Reviews with content warning for Mental illness - A Marvellous Light

I think it’s a lovely story, I just found the pacing a bit off. It took me awhile to really get into it. But as soon as the characters get fleshed out more and the mystery grows it is quite enjoyable. I also didn’t expect so many spicy scenes.

Fantasy Mystery, MLM Romance, 2 1/2 🔥

“You look like a Turner painting and I want to learn your textures with my fingertips. You are the most fascinating thing in this beautiful house. I’d like to introduce my fists to whoever taught you to stop talking about the things that interest you.”

“I am nothing like you, and yet I feel more myself with you.”

“And I’m sick to death of being afraid, and I want you. Enough to risk it. More than enough. You make me feel like something—extraordinary.”

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gondorgirl's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful 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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cameronreads's review

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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!

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meggiemine's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious relaxing medium-paced

4.0

I was hesitant to pick up another romance novel so soon after finishing Emily Henry’s Book Lovers, which sadly did not meet my expectations. But, A Marvellous Light was great! I was so engrossed I read it in 3 days. The magical world Marske has created was really immersive in a way reminiscent of the wizarding world of Harry Potter. There were many similarities between the two, but it wasn’t so similar that it felt like a copy-cat. I enjoyed all the characters, and am looking forward to the second book in the series being released later this year.

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Series: The Last Binding № 1

Genre: Fantasy Historical Romance

Setting: September 1908 (Edwardian era) in London, England

Hero: Sir Robert "Robin" Blythe, brown hair and eyes, baronet, athletic, extrovert

Hero: Mr. Edwin Courcey, fair haired, blue eyes, tall and thin, bookish

Point-of-View: 3rd person, past tense, alternating between Robin and Edwin

Tropes/Themes: opposites attract, forced proximity, teaming up to solve a mystery, hero in peril, fish out of water

Format/Edition: Kindle ebook (borrowed from BPL via Libby), published in November 2021

Length: 451 pages, 122k words

Read Date: June 26, 2022

Heat Rating: Medium

Flames: 3🔥🔥🔥

Density: 2.3📑📑

Intensity: 3💓💓💓

Burn Speed: 3💨💨💨

Overall: 2.8 (↑3) 🌡️🌡️🌡️

Sex Scene Details:

🔥Ch 15, 50%, HJs, then a BJ that fades-to-black. 🔥Ch 18, 61%, erotic massage using some kind of tingly finger spell, anal sex. 🔥Ch 27, 92%, anal sex.

※ My star and heat ratings are explained → here

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tostita's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional lighthearted 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

5.0

I love everything about this book and can’t wait for the sequel.

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clarabooksit's review

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

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allisonwonderlandreads's review

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

5.0

THIS is what fantasy romance ought to be. After engaging in more than my fair share of ranting on the subject, I had a longer list of examples that displeased me than those I would champion. This one melds the two genres into something wonderful with an Edwardian-inspired backdrop and queer characters to pave the way.

In terms of fantasy, we have Robin, a civil servant uninitiated in magic, who is accidentally assigned as magical liaison and then promptly attacked and cursed on the street. We also have Edwin, the other half of the liaison pair, a magician with only a kernel of power to his name who prefers books and magical theory to any sort of company or risky behavior. The world-building comes through as things are explained to Robin, and I found it an effective tool for informing the reader without burying them. Edwardian manners and social structures are woven through expertly in all their pompous glory (see:vomit-inducing sexism, colonialism, rigid class structure, and laws that kept queer people in hiding). It has me primed with excitement to see how this series is going to let loose the hints of subversion that started to grow in this first outing.

Now, let's talk romance. You can look forward to these tropes: sunshine and grump, the brains and the brawn, and magician and normal potato human (I made that last one up, so sue me). All of those terms fail to fully sum up these characters, who are gifted with too many dimensions to be listed, classified, and discarded. It would be a disservice not to recognize Robin's areas of non-bookish intelligence on top of his general sportiness or not to see the seeds of Edwin's unhappiness and the way he cautiously inches towards the light once offered. Ultimately, it's a love story with "us against the world" vibes that were very endearing.

Both the good and bad feels hit hard and take no prisoners. All the big emotional pivots you expect in a romance plot somehow feel new and singular because of their emotional crafting, not just the latest iteration of a favored genre. Robin and Edwin left an imprint on me, and some minor characters hold a lot of promise that I hope will lead to full-fledged obsession on my part down the line.

Highly highly recommend it. Treat yourself to this decadent queer series opener ASAP. Thanks to Tordotcom for the opportunity to read and review this book!

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