4.25⭐️

Mortal Follies is a hilariously, intriguing tale of two noblewoman who fall for each other as they deal with curses and angry gods.

The narrator definitely makes this book stand out against other historical fantasy novels. They made me laugh out loud more times than I could count and kept me interested in what was going to happen next. I’ve never read a book that was narrated quite like this and I loved it. Hall did an excellent job bringing the narrator to life without having them interact directly with our main characters.

If you’re looking for a sapphic story set in the regency era that mixes in fantastical elements, I would 100% recommend this.

*Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random house for an arc in exchange for an honest review.*

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group & NetGalley for providing an advanced free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I've never read any of Alexis Hall's work, but this book was a fantastic introduction to his work. I immediately added more of his books to my TBR after putting this one down. This book follows a young noblewoman who must pair up with an attractive, rumored murderess to ward off a curse. Set in a magical regency era, the fairy narrator weaves a tale about two mortals trying to overcome the trials of high society, the demands of deities, and the slow burn romance between them (it was worth the wait to see this love story unfold). The only thing I didn't love about this book was the narrator. At first I found him annoying, but as the story progressed I tolerated and even enjoyed the way he interrupted the narrative to add details and humor.

Mortal Follies is out June 6!
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Pairs well with afternoon tea, a sacrifice or two, and ribbons.

I'm a big fan of Alexis Hall, and I was really excited about this foray into a mix of fantasy with regency romance. The combination is actually what worked best for me: I found the worldbuilding of fae, gods, and more on top of the familiar regency world really charming and entertaining. I think Hall is quite talented at what I'd best describe as silliness - I feel this put to use so well in Boyfriend Material and Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake - and it is a perfect match here with the book told the voice of a knowing, winking hobgoblin who followed the story unfolding. For me, this voice actually didn't get old; I found the cheekiness and little jokes quite funny the whole way through, along with the great and sometimes absurd dialogue with the friend group, especially from Lizzie Bickle. It would probably be really great on audio.

Where the book faltered, for me, was the romance and pacing. I appreciated Maelys' confidence and motivation in the face of a lack of knowledge, and how this world wasn't really hung on queer relationships being much of an issue. Hall did a solid job of showing her attraction and elements of her physical connection with her love interest, the Duke of Landrake/Lady Georgiana, we don't really see anything of why Maelys cares for her beyond that. Georgiana is a bit one-note, primarily pushing away Maelys again and again before they suddenly end up together.

It almost feels like two books, with the first central mystery of Maelys' curse resolving at about halfway. While it wasn't the main story, the end of that storyline felt like a conclusion, then followed by about 20-30% before the plot takes new turns and focuses on what is ultimately the main challenge. This made the 50-75% or so section drag quite a bit for me, so the book probably could have been cut down somewhat. All in all, this picked back up and stayed pretty delightful though uneven. Also, a gorgeous cover.

Mortal Follies was a complicated read, I considered DNFing it, but I was intrigued by the story. This was my first time reading one of Alexis Hall’s Books. I was initially excited to read this sapphic romance, filled with curses, fairies, and dieties! I will admit that I had high expectations for Miss Mitchelmore and Lady Georgiana, a supposed murderess.
Overall it was hard for me to stay focused on the romance aspect of the story. The narrator, who is based on Puck from Midsummer Nights Dream, is very invasive, as that’s how they are, being the storyteller and narrator. However they are so into the story that they are distracting (on purpose) and don’t allow you to get into the story and have thoughts of your own. Yes, they are funny and entertaining at times, but at that point they mind as well be the main character. The narrator is too funny for me to take the storytelling seriously, and it made me question how reliable the narrator was, being extremely biased, and considering their constant need for validation from the reader, constantly addressing and calling out the reader. I don’t understand why this character had to be the narrator and not just an active character, we also don’t know why they were charged with this task to begin with.
It is less about Miss Mitchelmore and Lady Georgiana. Instead it was a story about a fairy watching over them for their own source of entertainment and judged critiques.
I did enjoy Lady Georgiana and the naive behavior of Miss Mitchelmore, along with her friend Miss Bickle and cousin Mr.Caesar. However I think a lot of things are lacking especially when this was a dire curse situation and the plot hole’s regarding Mr.Caesar and Tabitha.
I have a 50/50 view of this story, as I like it but I also feel like my enjoyment was overtaken by the narrator, who should honestly just have their own book.
I will probably still get a physical copy of the book, since the cover is stunning, and I appreciate Lady Georgiana’s response and care towards Miss Mitchelmore’s initial traumatic experience.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC read!

This was one of my most anticipated books of the year, but for me, it didn't live up to the hype. While I was initially entranced by the pith of the Hobgoblin as a narrator (and found the parallels between fae and neurodivergent folk affirming), the narration began to grate on me quickly. Alexis Hall writes the most delightful side characters, but even Miss Bickle's humor couldn't make up for the pacing. I grew bored and ultimately didn't make it past the first third before giving up. Perhaps I will try again when the audiobook becomes available, but for now, Mortal Follies is an unfortunate DNF.

This was a fun read that takes some playful jabs at the regency romance genre. Alexis has such a distinctive writing style/voice and it’s fully present in this via the unusual narrator of the story. Being narrated by a casual onlooker does create distance and make it a little hard to actually connect with the main characters, but I did still find it to be an enjoyable story.

Because of the perspective and style it’s written in, I think it’s imperative to be in just the right mood to read and enjoy this. Definitely pick it up when you want something lighthearted and a little silly with a bit of romance, but that you won’t be too emotionally invested in. This is a perfect read for that mood!

Solid 3.5/5

Think Pride and Prejudice but sapphic and with a generous pour of magic. The unreliable, fae narrator is a delight and I thoroughly enjoyed Maelys as a protagonist fighting against the curse laid on her.

However, as much as I liked the concept of Georgianna, her aggressive rebukes of Maelys and then her aggressive intimacy gave me a bit of whiplash. While you do eventually learn her backstory in the final third of the book, her character still feels a bit shallow and I wish her motivations had been explored earlier and more in depth.

Miss Brickly is a delight and I love her Whimsey (and hope we get a

Y'all, I'm sorry, but I was just so bored with this one.

Sapphic Fantasy Regency Romance? This should have been my absolute jam. I was expecting Half a Soul/Longshadow vibes, give me gay Bridgerton, sign me up. But I think the main fault with this book lies with the narrative structure.

Normally, I love an unconventional narrator. I just lauded Shannon Chakraborty on the storytelling mechanism she used in Amina al-Sirafi. But the mischievous fae narrator of Mortal Follies, Robin, is just so present, it's distracting. Especially for a romance story, choosing your main POV character to be someone who is strictly observing the action was very isolating. At no point was I actively rooting for the main couple, simply because I didn't understand what it was that they liked about one another. We don't get any of the tortured pining and longing that I love so much about romance. Robin is the ever present fly (or mouse, wisp of smoke, or unpleasant itch) in the room, and all the action feels so distant that I never felt embedded in it, and as a result, I just didn't care about anything that was happening.

The pacing of this story was also off. The most exciting sequence of events happens around the 55% mark. At the end of the scene, I looked down at the progress mark on my Kindle and wanted to weep. What was I supposed to care about for the next 45% of the book?? The climax just happened! The writing was lovely, but the story itself was so slow and boring. It took me 11 days to crawl through a book that I expected to bust through in 2 sittings.

So yeah, definitely a bit disappointed with this one. I thought I had found my no-fail niche with Regency Fantasy Romance, but Mortal Follies was a let down.

I really enjoyed this book! It was a really unique take on regency romance with tons of wit and clever writing.

I loved how Alexis Hall was really consistent with the narrators comments, when I first understood who was narrating (you find out in the first few pages), I thought surely this will fall off-- but it didn't!

I enjoyed all the banter and interactions between the FMC and her friends and also her love interest. I did feel like I wanted more insight into people's (especially the love interest's) motivations and thoughts, and I think a couple of POV chapters outside of the main narrator would've helped.

It took me a bit to get into the book, and I do think that the different plots could've been handled better because it was a bit jarring to have the main issue be resolved at the halfway point.

Also! How gorgeous is the cover. I can't get over it. It's one of the prettiest covers I've seen recently.

Thanks to Netgalley and Del Rey for this ARC!

3.5 stars
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
Mortal Follies sees Alexis Hall once again straying into fantasy territory (the last time having been with one of my favorites, The Affair of the Mysterious Letter), and needless to say, I had high expectations. But given my somewhat more mixed experience with Hall’s work of late, I really should have gone in with more measured expectations, especially as what this book is sold as doesn’t exactly fit with what the book necessarily is. Is there a sapphic romance as a central part of the story? Yes, but it never felt like the main thing that grabbed me.
And a lot of that is down to the choice of narrator. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s perfectly possible for a narrator/POV character to be different from the protagonist. And the narrator is a lot of fun, being a character who constantly makes references to things the reader would know from our world, such as the fact that he’s obviously Puck from Midsummer Night’s Dream, on the outs with Oberon, based on a reference early on. And his (and Hall’s) intent is clearly a satirical one, to lovingly take the piss out of the historical romance genre, as he makes jabs at modern readers’ love for the genre, due to being “nostalgic for the staggering social inequality.” And that’s without even getting into the ways the story itself plays with some familiar tropes, like the broody rakish duke with a mysterious past.
But having that narrator puts an imaginary wall of distance between reader and characters you don’t have with either first-person or third-person limited. I just don’t know that Hall was able to define either of his leading ladies enough to give them much impact. Did I enjoy hearing about them and their adventures? Yes, sure. But there was a real lack of intimacy that made me care for them.
Whether it works for you will depend on what you’re looking for. If you’re expecting a romance, especially one where you feel connected to the main characters, you might come away somewhat underwhelmed. But if you’re looking for a satirical fairy tale that has a romantic plot, and you don’t mind a very present narrator along with said romance, it’s worth the read.

This was such a fun read! I saw this described as "Magical Brigerton" and immediately knew I was interested! It had all the pomp and circumstance expected from a regency romance, while simultaneously being hilarious. I read this on a plane and was left desperately trying to hold in my laughter the whole time.

Alexis Hall never disappoints. The authors unique voice and vivid characters shine in this book. I love that the characters are described in a way that makes them feel like people we all know, even though it takes place in a magical version of regency England.

This is a perfect read for the summer!

I really wanted to love this one but it just missed the mark for me. While I absolutely loved the unique plot - Bridgerton-esque society, sapphic FMC, lots of queer representation, and a bit of magic - I found the text sometimes hard to understand, the characters mostly unlikeable, and the storyline predictable and, ultimately, a bit boring.

The narrator of this story was witty, funny, and, at times, a bit chaotic. This definitely added an element of whimsy to the story that it would have been remiss without. Miss Mitchelmore was naive and put up with a lot of mistreatment from the Duke of Annadale - I genuinely did not understand the intrigue. The Duke of Annadale reminded me of the first girl I dated - which means that I have very few good things to say about her. She was manipulative, rude, and brutish.

The absolute star of this was Miss Bickle. I want to read a book about her. She was constantly the comic relief and really the only one with anything positive to add to the story. She was the truest friend to Miss Mitchelmore and, somehow, the only sensible one in the entire story.

Despite my criticism, I didn't dislike this! I just didn't love it the way I was hoping to. It was fun to read a queer story in this time period and the writing was unique, albeit a bit over my head.

This book feels like what would happen if Bridgerton and A Midsummer Night's Dream had a lesbian child. Not quite as good as ALFAD, but really funny and magical. I hope there will be more books set in this world!

“It is not the span of a life that interests me but the moments within it.”

I received an eARC of Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall from Random House Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Here are my thoughts!

💖 Miss Maelys Mitchelmore did not anticipate entering in to high society beneath a curse, but that is what happened all the same. Magic that starts as not-quite-harmless fun quickly becomes more dangerous, and Maelys soon finds herself depending on Lady Georgianna Landrake to save her - despite who the rumors that she is an enchantress that brought about the deaths of her family. As the two work together the attraction they share for each other can not be denied. Will they be able to end Maelys’ curse? And should Georgianna be trusted at all?

I’m gonna be real with you all. This was a book that I desperately wanted to love, and perhaps because of that I was left disappointed. The narrator (forever immortalized in my brain as John Oliver) was an omnipotent fairy in search of a story, and I loved them. However, the narrator being so memorable left me feeling less than connected to the heroines of our story. Alexis Hall is an author who dabbles across genres and while some of their books have been a huge hit for me, some are also misses. Mortal Follies lies somewhere between — a three star read that wasn’t very memorable. A tragedy for a cover and premise that both drew me in so strongly! I’ll stick to rereading A Lady for a Duke and Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake for my Alexis Hall fixes. 💖

Talk about cognitive dissonance going on over here. So, I adore Alexis Hall and ALLLLL his work, and I will basically read his grocery list. That said, the narrative distance here really wasn't working for me. But I am wondering if it's my head space, or the book itself. But it's doing exactly what it's supposed to every time it is interjected, and obviously that was what Alexis wrote it to do, so from a craft perspective the execution is flawless.

The cover is gorgeous.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC.

Mortal Follies begins by introducing us to our Fairy narrator, Robin (or at least, that's how he's known to humans) who tells us the story of Maelys Mitchelmore. Our first encounter with Miss Mitchelmore is her escaping a ball because her gown has begun to disintegrate. She is rescued by the dangerous and possibly murderous Duke of Annadale, aka Lady Georgianna, who society both reveres and shuns after she is suspected of killing her entire family. The two of them as well as Maelys' cousin and friend endeavor to discover who has cursed Maelys. Through their adventures, Maelys is drawn to Lady Georgianna for reasons she doesn't fully understand but when she wants to give into that chemistry, Lady Georgianna continually keeps her at arms length distance.

This book really has two parts, though it's not really denoted within the text. In the first part, the characters are trying to find out who has cursed Maelys and in the second they are trying to solve the curse that has been placed on the Duke of Annadale's family which has required her to avoid having close relationships due to concern about those people being adversely affected.

I did really like the narrative style, having a distinct narrator who is separate from the story he is telling I think worked pretty effectively here and I actually thought the narrator was pretty funny at times - there's some very quintessential British humor layered throughout the story, which I appreciated and enjoyed.

Though I liked the narrative style, the writing style was a bit...ethereal (?) for my liking, or at least for the mood I was in at the time I was reading. It really took me until 30% to sort of get into the book and understand what was happening. The second half went much more quickly for me but I still read this much more slowly than I typically do. I think ultimately I may have rated this book higher had I been in a slightly different mood.

I also really liked the ending - that the "silliest" character (and let's be real, a LOT of the characters were silly) is the one to solve the majority of the riddles? I loved that juxtaposition.

As always with Alexis Hall's writing, the totally normalized queer society is ever present, which is something that has me come back to his stories again and again. This is one of the most unique books I've read recently and I definitely don't think it's for everyone.

Thank you to Netgalley and Del Ray for the eARC in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

*My review will be posted online within two weeks of the release date (slated for 5/24/23); this review will be updated with the appropriate links once live. | ETA updated with links 5/24/23

I was drawn to this book based on EVERYTHING, a "sapphic Regency romantasy?!" Yes, please! The writing was vivid, the characters were fun and entertaining. But, I felt a huge distance to the book and characters because of the choice of narrator. I think that framing the narrative in this way, with a magical being (a hobgoblin) who is bound to find and recount stories, is REALLY interesting, but it fell flat with everything else the book was trying to do. Especially in terms of a romance, I don't want some mostly invisible dude reporting back to me?! This choice also created A LOT of extraneous detail that I could have done without; a lot of asides that weren't needed, and diving into explanations of the magical world, which I'd prefer to have gotten from the witchy characters themselves. I also would have loved to be INSIDE the character's minds more!

OVERALL: I really, really liked the story, but I didn't love the execution through this narrator. It's WORTH the read, and I feel like if I was given a head's up on the first-person POV retelling from an observer, I would have been prepared/it wouldn't have been such a hard time to settle into.

3.5 stars

Thank you to Random House Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC copy to review.

Honestly, I must say that the cover drew me to this book more than the description. It is bold coloring and intriguing. Though the description on its own does call to mind an amusing romantic tale. Alas, the writing style will be what ultimately made this not a great read for me.

Mortal Follies is told by our eccentric fairy narrator, called Robin by mortals. He comes across Miss Maelys Mitchelmore at a ball noticing her gown is falling to pieces around her. At this, he finds an amusing tale is about to unfold, and being a storyteller commits himself to follow her around unknown to all. I enjoyed having a narrator telling the story from the perspective of being there as well as comments from the present about his remembering. However, the style the book is written in is I believe the same way as Austin or Bronte books are done. I have not read theirs so I could not be sure. Only to say that this is not a style I personally seem to care for.

The story is divided into two separate parts while not actually saying part one or two. It is just that the whole first half of the book is focused on what the description stated and then it wrapped up. Once the evil part is found and vanquished, we are left with another half of the book. This part is really more of the romance. Miss Mitchelmore devotes herself to winning the attention of the woman she believes also fancies her. While this is fine it could have been done more within the overall story of the magicalness and then the compounded curse at the end could still be possible.

This tale did have a somewhat happy ending. As our narrator is telling this as a story he witnessed in the past he gives context to the fact that he lost track of the subjects after the amusing tale was done. From the ending of the tale though we are given a satisfying conclusion. The characters still hadn't really made me attached to them as one was prickly and the other a bit naïve if determined.

Overall I think this is probably a good book that many people will enjoy. The style just wasn't for me thus the star rating it got. I did appreciate that it is a self-contained book. Also, the narrator and Miss Mitchelmore's best friend were delightful.

Mortal Follies is a sapphic regency era romance with magic, curses, fae and old gods. We follow Miss Maelys Mitchelmore who appears to have been cursed starting with the the deterioration of her dress at a ball and then with events that soon become much more dangerous endangering her life. The Lady Georgiana Landrake, also known as the “Duke of Annadale”,comes to her rescue again and again as the curse escalates but there are rumors that she’s a witch and a murderess. Can she be trusted?

I had such a good time reading this. Maelys’ naïveté and bravery contrasted against Georgiana’s mysterious dark and brooding personality is delightful and the supporting characters are also great. Miss Bickle in particular is a whole mood and I love her! The story takes place in our world in the regency era but in which people interact with the old gods and fair folk, and magic and curses exist. Because of this it makes for interesting use real world locations like the Roman Baths in Bath and the goddess Sulis. Our narrator Robin, a hobgoblin, exhiled from Oberon’s and Titania’s court and forced to live as a mortal writer is great fun adding asides, mischief, and a different perspective from the characters we are following. (I love that the character continues even into the acknowledgments, super cute.)

All in all this is a super lovely and romantic comfort read with mystery and humor, best enjoyed in a relaxing atmosphere with some marchpane and tea.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Mortal Follies is the story of Maelys, a young lady who seems to be cursed. When her gown unravels at a ball, Maelys is forced to consider unusual methods for taming said curse. Who would want to curse her anyway? Enter the Duke of Annadale, real name Lady Georgianna, so nicknamed due to the unnatural way her father and brothers died. Is she truly a murderess? How is she always coming to Maelys’ rescue? And unbeknownst to Maelys, she has a narrator observing her. The narrator is a curious and at times capricious fae whose purpose is to document the story and ensure that (almost) all of the reader's questions are answered. Will the mysterious fae have documented a comedy or tragedy in the end?

Mortal Follies is a witty and whimsical historical romance from Alexis Hall. I adored it!! I would unabashedly read Alexis Hall's grocery list, but fortunately this book exists. The sense of humor is so droll and even as Hall writes the simplest sentence, a joke is somehow worked in. Maelys and Georgianna have a complicated and swoonworthy romance. It is thrilling to watch as they appease goddesses, defeat villainous men, and simply try to decide what they might mean to each other. Hall never ignores the realities of what it meant to be queer during this time period, yet somehow one is certain of a happy ending. I thought the narrator was hilarious and eloquent. I appreciated the hidden world of the fae that was revealed through their eyes.

Mortal Follies is a must-read for Alexis Hall fans (of course), Lex Croucher (Infamous), and KJ Charles (The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen). If you enjoy witty, queer historical romance tinged with a hint of magic then you need to read Mortal Follies!

Thank you to Alexis Hall, Del Rey, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, and Barnes & Noble etc