarian Lands." Everyone has their own motivation, but Ellie wants some love and adventure in her life. Prospero and Ellie together are instant steam, but both have to be careful who to trust. Learning about all the different witch houses and powers was fun. It ends with a huge subterfuge with nothing really resolved . Since this is book #1, I'll forgive a little disorganized world building as I await book #2 !

*Rating: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐


*Spice level- 3/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️

not the story advertised, far too many povs, insta-love, inherent ableism. not a book i'd recommend.