Review:

In Mortal Follies, a character known as Puck takes on the role of narrator. However, he also goes by the name Robin and identifies himself as a hobgoblin. Puck's presence adds a touch of whimsy and humor to the story, but he occasionally goes off tangent, which can be distracting. Nonetheless, readers can expect him to be a constant presence throughout the book.

The character of Maelys Mitchelmore, who is the central figure in the story, has a much more complex journey than just breaking a curse. She experiences a range of emotions, including being unsure, curious, and ultimately deciding to follow her heart, even if it goes against societal expectations. The writer has portrayed her inner conflicts in a way that I find relatable and empathetic.

Lady Georgianna's Byronic personality and a fierce desire to safeguard Maelys make her a captivating character. During the most dramatic scenes, she delivers some memorable lines that leave me breathless.


In line with the expectations of a romance novel, Mortal Follies included moments of intimacy between the two characters, but these scenes were not overly explicit or provocative. Consistent with the narrative style of the period, the sex scenes were suggested rather than described in detail. However, the real standout moments were the tense confrontations between the characters, particularly from the perspective of Maelys, which effectively tapped the emotions.

Alexis Hall maintained uniformity in the theme of the book Mortal Follies, based in England in 1814. The book is rich in timely language, expressions, and cultural references, which adds to its authenticity and charm.

Mortal Follies boasts a plot that mirrors the ebb and flow of life during a particular time period. However, it sets itself apart by infusing witty humor through a narrator and delving into the exploration of one's sexuality. This unique blend of elements makes it a standout piece.

The conclusion that leaves everyone satisfied with a happy ending is always a crowd-pleaser, and Mortal Follies did just that.

Reading enjoyment:

At first, I was a bit thrown off by the narrator, but I eventually warmed up to Robin as I continued reading. However, I found that the characters spent too much time searching for the cure to the curse with a lot of unnecessary running around. Despite this, I found Maely's journey to be fascinating. Despite her lack of experience, she grew and developed into her own person. If you're looking for something unique and intriguing, this book will definitely leave a lasting impression.

Our story begins with a tricky little fairy whose favorite thing to do is go off on a tangent. The narrator follows the characters throughout the book as a bug, a bit of string, and sometimes even their namesake Robin to get all the details about what befalls them. This is a world where everyone seems to acknowledge the existence of fairies, gods, and magic, and often seek out the help of deities or get cursed by others through them.

The first protagonist is a young woman named Miss Mitchelmore who has frankly stupid (except for the moments they say something unintentionally brilliant) friends and is the granddaughter of an Earl, making her way about in society where everything is just a little bit silly and unimportant because these people are rich and don't have to worry about anything. Her parents are also rather eccentric.

The second (who I much prefer) is the Duke of Annadale, a young woman who has been suspected to be a witch due to her family's untimely death. She's a bit ostracized socially, but not so much that she cannot move through society, perhaps because people are just a bit afraid of her.

They come together when Miss Mitchelmore discovers that she is cursed, and for the first quarter or so of the book, everything is pretty light and slow. Her dress is unraveling, etc. There are quite a few tedious scenes of her just sitting around with her friends coming up with silly suspects who might be responsible for her misfortune. She ends up seeking out the assistance of the Duke of Annadale, who seems to have more knowledge about curses in general and always happens to be in the right place at the right time.

This is at its heart a romance and a story of the power of love to overcome and conquer all. What I did not expect from the light opening is how absolutely dark things get while never losing the flippant prose style. It feels quite surreal to straight up murder a man by drowning or slaughter a sacrificial cow while the narrator is still making little jokes and asides. The pacing in the middle is pretty good actually, but the last 15% or so felt absolutely jammed and rushed as Miss Mitchelmore overcomes increasingly unlikely odds to achieve her goals and solve some fairy riddles.

As I mentioned, I loved the Duke and found her character and backstory decently compelling, and I absolutely see why Miss Mitchelmore fell for her. What I don't get is what she saw in Miss Mitchelmore, who is in my experience pretty bland and uninspiring. I would not doom myself to save this woman. The sex scenes were pretty glossed over as well, with the narrator being coy about the bedroom dalliances of mortals, but we get enough to know that Miss Mitchelmore is a pretty much unwilling pillow princess. Please just explain to me what the Duke is getting out of this and I'll go, I swear.

In the end, this is another entry in the genre of adult fiction with dark events and light fairy tale narration that really just isn't for me. If I hadn't already had the ARC I probably would have dropped it after my recent realization about this genre, but in the end it was decently enjoyable but pretty forgettable for me.

This was very exciting for me! My first Net Galley ARC, and it's an FF Alexis Hall??!! There was much celebrating done when my request for the ARC was approved. I hadn't even read the description, and I was certain I was going to love it. I really do know myself well. I absolutely DO love it!

Now that I'm reading the blurb, I'm so struggling to decide just how much I want to talk about in this review. I don't want to spoil anything, but my favorite part of the whole book isn't really discussed in the blurb!!! Suffice it to say, allusion was used to the fullest extent, and I appreciated it IMMENSELY!

This was absolutely hilarious. I don't love a "ruined reputation" trope, but the adventures and hijinks that take place to maintain Miss Mitchelmore's reputation are quite entertaining. I do love a reluctant hero, and Lady Georgianna Landrake is absolutely that. She is every rakish duke from every regency historical romance I've ever read. With the bonus of being a woman!!! She's just trying to live her best broody, gothic life on the moors, and she keeps getting distracted by Miss Mitchelmore's predicaments and pretty tears. It's a slow burn, and once it burns it fades to black. But it is very, very swoony!

I'm fairly certain that Miss Mitchelmore's best friend, Miss Lysistrata Bickle is my spirit animal. She is always optimistic, easy to please, and desperate for adventure and magic. She is the kind of ride or die friend that I can only strive to be!!! She absolutely makes the book for me! Well, her and the narrator, of course.

I will be publishing this review to my blog, goodreads account, storygraph account, amazon, and instagram, the week of May 23. As per the stipulation to not publish prior to 2 weeks before the release data of June 6, 2023. Links are added below. Instagram: @romanthiccreader

Alexis Hall has definitely done it again! Full of his trademark humor and heart, Mortal Follies is a fantasy adjacent Edwardian era sapphic romance that reads like a fairy tale. This book is set in an alternative universe where magic is both reality and fairly common place, with hobgoblins, fae, mermaids, and even old gods coming out to play. This is a new subgenre for Alexis but one I am so eager to see him explore more after finishing this novel. If you ever thought, what would it look like if I combined a Jane Austin romance with Into the Woods, then this one is for you!

A Midsummer Night's Dream was one of my favorites in high school. Not because of the meddlesome fairies, or the love triangle, or the mischief, but because Puck mended everything and made things to right. He held our hands and gazed into scenes with us. He created hilarious situations and you jus grew to love his silly antics. He was part of the story not just the narrator- shaping scenes. This book was fun to read, I do love a wee bit of fantasy and sapphic love is my shot of whiskey, but the narration separated me a bit from experiencing the book. Not sure how to explain it, but even as a reader I know I'm a bystander yet there's a bridge formed, an emotional contagion occurs through being a part of a scene... that feeling of a fly on the wall. I didn't get that with this narrator. Felt more like reading a newspaper to find the relevant topics than reading a book? Overall, I enjoyed it. I laughed and i cringed in equal amounts. Definitely a Bridgerton vibe, but wasn't a fan of that show. There weren't any steamy scenes, but there was love so still worth the read. Be sure to set time aside because it is quite a long read- not something you'll finish in one sitting so be sure to carve out the time:)

I actually am obsessed with this book. it's different from anything i've read before. it's so fun and refreshing honestly. i love the idea, i love our main characters, i love the surprises. 10/10 i will buy a copy of this asap

Mortal Follies is a delightful romp of a sapphic regency romance, fit with faeries, sorcerers and Bridgerton-esque politics of manners. I’ve always been a fan of Alexis Hall’s witty, pacey stories and this was no different. I loved the writing style and the gorgeous details that made the world and characters positively jump off the page.

Following the story of two women finding love amidst curses, an intriguing mystery and plenty of tender romance. It reminded me somewhat of Stephanie Garber’s Once Upon a Broken Heart (but sapphic and regency) which is always a win in my book!

The only thing that kept me from fully loving the story was the narrator. They take on an omniscient role and frequently provide overarching opinions and remarks about the MCs. I don’t mind this style of narration generally, but found their voice to be a little long-winded and prone to tangents, which distracted a little from the main story.

Overall, I’d rate it a 3.5/5 stars!

This is a historical romance/ fantasy stand alone told in the third person through the POV of an invisible fae storyteller, Robin. He follows Miss Maelys Mitchelmore, a young lady enjoying the season in Bath.
Maeyls has been struck by curse in the middle of a ball. As her cloths begin falling to shreds as she stands, Maelys runs from the ballroom and is saved for ruin by the mysterious “Duke” of Annadale. Following this, Maelys, her cousin, and best friend begin the arduous task of discovering her malevolent benefactor while attempting to keep abreast of the perilous situations she keeps finding herself in, and all the while Lady Georgiana, AKA the Duke, lingers in the background whenever the curse strikes.
Mortal Follies is a cyclical tail split into two parts. It has evil curses, mischievous fae, witches and cultists, a morally gray love interest, and pissed off goddesses.

I really like a handful of Alexis Hall's other books. This book, however, seemed to waffle between "hurry up, and get to the point," then "wait, did I miss something?"

To be fair, some of the meanderings were interesting but not always pertinent to the direct story. This is because the story was narrated by an observer rather than one of the main characters.

Nevertheless, it was a well-written and very fun story, and I will probably end up rereading this book if a follow-up book is ever written.

A queer historical romantic fantasy told through the eye of a comical narrator. It had just the right amount of whimsy and the writing style itself drew me in right away. The character and world building is superb.

I chose to read this book because of the beautiful cover alone and I am so glad I did because I was not disappointed. Alexis Hall is a literary genius!

I am a HUGE fan of Alexis Hall, and I was so excited to read this book.
First, what I liked: I think this was a really interesting take on the Regency romance. I loved the magical elements, and the mystery. I loved that the story was steeped in Queerness, beyond our main sapphic romance. Speaking of that, the tension between our two MCs was HOT!
On the other hand: I didn’t love the third party magical narrator. At first, it was cute, but for me, it quickly became tiresome. I also found myself having difficulty keeping track of all the characters in play, especially at first. Overall, I wanted to love this book, but it was not my favorite work from the author. Still, it was an enjoyable read, and I would especially recommend it for all the Midsummer Nights Dream fans!

A magical and lovely romance that wasn’t really a favorite of mine. Would recommend for fans of Bridgerton and A Midsummer’s Night Dream.

A wonderful sapphic celebration of Shakespearean mischief and Austenesque expectations. Alexis Hall’s stories never fail to make me laugh as much as tantalize me. I always finish one with a smile on my face and Mortal Follies was no exception.

This book starts off strong gets a little slow in the middle but then picks back up at the end. The entire book is narrated by a third party who we eventually learn is Robin (or we would know him as Puck!)

Due to circumstance, they have been reduced to telling stories of a publishing house, and they are quite bitter about it. The narrator provides commentary throughout the entire book, often leading us to believe they may not be the most reliable narrator. At one point the narrator describes themselves as “an observer, a chronicler, and occasional maker of mischief.”

This is one of my first times reading a book like this and it is Alexis Hall’s first time writing one (aside from the brief flashes of changing tenses they experimented with in Glitterand.)

The two main characters are beyond delightful. Miss Mitchelmore is a lady of high society who has been cursed (with clothing great unmakes itself) and Miss Georgiana, who we learn is a trans woman, is infamous for possibly having cursed and killed bet brothers and father. Naturally, they are both each other’s only hope, and hilarity, heartfelt feeling and passion commence.

They take grumpy/sunshine to a new level and the banter was phenomenal, and not just between the MCs. All of their friends, acquaintances and enemies also provide amazingly funny anecdotes and monologues throughout the entire book. While the pace is a little slower, it is mostly because Alexis Hall continually sets scenes with grand details and hilarious commentary.

I recommend this book (and all Alexis Hall books!)

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a ARC copy to review.

Once again Hall gives us a book filled with beautiful writing and a fun cast of characters!

Things I adored about the book: the writing style, of course. The characters feel fleshed out and interesting, and this take on A Midsummer Night's Dream. .

As a huge fan of retellings, I was immediately sold on this book and when our Narrator was introduced to us, I knew I would be in for a funny treat. Almost every time Puck broke the fourth wall I would laugh or shake my head. By far my favorite character, honestly. I love sarcastic gossipers.

I am notoriously picky with my wlw reads and I'm so thankful this book didn't disappoint! The chemistry between Maelys and Georgianna was very alluring and fun to delve into. All in all, their story was fun to read.

My only complaint is at some parts the story would drag on just a bit too long, but that's a nitpick that I'm sure very few people agree with. This was such a fun book 4/5!!

This book is a free ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The only word I can use to describe this book would be tedious. It took me weeks to read this. I am a fan of the authors others books but I could not get into this book. The characters were unlikable, the plot was confusing at best. It was way too silly for me.

This is another delightful and ridiculous book from Alex Hall. I’ve really been loving their historical romances, and this has all the wit, snark, over the top absurdity, and sweetness that I have come to expect. And this time, let’s add faeries and vengeful ancient goddesses!
Since the narrator is Robin (more familiar to us mortals as Puck from Midsummer Night’s Tale), we get additional side commentary and insights, but rather less spice, as it would of course be indiscreet for Robin to give us those salacious details.
I did find Lady Georgiana and Maelys to be a less compelling couple than I’ve found in the other books; Lady Georgiana is rather cold (for a decent reason!) but it still made it hard to warm up to her (unlike for example the Duke in Something Fabulous). Though I did love Miss Bickles, Maelys’ best friend; she reminded me a bit of Bonny from SF.
Overall, I think my personal headspace inhibited me from enjoying this book to the full extent it deserved, but I’m not going to let that detract from my recommendation of the story!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a requested copy for review. All opinions are my own.

alexis hall is always a hit or miss for me, and this book was unfortunately a miss, specially because I could not stand the narrator, not a bad book just not for me

3 ⭐️
This is my first time reading this book by this author and I am planing to read more books by this author!

Honestly, I had mixed feeling about this book because the story plot got confusing towards the middle to later half 😭. The ending was super rushed and the way this book was written didn’t allow me to experience the plot but rather it felt like someone was explaining the story to me?

I enjoyed the characters and the fairy tale vibes from this book was fantastic!

I hadn’t read anything by Alexis Hall before this, though their books were on my radar. What a fun read this was! The narration choice was amusing and helped move the story along in a really clever fashion. I enjoyed the magical aspects and I appreciate that they brought something to the story (instead of acting as filler like they do in some stories). I will definitely check out more of their books after this one. I would have finished it sooner if I hadn’t just been reading it on my kindle (which I usually just use for bedtime reading).