Instead of presenting the typical late teens romance, this book did so by having one chapter for each tarot card. The author did a great job of ensuring that each chapter fit each card, too.

I was a bit bothered by just how much the MC ripped on Salem and the people who go there. But her feelings toward the town did eventually soften some. And the girl who hated the town's rituals the most ended up becoming a member of a coven with her girlfriend.

I had kept waiting to find out what the secret, unmentioned thing about Chloe was and I was relieved it wasn't darker. Overall, this was a pretty good book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

There was nothing to dislike about this book but it wasn’t a page turner. Nothing much happens in it apart from the ramblings of Eleanor who is possibly the saddest teenager in Salem, with an inferiority complex and a very naive idea of relationships.
I was hoping there would be more Coven related stuff and I wouldn’t have said any of the witches were cynical so not sure about the relevance of the title.
Overall, the three stars are for the writing and descriptions of Salem and for the uniqueness of the teenage witches. Also the fact that this wasn’t a fantasy but depicted witches as real females using nature and their intuitions to create magic,
Thanks Netgalley for the ARC.

3.5/5

I enjoyed this book but it wasn’t one of my favorites. I found the characters enjoyable and it was a quick read. Eleanor’s grief from losing her best friend and first love was very believable. But there were some… actions that Eleanor took in the past that left me very uncomfortable. I did enjoy her character overall though. Eleanor and Pix were great but I had a bit of a hard time connecting with them as a couple.

Overall, this was a quick and easy read to get through but it wasn’t one of my favorites.

This book made me feel so many emotions, and it reminded me a lot of my middle/high school days. I connected with the main character on a slightly terrifying level, but I made myself feel those emotions and eventually let them go. I enjoyed the fact that the story was led by the tarot. I have been studying the tarot for a few months, and I feel like I understand it better after having read this book.

The LGBT representation was relatable and understandable, but there were a few times when I felt it was a bit stereotypical. The author also overplayed the main character's feelings of inferiority and her being the outcast of the town.

However, I really loved all of the witchy stuff and I wish I had seen more coven meetings and spell work.

First, thank you to the publishers and to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review!

On to the fun stuff. Now Kate Scelsa's "Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches" was super promising, and I was so there on the premise alone. Queer witches in Salem, MA? Count me in! However, it didn't exactly meet expectations. It was on the border between "just okay" and "good" for me.

First, what's bumped it up for me was the inclusion of the tarot cards before each chapter with a short piece of writing centered on that particular card. That was fun, exciting, interesting, and it's what kept me going throughout. The illustrations are wonderful, the pieces of writing that go along with them are great, and I would read so many more books like that if given the chance!

On the other hand, the characters were just okay. I really didn't invest a whole lot about Eleanor past the "she's had a rough go of it; I can relate" stage. She was a sympathetic narrator, absolutely, but I was much more interested in the other characters she meets through the store she works at. The other characters were just so much more compelling, and I wanted more time with them (and Eleanor's mom and Susan!) than with Eleanor.

Relatedly, the unhealthy relationship that was the catalyst for why she's doing what she's doing in the novel was hard to read, yes, but also I wasn't expecting there to be that much time within the novel dedicated to pot. If I was expecting it, sure, let's go, but it didn't mesh as well as it could have with the story itself for me.

That being said, I could see why and how others would love it, would like Eleanor more, and why they would enjoy the book. I just didn't.

3.5/5 (rounded to 4)

I was expecting this to be more of a fantasy or magical realism book about witches then it turned out to be from the title. However though it was about modern practitioners of witchcraft/neopaganism (perhaps the witches in the book have real powers, or perhaps they just believe they do) I still found this to be a page turner even without fantasy magic.

Vividly set in Salem, it centers around Seventeen-year-old Eleanor who is coping with her mother's chronic illness as well as the feeling of being an outcast. She works at a store that cashes in on the town's historic ties to witchcraft, but isn't a believer herself so doesn't think much about a guide to tarot that arrives one day, until a beautiful girl named Pix and her friend show up at the store claiming to be real witches.

I had made several visits to Salem when I lived in Boston for two years and the book felt very authentic to me from what I experienced. I also liked the sweet way that Pix and Eleanor, both hurt from past relationships learned to trust each other. The interweaving of the tarot cards with the story was done in a fun and clever way.
This book will be coming out on May 31 and teens as well as adults will want to preorder it. I received an advance copy of the book from NetGalley.

Overall I enjoyed this story. I really liked how the story is organized along the story of the major arcana and the representation of modern witches was pretty spot on. I think the author did a good, realistic job of writing how it feels to be grappling with/in the aftermath of trauma, as well as capturing the inherent anguish/angst/confusion of being a teenager trying to figure out yourself, other people, and the world all at once. And I don’t know if it was the intention of the author for Eleanor to be neurodivergent but so much of her internal dialogue and way of processing the things that happen to her felt so relatable to me specifically in ways that I attribute to my own neurodivergence.

I did feel that the book was stretched out just a little too long. I got pulled into the story right away and read through the first half very quickly but after about half way through it started to feel like it was dragging just a bit and I was ready to have the mystery of what happened with Chloe and Harrison answered. But in the end I felt satisfied with how things resolved and the story as a whole.

I really enjoyed this book. It took an in-depth look at unhealthy relationships and the toll they can take on the people in them. However, the book also showed healing and emotional growth the main character went through and how important that journey was for her to maintain a healthy relationship. The tarot card description before each chapter were really interesting and tied together nicely with the story itself.

This book hooked me in very early! I was sort of surprised. The premise alone was super interesting to me, but I still wasn't expecting to be drawn in so quickly. I think a lot of that had to do with Eleanor. She was a really great character. Though I felt very different from her, I was easily able to empathize with much of what she went through and I still very much rooted for her, especially in her relationship with Pix. I think the two of them were my favorite part of this story. It was a very sweet relationship that stemmed from a genuine respect of one another.

Much of this story was flashbacks into the traumatic part of Eleanor's story. Some of it is pretty uncomfortable as Eleanor made horrible, obsessive decisions in the past that ended up changing her life (or, at least, the perspective of her life). Reading these parts were really difficult because Eleanor does have a problem with forming strong attachments/addictions to people/things to help her cope with her own mental health challenges. So when the central conflict came to its climax, it would've been nice to see Eleanor work through that more to really address that, and it didn't feel like that resolution fully happened. This was my biggest issue with the book and what prevented me from giving it the full 5 stars. Still, I really enjoyed this story even more than I thought I would. The witch vibes were really cool and I LOVED the tarot card aspect of this book so much. The characterization was also great, in particular for Eleanor, Pix, and Chloe! This book was fun and I think reading it during Halloween would actually be more fun to really feel the vibes of it all. I enjoyed so much of this book and would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a cool witchy book.

This is a harder teen story than the beautiful cover makes you think. Elenor has had a very rough year. She seemingly drops out of high school, got her GED and now works full time for her moms friend in her tacky Salem gift shop. Elenor’s mom has health issues and they do need the money. Everything is from Elenor’s POV and at times she is unreliable as a narrator because of her skewed and limited thinking. She is also one of the first main characters that regularly smokes weed to reduce her anxiety. While I appreciate the author showing it as not recreational I don’t think the negative aspects of it being an escape from problems and not a solution was clear.

This is a harder teen story than the beautiful cover makes you think. Elenor has had a very rough year. She seemingly drops out of high school, got her GED and now works full time for her moms friend in her tacky Salem gift shop. Elenor’s mom has health issues and they do need the money. Everything is from Elenor’s POV and at times she is unreliable as a narrator because of her skewed and limited thinking. She is also one of the first main characters that regularly smokes weed to reduce her anxiety. While I appreciate the author showing it as not recreational I don’t think the negative aspects of it being an escape from problems and not a solution was clear. Pix meets Elenor when she and her cousin come into the shop. Pix is adorable and all about having good energy. And together they are good. But Elenor can’t let go of being the high school pariah and is not sure how to trust what is real. I think the overall message is good and I enjoyed learning about tarot cards and their meanings. But I had a hard time rooting for Elenor when she caused so many of her problems herself. I did enjoy the queer characters and their representation. Everyone is very fluid and labels are not important. For 9th grade and up. Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollin’s Children’s Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Improbably Magic for Cynical Witches is a lovely book that explores what it is like to feel outcast and how much it can take to trust again. The romance between Eleanor and Pix is very sweet and the way Eleanor's past experiences are revealed really keeps the reader hooked. At the beginning of the novel, Eleanor is isolated and insecure and does not believe that she deserves a second chance at love, but Pix shows her that she is worthy of happiness. The rejection and depression that Eleanor deals with are written in a very realistic way that makes the reader feel for Eleanor. Also, as someone who essentially lives in Salem, MA, I can also say that the book captures the spirit of the city fairly well even when it is not completely accurate to reality (September is not a slow tourist month, locals know no peace!). I will definitely be promoting this title to teen readers at my library because it is inclusive, engaging, and has such a sweet ending.

Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches sounded like it would be a homerun for me - sapphic witches, Salem at Halloween, and set to tarot? I had such high hopes for this book. And, to be clear, it is a perfectly fine book. It's just not anything stand out. I keep waffling between a 3 and a 3.5 star rating for this one.

Eleanor is a cynical seventeen-year-old living in Salem with her chronically ill mother, working at a kitschy tourist trap shop, ostracized by all of her peers after a tragedy/breakup, and using copious amounts of pot to cope with her day-to-day life. And she's content to continue on this way, until a handwritten guide to tarot arrives at the shop, followed by actual witch Pix not long after. When Pix invites her to join her coven of witches at their next meeting, Eleanor decides to take a chance, even with the ghosts of her previous friendships and relationships haunting her memories.

To start with the good: It is delightful to see a true-to-life depiction of modern pagan witch practices that doesn't feel satirical or cloying. Author Kate Scelsa very obviously knows her stuff here, and it's refreshing to read. The descriptions of the tarot cards as chapter breaks were also fun, and accurate. Eleanor is an interesting, if unreliable, narrator, and the mystery of her (recent) past is enough to keep you reading through the entire story. Then there is Salem itself; Scelsa is able to capture the beauty and ridiculousness of the town in its history and tourist trap ways.

On the other hand, the not-so-good: Pix, while a lovely character in her own right, never feels like she gets fully fleshed out. Her main purpose in the story seems to be to help Eleanor grow, and it feels at times to toe the line of Manic Pixie Dream Girl. There is also something that feels unfinished in the story of Eleanor and her ex, Chloe. All of the trauma and cynicism that Eleanor feels after her experiences just seems to be hand-waved away by the end, for an unsatisfying conclusion. (There is, as others have mentioned, a lot of pot-smoking in this story, but as a teacher of high schoolers, well... Maybe not the most inaccurate thing.)

Overall, though, Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches is a cute, fun, quick sapphic witch-y read that is worth a look if that particular genre is to your interests.

Living in Salem means nothing more than witches and magic believers, but not Eleanor. Eleanor is cynical and jaded from her past and present life. Helping her mother who has been sick for years, losing her ex and nothing less of banishment from classmates it has left her cold. But when she meets Pix in the shop she works at and starts studying tarot cards, she begins to open her eyes with the help of Pix to the magic within.

This book gave me mixed emotions. Eleanor was likable for the most part, by the way she seems to not really care and want to help her sick mother irritates me to the bone. I loved the layout of the book and how each part is prefaced by a different tarot card. The story itself was good and kept me engaged throughout with some parts lagging a bit.

TW: SA, Drug use, Bullying, Mental Health, Depression

I was really excited to see a new Sapphic romance with witches as the MCs. While this book did an excellent job at representing real life as a teen, some parts of the story missed the mark for me.

I love historical fiction books, but the historical pieces in this book did not seem well researched and were slow to get through. I could definitely see this as a hindrance for the targeted audience of the book.

I also had a hard time connecting with the MC. That being said, I can see many other people seeing themselves in her. I appreciate the representation of the MC even if I couldn't make a connection.

**2.5**

Thank you so much Netgally for an e-arc of this novel!

I am such a sucker for a witchy queer novel. Also, some of my favorite books set place in Salem. I really loved the parts of the plot that took place at the store. I loved hearing about all the Halloween and Witchy traditions that take place in Salem during the Halloween season. Also, I liked how parts of the plot line mirrored the events of the Salem Witch trials. I just wish it was fleshed out more.

The parts of the plot that took place in the past dragged for me. I found myself skimming through these sections of the book. Also, I really struggled connecting with the characters and wanted more from them. Also, I did not care for the constant discussion of how are main character used pot to cope with her stress.

When the story began with Eleanor receiving a mysterious book about tarot in the mail, I knew I was in for a treat. I am always looking for books that give an accurate portrayal of what reading tarot is really like, and this book delivered in such a beautiful way. In fact, I think Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches was a beautiful example of showing what it’s like to live as a person who is or does [fill in the blank] without the entire book becoming a treatise on that thing. Surprisingly, this is the first book I can recall reading in which the main character smokes weed regularly, and it was really nice to see how that was just a part of her life. I got to learn about why it was a helpful tool for Eleanor, but also the ways it might be problematic (and how to handle that).

I absolutely adored the queerness of this story. Once again, it was just a part of their lives and not a story ABOUT queerness. The romances and relationships felt very real and relatable. And this goes for all the relationships in the book, whether it was parent-child, friendships, siblings, boss-employee, exes, etc.

Swinging back around to the tarot aspect… I really enjoyed the way this whole tale followed the Fool’s journey through the Major Arcana. It was a really nice way to gain understanding about each of the cards/archetypes and how they might show up in one’s life. Beyond just that, I LOVED those moments when Eleanor was actually reading the cards for herself or others. I watched her grow in her skill and become more confident over time, and I think her interpretations of the cards were spot-on. Her moments of pulling a card and just groaning because it was so annoyingly accurate? Perfect. We all have those moments and it was hilariously relatable.

Eleanor’s entire journey through this book was enjoyable to watch and experience with her. I loved seeing how cynical she was in the beginning, but she was still so willing to explore new ideas and open herself to the possibility of magic. She was so accepting of her new friends’ experiences and spiritual beliefs, whether or not she could understand them, and I really liked that. I liked this book a lot, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about tarot, wants to read a sweet queer romance, or just wants a fun magical story.

Such a cute YA sapphic romance. I absolutely adored Pix. Eleanor was a complex character that you see grow and learn.
Between each chapter, there are excerpts about a different tarot card. Each excerpt coincides with what is currenlty happening in Eleanors story. It was such a fun a addition and really added to the whole witchy vibe.

ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great example of real teenage problems with real kinds of teenage characters. I appreciated that as I was reading. Overall I enjoyed this book!

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...