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A review by wilder
A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
5 / 5
I was teetering between a 4 and a 5 for this one, but the more I reminisce on these two characters, the more I realize how much I loved this book.
In A Marvellous Light, we follow two Englishmen in 1900s London where magic exists but is kept hidden. Our protagonist, Robin, is a normal fellow who is thrust into this world of magic against his will. He is quickly shown the dark side of magical society when he is drawn into a hunt for a paranormal artifact, one that a group of sinister magicians seems to think he knows the whereabouts of. They leave him beaten and with a worrisome curse, ticking down the time to certain peril if he is unable to retrieve it for them. Thankfully, he has the aloof yet intelligent Edwin at his side to help him in this quest, and the story takes off from there.
It is clear that Marske put a lot of love into crafting these characters. They are unlike any other characters I've read: their flaws run deep, their fears manifest in their actions in such real, beautifully human ways. Edwin is so darling and I love him.
I am heartbroken the sequel doesn't follow these two directly, but I will pick it up at some point. (pls write more of them in the third and/or fourth Ms. Marske, ty.)
I was teetering between a 4 and a 5 for this one, but the more I reminisce on these two characters, the more I realize how much I loved this book.
In A Marvellous Light, we follow two Englishmen in 1900s London where magic exists but is kept hidden. Our protagonist, Robin, is a normal fellow who is thrust into this world of magic against his will. He is quickly shown the dark side of magical society when he is drawn into a hunt for a paranormal artifact, one that a group of sinister magicians seems to think he knows the whereabouts of. They leave him beaten and with a worrisome curse, ticking down the time to certain peril if he is unable to retrieve it for them. Thankfully, he has the aloof yet intelligent Edwin at his side to help him in this quest, and the story takes off from there.
It is clear that Marske put a lot of love into crafting these characters. They are unlike any other characters I've read: their flaws run deep, their fears manifest in their actions in such real, beautifully human ways. Edwin is so darling and I love him.
I am heartbroken the sequel doesn't follow these two directly, but I will pick it up at some point. (pls write more of them in the third and/or fourth Ms. Marske, ty.)