Reviews tagging 'Stalking'

Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches, by Kate Scelsa

12 reviews

powellki's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book offers a strong perspective of how our negative thinking can warp our reality.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Medical content, Cursing, Violence, Medical trauma, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Alcohol, Biphobia, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, Lesbophobia, Injury/injury detail, Bullying, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Grief, Alcoholism, Blood, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Stalking

thecatconstellation's review against another edition

emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I have really mixed feelings about this book. I like the set up with the tarot card chapters interspersed throughout the story. But I hate the main character. I don’t know if it’s because she’s a teenager or what, but her view on relationships and

Spoiler

being in a relationship with Pix magically curing her pot addiction

feels so toxic.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Stalking, Alcohol, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Sexual assault, Bullying, Infidelity, Chronic illness, Vomit, Addiction, Medical content, and Violence

Minor: Biphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, and Religious bigotry

tjazz's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Grief

Moderate: Homophobia, Stalking, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Sexual assault

saelrod's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Queer representation + witches painted in a positive light? Lessons from tarot? Yes please!

Except it fell flat. The self-medicating drug use felt like an important part of the story except it was glossed over and never fleshed out. While I have empathy for the MC, I found her tremendously unlikeable and her character development was lacking. I don’t know if it was due to it being YA but this story had so much unmet potential.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Bullying, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Sexual assault and Stalking

nittiotvaan's review against another edition

emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use

Moderate: Alcohol, Chronic illness, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Stalking and Sexual assault

aqulia's review against another edition

emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Stalking, Addiction, and Chronic illness

Minor: Vomit, Blood, Sexual assault, Violence, Homophobia, and Alcohol

heyitsfrancesca's review

challenging emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I really, really wanted to like this book, and for the most part I did. However, the use of the predatory lesbian trope made me uncomfortable and I found myself having to skip through some parts. I feel like the conflict between Eleanor and Chloe could have been created without Eleanor becoming the predatory lesbian -

Spoiler

Harrison was already spreading that she was an obsessed lesbian, perhaps on her walks she didn't stop at Chloe's house, but he spread the rumor that she did, if the trope was completely necessary

I also didn't enjoy the depiction of Chloe as a kind of discount bisexual and as some other negative interpretations. This story relied on using tired tropes to further characters, including having a manic pixie dream girl (albeit sapphic), which made it feel a little dull. However, the MC has an interesting family life, and I appreciate a relatively healthy non-nuclear family being depicted.

I was drawn into this book, finishing the audiobook in a day, and I enjoyed the shorter chapters about the major arcana framing the themes of the chapter after it. The ideas shown about paganism and witchcraft were also really nice to read about.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Grief, and Lesbophobia

Moderate: Stalking, Infidelity, Biphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, and Bullying

Minor: Toxic relationship and Sexual assault

e_flah's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Eleanor is trying to navigate her relatively new lonely life in Salem after a fallout with her former best friend, Chloe. When she receives a mysterious tarot book at the gift store she works at, it seems like Eleanor's life may be starting to change for the better.

Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches does a great job balancing a lot of interesting storylines. There's Eleanor's relationship with her mom, a very sweet romance, an interrogation of past trauma, and new friendships to navigate. These storylines came together to make Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches feel like a slice-of-life contemporary with a wonderful hint of magic.

I was a bit surprised by how heavy parts of this book are. (view spoiler) The romance between Eleanor and Pix was a nice counter-balance to the heavier parts of the story without attempting to erase them, which was well done.

Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches was an atmospheric slice-of-life contemporary that blurs the lines between reality and magic. If you're looking for a book that addresses a lot of themes well while also being a tightly-plotted story, this is definitely the book for you.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug use, Chronic illness, and Bullying

Minor: Stalking and Sexual assault

lizlogan's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book is unashamedly queer and shows great representations of witchcraft.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug use, Abandonment, Grief, Stalking, Bullying, and Emotional abuse

suspicioussherbet4's review against another edition

emotional hopeful slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Bullying, Chronic illness, Drug use, Lesbophobia, Stalking, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Sexual assault