Reviews with content warning for Kidnapping - Mortal Follies

Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

bookcheshirecat's review

emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

“But fleeing the law is rather easier if you do it before the law knows it is being fled from.”

➽ Mortal Follies is another trademark fun, romantic story by Alexis Hall! It's set in 1814 and follows Miss Maelys Mitchelmore who has been cursed and is trying to desperately avoid a scandal when a ton of bad luck befalls her. It begins with some harmless, but embarrassing incidents, but quickly turns more dangerous. Maelys seeks help from Lady Georgianna Landrake, who has a questionable reputation herself, but might be the only person who can help her! I loved their interactions and her friendship with Lizzie! She was especially funny and entertaining, I'd love to have her as a friend!

➽ The story is told from the POV of Robin, a hobgoblin who loves following along with mortal stories. I loved the unique narrator and Robin's witty commentary on Maelys' story. They are always keen to follow an interesting, dramatic story and are invested in Maelys' personal scandals! I do think that the story felt very drawn out and longer than it had to be. There were quite a few subplots that I felt went nowhere! Robin as a narrator was fun, but I got a bit tired of their detached, omniscient perspective at times!

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emmy_award's review

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adventurous 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? It's complicated

4.25

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hrtlss_grl's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny inspiring mysterious medium-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

4.75

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raquelraquel's review

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

The funniest book I've read all year, and the plot was incredible as well!

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cleo_reads's review

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Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

B-/C+?
Odd, genre mashing fantasy ff romance set in alt Regency England, with magic and old gods. Narrated by Robin Goodfellow (aka Puck, the narrator of A Midsummer Night’s Dream), how much you like this book (imo) will come down to how much you enjoy/ tolerate the snarky, omniscient story telling style - it’s so very clever (this isn’t meant as a compliment btw), with lots of asides complaining about mortals, plus Shakespearean references. Read the sample!

I think the blurb does a disservice to the book. It sets reader expectations for a completely different book. Once I kind of relaxed into the narrator and the style, I ended up enjoying it more than I expected to, based on the first few chapters. But it’s a weird book. And the romance is definitely secondary to the plot. And the pacing is uneven.

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mothie_girlie's review against another edition

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adventurous 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

4.5

**Check trigger warnings before engaging, **

Thank you as always to Netgalley and publishers for giving me an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I must be completely honest, I went into this book with the expectation it would be a typical historical fantasy with a romance subplot. Something ultimately nice but semi forgettable, but I am genuinely impressed! If you're someone that enjoys fantasy books that read like classical novels/fairytales, an unreliable narrator, and a sweet and dynamic sapphic romance with lots of banter then i think you'll really enjoy this book!!

Mortal Follies is told by an unreliable fairy of a narrator, called robin by mortals, that injects themself into unsuspecting people's lives and watches chaos ensue and live to tell the tale. They come upon Miss Maelys Michelmore at a ball where her dress is disintegrating and falling apart, deciding to follow her and observe how things turn out for her. When a duke with a bad reputation decides to rescue Maelys from her deteriorating dress issue, a gorgeous romance blossoms between the two, though neither of them fully admit it to themselves. The characterization of even the side characters such as Miss Michelmores best friend (who is a total hopeless romantic and i love her for it!) is done beautifully, these characters are given real emotion and depth without shaming or glorifying them. While I admit the prose is extremely flowery, to me it read like an old Jane Austen novel and it added so much to the atmosphere and fun of the novel. Definitely worth the read!!

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