Yep, I came back about 3 months ago and a LOT has changed. It was really overwhelming. Like I told Riv, instead of trying to learn 20+ spells at once, I decided to start fresh.
Learning 1 spell at a time, learning how it works, then later deciding if you want to continue or swap it for the alternative. Spells don't need scrolls and their levels increase as your character level increases but each spell is linked to one other spell and you have to choose which one you prefer to use i.e. you can't use both "linked" spells in the same fight. I learned what I liked the most leveling up