Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing for the ARC. Remedial Magic is a queer, witchy fantasy in which barbarians (aka non-witchy people) suddenly show their magical abilities through traumatic events like car crashes and falling down a hillside while hiking alone. When their magic happens, the other witches, living in a secret, hidden town, are alerted and bring them to a castle where they are told they will learn to use their magic, but in reality, they are assessed as to whether or not their magic is useful enough and strong enough to stay in the hidden witch town. If it is not, their magic is siphoned from them, a process which may kill them, so the other witches can take their magic for themselves.

To say that I found the story, which is meant to be the first in a new series, problematic, is frankly sugar-coating it. I kept asking myself "whose story is this?" as there were so many voices, so many characters, jumping between all of them, repetition about how they got there, whether or not they were considered dead or missing in the Barbarian lands - just muddled and messy the whole way through. Then when two main characters escape in a Thelma and Louise style run, including a random cousin who can get them new identities in a matter of hours, it really lost me. I pushed through because, frankly, I was hoping there was some sort of pay off or resolution in the end to make it somewhat worthwhile. There was not. The ending was actually worse than I could have imagined. Again, I know this is supposedly the first in a series but even individual books in a series are meant to have some sort of meaningful resolution. Oof! You can skip this one.

It's hard to write a review for this book since everything is okay. But just okay. The characters, the plot, the magic system were fine but I don't think this is a memorable book.

Remedial Magic is the first in the A Course in Magic series. In this story Ellie is a librarian and she is taken to Crenshaw, a magical land that is dying, by a witch named Prospero, where she learns about magic. There are elements of Harry Potter with the main character finding out that they are a witch followed by attendance at a magical school, a community college in this case. Initially, based on the blurb, this story seems to include only their POVs, but there seemed to be about six included. In addition to Ellie being taken, Maggie, a lawyer who wants to save her son by escaping her abusive ex, and Dan, a man dying of cancer and wants a second chance at life, are also in Crenshaw.

As there are multiple POVs and each takes place in a short number of pages, there is not a lot of time to develop each character. I have read a ton of novels where not all the characters were mentioned in the blurb, but I feel that this one was a little misleading. It makes it seem it is a two-character focused tale that will develop a relationship over time. The novel itself did not deliver this as there are multiple focuses and the relationship did not quite develop as advertised. When you add in the consent issues for the world of Crenshaw, the outline of the story may have been good, but it didn’t seem to translate to the product presented to a reader. I think a lot of the choices in this novel will not work for a lot of readers, but as reading is subjective, there may be a reader (or set of readers) where this will work as-is. For me, it did not quite work as I read the entire novel, but the ending did not make me want to read for the potential sequel. Overall, the author has a talent for world-building, but I think the characters need some work. I may not read the next novel or re-read this one, but I think other readers should read it for themselves.

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Bramble, for the opportunity to read this entertaining novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

This was just really not for me. The way this is marketed just doesn't match up with what we are given. It's strange to compare this story to The Magicians--it was apt in theory, but the tone and themes of the story felt really different. If the reason for the comparison was only the magical school, I probably would have picked a more thematically relevant read-a-like. It also doesn't really resemble One Last Stop, at least what I remember of that book.
The characters and actual story were a bit of a mess. It felt like nobody had really gone through and edited this. The confusing and underdeveloped characters combined with the at-times problematic content, and too many POVs, made this a not-so-enjoyable ride.
I think that if this was a little tightened up (the characters and plot were fleshed out and edited a lot more) this could find its stride, but as it stands this is not something I would recommend to others.
TLDR; really confusing world, too many underdeveloped characters/POVs, etc.--I just don't want to recommend this to anyone.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024 and unfortunately it didn’t give what it promised to.

Remedial Magic is billed as a cross between One Last Stop and The Magicians, but with the exemption of the magical college it didn’t mirror either. Another bummer is that is is laden with problematic ableist content. All in all it didn’t make for a cozy read as the blurb alluded to and instead left me feeling icky. Crossing my fingers some of these issues can be addressed prior to publication.

TW: Ableism, Shaming of Depression & Addiction, Magical Healing Trope, Lack of Informed Consent

Thank you Bramble and Macmillan for the ARC & ALC.

I could not finish because of trigger warning of parental death.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review early.

2.25 stars
I'm very upset because Melissa Marr wrote one of my favourite series called 'Wicked Lovely' and I thought this would be the next series for me... it was very much not.

I really struggled to follow the multiple POVs at the beginning of this book, the use of instant love and the lack of direction of the story; even though I knew what it was aiming for, it did not connect it all well.
The comparison between one last stop was very strange to me, it didn't fit. The Magician one did, but it wasn't executed like that book.
I am very let down by this book, and I hope it can be saved in follow-up books.

Thank you to the publisher for my arc!

where the hell do i begin? uh this book is a massive red flag, there's no editing, no character development. its filled with insta love and the writing that is so bad, it should just stick being a harry potter wannabe fanfic. Not to mention one character is kidnapped and i say its kidnapping because she asks to go home to her son multiple times to which she is told no. so she decides to sleep with her kidnapper???? after learning her son is being held "safely" by one of her kidnapper/ headmasters employees? i wish i was making this up but I'm honestly just amazed that no one in the editing process was like hey uh reviewers are going to find a lot of issues with this. maybe we should fix them before sending arcs out?

who the heck is in charge of editing books at bramble because i have questions.

Unfortunately this book ended up just being average for me. I found it had too many POVs and honestly the story was just boring and at times quite confusing. With the focus spit between the different characters, I found them all to be under-developed and the love interests developed way too quickly. I think the marketing is off was well. The description makes it seem like it is only about the one character, Ellie, and it sells it as more of a romance-something along the lines of Lana Harper's "Witches of Thistle Grove" series. Overall, I think the author was trying to do too much with the book which resulted in a disjointed storyline and under-developed characters.

Remedial Magic seemed made just for me. Queer librarian finding out she's a witch? Queer witchy romance? MAGIC SCHOOL? Alas, it really was too good to be true. The premise — real world people getting transported into a different realm where they learn they're magical — is very cool, especially for adults. We never get magic school for grown-ups. But the execution didn't quite live up. The chapters were surprisingly short, jumped around to three different characters, and didn't offer much in the way of character development. None of the romances really had any depth. But what really bummed me out about Remedial Magic was that tired old trope that idyllic worlds, escape spaces, magical lands don't have sick or disabled people. One of our characters has cancer which disappears in the magical world but will return if he goes back to his world. Truly, my kingdom for a witch with a chronic illness.

Thank you to Tor Publishing Group, Bramble and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book and provide an honest review.

This was unfortunately a DNF for me. There were too many perspectives and the world building felt very sloppy and didn’t make sense to me. I know some people will enjoy this book, it just didn’t work for me.

I really wanted to love this one, but it's definitely one of those books that just isn't for me. Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for the book though!

I’m not sure this book knew what it wanted to be. It was marketed as a romance, but the romance is shallow. Ellie and Prospero are seemingly the main characters in the blurb, yet there are multiple other characters with their own chapters. The marketing of the novel is incredibly misleading, and that hurts its reception.

The idea of being normal and then suddenly finding out you’re <i>not</i> normal is a strong premise that could go any direction. I was excited at the idea of these characters learning to adjust to their new lives, but the novel paired the characters off with love interests immediately, not giving the characters—or even the relationships—time to develop. The use of multiple POVs was interesting at first, but when nearly every character mentioned got a chapter, it ruined any suspense that had been built.

Initially, I found Maggie’s story to be the most compelling. Anyone who rejects a call to action because of genuine (and external) stakes is always going to be the most interesting to me. The others didn’t have a strong enough drive or a sympathetic goal that that I wanted to root for. The relationships were almost entirely physical, so I couldn’t even understand why the couples were so attached. I had no reason to care, both positively or negatively, about any of these characters, and that hadn’t changed by the end.

The story was pretty fast-paced, which I both appreciated and resented. I thought the plot was interesting, at least when it was present, but it wasn’t meaty enough to carry the book. That is where strong characters (or a strong romance, you know, as advertised) could’ve helped, but the focus was too scattered to connect to anyone.

Overall, this book had ambitions that were greater than its page length. I didn’t hate the story, but I feel pretty apathetic about it. Some ideas worked, a lot didn’t. Maybe future books will help strengthen the world and the characters, but as of now, I am not interested in continuing.

<b>ENDING</b> cliffhanger
<b>POV</b> multiple (6) / third person
<b>RATING</b> 2 / 5

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

This was an okay read for me. I liked some parts more than others. Pros: FMC is a small town librarian and single mother, there's a great cast of queer characters an interesting magical parallel universe in need of saving. Where I started to get bored was when Maggie is basically kidnapped and forced to attend a magical college where she is put through a series of tests to see if she might be the one foretold in a prophecy to save this magical town/world.

The middle of the story seemed to drag of me and I was hoping for more action and romance if I'm completely honest. I was also a little confused by the choice of narrators, since one of the female characters sounded like a male narrator. Overall kind of a mixed bag but I would be interested in seeing what happens next in this new series. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

Fav quote: 'Never cross a librarian, they catalogue everything.' >> I need this on a t-shirt ASAP!

Crenshaw is a land of magic where witches dwell, but the land is dying. Witches go to our world to find other witches and bring them home, hoping maybe that this time they have brought the one who will restore magic to the land.
Ellie is a librarian and carer of her elderly aunt. Ellie longs for something exciting ti happen, but even she couldn’t imagine the witch Prospero entering her library and awakening the magic within her. Ellie finds her way to Crenshaw and learns of a prophecy that may involve her.
Remedial Magic will appeal to fans of Nora Roberts’ fantasy romances. A fast paced and quippy fantasy romance.

I would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own and are not swayed by having been given this ARC.

The story was good. The world and the characters needed a little more development. I was side tracked by all the missing little words and editing issues which I hope the publisher catches before this goes to print.

"The Magicians meets One Last Stop in this brand-new fantasy romance Remedial Magic, about an unassuming librarian who 1) has fallen in love with a powerful witch; 2) has discovered that she is a witch; and 3) must attend magical community college to learn how to save her new world from complete destruction by New York Times bestselling author Melissa Marr!

Ellie loves working in her local library in the small town of Ligonier. She loves baking scones and investigating the mysterious and captivating in her spare time. And there is nothing more mysterious and captivating than the intriguingly beautiful, too properly dressed woman sipping tea in her library who has appeared as if out of nowhere. The pull between them is undeniable, and Ellie is not sure that she wants to resist.

Prospero, a powerful witch from the magical land of Crenshaw, is often accused of being... ruthless in her goals and ambitions. But she is driven to save her dying homeland, and a prophecy tells her that Ellie is the key. Unbeknownst to Ellie, her powers have not yet awakened. But all of that is about to change."

Melissa Marr bringing a Magicians vibe to Tor's new imprint Bramble? Pinch me now!

Unfortunately this ended in the case of not every book is for every person. I really wanted to like this book but I just couldn't get into it at all.

I appreciate Tor and Netgalley for this e-arc.

Three people, thrown into a world of magic and forced to go to witch college all the while deal with relationship drama, new powers, and no escape. This story is told in about 6 POVS and the three main characters are Ellie ( a local librarian who lives a cozy life), Maggie (a lawyer who is trying to escape her abusive ex and save her son), and Dan (a guy who went hiking and was dying of cancer but has a second chance at life). Ellie meets Prospero, a mysterious woman who kisses her ( Prospero was going to kill her but decided not to, she was sent to retrieve Ellie because there was a prophecy about Ellie saving the magic world). Maggie gets into a car crash that was planned by her husband that would have killed her and her son but her magic awakened when she saved them both only for her to be whisked away by the handsome Sondre, the headmaster of the witch college, and Dan awakens after a hiking accident at the witch college. Ellie is excited about the prospect of having magic and falling for the beautiful woman who kissed her. Maggie wants nothing more than to escape and go back to her son, but that wont stop her from sleeping with Sondre. Dan refuses to leave, he wants to stay at witch college forever. All the while witches are dying from a mysterious disease and the Ellie has to solve the prophecy. This book was a if you took three drops of paint and put it into water, muddy, all over the place, and lacking any clear distinction and the end product is just something that is unclear and not pretty. Initially I was so excited to read this book but it immediately fell flat, and I kept pushing myself to finish it and the fact that this is the first book in the series is a big no thank you, especially with how this book went. I definitely will not be continuing this series. This book starts off abruptly and is all over the place, the characters all lacked depth and actual interesting aspects to them, the world building felt nonexistent, and cohesive story where? The book doesn't really feel like much is happening and for a book that was advertised as The Magicians meets One Last Stop, it gave neither to me and I enjoyed both of those books. This book was not for me, and unfortunately I should have DNF'ed by the second chapter because it just kept dragging on and I just was left disappointed by the end. This one is not for me and if you like magic school and relationship drama then give it a go, I guess, maybe you'll have a better time with it than I did.

*SPOILER* The ending itself was just not it ( the fact that Maggie is forced into a marriage and to have her and her sons minds warped and she has to obey Sondre while Ellie is forced into marriage and mindwipe by Prospero all the while Dan ( who barely even had any personality or characterization throughout the book and really did NOTHING, seriously go on Dan, give me nothing) gets to just enjoy life. I felt ick, just so much ick,

*Thanks Netgalley and Tor Publishing Group, Bramble for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I fully expected to love this book from the description and the fact that I've really enjoyed a lot of Melissa Marr's work. But I didn't. I think the issue was partly the marketing text and vibe of the cover did not match the book at all. So I'd say there's definitely a bit of a marketing mix up here that's probably not entirely on the author. If you're looking at this and thinking it will be a cozy, sapphic fantasy with just enough stakes to make it interesting (like I did) don't read it. If you're looking at this and seeing a fully complicated world with an ensemble cast of flawed, morally ambiguous characters who are not always making good decisions as they try to solve problems out of their control, then you'll have a better chance of enjoying it. My other issue was that there was a major bait-and-switch cliffhanger right at the end that was chock-full of consent issues due to the nature of the magic, and it just left a bad taste in my mouth.

Now to be fair, while I didn't like any of the human characters very much, the hobs were great, and definitely a silver lining. And Melissa Marr does know how to build a world, Crenshaw is definitely well fleshed out, and feels like a real place. It wasn't a place I'd like to live, beyond the fact that it's in danger, the magic itself is sinister and controlling, and I think that's at the root of a lot my issues with the book. I know this is slated to be a series, and I think Marr has the skill to take it somewhere. I'm just not entirely sure if I'll feel like going along at this point.

I've given it 3 stars, because I don't think it's badly written. I think it wasn't marketed appropriately, and that it should probably come with some trigger warnings for both ableism and consent due to the nature of the magic.

I received an ARC from Netgalley, this is an unbiased review.