3.3 Stars
One Liner: Got its moments but a mixed read

1814
Maelys Mitchelmore is cursed. Her entry into the highest Bath society puts her in dangerous situations, though she is rescued by the Duke of Annadale, aka Lady Georgiana. Lady G has quite a reputation as a witch and a murderess.
However, as the threat mounts, Maelys and Lady G must have to work together to find the person responsible for it and break the curse. This proximity also creates some issues, which Maelys seems to like even if Lady G doesn’t.
Can the duo sort out the threats and rumors to find their happy-ever-after?
The story comes in the first-person POV of Robin, a hobgoblin who follows Maelys Mitchelmore to write her story.

My Thoughts:
How you like this book depends on how much you like the narrator. Robin is the peeping tom who loves to tell stories and ramble. He (it?) also likes to control the narrative, meaning you will not know some details because revealing them would ruin the art of storytelling. Initially, I loved the idea and enjoyed it. But as the story progressed, I skimmed through Robin’s ramblings and focused only on the main story.
My favorite parts of the book are the scenes with Mae, Lizzie, and John. They are such varied personalities that their banter and bickering end up like a cocktail experiment. They are great fun, though. Lizzie Bickle is the kind of friend you’d shudder to have but will appreciate when someone else does. She is easily my favorite character in the book.
While the setting is interesting, with a blend of snobbish ton and references to witches, nymphs, faeries, etc., the detailing is overdone in quite a few instances and not enough in some places. Combined with the narrator’s opinions on just about everything, it can be super entertaining or annoying (the latter for me). Also, this is a book where you go with the flow and do not wonder about why, what, how, and when of things.
This is a romance book with some steam (not much, as the narrator tries to be decent). I liked some parts but found most of it a little too melodramatic. I’m half convinced it’s a funny take on the ton’s love for excessive drama. If it’s not, it’s better to rely on your speed-reading skills.
The plot, as such, is pretty basic and thin. The curse is solved by the halfway point, and the remaining is about Mae and Lady G’s relationship (if we can call it that). It feels more like Mae hounding Lady G, who acts like an alpha male with blocked emotions. I was waiting to see beyond her façade (after all, she hasn’t had it easy), but there isn’t much scope for character development.
My biggest issue is how the romance and the main characters were handled. That made the whole thing awkward and even one-sided. While I understand the reason for her actions, there isn’t enough emotion to make an impact. I’m all for lighthearted reads, but this one stresses the wrong issues and ignores the important ones. The plot needs better structuring and pacing to allow readers to understand the motivations behind the characters’ actions.
We also have a few subplots of sorts that go nowhere. John Ceaser’s personal track, the villainous uncle, the missing person, etc., are left with no resolution. Saying the narrator isn’t interested in them doesn’t make the book any better, IMO. It’s taking the easiest route to finishing the manuscript (unless the author intends to turn this into a series).
The book could have been at least 75 pages smaller. Enjoy the first half, skim through 35% of the second half, and see how the remaining goes for you. It almost feels like two books combined together.

To summarize, Mortal Follies is a lighthearted dramatic-sounding regency Sapphic romance with fantasy elements. It’s easy and enjoyable if you don’t use your grey cells. Get into it with the right expectations.
Thank you, NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine, and Del Rey, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

***
TW: The book has scenes of animal sacrifice.

I couldn't get into this story because of the annoying ever-present narrator. I didn't find it funny whatsoever that they were essentially a third main character in the story.

Mortal Follies was described as Bridgerton with magic, a hilarious narrator and a beautiful sapphic story and that is pretty accurate.

I loved the narrator as soon as I read the prologue. He was my favorite part of the story and made it so enjoyable. He told the story from his past as he observed it while including current commentary on his life after he was exiled and had to live like a mortal.

Maelys best friend Lizzie was my second favorite character. She was so obsessed with magic and the Fae which is pretty relatable. She was extravagant and was a great match to Maelys cousin John which was very logical and to the point.

Maelys parents were delightful. They were different to what you would expected from parents of the era. They believe in science and were very accepting of Maelys even for modern times. It was a fresh take on parental perspective of sexuality and danger.

As for the story is was quite enjoyable. I liked Mealys and Georgiana and the realistic take on love.

The ending was not what I expected and the story was structures a little strange. It had two parts; before the curse and after the curse and it was almost two different stories.

I would rate it 3.5 stars as I really enjoyed while reading but don’t see myself rereading it.

I was so excited for this book :( but it let me down on the most important front, namely the romance. I think Alexis Hall kind of wrote themself into a corner by using a framing device that introduced so much ironic distance into the narration -- it seems very cool to have Robin Goodfellow telling the story but then you're unable to sincerely describe any emotions, because Robin Goodfellow thinks human emotions are silly. And if I can't have any sincere emotions, I'm not going to be buying the romance. I genuinely couldn't tell for most of the book if Lady Georgiana (aka "the Duke of Annadale") was meant to be some kind of parodic Heathcliff-y warning about the false appeal of brooding Byronic love interests, because she was such an awful love interest! She shows up, rescues Mae, Mae tries to have a conversation with her, Lady Georgiana negs her and leaves, rinse and repeat. Like TEN TIMES this happens, and even to the bitter end of the novel Lady Georgiana is refusing to have a conversation where Mae gets to be an equal partner in deciding what's going to happen TO MAE. I hate to say it but Mae would have been better off using Lady Georgiana for sexual experimentation and keeping Lizzie as her platonic life partner, because frankly Lizzie was a way better partner and emotional support for the entire novel. On the other hand, I did really enjoy the worldbuilding and the side characters! Just kind of a bummer that the romance didn't work for me.

If Bridgerton and A Midsummer’s Night Dream had a baby, it’d be this. 🧚🏼‍♂️👗

This was my first book in the romantasy (and historomantasy for historical romance fantasy?) sub genre and it was interesting to say the least. I thought the pining between Miss Mitchelmore and the Duke of Landrake was quite cute at times, but at others I felt like it was rather one sided. It also took me A LONG time to get into the narration style of the book because it just felt rather stilted. 😕

But where the book was really good for me was the inclusion of fairy lore and Roman goddesses. I thought Hall did a great job reading into Regency expectations and ideas of fairies, and I thought it was really cool that he included mentions of Titania and Oberon as the rulers of Fairyland. The goddesses Sulis Minerva and Cybele was an really cool inclusion in the plot as both teasing and malevolent deities, and I enjoyed the idea that these goddesses still had cults well into Regency era England.🏺

Robin as a narrator was a fascinating choice as well. It really made you feel like the story was being told to you, though it was rather weird when the fairy could get a clear idea of what the characters were thinking. 🧚🏼‍♂️

Overall, it was a rather fun read and satisfied my need for a Regency book (after binging Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story on Netflix). Also, that cover is just so beautiful! 🩷🩵

Thank you again to Random House Publishing and NetgGalley for accepting my request for an eARC for an honest review! ❤️

Publication date: June 6!

Overall: (I’m rather back and forth on this) 3.75-4/5 ⭐️

This had such a gorgeous cover, and I’ve really enjoyed what I’ve read from Alexis Hall before, so this was an easy request. And I was not disappointed!

Maelys is under a horrible and constantly escalating curse. Her only allies happen to be an accused murderess, a priestess, a genre savvy cousin, and a witch.

This was an absolutely charming read. I loved the setting of Georgian England, but with magic existing. And not only magic, but a plethora of pantheons, faerie creatures, naiads, spirits, and everything in between. We even get good old Robin Goodfellow as our narrator, constantly causing just a little mischief. I will admit that I found myself getting distracted every time Puck mentioned another adventure of his, or misadventure as it may be, and wishing we could get that story as well.

Hall has a particular talent for making characters, even secondary characters, fully realized and fleshed out. One of my absolute favorite things about this book was Lysistrata. Her entire character was flighty and fanciful, and yet she regularly was the one who had the brilliant ideas that smoothed the way.

I found the ending to be a little abrupt. We have two fairly important arcs combined together in one book, and the second one felt rushed. The final problem and resolution are introduced fairly late in the game and then all tied up with a neat bow. But I was so charmed, that I didn’t mind it as much as I usually do.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this ARC!

This is a fun and quirky queer read that is perfect for Fantasy lovers. Alexis Hall does great job of immediately immersing you in the world and keeping you engaged on the plot throughout. Fans of her books will love this new tale!

✨ Review ✨ Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall

Miss Maelys Mitchelmore finds herself continually plagued by some kind of curse -- after her dress disintegrates at a ball, leaving her naked in the bushes outside, shenaningans continue to ensue.

The book has a great cast of characters -- a bestie who's basically Karen from Mean Girls but obsessed with the fairy world. She's endlessly loyal but has her head in the clouds and is always pondering potential spirit encounters. Georgianna Landrake, the "Duke of Annadale," is broody and alluring and always there when Maelys finds trouble.

And best of all, our immortal being who can shapeshift, cause all sorts of trouble, and narrate our story for us. The voice of the narrator is an absolute delight -- full of snark and trouble and immortal impatience with the follies of mortals. I almost wished for more of this, because with the absence of the narrator's voice for too long, sometimes I forgot whose eyes the story was through.

I loved the first half of this book, but the second half felt a little tedious, as plots resolved and new ones began. It felt like not enough new things happened in the second half to keep me as engaged. Overall, a super fun and unique read, but not this fangirl's favorite AH book (sorrryyy!)

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5 stars)
Genre: historic f/f romance + fantasy
Setting: 1814 Bath and English countryside
Pub Date: June 6, 2023

Read this if you like:
⭕️ magic via witches, curses, and the old gods
⭕️ historic + fantasy romances
⭕️ f/f yearning
⭕️ devoted friendgroups even amidst curses and spirits and more.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey, PRHAudio, and #netgalley for advanced copies of this book!

3.5 stars rounded up.

I had a bit of a love-hate relationship with this book. On the hand, it had everything that an Alexis Hall book promises: a intriguing plot, clever characters, banter, and queerness upon queerness. I'm not always a huge fan of historical romances, but this book delivered. However, the narrator took away form this story a lot. The whole book is told form the perspective of a fairy, and while I appreciated the clever incorporation of the magical world, it felt wholly unnecessary to have the story told this way. I can usually read a romance this length in a few hours, but I kept putting this one down and walking away.

Did I enjoy it? Yes. Will I recommend it to anyone looking for a sapphic romance with historical aspects? Yes. Will I every read this book again? Probably not.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and this is my honest review

I did not enjoy this narrator nor his tale/dream. I enjoyed the main characters but why interrupt my reading with him. The narrator only takes away from the story. Unfortunately I can’t recommend this book but I have liked her other novels.

4.5/5
Thank you to NetGalley/Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey, for a copy of Mortal Follies in exchange for an honest review. 

The Alexis Hall of it all

There is an unquestionable comfort in reading an Alexis Hall novel. Predictability is not quite the word I'm seeking — perhaps something more akin to familiarity and consistency? In any case, picking up a Hall novel has yet to leave me disappointed. 

In the continuum of Hall's work, Mortal Follies falls on the silly end of the spectrum. It's as though his The Affair of the Mysterious Letter and Something Fabulous had a baby carried and birthed by the fae. I laughed out loud several times. 

For those unfamiliar with Alexis Hall, imagine a sapphic, comedic version of Bridgerton with a heavy dose of magic and punk. Does that not sound epic? 

My only quibble -- and it is minor -- is Mortal Follies ran a little long, though it is likely a quirk of the genre it is homaging.

I enthusiastically encourage all Alexis Hall fans to pick up this book ASAP. My caveat to newbies is: You need a particular sense of humor to enjoy Mortal Follies. The entire book breaks the fourth wall, and its narrator is highly self-aware. This book exudes a quintessential Britishness that goes beyond spelling conventions. 

I must also mention that the author includes a series of content warnings at the beginning of the book. While you should take all of them seriously, I want to highlight that this book has a great deal of animal sacrifice. Some of it is rather graphic. I point it out specifically because it's uncommon to read (outside of religious texts). 

When all is said and done, even if any of the above gives you pause, I still strongly recommend you give the book a try. 

Mortal Follies is out on June 06, 2023. Pick up a copy at your local indie bookstore or library. 📚🧚👭

The narrator of this story made it quite difficult to become fully engrossed in the storyline. The constant reminder and interruption broke the spell of the story. I couldn't finish the book due to the incessant interruption of the narrator. We get it you are just observing and you are better than humans. Thanks Netgalley.

All I can say is imagine Jane Austen wrote about women loving women in her world in which gods made themselves known. That is this book, plus so much more.

I was immediately sucked into this book by the perfectly chaotic neutral Robin (who we all know and love from Shakespeare), whose narration of this story, and joy in drama and misery, had me cackling from beginning to end.

Hall wrote a cast of sharp-tongued, witty characters1800s who get their lives turned upside-down when a spiteful god decides to curse the main character, Mae. Throughout their journey we see what life could have been like for the LGBTQIA+ community during this era, and how people pursued love and desire within a world of propriety and societal obligations (.and magic).

I absolutely adored this read and found it to have the perfect blend of all my favorite genres.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and to Del Rey for giving me the opportunity to read one of my most anticipated books of the year early!

I was hooked on Hall’s writing the very moment I opened the book and could hardly put it down. Filled with scandal, this charming and fantastical comedy of errors is one that is not to be missed. As always, Hall’s main characters are ones you fall in love with and root for, despite their at times less than sensible but utterly human decisions.

This book is the perfect start to anyone’s Pride month TBR and will be beloved by Hall’s fans old and new.

Firstly I would like to say that I am absolutely in love with the cover of this book, it’s perfection.

Mortal Follies has a lot of things: a faerie narrator, familial curses, a quirky friend group, a sapphic romance, all within a magical Bridgerton-esque setting.

I think the narration/writing style just did not work for me. Because this story is narrated by an outside third party (a faerie often hiding as corner shadows, a moonbeam, a fly on the wall, or the like), I felt disconnected from the characters themselves. There were a lot of side characters to keep track of, and I feel like I was unable to get a grasp on them even by the end of the book. The narrator also loved to go on tangents, which may be endearing and whimsical to some, but the meandering style of the writing felt unfocused and made it difficult to stay engaged in the story. This took me a really long time to struggle through, and unfortunately was not for me.

Queer sapphic historical romance! Yes please! Plus the fantasy element was really fun! I may have to check out Alexis Hall's previous work!

Mortal Follies is a romance novel that feels deeply out of step with time. Narrated by a 21st century Robin, currently on the outs with Oberon, Mortal Follies is terrifically funny Georgian era historical fantasy romance but not at all a comedy of manners, with the crackling banter of a 2000’s Avon title, a properly gothic cursed Duke with unusual sexual appetites, and a thoroughly contemporary heroine. Charming, snappy, and above all fun, I enjoyed it quite a lot!

My absolute favorite thing about Mortal Follies was hands down Mae’s best friend, Miss Lysistrata Bickle. She is the loveliest, funniest, most charming best friend in a historical I’ve read in years! Forget the brooding, mysterious, and dangerously seductive Georgiana, Duke of Annadale, I only have eyes for Miss Bickle, who blends sincerity, frivolousness, and an unconventional sort of pragmatism into one character who is laugh-out-loud hilarious while never being anything but herself.

The romance itself was pretty good, with the tension between Georgiana’s understandable reticence and her desire to protect Maelys from suffering at the hands of a capricious goddess coming through quite well on the page. I didn’t feel a lot of chemistry between the two, partially because of the narrative distance, I think. I didn’t actually find Mae herself to be a very interesting lead character, which didn’t help.

There were some pacing issues, with the initial mystery being fairly straightforward and wrapping itself up neatly at about the halfway mark with nothing to really replace it as a driving narrative force for quite a few chapters.

As a romance novel, it sits in a strange place where it’s absolutely not a closed door romance, but the sex scenes are told at a narrative remove that makes them decidedly un-sexy. The romantic tension is similarly dampened and subdued, with most of the conflict resolved by tense conversations and small changes rather than big gestures and heartfelt declarations.

As a comedic fairy tale, though, I think it excels, giving us charmingly unexplained worldbuilding, a compelling cast of magical characters, and problems that are solved mostly by ingenuity and not spellcraft or divine intervention.

I honestly was not a huge fan of this book. I think my biggest issue with the story was the narrator. They constantly had to remind us that they were not part of the story, but an observers. Which was fine to a point, but the constant reminders got to be a bit grating. It kept taking me personally outside of the story. The story itself I enjoyed. You have two great characters who are both finding themselves within the possibilities of this budding relationship. The magic was a fun twist. Overall, this book for me was personally an okay title, but I think I would have truly enjoyed it more without the narrator.
Thank you so much to Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine, Del Rey, and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

Maelys is in Bath with her family, enjoying herself until she is cursed. She is drawn to infamous Lady Georgiana, who is suspected of murdering her family. Fantasy novel set in a Regency England where Christianity did not get rid of the old gods nor the Fae. Indeed, the novel is narrated puckishly by Puck himself.

One of the best in the "Jane Austen + fantasy" genre in addition to The Glamourists Series by Mary Robinette Kowal.

***Read an eARC provided by NetGalley***

this is like a regency-era queer romance with a little bit of fantasy. Maelys has been cursed, and she teams up with a local (alleged) witch to figure out how to break it. it reminded me of The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, which I loved, but UGH, this one is so tough to rate. this is one of the most unique books I’ve ever read writing-wise. this book was FUNNY. I highlighted sooo many parts due to how witty they were. however, this was like 90% witty dialogue and 10% actual plot. I truly can’t believe how long this book is because honestly basically nothing happens. finally at 60% I couldn’t do it anymore and skipped to the end.

so really, I don’t know if I can say whether or not I recommend this. it was fun to read in a lot of ways but think it would have been better as a novella. if you’re a fan of this author’s past work, you might love it!