Reviews with content warning for Toxic relationship - A Marvellous Light

Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske

26 reviews

mirandyli's review

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adventurous mysterious slow-paced

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

3.0

Pretty mediocre story about two queer white men in historical England dealing with magical realism.

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havenraven23's review

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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

Not perfect, but enjoyable and a fun world.

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levilore_'s review

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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? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I really liked the characters and the story was compelling, so I will probably continue the series.

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midnightstory's review against another edition

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adventurous 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

4.5

honestly fell a bit in love w edwin + robin tbh

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teddie_valetine98's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful 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

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just_one_more_paige's review

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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? It's complicated

5.0

I've been waiting to read this one for awhile, because I *knew* I would love it. (Spoiler alert: I was right.) And I was so afraid that any cliffhangers (it's the first in a planned trilogy) would be the death of me. (I was less right on this front, thank goodness, though it's not really an issue anymore since the full series is now published. In other news, I feel bound to transparently admit that the marketing campaign for these books, the "be gay, do magic" and "be gay, do heists" vibes, worked hardcore on me.

After the recent death of his parents, Robin Blyth finds himself solely responsible for his title, family holdings, and younger sister. Having been left very little, financially, to support them, Robin takes an obscure posting within the government...only to find out that it's not just a position of the paper-pushing variety, but rather as a liaison between parliament and a secret magical society. And thus he is introduced to an entire world of magic that has always existed, quietly, within the Edwardian England world that he thought he knew so well. After being attacked and cursed after his first day on the job, he is forced to work very closely with his magical-society counterpart, Edwin Courcey (a outwardly cold and studious/bookish type of person), to both break the curse and figure out why he was attacked in the first place. As the two spend time together, they realize that not only is the mystery they're investigating a threat to the entire magical community, they also might be developing deeper feelings for each other.

Well, I already gave a spoiler earlier, so let me just start by saying, full-throatedly, how much I loved this book. The magic, the mystery, the world-building, the drama, the dry British humor, the delicious romance - it was all just wonderful. I'm going to give lots more details on all of it, as per usual, but I just really needed to set that tone to start.

Now, let's jump in... Marske throws the reader right into the story from the very first lines. It takes some real reader effort on the front end to catch hold of the thread of it, and to hang on as more details are given, so if that's a struggle for you, be aware. However, it nicely avoids the potential info-dump pitfall, and, as one of our MCs (Robin) is also dunked head first into this new world, it fits with the narrative to be discovering and learning alongside him. And it didn't take me too long to sink enough into the character and plot development that the effort of paying that much attention didn't seem like effort at all. Because let me tell you, I sunk all the way in. And as everything unfolded, Marske did a phenomenal job balancing classic, well-loved for a reason, romance and fantasy tropes that made the story feel familiar and comfortable, with creativity and originality that kept the entertainment levels and compellingness high. I loved the hints that Edwin's magic and abilities are somehow more than he thought, and Robin's accustomization into magical reality would be somehow bigger than he thought, and was so excited to watch them each grow into that potential. And grow they did, as the plot thickened, as it were, and they dove deeper and deeper into the mystery and (life-threatening) research into the theoretical possibilities of magic based on the legends and lore of its origins (and the, of course, nefarious secret group trying to bend that knowledge to its own power/benefit). As this all developed, I particularly enjoyed seeing the coming together/connections of all these little vision snippets Robin started getting - what was concluded here in this novel and what we have to look forward to getting clarity on moving forwards. And as everything came to its denouement, I have to give a slow clap to Markse for the way she pulled it all off. There was a lovely little "be careful what bargians you make" situation, a sort of sentient house (I do always love magical devices like that), some very smart weaving together of the language/contracts/consent that had been a theme throughout. Just, what an ending! A perfect closing but also the perfect setup for more: this is a masterclass in non-cliffhanger, but still open-ended in preparation for the next installment, finale.

I was also completely charmed by the slow dawning of shared romantic interests between Robin and Edwin. They're such a well-written opposites-attract couple, with some bonus grumpy-sunshine vibes. The dual-longing slowish burn was so subtle and just, good. And the steam, when it hit, was spectacular. It was similarly soft, parallel to the growing of it, but still quite hot. And as we got more and more of those steamy scenes, they got hotter and hotter. And oh! What a creative and fun use of experimental sexual magic: nerves! How has no one thought of that before (at least not in anything I've read)? So original. Anyways, basically, Edwin and his sharp edges of self protection and Robin with his earnest and willing softness and love have my whole-ass heart.

A few final unique bits I'd like to highlight. First, the magic really was cool. The idea of cradling - using hands to create spells is always a thing I'm into, as a dramatic-gesture-while-talking type person - was super cool. And the way it was used a few times was unlike anything I've read before. I already mentioned the nerve-based magic in the one sexy scene, but also the games played by Edwin's family and their set were so imaginative. I mean, they sucked as people but, the magic was fun! I thought the exploration of Robin’s parents, well known philanthropists, but with the cunning decision making and motivations that made it clear to their children that their priority was being known for their philanthropy as opposed to the actual effect/help of it, was a fascinating and unique character study. Not a perspective seen overly much, and executed with great depth here. Finally, the tone was spot on throughout. This isn't necessarily unique in its own right, as it had a very dry British vibe, but it is one that I love and, so, must needs point out. On this note, I very literally snort-laughed out loud at the sarcastic “we are but feeble women, woe” that Miss Morrissey and her sister used as excuses at the end (taking advantage of the ridiculous assumptions men tend to make about women's abilities and constitutions). I loved all of that and, really, loved Miss Morrissey and her sister period. I'm really hoping for more of them in book two.

So, to recap, this novel delivered, absolutely, on all promises. I highly recommend it.

“Books are at least somewhat less likely to hurl insults at one […] It is one of their major appeals.”

“For the most part, people didn’t see the unfamiliar unless it threw itself in their face.”

“How many frights made a pattern? How many coincidences made a plot?”

“Those were not things ones blurted out to a friend. Those were their own cradles of magic, an expression of the desire to transform one thing into another. And what if the magic went awry?” (this moment in the awakening of their relationship – oh my heart)

“It didn’t take long to become so accustomed to something that you could describe the exact shape of its absence.”

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frenchpants's review

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adventurous dark emotional 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? It's complicated

3.5

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mcarthurhr's review

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lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

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discardeddustjacket's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

5.0

I don’t know why I allowed this to sit on my TBR untouched for so long. It was an utter delight—a pleasure to read.

There’s some authors whose writing style make reading their books like swimming upstream. Not that it’s bad, but it just feels incongruent with the way your mind works, and so digesting the words takes effort and concentration. Then there’s some who just have a way of crafting sentences that feels so satisfying. Like a scalp massage. That was the way it felt to read this book, for me.

The prose was so elegant and yet accessible. And the characters! So achingly endearing, it almost hurt. I loved this book. A lot.

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jencolumb0's review

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adventurous emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

A romance with magic and mystery. It almost feels like Marske put Alexis Hall’s Spires series in a blender with India Holton’s books to result in a charming (badum bump), emotionally intelligent mystery involving well-developed characters (something that seemed to trouble Holton in her first novel; still working through the rest . . . and I digress). I am definitely looking forward to seeing how the rest of the story plays out.

Also, know that the torture elements are most prominent at the beginning and you’ll be able to follow the rest of the story easily if you skip right over it.

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