Reviews with content warning for Death - A Marvellous Light

Reviews tagging 'Death'

A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske

145 reviews

mandkips's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional 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

3.5

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friends2lovers'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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rorikae's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

'A Marvellous Light' by Freya Marske is a charming and heartfelt fantasy romance set in a magically bent Edwardian England.
In need of a job after his parents' death, Robin Blyth is swept into a civil service position knowing little about the job. His predecessor mysteriously disappeared but that is only the beginning of strange occurrences on his horizon. When Edwin Courcey appears in his office, he introduces Robin to the world of magic that has been living just under Robin's nose. When Robin is accosted by a group of men with fog obscuring their faces who place a curse upon him, Robin will have to work together with Edwin to discover what his predecessor was digging into that interested these men. As the two men learn more about the history of magic in England, they also come to learn more about each other and attraction begins to blossom.
Marske has created a story that is a perfect blend of magic, romance, and mystery. In shifting perspectives, we come to learn about the magic in this world through Robin's eyes and the complications of it on a family basis from Edwin's perspective. The story was extremely well paced, steadily moving forward the mystery while also allowing the reader to delve into the growing friendship and attraction between Robin and Edwin. Both are dealing with their own family and personal struggles that get woven into the larger story.
Marske utilizes Robin's perspective to introduce the reader to the magic system in an understandable fashion that leaves open more for the following books in this series. I can't wait to read the next novel, especially since it is sapphic and follows Robin's sister, Maud. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a magical world, engaging characters, and a dash of romance. In particular, if you liked 'Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell' but were looking for something a bit shorter or if you enjoyed 'Sorcerer to the Crown,' I think you will thoroughly enjoy this novel.

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ellenwilberg's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious

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

5.0

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the_vegan_bookworm's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious slow-paced

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

3.0

The magical realism was really interesting, but I found the writing style hard to get through. There were so many details that didn't really add to the plot, plus a lot of dialogue that didn't seem to add a lot to the story. I ended up skimming many of these sections, as they didn' hold my interest as much as other sections.

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espiargrant's review against another edition

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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

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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therainbowshelf's review against another edition

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adventurous 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

5.0

I loved this book so much that I don’t think I can adequately convey how much I liked reading it. I was in absolutely no hurry to finish because I didn’t want it to end. Beautiful prose, charming and emotive characters, great world building, and an excellent story. I enjoyed this on the same level as my all-time favorite Nightrunner series, which is the only novel series I’ve read multiple times.

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