Reviews tagging 'Chronic illness'

A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske

34 reviews

wilybooklover's review against another edition

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. 

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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

aileron's review

adventurous emotional 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Bullying

Moderate: Death of parent, Violence, Chronic illness, and Death

Minor: Suicide, Murder, and Racism

marina_michelle's review

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Murder, Torture, Violence, Bullying, Homophobia, Sexual content, Classism, Death of parent, Kidnapping, and Sexism

Minor: Alcohol, Colonisation, Chronic illness, Blood, and Child abuse

katievh's review

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Chronic illness, Blood, and Bullying

Minor: Death of parent, Suicide, and Murder

clairew97's review

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Kidnapping, Sexism, Sexual content, Stalking, Suicide, and Terminal illness

Minor: Alcohol and Blood

ohheyitskaitlin's review

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious tense slow-paced

• 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, and Violence

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Murder, and Bullying

Minor: Abandonment, Blood, Chronic illness, Classism, Animal cruelty, Homophobia, and Panic attacks/disorders

booksthatburn's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.5

A MARVELLOUS LIGHT is about Edwin and Robin, initially in each other’s company through a bureaucratic mistake. Robin had been cursed when he was unable to provide unknown assailants with information his (missing) predecessor had also denied them. Edwin was supposed to be liaising with whomever held that office, and instead proceeded to try and remove the curse. The actual plot is pretty straightforward, with only a few more twists after that. The action is solid (especially the bit in the maze) and I like several of the secondary characters, but the heart of this is absolutely Edwin and Robin’s relationship as they’re continually in each other’s company.

The rapport between Edwin and Robin slowly builds, lagging behind the intensity of each man’s buried attraction to the other. Robin adjusts pretty quickly to the existence of magic (a situation made much harder to ignore by the harsh nature of his introduction). Edwin’s focus is on trying to remove Robin’s curse, initially thinking of their acquaintance as very temporary and somewhat reversible. Much of the book is spent on Edwin’s family’s estate, with his siblings whose pranks range from frustrating to cruel. 

The worldbuilding is pretty subtle about placing the era, the setting is one where magic exists within the otherwise real history of the British Isles. Since I wasn't trying very hard to place it I was content to know it's a while ago, but after the invention of cars. I'm sure there are clues to place it more precisely if I looked hard, but the story wasn't trying to trouble me with those. It did more with the ways that magic could be secret, and the key seems to be that (in England, specifically), it's tied up in old money and old families since magic is passed through bloodlines. 

I enjoyed this immensely and will definitely read the rest of the series. The ending sets up a clear idea for the arc of the series, and I'll happily read more in this setting even if Edwin and Robin don't stay as the protagonists.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Torture, Kidnapping, Sexual content, Death, and Murder

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, Ableism, Homophobia, Chronic illness, Violence, Blood, Bullying, and Drug use

Minor: Self harm, Suicide, Child death, Death of parent, and Vomit

raen99's review

hopeful lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying and Sexual content

Moderate: Chronic illness and Gaslighting

Minor: Emotional abuse, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder

ellenwilberg's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Murder, Sexism, Sexual content, Vomit, and Violence

espiargrant's review

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

4.25

This book was a very enjoyable read! The world building was colorful and descriptive without becoming dense and the magic system was well-crafted and unique. I loved both MCs and felt that their relationship developed fairly naturally, though I felt that some of the steamy scenes could've begun in a more organic way (still good though). The plot was well-developed, but with some aspects the reader is kept in the dark for a bit longer than seems logical. 
This book also touches on some darker topics regarding family, relationships, sex, and sexuality, and handles them tactfully, which I appreciated. In short, this book is a fun, magical adventure with heartwarming characters and a lovely queer romance. I'd recommend this to fans of Edwardian fantasy and mlm romance. 
 
Positional Dynamic: 

Both Vers

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Bullying, Homophobia, Sexual content, and Violence

Moderate: Misogyny and Chronic illness

Minor: Torture and Medical content