I totally hate this patch.
I really, really loved being able to use level 1 and 2 spells at every encounter without having to rest after every fight. When I reached that point in leveling up playing got a lot more fun. And I hoped for level 3 spells to maybe also get to per encounter at White March levels. To have it suddenly replaced with absolutely no warning with the practically totally useless ability to cast just 2 spells once per encounter is extremely annoying and takes a lot of fun away from playing this game. If I had known that I very much doubt that I would have paid for the White March extension. (I know that wouldn't have saved me from this patch, but at least I would have been at the game end sooner.)
So could you please change the so called Spell Mastery to something useful? For example so that this one spell can at least be cast per encounter as many times as you can cast spells of this level. That would make the fact that it does not have to be in the grimoire a real advantage. And if you could also extend it to 1 spell for every two character levels and make it possible to chose those not only in spell level 1 and 2 but up to level 6, then it might not be so bad anymore. (Or maybe at least starting with char level 6, so that at char level 12 we have 4 spells in the spell level 1 to 4.)
Or maybe you could make it configurable. (Like you made the injuries for being knocked down optional, which was a change with a lot less impact.) After all this is not a multiplayer game where everyone has to use the same setting and where the tanks might get understandably jealous of the abilities of the casters.
