A review by folkofthebook
A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft

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!
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