A review by patelyne
Remedial Magic by Melissa Marr

Did not finish book. Stopped at 31%.
Dnf at 31% (chapter 17) 

Even after reframing expectations that this would be more of an ensemble cast sort of situation, and not the cozy sapphic fantasy expected, there was still too much that didn’t sit well with me. 

A would-have-been-fatal drug overdose casually dropped into conversation, and magically cured cancer that only stays cured if you do as you’re told because you’re just a host for magic gave me the double ick

The big one I couldn’t get past was when Maggie went from desperate to get to her son and ensure his safety to being totally chill with someone else checking in on him later and banging it out with the headmaster. Like, that was … a choice. 

I’m disappointed because I had been very excited for this book, but I feel like it barely resembles how it was described.


Initial thoughts - 

Crenshaw is a safe haven for witches, until one of them causes a rift.
It’s also the home to the College of Remedial Magic - headmaster Sondre bringing people there after any emergence of latent magical traits. A panel will decide if they are allowed to stay and learn or if they’ll have their magic siphoned away and be returned to the normal world.

There’s Ellie - a librarian, carrying for her aunt Hestia who she worries will disappear on her again. Her main hobby seems to be researching missing people - interesting people, like her aunt, are the ones who go missing so she’s made it a life’s goal to be aggressively average.
At least until a mysterious woman named Prospero visits her at the library, leaving her stunned on the floor after a single kiss. 

Then there’s Maggie, who is scared her ex is going to take their son Craig away. When her sabotaged car is in a wreck, she pushes a protective bubble of magic over her son leading to her being brought her to Crenshaw.

Daniel has also been brought to Crenshaw, but after using magic to slow his fall during a hiking accident. He wakes in the school’s infirmary, cancer cured (but not so much progress on his gambling problem)

Arc from bramble
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