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dinipandareads's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
TL;DR: Despite a bit of a rocky and slow start, I did end up enjoying this book! This was a fun historical fantasy set in the regency era that balanced the romance and mystery well. Although the mystery wasn't entirely surprising, there were still some neat little twists that had me eager to learn more! Robin and Edwin were wonderful main characters and I loved their dynamic and romance—I found it swoony, romantic and sweet. 🥰 Not to mention, it got unexpectedly steamy! Overall, a great read and I can't wait to pick up the next book!
As I mentioned, the book starts slowly and remains pretty consistently slow-paced throughout. It's not necessarily a bad thing, of course, and it gave me cosy historical mystery vibes that I enjoyed. One thing that I did struggle with more than expected was the writing. I don't know why because I read my share of Regency-era books but some of the sentences read very oddly, and although I got used to the writing the more I read, it did continue to trip me up on occasion. Whenever that happened, it sadly took me out of the story because I'd have to re-read the section (sometimes multiple times) to make sure I understood what the author was saying, and that was a little frustrating!
I thought the world-building was pretty solid and aside from the writing style, the author did a great job in making it hard to forget what time period the book was set in! The magic system was initially confusing but I thought it was unique. I don't think I've ever read about magic that was so focused on specific hand gestures and movements (like playing cat's cradle!) but I also liked the more "natural" element to the magic that's introduced later on. I hope that gets explored a bit more in the next book especially as it relates to Sutton House! As for the mystery, although the 'baddie" was rather obvious from the beginning, there was a twist or two that I didn't expect and that has me intrigued to see where the story goes next and how Edwin, Robin, and the rest of the crew will come out on the winning side! FYI: while you do find out who the baddie is in this book, the mystery itself isn't entirely solved so it doesn't have a neatly wrapped-up ending.
The best part of the story for me though was the characters and the romance. Edwin and Robin are total opposites—the former is a grumpy librarian type and the latter is a bit of a himbo. Together, they were wonderful and I loved getting to know both of them! Although Edwin was a bit cold and standoffish, to begin with, I loved watching him thaw the more time he spent around Robin, who was genuinely fascinated by Edwin and who truly enjoyed his company. So often I found myself infuriated on Edwin's behalf because his family is just the worst—their brand of casual cruelty and straight-up viciousness is so ugly and nasty and I hate that it was something Edwin had to endure his whole life. I was ready to take up arms to protect this timid and braintastically wholesome man! In contrast, Robin was a "paperwork error" who found himself thrust into the world of magic entirely by accident but who took to it like a fish in water. Like Edwin, he also had a pretty dismal upbringing with horrible parents who treated him and his sibling like paper copies to do with as they liked. I wouldn't say he's a himbo but he does have that slightly clueless sunshine energy that presented a nice contrast to Edwin. I loved that you could feel how comfortable they were with each other.
Their romance was pretty instalust but I loved watching that grow into something more solid the longer they spent together. There were so many wonderful quotes about their interactions, how they saw each other, and what they made each other feel and it made my heart so full because both of them so deserve to be loved! 🥹 You could say this "instalove" since by the end they'd technically only known each other a week but I still maintain it was instalust! 😂 Also, don't let this innocent cover fool you either—this gets very steamy in the latter half of the book once Robin and Edwin admit their feelings for each other. There are a few instances of on-page sex and they are explicit but tastefully so.
Overall, I'm very excited to see what happens next. I hope we still get to see a lot of Robin and Edwin in the next book even though it's going to be told from a different perspective and about a different couple (I assume?)! Either way, this was a solid debut and I'm looking forward to more from this author.
As I mentioned, the book starts slowly and remains pretty consistently slow-paced throughout. It's not necessarily a bad thing, of course, and it gave me cosy historical mystery vibes that I enjoyed. One thing that I did struggle with more than expected was the writing. I don't know why because I read my share of Regency-era books but some of the sentences read very oddly, and although I got used to the writing the more I read, it did continue to trip me up on occasion. Whenever that happened, it sadly took me out of the story because I'd have to re-read the section (sometimes multiple times) to make sure I understood what the author was saying, and that was a little frustrating!
I thought the world-building was pretty solid and aside from the writing style, the author did a great job in making it hard to forget what time period the book was set in! The magic system was initially confusing but I thought it was unique. I don't think I've ever read about magic that was so focused on specific hand gestures and movements (like playing cat's cradle!) but I also liked the more "natural" element to the magic that's introduced later on. I hope that gets explored a bit more in the next book especially as it relates to Sutton House! As for the mystery, although the 'baddie" was rather obvious from the beginning, there was a twist or two that I didn't expect and that has me intrigued to see where the story goes next and how Edwin, Robin, and the rest of the crew will come out on the winning side! FYI: while you do find out who the baddie is in this book, the mystery itself isn't entirely solved so it doesn't have a neatly wrapped-up ending.
The best part of the story for me though was the characters and the romance. Edwin and Robin are total opposites—the former is a grumpy librarian type and the latter is a bit of a himbo. Together, they were wonderful and I loved getting to know both of them! Although Edwin was a bit cold and standoffish, to begin with, I loved watching him thaw the more time he spent around Robin, who was genuinely fascinated by Edwin and who truly enjoyed his company. So often I found myself infuriated on Edwin's behalf because his family is just the worst—their brand of casual cruelty and straight-up viciousness is so ugly and nasty and I hate that it was something Edwin had to endure his whole life. I was ready to take up arms to protect this timid and braintastically wholesome man! In contrast, Robin was a "paperwork error" who found himself thrust into the world of magic entirely by accident but who took to it like a fish in water. Like Edwin, he also had a pretty dismal upbringing with horrible parents who treated him and his sibling like paper copies to do with as they liked. I wouldn't say he's a himbo but he does have that slightly clueless sunshine energy that presented a nice contrast to Edwin. I loved that you could feel how comfortable they were with each other.
Their romance was pretty instalust but I loved watching that grow into something more solid the longer they spent together. There were so many wonderful quotes about their interactions, how they saw each other, and what they made each other feel and it made my heart so full because both of them so deserve to be loved! 🥹 You could say this "instalove" since by the end they'd technically only known each other a week but I still maintain it was instalust! 😂 Also, don't let this innocent cover fool you either—this gets very steamy in the latter half of the book once Robin and Edwin admit their feelings for each other. There are a few instances of on-page sex and they are explicit but tastefully so.
Overall, I'm very excited to see what happens next. I hope we still get to see a lot of Robin and Edwin in the next book even though it's going to be told from a different perspective and about a different couple (I assume?)! Either way, this was a solid debut and I'm looking forward to more from this author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Sexual content, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Bullying and Misogyny
Minor: Racism and Homophobia
leahb88's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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
4.25
This was such a fun read and I found it pretty fast paced. I loved the world building and escaping into this book for a bit. The magic system was cool, especially Flora’s! I found it took a while to fully understand the characters but the plot device of solving a mystery was cute. Overall enjoyable read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Misogyny, Violence, and Bullying
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Death of parent and Homophobia
thebetterstory's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
A light, easy read that I tore through in a few days. It's more romance than mystery, but the plot moves along at a nice clip, with obvious, character-related stakes to follow. The prose slips down easily, with some neat little turns of phrase and imagery that keep it from being too generic.
The romance is a classic warm/cold dynamic and works well for it. Both the characters it centers are likeable, with Robin amiably stumbling into the world of magic and Edwin reluctantly serving as his guide when he'd much rather be sealed away reading. I did find myself wishing for a little more time for the leads to develop their feelings and pine for each other, but I'm a fiend for slowburn and generally difficult to satisfy in that regard.
The setting, an alternate Edwardian England, has some fun hints of worldbuilding around the magic that never goes too far in-depth. Similarly, the narrative skims gently over topics like women's rights and colonization. Edwin and Robin are kept likeable by being perhaps unrealistically willing to see the women around them as people. Even the two Indian women, both of whom are enjoyable side characters that are apparently uninterested in bringing up any of the effects of colonization, or any discrimination they might face other than the few sideways looks the book includes.
It's hard to see how the book could keep its fluffy tone if it actually did decide to dig into any of that, and whether it'll grate on you to see the narrative sidestep the full the implications of its choice of setting will depend on the person. The topic of women's rights, at least, is likely to be explored further in the sequel, which focuses on Robin's suffragette sister.
The romance is a classic warm/cold dynamic and works well for it. Both the characters it centers are likeable, with Robin amiably stumbling into the world of magic and Edwin reluctantly serving as his guide when he'd much rather be sealed away reading. I did find myself wishing for a little more time for the leads to develop their feelings and pine for each other, but I'm a fiend for slowburn and generally difficult to satisfy in that regard.
The setting, an alternate Edwardian England, has some fun hints of worldbuilding around the magic that never goes too far in-depth. Similarly, the narrative skims gently over topics like women's rights and colonization. Edwin and Robin are kept likeable by being perhaps unrealistically willing to see the women around them as people. Even the two Indian women, both of whom are enjoyable side characters that are apparently uninterested in bringing up any of the effects of colonization, or any discrimination they might face other than the few sideways looks the book includes.
It's hard to see how the book could keep its fluffy tone if it actually did decide to dig into any of that, and whether it'll grate on you to see the narrative sidestep the full the implications of its choice of setting will depend on the person. The topic of women's rights, at least, is likely to be explored further in the sequel, which focuses on Robin's suffragette sister.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Homophobia, Death of parent, Misogyny, Child abuse, and Bullying
mossgoblins's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
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
4.5
This was a lovely read! Great plot, complex, easily lovable characters, and a very interesting development of the magic system!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Blood, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Cursing, Death, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: Child death, Outing, Suicide attempt, Kidnapping, Classism, Suicide, Homophobia, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Death of parent, and Misogyny
jays_fairytales's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
4.5
This book contains a lot of elements wrapped together that I really enjoy - romance, mystery, and magic.
I knew very little about the book going in. I picked it up because the summary intreguied me and nothing else. I was surprised to find it set in Edwardian England, I was surprised to be plopped into this magical world with a strange, new magical system, and I was surprised at the simile heavy prose that’s usually not present in novels with premises like this. But, after trudging through the slow first quarter of the book as Maske set up the world and the mystery, I came to love it.
I loved the main characters and the romance. Although their relationship unfolded much quicker than expected, I was pleasantly surprised by how much depth each character had and how natural their romance felt. They have the kind of chemistry that I love in novels like these and they just brought out the best in each other.
The world building was great. It’s not often that you see authors introduce new magical systems but I am always so pleasantly surprised when they do. And by weaving the mystery into the fabric of the magical society itself, my love for good world building was constatnly propelled along as the mystery unfolded.
It’s hard to rate the book on it’s own as I felt some of the secondary characters were one dimensional and many aspects of the magical systems were not well fleshed out. But this is a trilogy and I trust Marske will reveal them in time.
Warnings for graphic sex scenes and period typical homophobia and mysogyny.
I knew very little about the book going in. I picked it up because the summary intreguied me and nothing else. I was surprised to find it set in Edwardian England, I was surprised to be plopped into this magical world with a strange, new magical system, and I was surprised at the simile heavy prose that’s usually not present in novels with premises like this. But, after trudging through the slow first quarter of the book as Maske set up the world and the mystery, I came to love it.
I loved the main characters and the romance. Although their relationship unfolded much quicker than expected, I was pleasantly surprised by how much depth each character had and how natural their romance felt. They have the kind of chemistry that I love in novels like these and they just brought out the best in each other.
The world building was great. It’s not often that you see authors introduce new magical systems but I am always so pleasantly surprised when they do. And by weaving the mystery into the fabric of the magical society itself, my love for good world building was constatnly propelled along as the mystery unfolded.
It’s hard to rate the book on it’s own as I felt some of the secondary characters were one dimensional and many aspects of the magical systems were not well fleshed out. But this is a trilogy and I trust Marske will reveal them in time.
Warnings for graphic sex scenes and period typical homophobia and mysogyny.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Misogyny and Homophobia
wilybooklover's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
5.0
What an absolutely gorgeous novel. The writing and imagery were really evocative, so rich and lush in a way befitting the lavish vibe of the Edwardian era when this book is set.
Sir Robin Blyth, a civil servant, discovers a hidden world of magic when he gets transferred to a new job and then unwittingly gets cursed and dragged into a magical conspiracy involving his predecessor. His magical liaison, Edwin Courcey, doesn’t like him much but is determined to lift the curse.
Robin is basically a golden retriever in human form (with a little dash of himbo) so he takes the existence of magic and even his curse with remarkable equanimity. Edwin is much more prickly and anxious (understandably so, once you meet his family) and likes to retreat into books. Despite their differences, they really understand each other and their growing romance was such a delight to read. Edwin learning to trust someone other than himself and Robin reaching for a future he wanted was so heartwarming to read. And this book was way steamier than I expected it to be. There is a love scene involving magic that is HOT. I don’t normally like the third-act conflict (big understatement) but here it really works with the characters and story — they really needed that short time apart.
The worldbuilding in this was utterly fascinating. You have rune curses, magical houses, enchanted libraries, murderous hedge mazes, a style of magic based on cat’s cradle... I’ve never read anything quite like it before.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Death, Violence, Bullying, and Torture
Moderate: Misogyny, Chronic illness, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Homophobia, Outing, Classism, Murder, Kidnapping, and Blood
Minor: Suicide, Grief, Racism, and Death of parent
imds's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Death, Murder, Death of parent, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture
Moderate: Racism
cameronreads's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this one! I think the concept and plot was excellent, and the characters and main relationship were compelling and very well written. I liked the mystery elements a lot and I think the magic system was very interesting - a magic based on cradling?? That’s so cool! I really liked both Robin and Edwin and was rooting for them the whole time, and there relationship was truly great. I did want a little bit more out of the side characters as I wasn’t very invested in them however, and I think there was a bit of a reliance on characters having lucky guesses to find solutions, but those are my only gripes. I think this was so much fun, a great historical fantasy!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Sexual content, Cursing, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Outing, Bullying, Misogyny, and Murder
Minor: Grief, Death of parent, Homophobia, Vomit, Suicide, and Alcohol
kenzie_roonie's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Starts with a cold open, which is pretty jarring and doesn’t give the reader much time to care about the main characters’ plights, but the pace picks up and the characters come into focus after a few chapters. The writing is gorgeous, the characters lovable and relatable, and the magic system detailed and engaging. Very satisfying medium-burn romance with lots of pining and steamy scenes. Thoroughly enjoyed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Bullying, and Murder
bluejay21'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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Misogyny, Trafficking, Bullying, Murder, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism