Reviews with content warning for Abandonment - Mortal Follies

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. 💕
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 ~~Puck~~ 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.

Content Warnings

robinsong's review

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lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

This book had SO much potential and fell flat and then continued to fall down several flights of stairs. The concept of the curse and the living and widely accepted gods is such a delightful idea, I just wish the execution wasn't so bad.

Positives:

Setting/world building

The idea of the different gods and goddesses being very much Real and Tangible is so fun and wonderful. My absolute favorite parts of the book were the descriptions of how the magic system works in this universe and how the temperaments of supernatural beings changed how they dealt with mortals was genuinely a great time. I especially liked the descriptions of the curses and how the various attacks against Maelys got progressively worse.

Negatives:

Character voice

The characters in this book are each very distinct from each other, but in ways that felt cheap and silly. The main character, Maelys, felt very flat throughout the story. Her cousin, John, exists only to say "no" to silly ideas and further one (1) plot point.

He also gets the bonus role of taking us to Transphobia Club: where gay and gender non-conforming men gather to invalidate trans women.

Miss Bickle is exceedingly silly, and feels overall akin to the straight girl in highschool who eagerly joined GSA in order to get permission to say homophobic slurs. Lastly, Lady Georgiana, the main love interest, has the personality of wet cardboard. Someone who is suspected to be a wicked, murderous, lesbian witch seems like they might be a fun and interesting character to interact with, but she mostly likes to leave scenes without saying much.

Homophobia/transphobia

My God. Where do I begin. In historical romance, especially queer historical romance, I expect to read about homophobia and transphobia. It comes with the territory and is a regular point of friction both in stories and reality. The brand of homophobia in Mortal Follies is a very, very particular one. "Let my gays marry" "I support gay couples as much as normal couples" type shit. The objectification of queer characters for straight amusement is prevalent throughout. About 50% of Mae's interactions with Miss Bickle show this kind of ~scandal~ and it is exhausting. The constant pressing to make Mae confess her feelings, to show or discuss physical affection, and to "test" her attractions leaves a horrible taste in my mouth. There was also a scene towards the beginning of the book that felt completely out of left field and ended up being hideously transphobic. CW: transmisogyny in spoiler

Mae's cousin goes to an old gay haunt of his and talks to other gay men and drag-queens. They are pissed at one of their former friends bc she is now a priestess and has essentially transitioned. They say that she has betrayed them bc she's denying that she'll "always be a man". Literally horrific

Why, in a world where magic exists, where beings are able to change form at will, and where curses and blessings bear real strength; WHY would this be said? And why in the current political climate would it be necessary to include this scene other than to share your blatant disrespect for trans women? Do better.

Narration

I became tired of the cheeky fae narrator 10 pages in. I would sooner lay down in the middle of the road than continue to endure a fae creature complaining about first world problems.

The Ick

Any time a character talks about sex outside of the sex scenes I want to break my feet with a hammer. I have no desire to read 19 year olds sexual fantasies. Also, making up silly ye olde terms for shipping your friends is just as cringe as telling your real life friends that you ship them.

The rub:

Pacing

The first half of the story moved on at a decent clip and kept momentum well. The biggest issue was each time a new major conflict arose it was just "AAAH MORTAL PERIL" and the stakes weren't there by the end.

Desperate attempts to not seem problematic

There were SEVERAL moments throughout the book where it felt like the author paused and turned to face the reader to say Worry Not Dear Reader, My Wealthy British Aristocrats Are Not Bigots Or Racists. They all feel just as shoehorned as you might imagine. This adds nothing and just exists to relieve some imagined hand-wringing over whether the characters are acceptable by modern standards.

Overall, this book was fun briefly and in spurts. I wish the characters didn't make me want to rip my hair out. I also wish that it wasn't so fucking weird to gay and trans people. 2/5 stars.

Content Warnings

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Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall

hazel_oat's review

hrtlss_grl's review against another edition

luckylulureads's review

brontesauruses's review

robinsong's review