Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - A Fragile Enchantment

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A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft

17 reviews

bree_h_reads's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful mysterious slow-paced

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

3.0

This was a bit of a let down from A Far Wilder magic.

It was fine, but I wasn’t super taken with Kit as the love interest. I felt like the middle was the strongest and the beginning was pretty decent. It was just as it started to build towards the end it started to fall flat.

I did enjoy Kit and Niamh’s softer, more romantic moments. And I felt like every character felt well-rounded and unique. It was just the plot itself that wasn’t speaking to me. It didn’t feel very well paced and once I hit the end it felt rushes and ill-planned.

The themes the characters explored, the world building, the dynamics, and the foreshadowing I loved so much from A Far Wilder magic were there. Which was mostly what kept me reading. The plot just felt somewhat convoluted, like it was reaching to play out specific regency setting tropes/was taking a lot from Jane Austen and Bridgerton. It felt like it wasn’t sure if it was trying to make a political statement and tell that story with the romance or play out a more traditional regency romance.

Overall I’m not super sure how I feel about it. It’s not bad, but it’s not great either.

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scarlett_f's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

2.5

Most unusual, disjointed romance I think I've read. Whiney, repetitive protagonist. Boringly clumsy. Skip this for a better read.

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natraf_reads's review against another edition

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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!

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ziracrow's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.5

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dani_reis's review against another edition

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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

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shannonvonpesach's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted medium-paced

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

2.5

I really wanted to love this...but I just couldn't!

Loved the magic very much but the character, except Rosa, weren't very loveable for me. It was a lot of discussions, fights, smoking and more discussion that made me feel less and less enthusiastic about the story.

I loved Rosa character of sassyness and sarcasm but that was about it.

Also, why isn't there more info about Niamh's sickness...

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deductionist's review against another edition

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medium-paced

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

2.75

I really wanted to love this book. However, its flaws start to stack up over time until they are too glaring to ignore.

The magic and how this world operates with it should've been focused on more. The scenes where it's utilized are the highlights of this book. The political drama could've been more on which kingdoms still retained the most magic. Rather than replicating real-world history.
Niamh's illness ultimately has very little bearing on the plot except for a scene. The illness
does not really get solved either by the end of the book, either. She just limits her magic use. Is she really not attempting to find anyone with the magic to help her live long with Kit?
For how often Niamh falls, stumbles, trips, etc; I wish that it was shown in her character. Little scars from sewing injuries, or bruises here and there on parts of her body that bumped into things. Something that showed it's more than a quirky trait.
I'm REALLY not a fan of the obvious England and Ireland parallels. It's hard for me to root for a romance when it involves the son of the man who killed so many of Niamh's people. I feel like this aspect of the story doesn't get treated with nearly as much gravity as it should. Niamh
Looking at the portraits of Kit's family and going "yeah they'd want me dead for just being here." And hiding in some curtains all quirky rubbed me the wrong way.
Predictable. If you've read books of this sort, you'll get the major story beats rather fast.
Not a fan of the way the story ended and its loose ends.
What happened to the king? Will they limit his spending or cut him off entirely once they're allied with Rosa's people? How does the kingdom view this marriage? How do their allies? Is there really no way to restore the waning magic in this world? Is there no way to help Niamh? Does Jack pay reparations once he's able to all the families of the people his father killed?
The kingdom is suffering, but yay this
last minute wedding happened.
The writing is fine, I enjoy the ideas that are within this story. I just wish those ideas were explored more, and more time was put in areas that needed expanding.

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becca_w_'s review against another edition

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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

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jennanaps's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

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

4.0

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ashleysills's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted 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

4.0

This was such a magical, cozy love story. Imagine the angst, strong characters, and Regency social structure from Pride and Prejudice mixed with ancient magic, royalty, political intrigue, and found family. While it didn’t quite hit five stars for me, it was an enchanting read from start to finish.

THE REPRESENTATION
All main and primary supporting characters are part of the LGBTQ+ community. Niamh, the FMC, has a chronic illness and a few characters have mental health struggles.

THE CHARACTERS
Overall I loved the characters! Both their strengths and weaknesses felt real and relatable, and I loved the way their experiences + flaws shaped the way they interacted with each other.

THE PARTS I LOVED AND DIDN’T LOVE
I loved Saft’s prose and her ability to paint a picture without overusing words. I loved the magic system, but be aware that it was touched on very little. I loved the romance between Niamh and Kit. The banter, the tension, the way they helped each other be better versions of themselves! *chef’s kiss*

Parts I didn’t love include the spice level (described below) and some confusing characters decisions/logic near the end. This didn’t ruin the story for me though!

THE THEMES
The main themes included social injustice/oppression (less seamless, but still well-done) and ones tied to the main characters’ personal belief systems and flaws. If you like a good character arc, you’ll probably enjoy this book.

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