I'm enjoying this series of books. I'm looking forward to the next installment. The audiobooks are also quite nice for the series.

4/5 ⭐️

ARC provided by the publisher Orbit Books US through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Longshadow is the third instalment in The Regency Faerie Tales series by Olivia Atwater. Following up on the second book Ten Thousand Stitches, the story of Longshadow is set in the same universe as the first two books but now following characters that are closer to home. The main characters in this book are Abigail Wilder, the adoptive daughter of Elias and Dora, and Mercy, a mysterious self taught magician.

Abigail is a young lady that is active in learning magic from Elias and is currently trying to solve a mysterious death that occured amongst the social circles of London. The mystery led Abigail to meeting Mercy, a street rat that knows magic. Though they both started at the wrong foot, they found camaraderie in each other and made a deal to solve the mystery together. But it seems that there is more to what Mercy is willing to disclose with Abigail.

After reading Ten Thousand Stitches I was quite sad that we didn't get to see Dora and Elias again. Starting Longshadow though my hopes are alighted anew since the very first page we get to see them. Besides them we also get to see Effie and Lord Blackthorn make an appearance too. Setting aside the wonderful cameos, the spotlight is on Abigail and Mercy. The story is a sapphic romance that developed slowly, full of twist and turns, and endless mysteries. It definitely plays around with themes of not judging a book by it's cover and setting aside prejudices/rumours about other people. This book definitely felt more close to Half A Soul in spirit and vibes. Seeing Dora and Elias be parents to Abigail raising her to be a young woman and loving her no matter what is such a joyful feeling.

The relationship between Mercy and Abigail developed quite wonderfully. They started out as adversaries but soon came to work together quite well. There are certain details about them that I can't mention because SPOILERS. But all I can say that they are queer characters and their relationship is very much sapphic. Even though I guessed the whole ordeal I didn't expect to come with details that made it even more celebratory than it already is.

Anyway if you like a bit of fun mystery, fae and other magical creatures, magic, and of course adorable father-daughter dynamics, sibling dynamics, and wholesome queer romance, do pick this book up! It's less than 300 pages so it is a nice short book for you to pick up any day.

With her Regency fairy tale series, Olivia Atwater has shown she has a gift for turning a story you thought was familiar on its head. Oftentimes a retelling will adhere so closely to the story it’s meant to be reimagining that you can already see the beats playing out, and the dots connecting to the familiar. Not so in this case.

In Longshadow, the third book in Regency Faerie Tales, the story follows Abigail, the adopted daughter of Dora and Elias from Half a Soul. Abigail is a child of both our world and of faerie, and doesn’t quite fit in with the conventions of either, try as she might to understand them. Like her father, Abigail has the ability to use magic, and this serves her well when young women her age begin dying mysteriously across London in a way that baffles even the Lord Sorcier himself.

It’s then that Abigail, her ghostly brother Hugh, and a laundress named Mercy — to whom there is definitely more than meets the eye — decide to try and figure things out for themselves. Whatever the cause, they know it’s definitely not of this world.

A recurring theme throughout Atwater’s books has been the juxtaposition of real world injustices and class differences with the more magical fairy tale aspects of the story. This messaging goes even harder in this book, because unlike Dora, who was raised within the ton, or Effie, who aspired to marry into it, Abigail was raised a little in both worlds and has a foot in faerie besides. Of all three of the heroines, she sees the world most clearly for what it is right away. Perhaps this too, is why Abigail is so ready to open herself up to falling in love with Mercy.

The way Atwater writes about the land of faerie also remains an utter delight. Its not serious in a broody kind of way, but instead comical and borderline absurd. The absurdity too has a point, luring you into a false sense of security so that when Faerie shows its terrifying side, it pulls the proverbial rug out from under you.

If there’s one thing I wanted more of in this novel, it was the romance between Abigail and Mercy. The first two books had such wonderful buildup between their protagonists, but I found in this case Abigail and Mercy got a little too wrapped up in trying to solve their mystery that they didn’t devote enough time to solving the mystery of the growing attraction between them. A small point — because I’m greedy and always want more, more, more with romance — in an otherwise delightful read.

When I tell you I was dying to get my hands on this ARC!!!

If you have seen any of my previous reviews of Ms. Atwater’s books you will know by now how much I adore them. They are the perfect, frothy, and fun, but are also emotionally satisfying little books.

I am fortunate enough to have somehow come under the radar of Orbit Books and they have added me to their list of reviewers. This means that once a month I get a newsletter which allows me to pick ARC’s from a selected list of what is available. That is how I ended up reading the first two books in this series. After reading those, I realized that the next month’s newsletter would probably have book three in it … after which I was scanning my emails like a dope fiend. I could NOT WAIT to see if Longshadow would end up on the list of available ARC’s. When it finally showed up I was so excited I couldn’t push the request button fast enough, and once I started reading was absolutely thrilled.

I love that some of the people we loved most in books 1 & 2 made an appearance in Longshadow. It’s like seeing old friends. It is also full of the sweet romance you come to expect from the series but with a welcome twist. This one features an LGBTQ relationship and I was so very pleased! I feel like it just rounded out the series as a whole seeing this representation.

All in all, I am so happy I got that newsletter because it introduced me to this lovely world and this author. I don’t usually collect physical copies of books (because of space issues in my small apartment) but this series will be on my shelf as soon as I can get my hands on them. I can’t recommend them more highly.

Longshadow is the final book in the Regency Faerie Tales series. I was able to buddy read the whole series with Julie from One Book More. I have linked her review too! This review is a bit tougher for me because I liked this one the least out of all three.

This book focuses on Abigail and her journey in navigating her new life. I loved that characters from the first two books make re-appearances in this one. Some of them are just little glimpses but it was nice to tie them all together. Since this book is focused on Abigail, who is much younger, it read that way too. This book felt like I was reading a Middle Grade a lot of the time. There is nothing wrong with Middle Grade because I enjoy it. I just want you to be prepared that it’s more MG than adult vibes.

The plot of this book was interesting but it was really lacking in some areas. There are things that we don’t get a lot of explanations for and it was very slow. The beginning started great but it quickly fell into a slow read with not much happening. The end was much better but it was all put together so fast. I wish it would have been spread out evenly. Doing so would have made a much quicker and easier read.

Atwater, does a great job tackling many hard topics and issues. There’s a lot of talk about death and the differences in the classes. It’s always great to shine a light on those things and I appreciate that. In Longshadow, she focuses a lot on the women and how they are so much more powerless. It’s relevant throughout history and even today. I’m all about stories empowering women though!

I had such high hopes for the romance but it was slower than a slow-burn romance. I felt more of a friend vibe from them than an actual romance. It makes it tough because when the plot isn’t working well I’m focused on the romance.

Overall, this was just an okay read. I like the way she weaves the magical aspects into this historical fiction. This book was missing a lot of aspects that the first book had. There’s so much magic, intrigue, and depth to the first book that this one was missing. I still highly recommend the first book!

Many thanks to Orbit for providing me with a copy to review!

A super sweet and charming romantic fantasy. I was intrigued by the expansion of characters introduced prior in the series, and it's a strong conclusion to the series.

I’m really going to start sounding like a broken record here. This whole series is delightful, each and every book brought me joy in a new way, and this installment was no exception. I love the way that Olivia Atwater creates her characters, and the way they work through their issues in each book.

In Longshadow, 18-year-old Abigail Wilder is set on solving the mystery of her peers mysteriously dying suddenly. She is willing to face up against Lord Longshadow with her magic and is much less interested in finding a match to marry.
Abigail is Lord Sorcier and Dora’s (essentially) adopted daughter, and I loved getting to see characters that we’ve met previously play a role in this book whilst also not taking the spotlight from Abigail and Mercy as the book goes on.

I love that we got a sapphic romance here, and highly recommend reading Atwater’s afterword when you finish this one.
If I haven’t sold you this series enough, just know that the books gave me the same cozy and joyful vibes as Howl’s Moving Castle paired with Pride and Prejudice. I’ve seen other reviewers compare it to Bridgerton, but I haven’t seen the show so can’t comment on that.

Overall (TLDR)
I truly love this whole series. It brought me so much joy and I hope that if you are looking for a pick me up book, or just one to read on a gloomy day that you’ll start with Half a Soul and marathon the rest from there.

Thank you as always to Orbit for the review copy! I am always grateful to have the privilege of reading books early to give my opinions on them.

Longshadow is the third book in the Regency Faerie Tales series by Olivia Atwater. This is a unique series that blends historical romance and fantasy in a way that I haven’t seen before, and I’m glad I had the chance to buddy read all three books with Leslie @ Books Are the New Black.

The premise of the story is really interesting, and I liked that the characters from the first two books have roles in this one too. That being said, I felt like the characters were a bit underdeveloped and lacked emotion. Some of the secondary characters are endearing, and I enjoyed their roles in the story, but, I don’t know, I kept expecting, well, more. I wanted more layers to the plot and characters and a deeper look at the relationship dynamics, emotional responses, and the magical world created. It feels like the author just skims the surface of the story.

One aspect of the story that I liked, and like in the first two books as well, is the strong messages about social and gender issues. The story spotlights many strong, independent, and courageous women living in a society that values men more than them. I like that we see these women defy societal norms and embrace their individuality and passions in life. The story also sheds light on the massive discrepancies between social classes, as well as the unbalanced political system which strengthens the upper class while working to the detriment of the lower class.

I also really liked the magical world the author created, though I wish it were developed more. And I enjoyed the beginning and the end of the book. They were faster-paced and more immersive than the middle of the story, which I felt dragged a bit. The .love story was also very slow building and didn’t have a lot of chemistry. It was another aspect of the story where I hoped for more.

Overall, this was just an ok read for me. I liked the messages and some of the characters. It’s an interesting story with a great premise, but it didn’t feel as layered as the first two books. Thanks to Orbit Books for sending me a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you to Orbit Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Longshadow by Olivia Atwater is a delightful mash-up of Regency-era romance and fantasy. It's also the 3rd book in the series, which I highly recommend that you read in order. The story revolves around Abigail, who is the daughter of the protagonists in the first book. Abigail teams up with Mercy, who she first believes is a washerwoman, but who actually turns out to be self-taught magician. Together, they have to find out who is murdering women. Is it a faerie? What can they do to stop him? And will sparks fly between the pair?

Here is an enchanting excerpt from Chapter 1:

"Miss Abigail Wilder was not supposed to use her magic in front of the tea ladies. Never use your magic in front of the ton, her father had told her. Once you do, they’ll never let you rest – you’ll be doing useless magic tricks until you’re old and grey.
Eighteen-year-old Abigail greatly suspected that the tea ladies were exactly the sort of nobility her father had warned her about. Once every month, the tea ladies met in her Aunt Vanessa’s sitting room for tea. Ostensibly, the ladies were there at Aunt Vanessa’s invitation in order to discuss the charity she intended to set up – but in practice, they rarely did much other than take their tea and gossip about the rest of the beau monde. "

Overall, Longshadow is a lovely blend of fantasy and historical romance. One highlight of this book is how we were able to see characters from the previous books. I'd always wondered what happened to the protagonists of the first book, and it was great to see them again. Another highlight of this book was the LGBT representation, which was much more present in this book than in previous books. I did take off 1 star though, because I wish it had been a bit more exciting. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of fantasy books in general, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in August!

Entertaining ending to a romantic/historical fantasy trilogy (I think it’s a trilogy as most of the loose ends are tied up, but maybe there are more books to come?). I do not recommend this installment as a standalone — you could theoretically read and enjoy LONGSHADOW without context, but I suspect that you’ll miss important backstory for secondary characters. For fans of the previous books: you’ll be delighted by many familiar faces from HALF A SOUL and TEN THOUSAND STITCHES.

I adored everything about Abigail — her loving relationship with her adopted parents and ghostly brother Hugh, her discomfort (and lack of interest!) re: fitting in genteel society, her unflinching bravery in the face of darkness, and her overwhelming generosity, even to those who don’t deserve it (thinking of a certain annoying ghost here!!!). Mercy is far more opaque — I don’t think I ever got a full sense of her character and motivations, but that opaqueness is clearly an intentional authorial choice. There is a shocking reveal toward the end and it 100% explains why the book is only from Abigail’s POV. Still: I wish we had Mercy’s POV for at least a chapter, even if it was in the end. I had a bunch of question marks floating in my head after the final chapter, and my curiosity is killing me!

Disclaimer: I received a free e-ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.