Reviews

A Marvelous Light by Freya Marske

hellohihunter's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

3.0

herrinderwespen's review against another edition

• 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

I was not prepared for the plot relevant smut, but I do have to admit that I did not mind it either.

moxygen's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted 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

3.75

rampaginglibrarian's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.5

matchamarimo's review against another edition

adventurous 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? It's complicated

4.0

tinysealoot's review against another edition

5.0

5 stars! Exactly what I wanted. Narrator was perfectly British. The writing was chef's kiss! Definitely some spicy scenes I wasn't expecting in graphic detail! Can't wait for the next book this November!

farinaling's review against another edition

funny mysterious medium-paced

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

2.0

lightning_pirate's review against another edition

5.0

Was I lured into reading a historical romance with the promise of magical realism? Yes - am I mad about it? No
A really nice light book with magic and adventure and intrigue - I can't wait for the next installment in the trilogy

lazareen's review against another edition

adventurous funny 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? No

4.0

anna_hepworth's review against another edition

fast-paced

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

3.5

What I thought I was getting was fantasy adventure (magic in England in the ~1910s) with a romance subplot. What I got was the type of romance plot that doesn't appeal, with a varnish of fantasy adventure sub-subplot, and quite a lot of sex scenes. Maybe if I'd had the right expectations, I'd have appreciated this story more.

As it was, there are lots of interesting details, and there were some fabulous paragraphs. But I finished it somewhat out of spite, and because I have book two out of the library, waiting for me to read it. I did want to know what happened, but I didn't really want to have to deal with the romantic couple and their emotional miscommunications. 

I can see that there are some interesting overarching plot threads, with three items to be found, and three books to find them in, so I have hopes that book two won't slump. 

Overall summary: world building fantastic, plot a bit rough, characterisation a little off and occasionally veering towards farce, writing shows promise, particularly as this is a debut novel. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Classism, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Ableism, Bullying, and Chronic illness

Minor: Homophobia and Alcohol