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jkneebone's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Mortal Follies is a Regency romance with a twist. Narrated by Puck (yes, from A Midsummer Night's Dream), it follows Maelys Mitchelmore as she realizes she has been placed under a curse, and teams up with the infamous Lady Georgianna Landrake to break it. Nicknamed the Duke of Annadale, Lady Georgianna is widely suspected of being a witch, and having murdered her entire family in order to inherit their wealth. After she saves Miss Mitchelmore from several unfortunate situations, such as her dress dissolving away at a ball, it turns out that Lady Georgianna does have some knowledge of the supernatural. With extreme reluctance, she agrees to guide Miss Mitchelmore in breaking the curse she is under, to the delight of Miss Mitchelmore's companions, the magic-obsessed, common sense-lacking Miss Bickle, and her much more skeptical cousin Mr. Cesar. Along the way, Miss Mitchelmore realizes that she has feelings for Lady Georgianna, and though "the Duke" seems to return them, she won't act on them - much to Miss Mitchelmore's frustration.
I was excited to pick this up because it is set in one of my favorite cities, Bath, and in that area it did not disappoint! So many iconic Bath locations were mentioned, and I loved that so much of the curse plot was centered around the baths themselves and the goddess Sulis Minerva. I love a Regency romance anyway, but the setting was truly the cherry on top! More Regency novels set in Bath please!!
I found this to be a really fun read! I laughed out loud many times while listening. I know some people disliked the use of Puck/Robin as the narrator, but I didn't mind and found it quite fun, except that it did feel odd (especially by the end of the book) that our main characters were still being referred to as "Miss Mitchelmore" and "the Duke of Annadale," even if it was accurate to the time period. I thought all of the fantasy/curse elements of the plot were very engaging, and I especially liked the Puck narration there, especially where Miss Bickle's input was concerned - she was definitely my favorite character! The relationship between Miss Mitchelmore and Lady Georgianna was interesting, if not completely compelling.
My main issue was with the pacing - which, honestly, I've read enough Alexis Hall novels that at this point I should expect it. I appreciate that Hall breaks with the typical romance novel arc and last-minute break-up, but the second half of this book dragged in a way that, IMO, it didn't need to. The relationship dynamic between Miss Mitchelmore and Lady Georgianna felt very repetitive - it felt like they hashed out the same issues/disagreements repeatedly, with only slight changes even after their relationship changed.I didn't even mind the curse being solved earlier on, and the introduction of a second curse, but I think the arc of their relationship should have been better intertwined with the curse narrative - if Maelys and Georgianna had gotten together, or gotten closer to it, before the first curse was broken, and had a briefer period before the second curse began, I think it would have flowed better. As it was, I got pretty bored of Maelys trying to seduce Georgianna/Georgianna refusing cycle, and of Maelys moping, and how the weird cycle continued even after Maelys and Georgianna technically became lovers. The end of the book picked up again and left me more satisfied, but I wish it hadn't dragged so heavily in the middle. I think pacing issues/the stories being slightly too long has been an issue in most Alexis Hall novels I've read, though, not that it's an excuse.
This is a unique take on a Regency romance, and especially likely to be of interest if you have buy-in for the gimmick of Puck as narrator or the setting of Bath. It's not the strongest romance of the genre, but the curse/magic subplot and the delightful side characters help it to stand out and beef it up beyond a straight (pun intended) Regency romance or even romantasy. Despite some flaws, I enjoyed it overall (the narrator of the audiobook did a fabulous job), and I will probably pick up the sequel at some point.
I was excited to pick this up because it is set in one of my favorite cities, Bath, and in that area it did not disappoint! So many iconic Bath locations were mentioned, and I loved that so much of the curse plot was centered around the baths themselves and the goddess Sulis Minerva. I love a Regency romance anyway, but the setting was truly the cherry on top! More Regency novels set in Bath please!!
I found this to be a really fun read! I laughed out loud many times while listening. I know some people disliked the use of Puck/Robin as the narrator, but I didn't mind and found it quite fun, except that it did feel odd (especially by the end of the book) that our main characters were still being referred to as "Miss Mitchelmore" and "the Duke of Annadale," even if it was accurate to the time period. I thought all of the fantasy/curse elements of the plot were very engaging, and I especially liked the Puck narration there, especially where Miss Bickle's input was concerned - she was definitely my favorite character! The relationship between Miss Mitchelmore and Lady Georgianna was interesting, if not completely compelling.
My main issue was with the pacing - which, honestly, I've read enough Alexis Hall novels that at this point I should expect it. I appreciate that Hall breaks with the typical romance novel arc and last-minute break-up, but the second half of this book dragged in a way that, IMO, it didn't need to. The relationship dynamic between Miss Mitchelmore and Lady Georgianna felt very repetitive - it felt like they hashed out the same issues/disagreements repeatedly, with only slight changes even after their relationship changed.
This is a unique take on a Regency romance, and especially likely to be of interest if you have buy-in for the gimmick of Puck as narrator or the setting of Bath. It's not the strongest romance of the genre, but the curse/magic subplot and the delightful side characters help it to stand out and beef it up beyond a straight (pun intended) Regency romance or even romantasy. Despite some flaws, I enjoyed it overall (the narrator of the audiobook did a fabulous job), and I will probably pick up the sequel at some point.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Murder
paperhippie's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
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
4.75
A sapphic love story about doing whatever you think necessary to save the person you love.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Blood, and Murder
lesbrarian220's review
adventurous
lighthearted
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Murder
Moderate: Homophobia and Transphobia
growintogardens's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
It could have been really good but the romance wasn't great imo, and it felt like the first and second books of a series smooshed together. Had some funny moments and neat story overall.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Blood
fronk10's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The story was enjoyable enough, but such a prominent voice from the narrator really threw me out of all the drama and immersion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Transphobia, and Murder
wjb11's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Murder
Moderate: Homophobia
abby_can_read's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
📱
This wasn't a book for me. I really wanted to like it. I thought the summary was good and I kept trying to like it. I didn't connect with the characters or the plot.
This wasn't a book for me. I really wanted to like it. I thought the summary was good and I kept trying to like it. I didn't connect with the characters or the plot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, and Transphobia
Minor: Racism, Slavery, and Death of parent
cosypuck's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Loved the tone, vibes and concept of this but as other people have mentioned, it felt like two plots crammed into one book and the romance wasn't overly believable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Rape and Transphobia
the_vegan_bookworm's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
In many ways, this read like a sapphic story by someone who was uncomfortable with telling a sapphic story. The romance was poorly developed, the characters were flat and unlikeable as romantic leads, and the fade to black for sexual content was awkward to me.
I also felt really uncomfortable with the narrator being a person spying on the romantic leads throughout, including during intimate time between them.
With this said, it is a funny book and a good satire. If you go into it expecting that instead of a romance, you might like it more than I did.
I also felt really uncomfortable with the narrator being a person spying on the romantic leads throughout, including during intimate time between them.
With this said, it is a funny book and a good satire. If you go into it expecting that instead of a romance, you might like it more than I did.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Stalking, and Murder
Moderate: Gore and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content
kay_w's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
slow-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
3.75
A great book but the last third started slow and then began to feel rushed towards the end.
I loved the whole concept and execution of the narrator. Without it I don’t think I would’ve have enjoyed the book as much.
I’m very keen to read more of Alexis Hall’s books.
I loved the whole concept and execution of the narrator. Without it I don’t think I would’ve have enjoyed the book as much.
I’m very keen to read more of Alexis Hall’s books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Cursing, Death, Misogyny, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Racism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, Stalking, Death of parent, and Classism
Minor: Child abuse, Rape, Sexism, Slavery, Excrement, Lesbophobia, Abandonment, Alcohol, and War