Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc.

A Cure for Magic by Talia Greer is a compelling dark academia fantasy filled with secrets, dangerous magic, and plenty of intrigue. Marika is an engaging protagonist, and her struggle to control her newly awakened powers while hiding her true identity kept me invested from the very beginning.
The university setting is one of the book's strongest elements, creating an atmosphere full of mystery, hidden agendas, and political tension. I especially enjoyed the complicated relationships between Marika, Argent, and Harland. Their dynamic adds emotional depth to the story, and the slow unraveling of trust, attraction, and secrets kept me turning pages.
The magical world is fascinating, and the mystery surrounding Marika's family and the secret society provides plenty of suspense. While some aspects of the plot felt a bit slow at times, the strong character development and intriguing twists more than made up for it.
Overall, A Cure for Magic is an enjoyable fantasy with rich world-building, memorable characters, and enough mystery to leave me eager to see what happens next. A solid 4-star read for fans of dark academia and magical intrigue.

A Cure for Magic was an enjoyable dark academia fantasy with a really interesting magic system. I especially liked the idea that magic is connected to trauma and the way that concept ties into the larger themes of power, class, and the treatment of magic users. Marika was an interesting character to follow as she begins questioning everything, she has been taught and trying to understand her own abilities while dealing with her complicated past. I also enjoyed the university setting, the secret society, political tension, and the relationships between Marika, Argent, and Harland. The romance adds another layer to the story without completely taking over the plot, which worked well for me. There were a few areas where I wanted more depth from some of the characters and a little more time for certain parts of the story to develop, but overall I enjoyed the world, the darker atmosphere, and the direction of the story.

A Cure for Magic does not necessarily reinvent the magical academy setting, but it introduces a particularly interesting magic system in which abilities are triggered by trauma, while those who possess magic are vilified rather than revered. This inversion of the traditional fantasy academy dynamic added an intriguing layer to the world-building and provided some of the book's most compelling elements.

Marika initially comes across as a spoilt and entitled princess with little experience of the world beyond the royal court. However, she also demonstrates a strong conscience and empathy towards the Ardors from the outset, which made her subsequent character development particularly satisfying. Watching her confront the realities of the world beyond her privileged upbringing, alongside the discovery that several of her peers at Ardor Academy knew considerably more about her identity and circumstances than she would have liked, created an engaging progression throughout the novel.

I also enjoyed how the story immediately establishes a sense of urgency. Rather than spending a significant portion of the book building towards the central conflict, readers are dropped into the aftermath of a catastrophic fire that destroys much of the royal complex. This provided an effective starting point and kept the plot moving from the beginning.

The queer and FFM representation was another highlight for me. The development of the triad relationship felt natural and thoughtfully handled, and it was one of the aspects of the book I found myself most invested in.

Overall, A Cure for Magic was an easy and largely enjoyable read, with a compelling magic system and some well-developed character arcs. However, beyond the concept of trauma-triggered magic and the reversal of the usual societal attitude towards magical abilities, I found relatively little that felt particularly distinctive within the broader magical academy genre. For me, this ultimately prevented it from being a higher-rated read, although I would still recommend it to readers who enjoy magical academies, character-driven fantasy and queer romance.

I really enjoyed the plot of the book and the first half really grabbed my attention. I loved how diverse the characters were and ended up really liking the dynamic between Marika, Argent, and Harland. Some of the plot points did feel a bit rushed and some aspects pulled me out of the story. But overall, it was a good read. I will be reading the next book in the series.

A big thank you to NetGalley and the author for letting me read this book! I really enjoyed it and had such a fun time getting lost in the story. I’m so glad I got the chance to discover this one!

The setting, vibes and characters immediately pulled me in and I was hooked since the first chapter! I finished this in one sitting because I just had to know how it was going to end! This was my first book by Talia Greer and I'd love to check out more!

I really enjoyed A Cure for Magic. Marika starts off a bit spoiled and sheltered, but her growth felt satisfying as she confronts the world beyond her privileged upbringing and discovers how much Argent and Harland actually know about her past. The magic system tied to trauma was such an interesting twist, especially with magic users being vilified instead of revered, which gave the whole world some real depth. The university setting and secret society added great mystery and tension, and the FFM romance developed naturally alongside everything else without overtaking the plot. A few plot points felt rushed and the academy setting itself doesn't feel hugely original beyond the trauma magic concept, but overall this was an easy, enjoyable dark academia read and I'm looking forward to the sequel.