powellki's review against another edition
- 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
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
- 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
Spoiler
being in a relationship with Pix magically curing her pot addictionGraphic: 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
- 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
Graphic: Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Grief
Moderate: Homophobia, Stalking, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Sexual assault
saelrod's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Graphic: Homophobia, Bullying, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Sexual assault and Stalking
nittiotvaan's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Drug use
Moderate: Alcohol, Chronic illness, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Stalking and Sexual assault
aqulia's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Stalking, Addiction, and Chronic illness
Minor: Vomit, Blood, Sexual assault, Violence, Homophobia, and Alcohol
heyitsfrancesca's review
- 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
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 necessaryI 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.
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
- 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
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.
Moderate: Drug use, Chronic illness, and Bullying
Minor: Stalking and Sexual assault
lizlogan's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Addiction, Drug use, Abandonment, Grief, Stalking, Bullying, and Emotional abuse
suspicioussherbet4's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Bullying, Chronic illness, Drug use, Lesbophobia, Stalking, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Sexual assault