A review by lbarsk
A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske

5.0

Wow I REALLY enjoyed this. Well-paced, a fun mystery that’s only beginning to unravel (can’t wait to read the other two books in the trilogy!), an EXTREMELY cool system of magic, and an engaging romance at the heart of it all. I love how thorough Marske has been about thinking through every aspect of Ways In Which This Kind Of Magic Shapes The World, and how critique of the UK’s imperialism and closed-mindedness is baked into book via discussions of what the country is missing out on, magically and otherwise.

Edwin and Robin are very endearing and I’ll miss them not being the main characters in the sequels, but I’m looking forward to getting more depth on characters introduced in this book, too. Marske does a great job hooking her readers *and* crafting a relationship dynamic that’s delicious to watch unfold. Overall this is a really strong 1800’s Magic Intrigue Romance and I’m like, what is UP with the Last Contract.