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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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Homophobia, Stalking, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Sexual assault
lonely_tardigrade's review against another edition
This book was a lot more depressing than I expected. A lot of the problems I had with it could be attributed to the imbalance of what I thought the book would be like and what it actually ended up being. I just don’t have the mental capacity right now for the kinds of heavy topics it introduced, which is why I didn’t finish it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Lesbophobia, and Alcohol
Minor: Sexual content and Medical content
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Drug abuse, and Homophobia
Moderate: Sexual assault and Stalking
cpachet's review against another edition
sad
medium-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
3.0
The plot of Improbable Magic is pretty thin and the magic is very secondary to the plot (and not really discussed or engaged in by the main character, outside of some tarot). It’s ok, but not great.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Chronic illness
kingrosereads's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
3.5
A sapphic YA witchy coming-of-age drama that takes place in Salem during Halloween.
This book contains homophobia/lesbophobia, marijuana use, anxiety/panic disorder, chronic illness, bullying, sexual assault, grief, and toxic relationship/friendship.
I liked this book. I wasn’t aware it wasn’t about magical witches and not at all a fantasy until I started reading it. It is about real witches that practice Wicca/pagan-based witchcraft.
Our story follows 17-year-old high school dropout but recent GED recipient and self-proclaimed most skeptical and cynical person in Salem, Eleanor Anderson. Eleanor skips out on her senior year after being marked as a crazed lesbian stalker of her ex-best friend and popular girl, Chloe, and an accident that occurred on Halloween night. Now Eleanor works full time at her mother’s friend, Susan’s, witchy shop to help pay for their bills. Her mom has Lyme’s disease that she contracted two years prior and what had them move to Salem to be closer to Susan so she can help take care of them. Eleanor’s family believes that her mom is faking her illness.
Things change for Eleanor when she receives a hand written guide on tarot in the mail and meets Pix and Ofira on the same day. Pix and Ofira are cousins and Ofira is new to Salem. They also happen to be witches. They invite Eleanor to join their coven and she’s drawn in by curiosity and her interest in Pix. Eleanor slowly works through her tarot guide and process the trauma of the year prior. She and Pix grow closer together and start dating.
We learn that she and Chloe secretly dated because Chloe, though out as bisexual to her parents, was ashamed of dating Eleanor. She ends up choosing to date resident popular douchebag, Harrison, to increase her own popularity, but the girls try to remain friends. Harrison manipulates Chloe and the student body into thinking that Eleanor is a predatory lesbian obsessed with Chloe and tries to erase Chloe’s bisexuality. This builds until it explodes resulting in an accident and Eleanor dropping out.
Eleanor slowly starts to come to terms with the events of her junior year and learns to heal from it and to trust again.
The setting in Salem and time period being Halloween is all pretty much background things to give a reason why Eleanor is hanging out with Pix and the coven and learning to heal. But it is a nice vibe to the story. There isn’t too much development in most of the coven and even Ofira and Gillian are pretty underdeveloped side characters.
I wasn’t a huge fan of Eleanor becoming the “predatory lesbian” stereotype. Or even just the stereotype of being a crazy obsessed girl in the scenario that Chloe was a boy, this would’ve been problematic. But I also know that people that manipulate our feelings and hurt us and gaslight us do eventually make us feel and act somewhat “crazy”, and when you’re a teenager it’s a million times worse because you have no voice telling you to think it through. Regardless, the book could’ve done without this stereotype. I get the idea of Eleanor being bullied and experiencing lesbophobia, but we didn’t need this to accomplish that.
The excessive use of marijuana is an unhealthy coping mechanism, especially since she’s underage, but at the same time it’s better than abusing Xanax or the like, and she eventually stops using marijuana to manage her anxiety and find other non-substance ways to cope.
But I was happy to read about a different kind of grief (the loss of friendship/relationship), and a grief that occurs regardless of whether or not it was toxic (it was). And I do think the use of marijuana to cope and how Eleanor started using it less as she found herself surrounded by friends and support was done well.
Pix and Eleanor don’t really have chemistry, but I thought they’re very cute together. I’m not sure about the accuracy of the portrayal of Wicca or paganism, but the bit I do know makes me appreciate the book as an introduction to this religion. Even thought it all very surface level, it’s done in a way I think will encourage readers to look information up themselves.
Overall cute, albeit, a little boring story.
This book contains homophobia/lesbophobia, marijuana use, anxiety/panic disorder, chronic illness, bullying, sexual assault, grief, and toxic relationship/friendship.
I liked this book. I wasn’t aware it wasn’t about magical witches and not at all a fantasy until I started reading it. It is about real witches that practice Wicca/pagan-based witchcraft.
Our story follows 17-year-old high school dropout but recent GED recipient and self-proclaimed most skeptical and cynical person in Salem, Eleanor Anderson. Eleanor skips out on her senior year after being marked as a crazed lesbian stalker of her ex-best friend and popular girl, Chloe, and an accident that occurred on Halloween night. Now Eleanor works full time at her mother’s friend, Susan’s, witchy shop to help pay for their bills. Her mom has Lyme’s disease that she contracted two years prior and what had them move to Salem to be closer to Susan so she can help take care of them. Eleanor’s family believes that her mom is faking her illness.
Things change for Eleanor when she receives a hand written guide on tarot in the mail and meets Pix and Ofira on the same day. Pix and Ofira are cousins and Ofira is new to Salem. They also happen to be witches. They invite Eleanor to join their coven and she’s drawn in by curiosity and her interest in Pix. Eleanor slowly works through her tarot guide and process the trauma of the year prior. She and Pix grow closer together and start dating.
We learn that she and Chloe secretly dated because Chloe, though out as bisexual to her parents, was ashamed of dating Eleanor. She ends up choosing to date resident popular douchebag, Harrison, to increase her own popularity, but the girls try to remain friends. Harrison manipulates Chloe and the student body into thinking that Eleanor is a predatory lesbian obsessed with Chloe and tries to erase Chloe’s bisexuality. This builds until it explodes resulting in an accident and Eleanor dropping out.
Eleanor slowly starts to come to terms with the events of her junior year and learns to heal from it and to trust again.
The setting in Salem and time period being Halloween is all pretty much background things to give a reason why Eleanor is hanging out with Pix and the coven and learning to heal. But it is a nice vibe to the story. There isn’t too much development in most of the coven and even Ofira and Gillian are pretty underdeveloped side characters.
I wasn’t a huge fan of Eleanor becoming the “predatory lesbian” stereotype. Or even just the stereotype of being a crazy obsessed girl in the scenario that Chloe was a boy, this would’ve been problematic. But I also know that people that manipulate our feelings and hurt us and gaslight us do eventually make us feel and act somewhat “crazy”, and when you’re a teenager it’s a million times worse because you have no voice telling you to think it through. Regardless, the book could’ve done without this stereotype. I get the idea of Eleanor being bullied and experiencing lesbophobia, but we didn’t need this to accomplish that.
The excessive use of marijuana is an unhealthy coping mechanism, especially since she’s underage, but at the same time it’s better than abusing Xanax or the like, and she eventually stops using marijuana to manage her anxiety and find other non-substance ways to cope.
But I was happy to read about a different kind of grief (the loss of friendship/relationship), and a grief that occurs regardless of whether or not it was toxic (it was). And I do think the use of marijuana to cope and how Eleanor started using it less as she found herself surrounded by friends and support was done well.
Pix and Eleanor don’t really have chemistry, but I thought they’re very cute together. I’m not sure about the accuracy of the portrayal of Wicca or paganism, but the bit I do know makes me appreciate the book as an introduction to this religion. Even thought it all very surface level, it’s done in a way I think will encourage readers to look information up themselves.
Overall cute, albeit, a little boring story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Biphobia, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Lesbophobia, and Injury/Injury detail
uraveragelesbianreader's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-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
4.0
I picked this book up on a whim because it was on sale at my local bookstore and I was not disappointed. It was a fun modern love story with a unique concept and an important narrative hidden beneath it. The book itself was beautiful and the way Tarot cards before chapters gave you an idea of what would occur within the chapter was beautiful both in design and in concept. I think because I came into this book with very few expectations I enjoyed it. My advice is don't make this book anything its not and don't come in expecting wonderful prose and a captivating deeply realistic story line, read it the way you would watch a 90s romcom and you will have a good time. That being said I don't think this book is lacking depth. Though the L word is never said explicitly our main character is a lesbian and has experiences that I feel many of us can relate to. That conflict in the book feels very realistic and relatable but where I think this book struggles is it attempts to fit into a mould that was not made for it. It tries to fit a very typical romance book format when that's not really what this book is this leads to the pace feeling a bit janky and some of the later conflict between the main characters feeling contrived and unnatural. Overall this book is fun but I would not reccomend paying full price for it, get it from the library or pick it up on sale. I would specifically recommend this book for those who want an atypical romance book and those who feel like reading a book about a lesbian sceptic and a bisexual witch falling in love.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Lesbophobia, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Terminal illness, and Medical trauma
_teoeo's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
aiyam's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
There is nothing I love more than a good high school lesbian relationship, Pix and Eleanor absolutely hit the spot in this book. Kate Scelsa is an amazing author, I will absolutely be coming back for more of her books.
The format of this book is so fun. There is a different tarot card before each chapter, along with a small description of what the card represents. As someone who knows next to nothing about tarot I loved this. The book is rather fast paced which I enjoyed, there is no real filler and I was on the edge of my seat trying to uncover the secrets Eleanor was hiding from the reader. She is definitely a sympathetic main character, before I knew what it was she had done wrong I absolutely was on her side.
The story line is a bit more depressing than I had been expecting. The buildup to the reveal of what exactly went down between Eleanor and Chloe is appropriately done, I really felt drawn in. When the reveal happens I was honestly in shock, but I think that having a protagonist who is not one hundred percent in the right is important. It toed the line of forgivable in my book, but Scelsa did an amazing job of writing it and showing everyone as people. And as we all know, people are never the clear cut villains or heroes that we would like them to be.
Overall, I would recommend this book with no hesitations. I hope to see more in this vein from the author.
The format of this book is so fun. There is a different tarot card before each chapter, along with a small description of what the card represents. As someone who knows next to nothing about tarot I loved this. The book is rather fast paced which I enjoyed, there is no real filler and I was on the edge of my seat trying to uncover the secrets Eleanor was hiding from the reader. She is definitely a sympathetic main character, before I knew what it was she had done wrong I absolutely was on her side.
The story line is a bit more depressing than I had been expecting. The buildup to the reveal of what exactly went down between Eleanor and Chloe is appropriately done, I really felt drawn in. When the reveal happens I was honestly in shock, but I think that having a protagonist who is not one hundred percent in the right is important. It toed the line of forgivable in my book, but Scelsa did an amazing job of writing it and showing everyone as people. And as we all know, people are never the clear cut villains or heroes that we would like them to be.
Overall, I would recommend this book with no hesitations. I hope to see more in this vein from the author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, and Sexual harassment
bookstarbri's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
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
2.0
Update:
Sooo a friend asked me about this book and it made me remember a lot of feelings I had about it. Idk. this book had so much going for it (like the tarot cards and witchcraft was really fun), but the more I sit with it (and it's been months lol), I just don't love the way the character development and some of the history of these characters went. Idk. I think the author was trying to make a commentary on the predatory queer trope but I don't this was done well and the more I think about it, the more it bothers me. I initially gave this a 3.75, but I'm taking it down 1.25 for some of these problems. Also, it is a surprisingly dark book and definitely needs to have CWs listed !
This book hooked me in very early! I was sort of surprised. The premise alone was super interesting to me, but I still wasn't expecting to be drawn in so quickly. I think a lot of that had to do with Eleanor. She was a really well thought-out character. Though I felt very different from her, I was easily able to empathize with much of what she went through, especially in her relationship with Pix. I think the two of them were my favorite part of this story along with the magic. It was a very sweet relationship that stemmed from a genuine respect of one another.
Much of this story was flashbacks into the traumatic part of Eleanor's story. Some of it is pretty uncomfortable as Eleanor made horrible, obsessive decisions in the past that ended up changing her life (or, at least, the perspective of her life). Reading these parts were really difficult because Eleanor does have a problem with forming strong attachments/addictions to people/things to help her cope with her own mental health challenges. So when the central conflict came to its climax, it would've been nice to see Eleanor work through that more to really address that, and it didn't feel like that resolution fully happened. This was my biggest issue with the book. The witch vibes were really cool and I LOVED the tarot card aspect of this book so much. The characterization was also great, in particular for Eleanor, Pix, and Chloe ( who is never actually present in the story and is only a character in the flashbacks, but she still feels very relevant to Eleanor's present self ).
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Balzer + Bray for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Sooo a friend asked me about this book and it made me remember a lot of feelings I had about it. Idk. this book had so much going for it (like the tarot cards and witchcraft was really fun), but the more I sit with it (and it's been months lol), I just don't love the way the character development and some of the history of these characters went. Idk. I think the author was trying to make a commentary on the predatory queer trope but I don't this was done well and the more I think about it, the more it bothers me. I initially gave this a 3.75, but I'm taking it down 1.25 for some of these problems. Also, it is a surprisingly dark book and definitely needs to have CWs listed !
This book hooked me in very early! I was sort of surprised. The premise alone was super interesting to me, but I still wasn't expecting to be drawn in so quickly. I think a lot of that had to do with Eleanor. She was a really well thought-out character. Though I felt very different from her, I was easily able to empathize with much of what she went through, especially in her relationship with Pix. I think the two of them were my favorite part of this story along with the magic. It was a very sweet relationship that stemmed from a genuine respect of one another.
Much of this story was flashbacks into the traumatic part of Eleanor's story. Some of it is pretty uncomfortable as Eleanor made horrible, obsessive decisions in the past that ended up changing her life (or, at least, the perspective of her life). Reading these parts were really difficult because Eleanor does have a problem with forming strong attachments/addictions to people/things to help her cope with her own mental health challenges. So when the central conflict came to its climax, it would've been nice to see Eleanor work through that more to really address that, and it didn't feel like that resolution fully happened. This was my biggest issue with the book. The witch vibes were really cool and I LOVED the tarot card aspect of this book so much. The characterization was also great, in particular for Eleanor, Pix, and Chloe (
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Balzer + Bray for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Bullying and Lesbophobia
Minor: Sexual assault
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