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lizzym126's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing and Sexual content
Minor: Homophobia, Death, Murder, Sexism, Toxic friendship, Blood, Grief, Outing, Injury/Injury detail, and Death of parent
emilywrayburn's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Well damn. This was a highly anticipated read and no one is more disappointed than I that it did not live up to expectations. I keep wanting to say “I think I’m in a reading slump, I don’t think it’s the book’s fault” but honestly, I don’t think that goes the whole way to explaining why I struggled with it. Some of it is personal taste, but some of it is definitely the book not delivering.
Firstly, the things I did like. The idea of magic being tied to the land and of being able to draw off the earth, and pledge yourself to it. Yessssss. Give me more of that. My favourite parts of the novel had to do with the characters drawing power from the land, or the land or home surging up to protect them.
I wanted to like the magic system, and I liked what I understood, but to be honest, parts of it went over my head. I think magic was constructed with very precise hand gestures, but the parts about contracts were still not making much sense to me by the end of the book. Which is unfortunate, because the contract aspect is rather central tothe plot.
With regards to the characters, I just… they were fine. I feel like my reading tastes have changed recently and a few years ago I would have been completely invested in Edwin and Robin. But right now, I just wasn’t. They didn’t have enough chemistry for me to be rooting for their romance and I didn’t feel anything when they were in danger.
There was very little fleshing out of the side characters, which was unfortunate, because when the “Surprise, it was XYZ all along!” twist appeared, I had to remember where I’d seen that character before. The effect was lost on me. This happened twice.
To be honest, and this goes back to the personal preference thing, I think I’m just not that into male-led stories. Especially when there are very few of women around them, and some of those are rather disappointing. The fact that the next book is sapphic fantasy, with Robin’s sister as the POV character instead, is probably the only thing making me mildly curious about it. But given the size of my TBR, I doubt I’m going to seek it out…
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Homophobia and Blood
dinipandareads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
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
4.0
TL;DR: Despite a bit of a rocky and slow start, I did end up enjoying this book! This was a fun historical fantasy set in the regency era that balanced the romance and mystery well. Although the mystery wasn't entirely surprising, there were still some neat little twists that had me eager to learn more! Robin and Edwin were wonderful main characters and I loved their dynamic and romance—I found it swoony, romantic and sweet. 🥰 Not to mention, it got unexpectedly steamy! Overall, a great read and I can't wait to pick up the next book!
As I mentioned, the book starts slowly and remains pretty consistently slow-paced throughout. It's not necessarily a bad thing, of course, and it gave me cosy historical mystery vibes that I enjoyed. One thing that I did struggle with more than expected was the writing. I don't know why because I read my share of Regency-era books but some of the sentences read very oddly, and although I got used to the writing the more I read, it did continue to trip me up on occasion. Whenever that happened, it sadly took me out of the story because I'd have to re-read the section (sometimes multiple times) to make sure I understood what the author was saying, and that was a little frustrating!
I thought the world-building was pretty solid and aside from the writing style, the author did a great job in making it hard to forget what time period the book was set in! The magic system was initially confusing but I thought it was unique. I don't think I've ever read about magic that was so focused on specific hand gestures and movements (like playing cat's cradle!) but I also liked the more "natural" element to the magic that's introduced later on. I hope that gets explored a bit more in the next book especially as it relates to Sutton House! As for the mystery, although the 'baddie" was rather obvious from the beginning, there was a twist or two that I didn't expect and that has me intrigued to see where the story goes next and how Edwin, Robin, and the rest of the crew will come out on the winning side! FYI: while you do find out who the baddie is in this book, the mystery itself isn't entirely solved so it doesn't have a neatly wrapped-up ending.
The best part of the story for me though was the characters and the romance. Edwin and Robin are total opposites—the former is a grumpy librarian type and the latter is a bit of a himbo. Together, they were wonderful and I loved getting to know both of them! Although Edwin was a bit cold and standoffish, to begin with, I loved watching him thaw the more time he spent around Robin, who was genuinely fascinated by Edwin and who truly enjoyed his company. So often I found myself infuriated on Edwin's behalf because his family is just the worst—their brand of casual cruelty and straight-up viciousness is so ugly and nasty and I hate that it was something Edwin had to endure his whole life. I was ready to take up arms to protect this timid and braintastically wholesome man! In contrast, Robin was a "paperwork error" who found himself thrust into the world of magic entirely by accident but who took to it like a fish in water. Like Edwin, he also had a pretty dismal upbringing with horrible parents who treated him and his sibling like paper copies to do with as they liked. I wouldn't say he's a himbo but he does have that slightly clueless sunshine energy that presented a nice contrast to Edwin. I loved that you could feel how comfortable they were with each other.
Their romance was pretty instalust but I loved watching that grow into something more solid the longer they spent together. There were so many wonderful quotes about their interactions, how they saw each other, and what they made each other feel and it made my heart so full because both of them so deserve to be loved! 🥹 You could say this "instalove" since by the end they'd technically only known each other a week but I still maintain it was instalust! 😂 Also, don't let this innocent cover fool you either—this gets very steamy in the latter half of the book once Robin and Edwin admit their feelings for each other. There are a few instances of on-page sex and they are explicit but tastefully so.
Overall, I'm very excited to see what happens next. I hope we still get to see a lot of Robin and Edwin in the next book even though it's going to be told from a different perspective and about a different couple (I assume?)! Either way, this was a solid debut and I'm looking forward to more from this author.
As I mentioned, the book starts slowly and remains pretty consistently slow-paced throughout. It's not necessarily a bad thing, of course, and it gave me cosy historical mystery vibes that I enjoyed. One thing that I did struggle with more than expected was the writing. I don't know why because I read my share of Regency-era books but some of the sentences read very oddly, and although I got used to the writing the more I read, it did continue to trip me up on occasion. Whenever that happened, it sadly took me out of the story because I'd have to re-read the section (sometimes multiple times) to make sure I understood what the author was saying, and that was a little frustrating!
I thought the world-building was pretty solid and aside from the writing style, the author did a great job in making it hard to forget what time period the book was set in! The magic system was initially confusing but I thought it was unique. I don't think I've ever read about magic that was so focused on specific hand gestures and movements (like playing cat's cradle!) but I also liked the more "natural" element to the magic that's introduced later on. I hope that gets explored a bit more in the next book especially as it relates to Sutton House! As for the mystery, although the 'baddie" was rather obvious from the beginning, there was a twist or two that I didn't expect and that has me intrigued to see where the story goes next and how Edwin, Robin, and the rest of the crew will come out on the winning side! FYI: while you do find out who the baddie is in this book, the mystery itself isn't entirely solved so it doesn't have a neatly wrapped-up ending.
The best part of the story for me though was the characters and the romance. Edwin and Robin are total opposites—the former is a grumpy librarian type and the latter is a bit of a himbo. Together, they were wonderful and I loved getting to know both of them! Although Edwin was a bit cold and standoffish, to begin with, I loved watching him thaw the more time he spent around Robin, who was genuinely fascinated by Edwin and who truly enjoyed his company. So often I found myself infuriated on Edwin's behalf because his family is just the worst—their brand of casual cruelty and straight-up viciousness is so ugly and nasty and I hate that it was something Edwin had to endure his whole life. I was ready to take up arms to protect this timid and braintastically wholesome man! In contrast, Robin was a "paperwork error" who found himself thrust into the world of magic entirely by accident but who took to it like a fish in water. Like Edwin, he also had a pretty dismal upbringing with horrible parents who treated him and his sibling like paper copies to do with as they liked. I wouldn't say he's a himbo but he does have that slightly clueless sunshine energy that presented a nice contrast to Edwin. I loved that you could feel how comfortable they were with each other.
Their romance was pretty instalust but I loved watching that grow into something more solid the longer they spent together. There were so many wonderful quotes about their interactions, how they saw each other, and what they made each other feel and it made my heart so full because both of them so deserve to be loved! 🥹 You could say this "instalove" since by the end they'd technically only known each other a week but I still maintain it was instalust! 😂 Also, don't let this innocent cover fool you either—this gets very steamy in the latter half of the book once Robin and Edwin admit their feelings for each other. There are a few instances of on-page sex and they are explicit but tastefully so.
Overall, I'm very excited to see what happens next. I hope we still get to see a lot of Robin and Edwin in the next book even though it's going to be told from a different perspective and about a different couple (I assume?)! Either way, this was a solid debut and I'm looking forward to more from this author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Sexual content, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Bullying and Misogyny
Minor: Racism and Homophobia
heather_freshparchment's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Homophobia, Blood, Vomit, and Torture
helenmae's review against another edition
adventurous
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Bullying, Death, and Blood
rlinnyc's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-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? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Classism, Torture, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Racism, Blood, Bullying, Death of parent, and Homophobia
mossgoblins's review against another edition
adventurous
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? It's complicated
4.5
This was a lovely read! Great plot, complex, easily lovable characters, and a very interesting development of the magic system!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Blood, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Cursing, Death, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: Child death, Outing, Suicide attempt, Kidnapping, Classism, Suicide, Homophobia, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Death of parent, and Misogyny
northernfleabag's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Murder, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Kidnapping
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.
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
cameronreads's review against another edition
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!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Sexual content, Cursing, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Outing, Bullying, Misogyny, and Murder
Minor: Grief, Death of parent, Homophobia, Vomit, Suicide, and Alcohol