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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
califrey99's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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
5.0
I loved this book. -0.25 stars for adhering to the sometimes unsubtle, period-appropriate misogyny and racism.
Edit 2023: after reading the sequel this definitely gets 5 stars compared to that mess.
Edit 2023: after reading the sequel this definitely gets 5 stars compared to that mess.
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism and Misogyny
anna_wa's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Misogyny, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Blood, and Sexism
Moderate: Classism and Death of parent
Minor: Suicide and Racism
kingrosereads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
To sum it up this is a MLM historical fantasy romance mystery that had maybe a 2.5/5 in the spice department with its 3 sex scenes (that were pretty drawn out and descriptive). However, as fun as the book was, it lacks a lot of substance. It took nearly 45% of the way for it to finally pick up a decent pace. The book starts as if it has all the time in the world to set the scene but it’s only 372 pages long and other than a few scenes here and there, it was hard to keep engaged with the reading.
The story takes place in Edwardian London, and we have Robin, who’s a non-magical baronet, and we have Edwin, who is a low level magician (like a wizard, not a conman you hire for kids’ parties). Due to a clerical error, Robin is assigned to work with Edwin at a magical liaison office for Parliament. Now, magic is a secret that only a few non-magical people know about outside of the non-magical people born to magical families. Edwin’s family actually treats him like shit because he barely has magic and this is just common practice within the magical community. The magical system is based on the game cat’s cradle which is interesting and reminds me a little of The Magicians.
In the liaison office, there’s meant to be a magician representing the magical governing body in Britain and a non-magical person representing the British government. Robin is assigned this position because the previous employee, Reggie, has gone missing. Robin has just been told that magic exists and he’s still digesting that when he’s attacked and cursed by a group of magicians dead set on finding something of importance in Reggie’s belongings. This launches Robin and Edwin into investigation mode trying to solve what happened to Reggie, how to lift Robin’s curse, and what is so important it’s worth killing over, all while the attraction between the two men develops, dealing with awful family members, and nearly dying every other scene.
I do want to say that I like Edwin and Robin as individuals. Edwin is the grumpy academic type who’s expertise is more magical theory and experimentation. Robin is this very sporty, heart of gold, and not very academically inclined gentlemen. But I wish these characters were more fleshed out. They were very two dimensional, but bordering that three dimensional area we want characters to be in. Even Adelaide and other side characters, were given basically the same treatment as the two main characters. Even though this is a third person dual POV, it doesn’t feel like it. It was hard at times to really distinguish who’s POV I was reading from unless the two men weren’t in the same room together.
I also think their attraction was rushed. The timeline of the book’s events takes place over 8 days, I think. And they went from not particularly caring for one another, to having this intense attraction for one another once they find out they’re both gay. Which is a bit problematic seeing as gay people aren’t attracted to every gay person they meet. I could see an attraction and relationship developing over a longer period of time, but I couldn’t see it as it was written.
Another thing I had a little issue with is this assumption that POC have no place in Western history. That POC didn’t hold prominent positions or accumulate wealth in the West. And in this case, this is a historical FANTASY, so I don’t see why the only POC of color in this book is Adelaide, who is a side character that’s in like a couple of scenes and is a secretary that serves two white men. Which is incredibly unfortunate because she was giving me a mix of Jenny from Doctor Who and Kate from Bridgerton. She was very interesting but again, her character wasn’t fully developed and it was a missed opportunity.
Side note: I immediately mentally casted Chance Perdomo as Edwin, Jonathan Bailey as Robin, and Charithra Chandran as Adelaide. Which definitely helped me like the characters more so do that with what you will.
I don’t necessarily think more pages were necessary to really do this story justice, I just think Marske spent more time on less important things. Like the climax and resolution felt very meh. For instance, I wasn’t all shocked who the villain was because I honestly forgot about that character’s existence. I felt for Edwin and Robin and their family troubles, but it was hard to connect with both of them. Robin’s innocence and eagerness and awe really reeled me in, but there wasn’t anything keeping me engaged with his character. I did laugh a few times and I enjoyed the spice, but I didn’t feel that tug at my heartstrings or feel that anything was at stake to feel suspense or worry. There were all these interesting things that were teased or rushed that would’ve been this book exceptional instead of just average with a sprinkle of disappointment. Depending on the reviews for the next book, I may or may not continue this series if serious changes aren’t made.
The story takes place in Edwardian London, and we have Robin, who’s a non-magical baronet, and we have Edwin, who is a low level magician (like a wizard, not a conman you hire for kids’ parties). Due to a clerical error, Robin is assigned to work with Edwin at a magical liaison office for Parliament. Now, magic is a secret that only a few non-magical people know about outside of the non-magical people born to magical families. Edwin’s family actually treats him like shit because he barely has magic and this is just common practice within the magical community. The magical system is based on the game cat’s cradle which is interesting and reminds me a little of The Magicians.
In the liaison office, there’s meant to be a magician representing the magical governing body in Britain and a non-magical person representing the British government. Robin is assigned this position because the previous employee, Reggie, has gone missing. Robin has just been told that magic exists and he’s still digesting that when he’s attacked and cursed by a group of magicians dead set on finding something of importance in Reggie’s belongings. This launches Robin and Edwin into investigation mode trying to solve what happened to Reggie, how to lift Robin’s curse, and what is so important it’s worth killing over, all while the attraction between the two men develops, dealing with awful family members, and nearly dying every other scene.
I do want to say that I like Edwin and Robin as individuals. Edwin is the grumpy academic type who’s expertise is more magical theory and experimentation. Robin is this very sporty, heart of gold, and not very academically inclined gentlemen. But I wish these characters were more fleshed out. They were very two dimensional, but bordering that three dimensional area we want characters to be in. Even Adelaide and other side characters, were given basically the same treatment as the two main characters. Even though this is a third person dual POV, it doesn’t feel like it. It was hard at times to really distinguish who’s POV I was reading from unless the two men weren’t in the same room together.
I also think their attraction was rushed. The timeline of the book’s events takes place over 8 days, I think. And they went from not particularly caring for one another, to having this intense attraction for one another once they find out they’re both gay. Which is a bit problematic seeing as gay people aren’t attracted to every gay person they meet. I could see an attraction and relationship developing over a longer period of time, but I couldn’t see it as it was written.
Another thing I had a little issue with is this assumption that POC have no place in Western history. That POC didn’t hold prominent positions or accumulate wealth in the West. And in this case, this is a historical FANTASY, so I don’t see why the only POC of color in this book is Adelaide, who is a side character that’s in like a couple of scenes and is a secretary that serves two white men. Which is incredibly unfortunate because she was giving me a mix of Jenny from Doctor Who and Kate from Bridgerton. She was very interesting but again, her character wasn’t fully developed and it was a missed opportunity.
Side note: I immediately mentally casted Chance Perdomo as Edwin, Jonathan Bailey as Robin, and Charithra Chandran as Adelaide. Which definitely helped me like the characters more so do that with what you will.
I don’t necessarily think more pages were necessary to really do this story justice, I just think Marske spent more time on less important things. Like the climax and resolution felt very meh. For instance, I wasn’t all shocked who the villain was because I honestly forgot about that character’s existence. I felt for Edwin and Robin and their family troubles, but it was hard to connect with both of them. Robin’s innocence and eagerness and awe really reeled me in, but there wasn’t anything keeping me engaged with his character. I did laugh a few times and I enjoyed the spice, but I didn’t feel that tug at my heartstrings or feel that anything was at stake to feel suspense or worry. There were all these interesting things that were teased or rushed that would’ve been this book exceptional instead of just average with a sprinkle of disappointment. Depending on the reviews for the next book, I may or may not continue this series if serious changes aren’t made.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Misogyny, Sexism, Racism, Homophobia, and Death of parent
caicaicai's review against another edition
adventurous
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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death, Bullying, and Murder
Minor: Racism
childhood trauma, family trauma, ptsd, bullying ptsd, torture, threat of torture,limebean's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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
I loved this book so much! I did not expect to be so swept away by it. The magic and how it works made me so curious and I want to know more! I read a library copy of the book but now I definitely want to have a copy of my own on the shelf.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Torture
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Racism
valpuri'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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Blood, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Outing, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Classism, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Alcohol, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Grief, Racism, and Vomit
ladythana's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
tense
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Physical abuse, Violence, Emotional abuse, and Bullying
Minor: Homophobia, Racism, and Grief
fleurofthecourt's review against another edition
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Murder, and Sexual content
Moderate: Classism and Racism
kathleencoughlin's review against another edition
adventurous
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? No
4.75
A compelling story that mixes fantasy, romance, and historical fiction. I do love a classic gay longing dynamic and when the stiff, reserved character learns to shed their pricky exterior by having to spend time with a charming yet earnest new acquaintance. The book is on the longer side, but it didn't feel like it was dragging at all, plus intrepid readers are rewarded by a couple of spicy scenes. The magic system was interesting but not groundbreaking. Also, isn't the cover is absolutely gorgeous?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Homophobia, and Sexual content
Moderate: Classism, Emotional abuse, Torture, Murder, Kidnapping, Outing, and Sexism
Minor: Racism, Blood, Ableism, Cursing, Death of parent, and Drug abuse