A review by the_lesbrarian
Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches by Kate Scelsa

adventurous slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

While working in a witchy shop in Salem, high school outcast and skeptic Eleanor gets invited to join a local coven and quickly falls for one of the other girls, despite her best efforts not to. Eleanor is thrilled for a chance to start over, but as the difficult events of Eleanor’s last year are slowly revealed, she struggles to keep her present and past separate. The story is fun, if not a little uneven both in pacing and characterization. The main character can at times be frustratingly overdramatic, but in some ways her thoughts capture how important and messy everything feels in high school.  “Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches“ is another quick queer book to ring in autumn, with a lesbian mc and multiple established LGBTQ+ characters and relationships. 

Although the premise is cozy and solidly in the YA category, there are several significant triggering events in this book, so be sure to check tws before picking it up. 
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