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nataliealane's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
What I liked:
-The friendships
-The romance is so sweet and full of yearning. Kit and Niamh have a lot of personal work to do and trauma to unpack, but that doesn’t mean that aren’t worthy of love or a relationship right now/as they are healing and still messy.
-Niamh’s character. She is clumsy, diehard romantic/idealist, and unapologetically feminine and loves pretty things. She is also loyal (to a fault perhaps) and stubborn, and I love her magical ability. I’ve only read a couple other books that have fabric/sewing-based magic.
What I didn’t like:
-The last third of the book fell flat for me. It seemed rushed, the characters made some really dumb decisions in a last ditch effort to save the day, and everything kind of seemed to magically resolve/tie together nicely with a bow despite that.
-I wanted more magic! I always want more magic though😂 Maybe that’s why romantasy isn’t really my favorite
-Technically, the romance is cheating/an affair as Kit has a fiancée (albeit a purely political match/“marriage of duty”).
Overall, A Fragile Enchantment is not my favorite book from Saft, but it was so fun to read! I read it as an e-ARC, but I do think I will eventually pick up my own physical copy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Colonisation, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Ableism and Sexual content
Minor: Biphobia, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Child abuse, Addiction, Alcoholism, Death of parent, and Self harm
kirstenf's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Colonisation
Moderate: Sexual content, Grief, Classism, Death of parent, Homophobia, Domestic abuse, and Death
Minor: Lesbophobia, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, War, Antisemitism, and Cursing
cityinkwell's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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? Yes
4.0
Thank you for providing me an ARC on Netgalley. I didn't get to it before its time ran out, but I'm glad I read it!
So this book is not for me. Literally. It is an unapologetic teenage-brained story. I still loved it! I'd say there are two major factors for how hard this hits; how appealing you find Romantic Fantasy (the fantasy-historical romance genre popular in Korea), and how compelling you find young adult stories about big teen emotions.
A Fragile Enchantment's setting is an allegory for Ireland and the British empire, where the colonized Machland have fought to earn their freedom from Avaland 35 years ago. The devastation Avaland's colonial oppression and isolation of Machland has wrought - the magical equivalent of the Irish famine included - means that even though they're a free nation, they are pulled into Avaland in search of work to support their families. The main character, Niamh, is one such hopeful, using her divine magic of stitching emotions into her creations to create clothing for the second prince's wedding.
A note: the reason I say this appeals more to Romantic Fantasy SPECIFICALLY than anything else is because in Romantic Fantasy, you do not need to know the rules of this fantasy world, only that it is fantastical and internally consistent. Golden-blooded individuals with magic powers are born sometimes. Anything more is irrelevant to this romantic arc. "It doesn't have enough worldbuilding" is like asking for the hard magic system of a fairy tale.
Best parts: I think the opening and everything after the back half of act 2 is impeccably paced. Everything pulls together very neatly, and when you figure out the actual conflict, it only serves to build tension. Niamh and Kit are adorable and compliment each other wonderfully; Niamh is obviously just attracted to him because he's beautiful, but she puts honest work into understanding Kit, and the origin of Kit's pull towards her is heart-aching. And oh god, oh GOD the sibling drama. I loooooove a good angst about siblings.
Also, surprise! This is a very queer book. The main characters are bi, the supporting characters are gay, and their romantic entanglements colour how they engage with one another and the nobility. It's implied Kit is so attached to Sinclair because they're both interested in men and found solidarity in one another despite not being romantically interested. Genuinely shocked me.
Downsides...
Oh, I cannot go any higher than 4 stars, and I think I'm being a little generous. The plot around 3/4 of the way in has precious little follow-through, paced like a sequence of scenes necessary to make the romance make sense, and otherwise poorly tethered to the rest of the narrative. It's not until the last of these awkwardly paced moments, the latter half of the visit to the Hall, that things kick off and go at a tight pace that doesn't let up. It is...serviceable, I guess.
This book also has a sort of...not therapy-speak, but impatience with its own characters. These characters who met like last week are capable of pinpoint accurate psychoanalysis of people who have dedicated their entire identity to hiding how they feel, because that analysis is necessary to trim the pacing down. Characters will sometimes just narrate their entire character arc too. It's not "show don't tell" - it very much shows that these traits exist before they look directly into the camera and explain their narrative arc - but it feels crude, unrealistic, and patronizing. I felt insulted that the story could not spare even the slightest bit of messiness on any of these character details.
And these characters have big, crazy Romeo and Juliet Twilight New Moon emotions. This aspect isn't bad, it's just young adult. Not for me. Where it gets a problem is the end of act 2, where...like, you know where I said they can't be spared messiness? The whiplash I experienced was unfathomable. These are 2 Big Emotion moments that make sense on their own, but together they just feel ludicrous and unfocused, undermining the impact of both. It didn't help that despite repeatedly telling us Kit used to be violently mercurial, he's mostly just been grumpy, so it came off as deeply silly.
And the way the plot comes together feels as if events just sort of fell in that direction. Things are escalating, but everyone involved struggles with autonomy in the narrative. They do not ruminate or struggle with plans or express themselves clearly; we only have Niamh, where she's miserable and awash with emotion, and not much else. The pacing is good, sure, but it doesn't prioritize the right information as it breezes through and left me unsatisfied.
Less relevant but kind of a summation of these issues; we're introduced early on to the concept of her friend going missing, and that plotline meandered into the background so thoroughly I almost didn't realize that it actually got explained. In fact, there are two explanations, neither of which are the definitive answer because it was backburnered so intensely. Incredible to witness, because this subplot was what drew me into the story.
Overall: I think it's very important that the central relationships in a romance book are functional, and the setting introduces intrigue. Both of these are true, so it is greater than its flaws. It was a nice read.
So this book is not for me. Literally. It is an unapologetic teenage-brained story. I still loved it! I'd say there are two major factors for how hard this hits; how appealing you find Romantic Fantasy (the fantasy-historical romance genre popular in Korea), and how compelling you find young adult stories about big teen emotions.
A Fragile Enchantment's setting is an allegory for Ireland and the British empire, where the colonized Machland have fought to earn their freedom from Avaland 35 years ago. The devastation Avaland's colonial oppression and isolation of Machland has wrought - the magical equivalent of the Irish famine included - means that even though they're a free nation, they are pulled into Avaland in search of work to support their families. The main character, Niamh, is one such hopeful, using her divine magic of stitching emotions into her creations to create clothing for the second prince's wedding.
A note: the reason I say this appeals more to Romantic Fantasy SPECIFICALLY than anything else is because in Romantic Fantasy, you do not need to know the rules of this fantasy world, only that it is fantastical and internally consistent. Golden-blooded individuals with magic powers are born sometimes. Anything more is irrelevant to this romantic arc. "It doesn't have enough worldbuilding" is like asking for the hard magic system of a fairy tale.
Best parts: I think the opening and everything after the back half of act 2 is impeccably paced. Everything pulls together very neatly, and when you figure out the actual conflict, it only serves to build tension. Niamh and Kit are adorable and compliment each other wonderfully; Niamh is obviously just attracted to him because he's beautiful, but she puts honest work into understanding Kit, and the origin of Kit's pull towards her is heart-aching. And oh god, oh GOD the sibling drama. I loooooove a good angst about siblings.
Also, surprise! This is a very queer book. The main characters are bi, the supporting characters are gay, and their romantic entanglements colour how they engage with one another and the nobility. It's implied Kit is so attached to Sinclair because they're both interested in men and found solidarity in one another despite not being romantically interested. Genuinely shocked me.
Downsides...
Oh, I cannot go any higher than 4 stars, and I think I'm being a little generous. The plot around 3/4 of the way in has precious little follow-through, paced like a sequence of scenes necessary to make the romance make sense, and otherwise poorly tethered to the rest of the narrative. It's not until the last of these awkwardly paced moments, the latter half of the visit to the Hall, that things kick off and go at a tight pace that doesn't let up. It is...serviceable, I guess.
This book also has a sort of...not therapy-speak, but impatience with its own characters. These characters who met like last week are capable of pinpoint accurate psychoanalysis of people who have dedicated their entire identity to hiding how they feel, because that analysis is necessary to trim the pacing down. Characters will sometimes just narrate their entire character arc too. It's not "show don't tell" - it very much shows that these traits exist before they look directly into the camera and explain their narrative arc - but it feels crude, unrealistic, and patronizing. I felt insulted that the story could not spare even the slightest bit of messiness on any of these character details.
And these characters have big, crazy Romeo and Juliet Twilight New Moon emotions. This aspect isn't bad, it's just young adult. Not for me. Where it gets a problem is the end of act 2, where...like, you know where I said they can't be spared messiness? The whiplash I experienced was unfathomable. These are 2 Big Emotion moments that make sense on their own, but together they just feel ludicrous and unfocused, undermining the impact of both. It didn't help that despite repeatedly telling us Kit used to be violently mercurial, he's mostly just been grumpy, so it came off as deeply silly.
And the way the plot comes together feels as if events just sort of fell in that direction. Things are escalating, but everyone involved struggles with autonomy in the narrative. They do not ruminate or struggle with plans or express themselves clearly; we only have Niamh, where she's miserable and awash with emotion, and not much else. The pacing is good, sure, but it doesn't prioritize the right information as it breezes through and left me unsatisfied.
Less relevant but kind of a summation of these issues; we're introduced early on to the concept of her friend going missing, and that plotline meandered into the background so thoroughly I almost didn't realize that it actually got explained. In fact, there are two explanations, neither of which are the definitive answer because it was backburnered so intensely. Incredible to witness, because this subplot was what drew me into the story.
Overall: I think it's very important that the central relationships in a romance book are functional, and the setting introduces intrigue. Both of these are true, so it is greater than its flaws. It was a nice read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Colonisation and Racism
Minor: Addiction
natraf_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
I loved this ! A perfect, soft hearted, forbidden romance between a prince and a commoner. This book had me in all the feels wishing for them to be able to be together despite what was expected of the prince’s responsibilities. I loved seeing Kit come out of his cold personality and warm up towards Niamh. I am a sucker for a good grumpy sunshine! Kit had shouldered many responsibilities and expectations of what being a prince meant. Seeing Kit come into his emotional side, finding solace and comfort in Niamh warmed my heart so much. These two balance each other out perfectly and are truly meant to be!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction and Alcoholism
Moderate: Racism, Sexism, Outing, War, Alcohol, Slavery, Classism, and Death of parent
dani_reis's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
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? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Alcohol, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, and Addiction
Minor: Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content
veni_vidi_legi's review against another edition
The characters did not grow, they devolved. Selfishness and acting purely based on emotion was lauded whereas acting on behalf of duty, responsibility, or for family was discouraged. The male lead, Kit, was a jerk whose mental faculties were questionable (being a drunkard from ages 14/15 - 17 does tend to do a number on mental development) and acted like a child. If he wanted something, he should have that thing. If he wanted to say or do something, he did. I wanted the female lead’s character to be a strong young woman who worked honestly to feed and house the family who had sacrificed much on her behalf. Instead she just sort of threw pity parties and wallowed naively. In general, acting for others and self-sacrifice were seen as bad traits so the characters simply got more selfish, impulsive, and hormone driven as the book went on. I really did want to like it, but the characters just couldn’t realize that working and sacrificing for your loved ones can be a beautiful thing.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Addiction
The poor Prince regent (male lead’s older brother) was painted as a villain because he was trying to keep the kingdom afloat? And he was a bad person because he didn’t trust his drunk and immature younger brother to be responsible enough to handle that burden (which was a valid conclusion)... I confess I don’t see the logicerinreadsbooks's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
This book was pretty disappointing, in my opinion. I liked the sound of the premise—young dressmaker embroiders magic into her garments and falls for her client. But the plot was extremely predictable and the female main character fell instantly in love with the male main character despite him being awful to her, which felt forced and cringeworthy. Honestly, Kit didn’t seem to have many redeeming qualities besides a lukewarm interest in politics because of Niamh. At one point, another character even says Kit is rude and unfriendly to everyone but Niamh and Niamh has no rebuttal to that point. I just never found a reason to root for Kit (other than maybe his recovery from addiction).
As for positives, the imagery and description in this book is evocative and the supporting characters of Rosa and Miriam are charming and actually make me root for them.
All in all, this book was just deeply okay.
Read if you like slow-paced YA romance in a Regency-inspired setting with some light fantasy elements but no heavy lore or world-building.
As for positives, the imagery and description in this book is evocative and the supporting characters of Rosa and Miriam are charming and actually make me root for them.
All in all, this book was just deeply okay.
Read if you like slow-paced YA romance in a Regency-inspired setting with some light fantasy elements but no heavy lore or world-building.
Content Warnings
Minor: Drug use, Homophobia, and Addiction
narsere's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Addiction, Homophobia, Racism, and Death of parent
becca_w_'s review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Classism, Violence, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Chronic illness, Injury/Injury detail, and Alcohol
Moderate: Bullying, Infidelity, Misogyny, Grief, Medical content, Alcoholism, Blood, Sexism, Terminal illness, Addiction, Physical abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, War, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Cursing, Confinement, Abandonment, Outing, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
folkofthebook's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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
5.0
“Is this a dream?”
“I don’t know,” he said huskily, his eyes aglow. “Let me kiss you until dawn, and I suppose we’ll find out.”
fantasy romance with chronic illness rep, magic, queer MCs & side characters, political unrest subplot, whimsical details, and bridgerton vibes.
after loving my arc for a dark and drowning tide, i was eager to jump into this; what i hadn't expected was to love it even more!
firstly, i love how allison saft takes real history and brings it into her fantasy worlds. i'm pretty sure the setting for this book is inspired by england's (in the book, avaland) occupation of ireland (machland) and the famine (the blight). there is tense political unrest that brews in the backstory, a slow simmering boil of the machlish people, tired of being exploited by avaland and taking a stand. i admittedly have limited knowledge of the real-life events of the famine, the troubles, etc. but i was fascinated by this aspect of the story and was intrigued not only by how it would play out, but how alike it was to its real-life counterparts.
i loved the cover and artwork of the main couple, niamh and kit, even before reading but their romance put me through the gamut of emotions in the best way. from their first stilted, tense meeting to the slow, hard-won moments of vulnerability to the angst of a forbidden romance, i shipped these two so hard. and they're both sexually fluid??? ok bi4bi !!! there are also 3 queer side characters. yas found family vibes.
first of all, kit is always blushing - do you KNOW how much I love a mmc that blushes?? 🥰 i thought kit's earth magic was complementary to niamh's whimsical enchantments. we don't see usually male characters paired with a power that feels softer. from the start i could see that kit's brashness was a defense, someone who doesn't know how to sit with his vulnerability, and it was wonderful to see his defenses slowly go down for niamh. there is also his relationship with his brother jack, the prince regent. the two have issues to work through, but jack isn't an unlikable, flat character. even though we see him making poor choices, we come to see where he's coming from and understand it.
i thought the aspect of lovelace was quite fun. the main element that brings in the bridgerton comparison, lovelace is a lady whistledown-esque gossip column writer - though they have a political agenda to their schemes, rather than solely focused on scandals of the romantic sort of the elite class (though those can be involved too). i had fun trying to guess who was behind the pen. it would have been kind of cool to see niamh more involved with them as a spy.
saft's writing never fails to make me want to sit down with a cup of tea while i read to be transported to an otherworldly place. her vivid imagery of picturesque settings, lush florals, descriptions that blend the senses, lavish parties, and, particularly with this because of niamh's enchantment skills, fashionable outfits with meticulous details. the whimsical natures of niamh's embroidery enchantments were delightful - affecting not only the wearer but those close in their presence, the spells were an array of entertainments from calling up beloved summer memories, being invisible, appearing more beautiful, and more.
unfortunately, her own enchantments also take a toll of niamh. having a hereditary chronic illness, overdoing herself with work and magic can cause not only flare-ups for her, but start to steal more time from her life. this is represented with the visual choice of a gray streak in her hair, which grows into more of her hair as more time is stolen. ngl it made me NERVOUS for her! i felt sympathetic but also a frustration with the injustice of life that the thing niamh loves doing can also hurt her (but i guess, isn't that true for all of us?).
besides the classism, elitism, (i think we would call it xenophobia? towards the machlish from the avaland citizens), even anti-semitism has it's place in saft's social commentary in this tale. alcoholism, parent/child abuse, homphobia, and disowning are also heavier topics dealt with in this book, though in minor details.
overall, i LOVED this book. the romance was delightful but i also enjoyed the political subplot.
allison saft has already provided me with two of my favorite reads so far in 2024 and i can't wait to see what else she comes up with!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness
Minor: Cursing, Death, Religious bigotry, Colonisation, Alcoholism, Antisemitism, Addiction, and Death of parent