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clarabooksit's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Murder, and Classism
Moderate: Homophobia, Sexism, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Chronic illness and Mental illness
ehmannky's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was, as the kids say, a banger. A delight from beginning to end, with an excellent romance front and center and the set up to what seems to be a really fun fantasy series (I cannot wait to get Maud being gay on a murder boat in book 2).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Chronic illness, Homophobia, Violence, and Murder
ezwolf's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
In honor of receiving a copy of A Restless Truth from NetGalley: my review of A Marvellous Light!
I thought this was a fun and compelling magical historical mystery. Robin is thrust head first into a magical world he didn’t know existed in a race against time to find out why he was cursed and what happened to the man who had his job before him. His partner (both in solving the mystery and romantically) Edwin is at first, annoyingly the only one who can help.
The magical system was incredibly interesting to me, especially since I’d just read another book with a similar idea on magic and would love to know if it’s based on something or I had coincidentally read them so close together.
The progression of Robin and Edwin’s relationship was also lovely to read about and I think what I enjoyed the most about the book. Edwin, probably being my favorite character of the book.
I thought this was a fun and compelling magical historical mystery. Robin is thrust head first into a magical world he didn’t know existed in a race against time to find out why he was cursed and what happened to the man who had his job before him. His partner (both in solving the mystery and romantically) Edwin is at first, annoyingly the only one who can help.
The magical system was incredibly interesting to me, especially since I’d just read another book with a similar idea on magic and would love to know if it’s based on something or I had coincidentally read them so close together.
The progression of Robin and Edwin’s relationship was also lovely to read about and I think what I enjoyed the most about the book. Edwin, probably being my favorite character of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Torture, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Chronic illness and Homophobia
stardustandrockets's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
All the stars! Please read this book! It reminds me so much of Deep Magic by Diana Wynne Jones. The magic system is super cool based on Cat's Cradle and once you've spent your magic for the day, that's it; you have to rest it like a muscle.
Robin and Edwin are so loveable and the jock/bookworm vibe they have going sends me!
I literally can't say enough nice things about this book.
Robin and Edwin are so loveable and the jock/bookworm vibe they have going sends me!
I literally can't say enough nice things about this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Kidnapping, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Chronic illness, Homophobia, Self harm, Death of parent, Outing, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Blood and Alcohol
michcocoop's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I want to write a review that sums up all that I feel about this book but I don’t know if it’s possible.
Have you ever read a book that at first you think, ‘what is this? The cover is pretty. I’ll give it a try.’ And then a few pages in you’re kind of like, ‘I don’t know if I’m in the mood for this’, but you keep reading, and then suddenly you’re being transported to world both familiar and different? Well, that mess of a sentence is the best way I can describe my experience with this book.
I wanted to jump inside of it. I wanted to see it’s magic system in action and drink tea with the slightly grumpy magical librarian and his accidental non-magical himboesque partner.
All of the fantasy and romance elements blended together to make up this story that just sucked me in. I can’t wait to read more books set in this world and learn more about the magic that inhabits it.
Read if you’re looking for fantasy, M/M romance, a book that goes down like a cup of magical tea, or a story set in an alternate Edwardian England (early 1900s).
Have you ever read a book that at first you think, ‘what is this? The cover is pretty. I’ll give it a try.’ And then a few pages in you’re kind of like, ‘I don’t know if I’m in the mood for this’, but you keep reading, and then suddenly you’re being transported to world both familiar and different? Well, that mess of a sentence is the best way I can describe my experience with this book.
I wanted to jump inside of it. I wanted to see it’s magic system in action and drink tea with the slightly grumpy magical librarian and his accidental non-magical himboesque partner.
All of the fantasy and romance elements blended together to make up this story that just sucked me in. I can’t wait to read more books set in this world and learn more about the magic that inhabits it.
Read if you’re looking for fantasy, M/M romance, a book that goes down like a cup of magical tea, or a story set in an alternate Edwardian England (early 1900s).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Chronic illness, Homophobia, Suicide, and Death of parent
allisonwonderlandreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
THIS is what fantasy romance ought to be. After engaging in more than my fair share of ranting on the subject, I had a longer list of examples that displeased me than those I would champion. This one melds the two genres into something wonderful with an Edwardian-inspired backdrop and queer characters to pave the way.
In terms of fantasy, we have Robin, a civil servant uninitiated in magic, who is accidentally assigned as magical liaison and then promptly attacked and cursed on the street. We also have Edwin, the other half of the liaison pair, a magician with only a kernel of power to his name who prefers books and magical theory to any sort of company or risky behavior. The world-building comes through as things are explained to Robin, and I found it an effective tool for informing the reader without burying them. Edwardian manners and social structures are woven through expertly in all their pompous glory (see:vomit-inducing sexism, colonialism, rigid class structure, and laws that kept queer people in hiding). It has me primed with excitement to see how this series is going to let loose the hints of subversion that started to grow in this first outing.
Now, let's talk romance. You can look forward to these tropes: sunshine and grump, the brains and the brawn, and magician and normal potato human (I made that last one up, so sue me). All of those terms fail to fully sum up these characters, who are gifted with too many dimensions to be listed, classified, and discarded. It would be a disservice not to recognize Robin's areas of non-bookish intelligence on top of his general sportiness or not to see the seeds of Edwin's unhappiness and the way he cautiously inches towards the light once offered. Ultimately, it's a love story with "us against the world" vibes that were very endearing.
Both the good and bad feels hit hard and take no prisoners. All the big emotional pivots you expect in a romance plot somehow feel new and singular because of their emotional crafting, not just the latest iteration of a favored genre. Robin and Edwin left an imprint on me, and some minor characters hold a lot of promise that I hope will lead to full-fledged obsession on my part down the line.
Highly highly recommend it. Treat yourself to this decadent queer series opener ASAP. Thanks to Tordotcom for the opportunity to read and review this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Chronic illness, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Racism, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Outing
caseythereader's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Thanks to Tordotcom for the free advance copy of this book.
- A MARVELLOUS LIGHT is one half magical murder mystery, one half slow burn queer romance.
- Robin and Edwin are a wonderfully mismatched pair, and the world they inhabit is unlike anything I've read in a long time, with an inventive magic system woven into the structure of Edwardian high society we know.
- I did feel like it dragged quite a bit, unfortunately: there necessarily needed to be a lot of speculating and planning happening. One of those books where a thing happens and then we discuss and re-discuss it, you know?
- A MARVELLOUS LIGHT is one half magical murder mystery, one half slow burn queer romance.
- Robin and Edwin are a wonderfully mismatched pair, and the world they inhabit is unlike anything I've read in a long time, with an inventive magic system woven into the structure of Edwardian high society we know.
- I did feel like it dragged quite a bit, unfortunately: there necessarily needed to be a lot of speculating and planning happening. One of those books where a thing happens and then we discuss and re-discuss it, you know?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Homophobia, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Chronic illness and Alcohol
jennikreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Chronic illness, Homophobia, Sexism, and Violence
Minor: Suicide and Death of parent
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