Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches

By: Kate Scelsa

Narrated by: Stacey Glemboski

Length: 8 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

A witchy, atmospheric lesbian contemporary romance set in Salem—from the acclaimed author of Fans of the Impossible Life. Perfect for fans of Nina LaCour and Becky Albertalli.

Seventeen-year-old Eleanor is the last person in Salem to believe in witchcraft—or to think that her life could be transformed by mysterious forces. After losing her best friend and first love, Chloe, Eleanor has spent the past year in a haze, vowing to stay away from anything resembling romance.

But when a handwritten guide to tarot arrives in the mail at the witchy souvenir store where Eleanor works, it seems to bring with it the message that magic is about to enter her life. Cynical Eleanor is quick to dismiss this promise, until real-life witch Pix shows up with an unusual invitation. Inspired by the magic and mystery of the tarot, Eleanor decides to open herself up to Pix and her coven of witches, and even to the possibility of a new romance.

But Eleanor’s complicated history continues to haunt her. She will have to reckon with the old ghosts that threaten to destroy everything, even her chance at new love.

Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches is an atmospheric and romantic coming-of-age about learning to make peace with the past in order to accept the beauty of the present.

©2022 Kate Scelsa (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers

intriguing and atmospheric

Really great story and compelling characters! I loved the personalities of all the girls in the coven, and Eleanor was (unfortunately? fortunately?) very relatable. Well written and well worth a listen!

Good story line and happy ending.

Good story line that has enough interest to keep you hooked. Sweet and cute happy ending. Well read.

Accurate depiction of teenhood... unfortunately

I enjoyed this audiobook and I like the author's prose. However, I think there is a thin line between being cynically relatable, and being downright whiny. But here's the thing, it is a -SPOT ON- depiction of being a teenager: the anxiety and expectations that come with it, the drama, the relationships, etc. And I definitely applaud the author for capturing this perfectly. But it's also what makes the book a little unbearable about halfway through for me. I both sympathized heavily with the main character and simultaneously wished she would stop being SO incredibly dramatic. This dichotomy made it hard to rate the book as it wasn't a bad thing, but it did make it a little harder to enjoy personally for me. If I could rate it 3.5 stars I would, but I bumped it up to 4 instead of 3.

I would recommend it. If you don't mind the overwhelming teenage angst, it's a pretty good story. The characters feel real, and the author's writing is great. The narrator was good as well.

The book is very enlightening and healing

The books focus on healing from past trauma and getting over mistakes was very nice to listen to. The chapters being tarot cards was a nice touch and made me feel very seen.

Cute concept, poor execution

While I enjoyed the coming-of-age story and the backdrop of Salem, MA…the story focused far too much on the bully and we barely got to see much in way of the other characters (like the lead love interest). I honestly don’t really think there was much of a story and I kept waiting for *it* to happen—but before I knew it, the credits were rolling.

OOF. So much teen angst

the descriptions of places put me right back onto the streets of Salem, it felt like I was walking right next to Elenore.
The author did such a great job conveying all those deeply felt emotions of a bad break up and the adter affects, while the narrator really translated that. There were times when I had to stop listening because it dragged up too clear memories of similar emotions.

The narrator did an excellent job of performing each of the characters.

I got lost in the story and felt the gamut of emotions as I went through each heart wrenching detail of Eleanor’s life. Starting each chapter with a major arcana key was brilliant! I learned more about the deck than I have in previous self-study. All around well done!

Great story that hits home

As many young queer youth out there who seem that they are the only ones some times, this is a good story that will help make sure you know you’re not.
Good narrator, they read well and clear to understand, and I was able to tell the different characters they were speaking for.

Absolutely fantastic

I love this book. There was not one moment where I wasn’t completely enthralled in the story. The characters were all very interesting and diverse. One of the best queer love stories I’ve yet to read, very sweet, definitely tugged at my heart strings. I may have cried once or twice as well. Also one of the most real depictions witchcraft I’ve come across and as a fellow practitioner I really appreciated the accuracy. I would highly recommend this book to all my fellow queer witches out there, or anyone looking for a good read. Absolutely beautiful. I think I’ll be reading more from this author.

Woof. Not much magic or chemistry

Struggled to get thru this one but was able to do it because the narration is great. The story not so much. Lots of underdeveloped characters, including the love interest. The book is highly misleading when it comes to what actually happened to the ex-best friend. I kept waiting for the actual story/plot to start, and it never really did. Oh, and there's no magic in this book. The main character is also very hard to cheer for and support