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!

I really enjoyed this book. This book is a delight. I loved it—no surprise as I’m partial to both Puck’s antics and Alexis Hall’s words.I don’t think one has to have read “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” to enjoy this book, but I loved our unreliable narrator Puck, and the references to the play throughout. It’s the first Shakespeare I ever read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Thank you to Ballantine for the arc.


This book from the premise sounds unbelievably fantastic but the god awful narrator made it feel like a magical ripoff of bridgerton and made it impossible for me to get through.

A tale full of whimsy and drama; exactly what one would hope for from this take on a fairytale/mythology.

It's 1814 and Miss Maelys Mitchelmore is trying to enter society but keeps running into challenges from a curse. What started out as pretty innocent-seeming problems quickly turn into potentially fatal incidents. Lady Georgiana Landrake, nicknamed "the Duke of Annadale" due to taking over the fortunes of that title when her father and brothers all mysteriously died, might be Miss Mitchelmore's only hope. But Lady Georgiana is broody and an outcast and maybe even a murderess. She is willing to help Miss Mitchelmore navigate the world of angry gods and vindictive magic to try to save her reputation and her life. Miss Mitchelmore may lose her heart though.

This story is very much told in the style of many fairytales, with a whimsical narrator (in this case a hobgoblin). Simultaneously, we get much of the charm of a historical romance. Miss Mitchelmore's friends are very much there to support her and Miss Bickle, a guileless woman on the hunt for adventure, provides much comic relief. I liked the mystery elements of trying to figure out who cursed Miss Mitchelmore as well.

I think I struggled a bit with the pacing, particularly at the beginning, since there was a lot of necessary world-building. Miss Mitchelmore is just a bit too innocent and trusting, which is frustrating, and Lady Georgiana is just a bit too broody.

Overall, I did really enjoy this story. I don't know if there are going to be any sequels, but I honestly would love to see a romance between Miss Bickle and the Ambassador. If you're in the mood for a whimsical, quirky historical fantasy romance, this is definitely one you should pick up.

DNF at 20%. I don’t think this is a bad book by any means, but I’m bored silly and find the Puck as narrator device intensely annoying. It took me out of the story and kept me from feeling a connection to any characters. I don’t care about the historical plot, and all the asides Puck made irritated me and shoved me further out of the story. A sapphic followup to Something Fabulous was what I was hoping for, and not at all what I got.

I will always read queer romances set in historical fiction settings. That's just the perfect combinations of interests for me. Let me just say that I deeply enjoyed the setting. The ways these side characters merely reinforce the decorum standards, balls and picnics, and more. Plus there are some truly wonderful side characters and one that I think would be my best friend. In terms of the main character, I did enjoy the ways she believes in people, has to team up with the rumored to be witch, and accepts it all in stride.

But the narration choice of being this outside pixie narrator made Mortal Follies feel distant. It was like being in an omniscient narrator position except the pixie had a lot of thoughts. Normally I'd be a fan and the pixie breaks the fourth wall in a funny and clever way - not to mention they are super wry - but it just meant there was this added layer of distance between us and the characters.

Taking on magic, curses, gods and fairies, Hall’s newest 2SLGBTQIA+ release is filled with a cast of complex and yet incredibly likable characters you'll grow to adore. Filled with Hall's biting humor, this story is a modern take on a historical romance with a lot of magic and a bit a mystery. And as always, Hall never disappoints with their OPS scenes, they're nice and steamy. Some serious issues are tackled, so take care and check the CWs. At this time this is a stand-alone, but I very much hope that at some point we'll get books for Miss Bickle and Mr Caesar.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey in exchange for an honest review.

I am a big Alexis Hall and Shakespeare fan, so when I heard he was writing a Sapphic take on Midsummer Night's Dream, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. After finishing Mortal Follies, I am not sure I agree with the comparisons to Midsummer Night's Dream at all. There were no mixed-up lovers, no interwoven plots, no human transformation, no love spells, and few fairies. The story mostly takes place in the Spring, even. The only commonality I could find was the fact that both stories are narrated by the character Robin Goodfellow, also known as Puck.

And I'm not sure the narration by Puck worked as a plot device. The story takes place in an alternative Britain where gods, magic, and fairies are real. Our hero Maelys finds herself caught up in a curse and Robin tells us the story of her attempts to overcome it. But Robin is telling the story, which takes place in the 1800s, from the modern time period and keeps interrupting the narrative to opine on how awful modern human life is and how much better fairies are than humans. I found these interjections really slowed down the story and took away from the interactions between Maelys and Georgiana.

And I really enjoyed the dynamics between our two heroines, too. I thought the grumpy/sunshine trope really worked between the two, and loved Maelys's growth throughout the story. I even think the supernatural elements within the main story worked to a certain degree, and enjoyed the side characters like Sweet Maggie/ Mother Mason and Maelys's cousin John. I wish those characters had been explored a bit more instead of the commentary by Puck. I remain an Alexis Hall fan and will definitely pick up whatever he writes next, but this one just wasn't for me.

Historomantasy might be new favourite genre!
A sarcastic, mischievous narrator, often unreliable, but always fun and on point..
It’s a story of two women falling in love amidst magic and curses. It’s a story of self-discovery for Ms Michelmore and I absolutely love how supportive her family and friends were. Her friends were delightful both as characters on their own (I hope both John and Lizzie get their stories told in future books in the series) and as her strong supporters. They stood by her in undoing the curse placed upon her and they also, Lizzie in particular, encouraged her in exploring what her attractions and feelings were with no shame or social obligations/stigma.
For the Duke of Allandale (Lady Georgiana) things are simpler in the sense she knows who she is and what she wants (she has other things for figure out though, let’s call them trust issues). And they both are fighting with curses and fickle gods and goddesses.
There are some wild shenanigans and magic that was bonkers rather than based around some system.
Once again, the thing I appreciate most in Alexis Hall’s books, besides his gorgeous writing and vivid characters, is the message we get every single time, that there is place for all sorts of people in the world and that we all are equally worthy of love and happiness (in the shape and form that works best for us)

I don’t quite know how to begin this review except to say… I desperately WANT to like Alexis Hall’s writing. I read the synopses of all of his books and always think “oh my goodness, this one will be it! This will be the book that clues me in on the Alexis Hall Magic everyone else always raves about!”

And with this book, which quite literally has magic, I thought there was finally one that would let me into the “Alexis Hall is our Patron Saint of Queer Romance” club. It has all the elements to check all of my boxes: MAGIC, whimsy! Faeries and a historical and sapphic romance to boot! And yet this is a 2 star review 😢

I WANTED to love the snarky, whimsical outside observer narrator… but it didn’t work for me. I didn’t find it clever, I found it quite distracting. It wasn’t that I didn’t LIKE the narrator… it just felt like I was being kept further away from the characters than I wanted to be. I didn’t feel connected to them.

I WANTED (desperately so) to fall in love along with these characters- as everyone says this is where his writing shines, but I find myself always left… bereft. I never fall in love along with his characters. I actually DID like these characters as individuals, but their romance just didn’t feel real to me. It felt like there was an outside force forcing them together as if they were two dolls, simply because that outside force wanted them to be together, and not because they actually had chemistry.

I think Alexis Hall’s writing is just not for me, and this book will be where I throw in the towel. His writing is obviously amazing, but something about the style- I think maybe I always feel too far away from his main characters than I like to be- just doesn’t work for me. And that’s okay!

I DO think people who adore Alexis Hall’s books in general will adore this one as well, however.

A lovely sapphic romance based in 1814, sprinkle in some magic, faeries, and quirky narrator. For me it was a tad hard to differentiate between the narrator POV and the characters talking, for that it's not necessarily something I'd reach to reread.
Very unique characters, and an efficient world building with context clues. Think of Bridgerton X Midsummer Nights Dream. While I'm not usually one for historical fic this was something I ate up!

All in all a good read for anyone looking for a queer romance set in Victorian age London. Release date is 6/6 just in time for Pride month!

I really really love Alexis Hall's books -- unless there's magic involved. Maybe that's just a coincidence, but here, I realized that I'd put the book down a few chapters in several days ago... and had forgotten to get back to it. I ended up not being able to force myself to finish it, as it was much too long for what I was getting out of it.

I didn't like the magical imp narrator, who didn't seem to have a point other than random snarky asides. I liked the initial mystery -- who has cursed an otherwise pleasant young lady? -- but it took much too long to really get into or to answer.

I didn't find the main couple intriguing or involving; one of them I actively disliked. She had good reason to be the way she was, but I found her attitudes annoying and unpleasant to read about. The supporting characters were funny in small doses, particularly the purposefully obnoxious ones, but they became repetitive.

The parts of the book I wanted to read were too strung out, and I didn't like much of what was in between. A rare miss for this author for me, but a really big misfire.

The exploration of magic and mythology is another standout aspect of the novel. The interweaving of fairy spirits, meddling deities, and sorcerers into the Regency setting provides an enchanting and mystical atmosphere. The author's skillful integration of magical elements into the plot enhances the sense of wonder and heightens the stakes for the protagonists. Fans of historical fiction, supernatural tales, and unconventional love stories will find themselves swept away by this enchanting novel.

I honestly never know what to say about Alexis Hall’s books because he’s one of my very favorite authors and I don’t know how to be normal about the things I love. That said, Mortal Follies is a really fun book with some really fun characters that strives, at times, to do too much. Between the several different kinds of magic at play, not one but two different curse plotlines, and a romance that feels ever so slightly off to me for a solid two thirds of the book, it took me a long while to actually get into this one. The first half of the book was even a little bland at times—not boring (because I’m not sure Alexis Hall could write a boring book if he tried to) but not particularly gripping, either. It’s after the resolution of what I’ll call the book’s first “arc” that things start picking up (as does the relationship between Miss Mitchelmore and Lady Georgiana). And, of course, his character writing through the entire book is delightful as usual. Miss Bickle might be a new favorite character of mine, in anything ever, and I think we could all strive to have her optimism and exuberance. All in all, Mortal Follies was a good time but not quite what I was looking for out of the experience. Hall is still an author I respect and admire immensely, and I’ll continue reading everything he puts out, of course—but even the best writers have some duds now and then!