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A review by ioannap_author
A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
"A Fragile Enchantment" by Alison Saft tells the story of Niamh, a seamstress with the power to weave emotions into the clothes she makes. When Niamh is invited to prepare the wardrobe of a royal wedding in the Kingdom of Avaland, she thinks this is the opportunity of a lifetime to change her family’s future.
The book delves into issues of arranged marriage, family expectations, homosexuality, freedom of expression, press freedom, worker's rights, and sacrificing one's health for their desires. So, it plays with a lot of themes, and for the most part, Saft keeps them in balance, which also naturally results in none taking centre stage and delving deeper.
When I began the novel, I was enthralled with the embroidery magic and the undertone of societal importance that possessing it offered. It was refreshing to watch the class struggle this created while Niamh explored high society as she was paraded around to act as a token of the Prince Regent's goodwill to the rebelling immigrants from Niamh's country. This tension created beautiful opportunities for Niamh's personal plans to clash with her desire for her Machlish compatriots' wellfare and for justice. While she is swept in the whirlwind of court schemes and country wide political intrigues, Niamh begins to grow closer to the groom of the royal wedding.
Prince Christopher - known as Kit - is no prince charming, despite his good looks. Their explosive relationship is slow to build into a romance, and if I am allowed one criticism, I found it unearned. I would have preferred this to be a friendship story that bridged the class divide. Saying that, I can’t deny how swoonworthy their romantic moments were after I pushed aside my objections to them actually becoming a couple. His character also touches on a lot of interesting subjects like addiction, alcoholism, and mental health and is linked with the exploration of the wider novel themes.
The world Saft built is a very thinly veiled reimagining of 19th-century Britain and Ireland's relationship. Even the names pinpoint to it as Niamh is a very Irish name. I usually find that very interesting, and I would have loved for the worldbuilding to develop further and to examine the complicated relationship between the colonising country and the rebelling colonised. I would have loved to see the inner turmoil of Niamh struggling to love the son of the King who brought so much death to her country and directly resulted in her own family’s pain. I would have loved for a revisionist fantasy that fixed some of the wrongs that real-life history never offered. But the absence of Machlish people in Niamh's life while she was at court didn't allow for that. All the politics happen away from Niamh, and even though she is asked to participate through her letters with the anonymous columnist, Lovelace, she doesn't take it. That would also be an interesting take and her attempt to hide from the choice she made, but it is also pushed aside too easily.
I don't want to sound overly harsh because I did enjoy reading the book overall. It might have frustrated me to see missed opportunities for a more complicated story pass by but the writing is beautiful, and I had fun with it. I do agree with some other reviewers that the book was a bit in the middle of adult and YA, and that didn't always work in its favour. Nevertheless, even though I didn't adore the couple as I did in "A Far Wilder Magic" (which deals with a lot of similar issues to) "A Fragile Enchantment" is a wonderful romantasy book that will take you in a beautiful fantastical Bridgerton style journey, filled with pretty dresses and dashingly handsome men.
The book delves into issues of arranged marriage, family expectations, homosexuality, freedom of expression, press freedom, worker's rights, and sacrificing one's health for their desires. So, it plays with a lot of themes, and for the most part, Saft keeps them in balance, which also naturally results in none taking centre stage and delving deeper.
When I began the novel, I was enthralled with the embroidery magic and the undertone of societal importance that possessing it offered. It was refreshing to watch the class struggle this created while Niamh explored high society as she was paraded around to act as a token of the Prince Regent's goodwill to the rebelling immigrants from Niamh's country. This tension created beautiful opportunities for Niamh's personal plans to clash with her desire for her Machlish compatriots' wellfare and for justice. While she is swept in the whirlwind of court schemes and country wide political intrigues, Niamh begins to grow closer to the groom of the royal wedding.
Prince Christopher - known as Kit - is no prince charming, despite his good looks. Their explosive relationship is slow to build into a romance, and if I am allowed one criticism, I found it unearned. I would have preferred this to be a friendship story that bridged the class divide. Saying that, I can’t deny how swoonworthy their romantic moments were after I pushed aside my objections to them actually becoming a couple. His character also touches on a lot of interesting subjects like addiction, alcoholism, and mental health and is linked with the exploration of the wider novel themes.
The world Saft built is a very thinly veiled reimagining of 19th-century Britain and Ireland's relationship. Even the names pinpoint to it as Niamh is a very Irish name. I usually find that very interesting, and I would have loved for the worldbuilding to develop further and to examine the complicated relationship between the colonising country and the rebelling colonised. I would have loved to see the inner turmoil of Niamh struggling to love the son of the King who brought so much death to her country and directly resulted in her own family’s pain. I would have loved for a revisionist fantasy that fixed some of the wrongs that real-life history never offered. But the absence of Machlish people in Niamh's life while she was at court didn't allow for that. All the politics happen away from Niamh, and even though she is asked to participate through her letters with the anonymous columnist, Lovelace, she doesn't take it. That would also be an interesting take and her attempt to hide from the choice she made, but it is also pushed aside too easily.
I don't want to sound overly harsh because I did enjoy reading the book overall. It might have frustrated me to see missed opportunities for a more complicated story pass by but the writing is beautiful, and I had fun with it. I do agree with some other reviewers that the book was a bit in the middle of adult and YA, and that didn't always work in its favour. Nevertheless, even though I didn't adore the couple as I did in "A Far Wilder Magic" (which deals with a lot of similar issues to) "A Fragile Enchantment" is a wonderful romantasy book that will take you in a beautiful fantastical Bridgerton style journey, filled with pretty dresses and dashingly handsome men.