Remedial Magic

December 4, 2023
With this energetic queer romantasy, Marr (The Hidden Dragon) launches an exciting new duology. Librarian Ellie Brandeau’s hobby of researching missing persons cases has convinced her that only interesting people disappear, so she sets out to be as “ordinary” as possible. Then a glamorous woman walks into the library, gives her name as “Prospero,” and kisses Ellie. Ellie’s barely caught her breath from that encounter when a car crash and a series of bizarre hallucinations leave her lost in a strange land—where she encounters Prospero again. This hidden place, Prospero informs her, is Crenshaw, where all budding witches—Ellie included—are brought to learn to use their talents. Indeed, the missing persons Ellie’s been reading about are all here, yanked from their normal lives and, by Crenshaw’s rules, they can only leave if they leave their magic behind. Now the land is ailing and, according to Prospero, Ellie is the one fated to save it. The politics and intrigues of Crenshaw make this feel more fantasy than romance and it occasionally becomes tricky to keep track of Ellie and Prospero’s shifting motivations. Still, deep worldbuilding and a large, lively cast add depth and emotional weight on the way to a cliff-hanger that will have Marr’s fans clamoring for book two. This is a promising start.

May 31, 2024

Marr's (The Hexed and the Hunted) latest transports listeners to Crenshaw, a magic school populated by mortals whose magical abilities manifest in adulthood. Kidnapped from their homes, the students begin their magical education as a council of witches determines whether they should become permanent residents. The alternative is to have their magic drained and their memories erased before they are thrust back into the mortal world. Heavy worldbuilding and a convoluted plot combine with three separate romances and many POV characters to create an intricate, magical tapestry. The choice to have two narrators--Jeremy Carlisle Parker and Max Meyers--adds an additional layer of complexity to an already full plot, as the characters frequently appear in each other's chapters. Both narrators are skilled enough to narrate the entire cast on their own, which may have lightened the listening load, resulting in consistent voices and accents throughout. As it is, the different voices for each character make for yet another thing that listeners must track. VERDICT Although this audio requires an attentive ear, unanswered questions and a shocking cliffhanger may entice romantasy fans to seek out the sequel.--Matthew Galloway

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