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brontesauruses's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-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
4.0
Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss+ for letting me get at this one early in exchange for an honest review!
Ok, so before I start the actual review: please take a minute to look at the cover. It's so pink, I love it. đź’•
Did you look at it? Ok good.
As for the book itself, it's so much fun. It's queer and silly and told in a way that I ended up really enjoying. Our omniscient narrator is a character in their own right: Puck (aka Robin Goodfellow aka Stanley Tucci* in A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999)), who has been kicked out by Oberon, and now has to find a way to, you know, pay for food. The tone is very chatty. At times it felt like the chattiness was at the expense of pushing the story along, and it took me a couple chapters to get into it (it might even have been worse towards the beginning), but in the end I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much if it had been told differently.
IfPuck Hall wants to write more books like this, I want to read them.
Idk that I have any readalikes per se, but I do think that if you like Emily Wilde you might like this one (and vice versa). Very different flavors of Faerie Nonsense, but yeah. Divine Rivals also maybe.
One quick bit of content warning: the Old Gods are still there causing problems, so there are three whole animal sacrifices in this one, each one more...well-described than the last. Lots of blood.
Also, there was a bit of virulent transphobia that was immediately challenged by the narrative and one of the main characters. OOF, though. Very jarring.
*I'm sure the audiobook narrator is very good, but as I was reading, I couldn't help wishing that they'd gotten my man Stanley in on this.
Ok, so before I start the actual review: please take a minute to look at the cover. It's so pink, I love it. đź’•
Did you look at it? Ok good.
As for the book itself, it's so much fun. It's queer and silly and told in a way that I ended up really enjoying. Our omniscient narrator is a character in their own right: Puck (aka Robin Goodfellow aka Stanley Tucci* in A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999)), who has been kicked out by Oberon, and now has to find a way to, you know, pay for food. The tone is very chatty. At times it felt like the chattiness was at the expense of pushing the story along, and it took me a couple chapters to get into it (it might even have been worse towards the beginning), but in the end I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much if it had been told differently.
If
Idk that I have any readalikes per se, but I do think that if you like Emily Wilde you might like this one (and vice versa). Very different flavors of Faerie Nonsense, but yeah. Divine Rivals also maybe.
One quick bit of content warning: the Old Gods are still there causing problems, so there are three whole animal sacrifices in this one, each one more...well-described than the last. Lots of blood.
Also, there was a bit of virulent transphobia that was immediately challenged by the narrative and one of the main characters. OOF, though. Very jarring.
*I'm sure the audiobook narrator is very good, but as I was reading, I couldn't help wishing that they'd gotten my man Stanley in on this.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, and Medical content
Minor: Death, Racism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Abandonment
analenegrace's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was a fun addition to Alexis Hall's many, many books, but not my favorite of his, unfortunately. It was also an addition to his many historical books where homophobia simply doesn't exist (although misogyny and racism still do, which at the end of the day doesn't make logical sense when considering social theory, but I digress...)
I liked many things about this book: the narrator, the world-building, and Miss Bickle, but it felt like it dragged at many points and could have been a bit shorter. I also felt that Georgiana was a bit flat, so I could not always understand why Maesly was so obsessed with her; it felt very much like she fell for the first other lesbian she met, and I don't particularly like that type of trope; it feels very princess in the tower.
As a note, this had the least sexual content of any of Hall's books, and I wonder if that was due to it being sapphic or being so plot-heavy.
I look forward to more in this series (I assume there will be due to the epilogue and because Hall rarely does solo books) as I love the narrator, and I want to know more about him ASAP!
I liked many things about this book: the narrator, the world-building, and Miss Bickle, but it felt like it dragged at many points and could have been a bit shorter. I also felt that Georgiana was a bit flat, so I could not always understand why Maesly was so obsessed with her; it felt very much like she fell for the first other lesbian she met, and I don't particularly like that type of trope; it feels very princess in the tower.
As a note, this had the least sexual content of any of Hall's books, and I wonder if that was due to it being sapphic or being so plot-heavy.
I look forward to more in this series (I assume there will be due to the epilogue and because Hall rarely does solo books) as I love the narrator, and I want to know more about him ASAP!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death
Moderate: Cursing, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual content, and Classism
savvyrosereads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Out now [Thank you so much the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!]
Rating: 4/5 stars
Narrated by the hobgoblin Robin (better known for Shakespeare fans as Puck from A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Mortal Follies is the 1814-set story of a young woman cursed by a goddess and the suspected murderess who may be her best ally or her greatest downfall.
I’m obsessed with the narration and framing of this one, which is slightly bizarre (in the best way) and takes a bit to fully get into—but once it clicks it is, to my mind, absolutely brilliant. I also loved all the characters—especially the headstrong Miss Mitchelmore, the brooding and Byronic Lady Georgiana, the delightfully hilarious and deceptively ingenuous Miss Bickle, and Miss Mitchelmore’s loving-if-slightly-oblivious parents.
I did find the plot a bit predictable and slightly thin—I expected more of a mystery element from the synopsis and ultimately didn’t find it particularly mysterious. But, read as an almost-Shakespearean period comedy with fantastical and dramatic elements? Top notch. If you’re up for a book that’s slightly weird but totally captivating, go pick this one up.
Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: historical fantasy; A Midsummer Night’s Dream; sapphic romance
CW: Injury/violence/mentions of death; mentions of sexual assault; homophobia and transphobia
Rating: 4/5 stars
Narrated by the hobgoblin Robin (better known for Shakespeare fans as Puck from A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Mortal Follies is the 1814-set story of a young woman cursed by a goddess and the suspected murderess who may be her best ally or her greatest downfall.
I’m obsessed with the narration and framing of this one, which is slightly bizarre (in the best way) and takes a bit to fully get into—but once it clicks it is, to my mind, absolutely brilliant. I also loved all the characters—especially the headstrong Miss Mitchelmore, the brooding and Byronic Lady Georgiana, the delightfully hilarious and deceptively ingenuous Miss Bickle, and Miss Mitchelmore’s loving-if-slightly-oblivious parents.
I did find the plot a bit predictable and slightly thin—I expected more of a mystery element from the synopsis and ultimately didn’t find it particularly mysterious. But, read as an almost-Shakespearean period comedy with fantastical and dramatic elements? Top notch. If you’re up for a book that’s slightly weird but totally captivating, go pick this one up.
Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: historical fantasy; A Midsummer Night’s Dream; sapphic romance
CW: Injury/violence/mentions of death; mentions of sexual assault; homophobia and transphobia
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Homophobia, Racism, Sexual violence, and Transphobia
purplepenning's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Fans of India Holton's Dangerous Damsels series should definitely check this out — it's a sapphic regency romance adventure set in an England where the fae, the old gods, and the new gods all exist in active form. Principal action takes place in Bath and features Sulis Minerva, the Celtic-Roman goddess of the sacred springs that feed Bath's, well, baths. (This is, oddly, the second recently published book I've read to feature Minerva; the other is Garth Nix's The Sinister Booksellers of Bath.)
Mortal Follies is narrated by Puck / Robin Goodfellow (of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" fame) with lots of nods, winks, and digs about Shakespeare and Shakespearean faerie chaos. It follows the misadventures Miss Maeylis Mitchelmore, a young society darling who has had the mysterious misfortune of being cursed by a goddess. Miss Mitchelmore, to her friends' mixed reaction of dismay and delight, turns to the alluring society outcast, Lady Georgianna Landrake (the "Duke of Annadale"), for advice, protection, and what comfort a brooding heiress who is also a possible witch and murderer may give a stricken innocent with hidden strength and spirit.
This should've all worked for me, but alas — I found the main relationship to be somewhat tedious. The pacing and character development didn't work for me and there was entirely too much brooding and badgering for my taste. But I did love the whole idea of this book, enjoyed the heck out of the narrator's perspective, and am happy that Alexis Hall just keeps writing whatever they want and I keep reading it.
Check the content notes — there are some surprisingly brutal sacrifice scenes (old gods, you know), some inner LGBTQ transphobic nonsense, and a little murder and debilitating disease.
Mortal Follies is narrated by Puck / Robin Goodfellow (of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" fame) with lots of nods, winks, and digs about Shakespeare and Shakespearean faerie chaos. It follows the misadventures Miss Maeylis Mitchelmore, a young society darling who has had the mysterious misfortune of being cursed by a goddess. Miss Mitchelmore, to her friends' mixed reaction of dismay and delight, turns to the alluring society outcast, Lady Georgianna Landrake (the "Duke of Annadale"), for advice, protection, and what comfort a brooding heiress who is also a possible witch and murderer may give a stricken innocent with hidden strength and spirit.
This should've all worked for me, but alas — I found the main relationship to be somewhat tedious. The pacing and character development didn't work for me and there was entirely too much brooding and badgering for my taste. But I did love the whole idea of this book, enjoyed the heck out of the narrator's perspective, and am happy that Alexis Hall just keeps writing whatever they want and I keep reading it.
Check the content notes — there are some surprisingly brutal sacrifice scenes (old gods, you know), some inner LGBTQ transphobic nonsense, and a little murder and debilitating disease.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Murder
Moderate: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, and Classism
Minor: Gun violence, Racism, Terminal illness, Grief, and Death of parent
meganpbell's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-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
4.25
To survive a mysterious and malicious curse and find the figure behind it, a young noblewoman must encounter mischievous fairies, queer priestesses, ancient deities—and a strangely alluring, potentially “malign witch” (who may have murdered her own male relations to inherit her dukedom) in this feverishly fun sapphic fantasy wittily and wantonly narrated, of course, by Puck himself. Such fun!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Sexual content, and Murder
Minor: Ableism, Body horror, Racism, Terminal illness, Transphobia, and Medical content