Remedial Magic

Remedial Magic by Melissa Marr

I fully expected to love this book from the description and the fact that I've really enjoyed a lot of Melissa Marr's work. But I didn't. I think the issue was partly the marketing text and vibe of the cover did not match the book at all. So I'd say there's definitely a bit of a marketing mix up here that's probably not entirely on the author. If you're looking at this and thinking it will be a cozy, sapphic fantasy with just enough stakes to make it interesting (like I did), don't read it. If you're looking at this and seeing a fully complicated world with an ensemble cast of rather flat, morally ambiguous characters who are not always making good decisions as they try to solve problems out of their control, then you'll have a better chance of enjoying it. My other big issue was that there was a major bait-and-switch cliffhanger right at the end that was chock-full of coercion and consent issues due to the nature of the magic, and it just left a bad taste in my mouth.

Now to be fair, while I didn't like any of the human characters very much, the hobs were great, and definitely a silver lining. And Melissa Marr does know how to build a world, Crenshaw is definitely well fleshed out, and feels like a real place. It wasn't a place I'd like to live, beyond the fact that it's in danger, the magic itself is sinister and controlling, and I think that's at the root of a lot my issues with the book. I know this is slated to be a series, and I think Marr has the skill to take it somewhere. I'm just not entirely sure if I'll feel like going along at this point.

I've given it 3 stars, because I don't think it's badly written. I think it wasn't marketed appropriately, and that it should probably come with some content warnings for both ableism and consent due to the nature of the magic.

I received an ARC from Netgalley, this is an unbiased review.