I loved this story! It was such a fun read and such a departure from what I know Alexis Hall for! A first round purchase for most libraries!

Thanks to Del Ray for this arc of Alexis Hall’s Mortal Follies. I feel conflicted about this book. While I loved the ridiculousness of the fantasy book in the Regency Era/Bridgerton-esque setting, and I thought a lot of the banter was hilarious, I wasn’t a huge fan of the omnipotent narrator. The narration made it difficult for me to get into the story, and I had a hard time making it through the book. I think it’s an interesting idea, but I didn’t really enjoy it. I think you’ll either love it or hate it. I would have preferred the same story told by the POV of the Duke, or even the ridiculous Miss Bickle. 3 star read for me.

i’ve read a large percentage of Alexis Hall’s work, and I think this is his best yet. Told from the perspective of a mischievous but occasionally helpful shapeshifting fairy, it follows a cursed lesbian who doesn’t realize she’s gay and her adventures falling in love with a hot suspected murderess. This was utterly delightful and I’d love to read more books like this one!!

representation: black side character, sapphic MC and LI

spice level: two or three sex scenes, one involving bondage

I loved this delightful tale told in the world of Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream! It's a historical, fantasy, sapphic romance rolled into one fun and enchanting story. The plot is almost split into two portions: the first being fantasy and dealing with a curse, the second being more about the romance. I found the characters to be extemely compelling and delightful! Puck is such a fun narrator and just as mischievous as he is in Midsummer. Lizzy, the best friend, is also funny and quirky and adds so much comedic relief.

Overall I'd say the pacing is a little weird due to the way the story is split as I explained earlier in the review, but the story is so fun and cute that it's totally worth it

Part mystery, part fantasy, this Sapphic story brings two ladies together in an unusual way.

A puckish fae narrator known as Robin tells the interesting story of Miss Mitchelmore. Finding herself the objective of a curse, Miss Mitchelmore enlists the aid of her cousin, her whimsical best friend, and a suspected murderess. The latter of whom is especially intriguing.

While the story was entertaining and I do love a good Sapphic magical book, I was less entertained by this than Alexis Hall's previous works. Miss Bickle was by far the most interesting character, though I did enjoy Miss Mitchelmore's discovery of her own desires. I definitely look forward to Hall's next book!

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review!

I adored this book!

The POV was a bit of a struggle to get into at first, only because I am not used to the omniscient involved narrator... but once I found my groove, I enjoyed it so immensely! The characters are FUNNY and the magical element mixed with the Bridgerton-esque setting was just so much fun.

Alexis Hall gets better with every book. They are improving in storytelling and writing. I will continue to support and read their books.

I love Alexis Hall so so much, like soooooo so much, but I absolutely did not like Mortal Follies. DNF 24%

Historical romance meets fantasy in one of the most unique books I have ever read. This book kept me laughing from prologue to epilogue as our hobgoblin narrator follows the tale of a young woman through a curse, a sapphic romance, and everything in between. The writing in this book was exceptional, whimsical, entertaining, and the characters were absolutely delightful.

This genre mashup left me wanting many more stories based in this fantastical world of faeries, gods, and witches. 4.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I suspect that "Mortal Follies" is a book that readers are going to feel strongly about one way or another due to its genre straddling (sitting somewhere between sapphic Regency romance and fantasy) and its unusual choice of narrator (the book is narrated by Puck from A Midsummer Night's Dream, which added some humor and allowed for certain plot elements but also distances the reader from the main characters). Personally, I had a good time with this one.

Alexis Hall just pumps out the books these days. I was excited to read the book, but unfortunately I was not able to finish it. I just didn’t love the story, especially when compared to previous work. DNF @ 20%

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my early e-arc.

I liked a lot of things about this - the romance, especially, between the Duke of Annandale and Maerys, as well as the whimsical tone of the story. The curse was also a cool concept, and I enjoyed how it drew the two protagonists together. However, I wasn't such a fan of the narration - I found Puck's voice to be irritating and wish the story had just followed Gerogina and Maerys without the lens of his interference. It added a lot of tediousness to the story, and digressions that were not relevant and took me out of the main story. Also, although the sexual tension was EXCELLENT I need a good payoff in my romance novels, and I feel like while the build-up was good there was no....spiciness...to make it feel worth it.

***4.0 Stars***

Overall,
This was really cute. I love that Alexis Hall can right in so many different genres. While I am not always a big fan of a Midsummer Night Dreams, this was really entertaining. I definitely enjoyed it and literally laughed out loud at some of the antics the main character gets up to. I love a good Sapphic Romance and this does not disappoint. I would 100% recommend.

***Thank you Netgalley and DelRay for an ARC***

I made it to 25% before I had to dnf. The storyline was good, but the narrator ruined it for me. His constant asides to the reader were distracting and ruined the flow of reading for me. I could never just lose myself in the story, and it was extremely frustrating, to the point where I couldn’t continue the book. I’m sure for many readers this wouldn’t be a problem, and the parts of the story I did get through were great, hence the 3 stars. I think this is a case of the book just not being for me, but perhaps a perfect read for others.

I love Alexis Hall's books almost universally. I say almost because I started this book and then could not finish because it was just not for me. I am sure many many people are going to love the magical bent of this story and the fairy character but I just could not get into it. DNF

Review of Mortal Follies-
Tags: Sapphic romance, historical fiction, fantasy,
Trigger warnings, mention of animal sacrifices, illness, family death, abduction,

I absolutely adored this book, it almost has grumpy/sunshine trope feels thanks to the close knit group of friends alongside the main characters. It has fantasy, romance , whimsy, wonderful cast of diverse characters, and great queer representation. This is read via the perspective of a 3rd party fairy narrator and not the main characters which added an extra layer of fun and comedy to this beautifully told tale with the air of not so likely hero's facing off against the gods (or in this case goddess) if you love historical fiction this is absolutely a book to add to your TBR.

I love this book. It's a fresh take on historical romance, ancient gods and magic. Inspired by Shakespeare, narrated by a hobgoblin, this is perfectly done. There is a lot to tell but it never feels forced or dumped on you. An alternative Britain with magic and curses sets the stage. Maelys is cursed and must work with Georgianna to discover who cursed her and how to break it. A mystery and a romance with a stellar supporting cast. I can only hope to be as good a friend as Miss Bickle is to Mae. Read this book, you will be swept away!

Big thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing me with an advanced electronic copy of Mortal Follies in exchange for an honest and unbiased review!

The adjective I kept returning to for this story was “silly” - and usually in the best way possible! Specifically Maelys’ best friend Lizzie (short for Lysistrata, because OF COURSE) keeps every interaction frothy and whimsical. She suspects that fairy magic is responsible for everything and that other magical beings lurk around every corner.

And she’s technically correct, since Puck narrates the story. From Shakespeare fame (there are several clever references to Midsummer Night’s Dream you might catch if you’re familiar with it!) Puck aka Robin give quippy commentary on the character’s actions throughout the story. This adds to the lighthearted atmosphere, but sometimes got in the way of my enjoyment of the events.

For example: reading an intimate moment in a scene knowing you’re reading a fairy’s perspective of watching the characters get it on…felt a bit icky? The narrator intentionally doesn’t walk through every step of the spice, but I was still never not aware that Puck was there.

Georgiana/The Duke of Annadale was not overly likable to me. She mocks and demeans our main character left and right and while we get some background of her dubious past, it’s not enough to make me root for her and Maelys to get together. And since this is a romance, that’s a bummer!

If you’re a fan of regency romance, cozy fantasy, and sapphic romance with complex characters, you’ll enjoy this one!

Alexis Hall is a delight and I automatically click “request” or “buy” wherever a new book by them appears. I was fortunate enough to get an advanced copy from NetGalley (thanks Del Rey!) and have been so looking forward to reading it. Mortal Follies stood up to the anticipation and was just as much fun as expected. Who wouldn’t love a midsummers night regency romance with a Duke who shares a name with their hometown? Yes please. And as much as I was invested in Maelys and Georgiana, Lizzie kept me in stitches the whole time. A perfect happy read for fantasy, romance, and humor fans alike!

The absolutely best part of this book is the dialogue. Alexis Hall has a gift for making characters sound so very real in their ridiculousness sometimes, and it is one of my favorite things about their books. I was enchanted from the very first page, and my affection for the conversations between the characters carried me through even when the pace lagged elsewhere.
My only real quibble is that I cannot decide if the ending is a stroke of genius, or cheating. <3
But, I suppose that's Robin Goodfellow for you.