One thing you say about Alexis Hall is that he never writes the same book twice. Some of the genres he has explored have worked for me and some haven't, but I know I'll never be bored. Mortal Follies is not going to make my list of Top 5 Alexis Hall books, but it was highly entertaining in its own way.

The story is narrated by a "knavish sprite" named Robin who has been exiled from the fairy court for reasons unknown. Now that he has to deal with vile things like rent and utilities, he has reluctantly signed with a publisher to tell some of the stories he has gathered over the centuries. He chooses one set in 1814, because he has heard that readers have a fondness for the Regency era.

"Something about the dresses perhaps? Or the balls? Or perhaps you're all just nostalgic for the staggering social inequality? I wouldn't blame you, I found it hilarious myself. The Corn Laws, for example, were a masterpiece of comic invention; raising the price of grain so much that the people who grow it can't afford it? Genius! Of course we live in more enlightened times now."

I wish I could tell you that the rest of the book is as sharply satirical as the Prologue, but unfortunately during the main story the best Robin can do is throw in a few snarky asides.

The nominal MC of the novel is Miss Maelys Mitchelmore, who finds herself the victim of a curse laid upon her by an unknown source. During the first manifestation of the curse, when Miss Mitchelmore's clothing starts dissolving at a fancy ball, she is rescued by the mysterious Lady Georgiana Landrake, a reclusive, cynical woman who is rumored to have murdered her father and three brothers. Because she is the only family member left alive, she has been given the moniker "Duke of Annadale," and is both feared and scorned.

Of course Miss Mitchelmore and the Duke of Annnadale are going to fall in love, despite several curses and angry goddesses, society's distaste for Sapphic passion, and the Duke's insistence on pushing Miss Mitchelmore away for her own good. But Miss Mitchelmore develops into a strong young woman who will not be so easily gainsaid.

Because everything is seen through Robin's jaded eyes, I couldn't fully engage in the relationship between the two women. We never get inside their heads or hearts, other than what they choose to share with each other. Fortunately the secondary characters shine, most notably Miss Mitchelmore's loyal, loquacious, totally oblivious BFF Miss Bickle, and Miss Mitchelmore's caring but clueless parents, who are more interested in science than society.

If you view the book as a Shakespearean comedy romp (Robin claims to have given old William an excellent story "but the bastard didn't even give me a co-writer credit"), you will likely appreciate Mortal Follies. If you are expecting a heartfelt, emotionally wrenching story like Hall's A Lady for a Duke, you will be extremely disappointed. In that case you will just have to hope that his muses point him in that direction again some day.

ARC received from Net Galley in exchange for objective review.

I got to around 30% through the book and found that to be a challenge. as the narration was something that didn't all me to really fully get into the story, especially the romance part. It all felt very over the top and it wasn't very enjoyable but I did like the main characters and their banter together. I think I would have liked it more as an audiobook.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the advanced copy! All thoughts are my own.

2/5

I am so disappointed that I had to DNF around 52% and couldn't bring it in myself to continue.

While the concept is charming and fun, it seems to be messily executed. For the first few chapters, I was laughing regularly at the narrator's witty comments. But it quickly became tiresome. By 40% I was skipping any paragraph that was clearly narrator-only rambling. It would've been fun dialogue for a voice-over on a film or show, but not for a book. It was a lot of run-on sentences, and it was tiresome.

There was a lot of wit and charm in the dialogue, and honestly that was the only reason I continued. The only character I really liked was the MC's best friend, and she wasn't in it as much as I'd prefer. Everyone else seemed formulatic and quite frankly boring.

I wanted to love this for the representation. The main romance is F/F, but there is also M/M and trans (or what could be taken as such in this era) representation. However, while representation is great, it can't surpass the wall of run-on sentences and narration filler.

Bridgerton but make is queer!
I loved it. This is my first ever Alexis Hall book and I was quite surprised from how much I enjoyed their writing and now I will be reading anything they write.
The characters were all so lovable and at times I did actually laugh out loud!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

I've read one of this author's other books, so I was looking forward to this one but I ended up really disappointed with it. The main romantic leads felt very wooden and had little chemistry for me, The pacing was weird-- the first half of the book felt really slow, then the middle hundred pages of so seemed like a different book entirely, then the ending felt super rushed, to the point where I said out loud to my fiancee "they better find a way to wrap this up in the next seven pages because it's not looking likely right now." The narrator was fine, it was an interesting twist on the genre and I thought it worked fine. This one wasn't for me. If you're curious, get it from the library.

This book was pretty fun! I thought the mythology in the story was great and that it was rather funny. However, I couldn’t find myself super interested in the plot and didn’t feel sucked in.

The book was really fun to read. The narrator was a hilarious voice that kept me interested in the plot. I loved the Sapphic romance. I would say this book is like the missing gay story from Brigerton. I look forward to reading more by this author.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine for providing me with an eARC of Mortal Follies in exchange for my honest review!

Official rating: 3.5. stars

This book has so much going on. It's fantasy, it's Regency, it's queer, it's romance, all of those elements being combined together into a novel that I had a fun time with. The slow-burn love story between Miss Mitchelmore and the Duke of Annadale is charming to follow, and the side characters bring their own entertaining aspects to this magical world as well. Miss Bickle in particular is plenty enjoyable, and I'd be all for a standalone sequel focusing on her. But I do think the plotting and pacing weren't laid out in the smoothest fashion. It feels like the narrative is split up into multiple mini-plot arcs that don't gel together all that cleanly.

Still, I'll give this 3.5 out of 5 stars because of how adorable and humorous it is. I wouldn't expect any less from an Alexis Hall read.

What an utter delight and a completely unique and original romance story. I enjoyed the world building and the story telling aspects of this book where a narrating hobgoblin tells the tale of a cursed young lady of high society. And in typical Alexis Hall fashion, the book was well written and full of humor. The only negative thing I can say, is that it felt a little long in places and standoffish duke turned affectionate quite out of nowhere. Otherwise, I thought it was an excellent book and I would highly recommend!

I received this book as an ARC from netgalley in return for an honest review. all opinions are my own.

This book was actually really good. I personally struggle to grasp different time periods in books sometimes and overall i give it a 3.6 stars. I loved the cute romance and I enjoyed the pacing. I however didnt gravitate towards this book at every waking moment and I feel like books should be like that. I will re read this book again and update my review accordingly but this book was so cute to me and I enjoyed it. I enjoyed how the narrator wasnt part of the story. that was very interesting to see from their perspective similar to lemony snicket

This was one of my more interesting romance reads of the last couple years. I don't think I've ever read a book where the narrator is someone not involved in the story and is telling it to us second-hand, and overall I think it was rather clever. The pitfalls, though, are that I didn't feel as attached to any of the characters as I might have been otherwise. I was thoroughly entertained by the narrator and his funny ways of telling the story, but it did give me another layer of detachment from truly knowing what these characters were feeling.

Still, I do love a good "Be Gay Do Crimes" story, and this one was set in 1800s England without feeling unwieldy for someone who doesn't read the classics, so I did genuinely enjoy myself despite my attachment issues!

Thank you to Random House for the ARC!

Big thanks to NetGalley and Alexis Hall for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I highly anticipated this book since I heard about its release and was not disappointed. I deeply enjoyed the charismatic narrator who directly addresses their audience and kept the story moving along.

Just when you would think the story ends, Hall, or the narrator rather, pulls you back in for a fantasy fueled adventure to bargain with a goddess or consult with a witch.

The ordinary and arcane cross paths effortlessly throughout the story, and one character along for that seamless ride is Miss Bickle. She was my favorite character throughout the entire story due to her open mindedness and fierce loyalty to her best friend.

I highly recommend this fantasy novel, which comes out on July 11th. Happy reading!

Alexis Hall returns with another hysterical romance adventure this time featuring the fae of legend, Robin from Oberons court. First of foremost, this discuss the voice with which this story is written. Only once before had a novel with such a creative narrator thus making a truly amazing narrative. (That book being the Book Thief by Zusak narrated by Death). But Robin being the narrator in this story might at first confuse some readers, but hold on for this ride because this book is exactly how I imagine a capricious faery would tell a story. With cute input, weariness at mortality, humor, and a tad all over the place.

This book follows an adorable couple as they continue to find one another with a little help along the way with a fabulous supporting cast of characters. It offers a lot within its 400 pages. All that I mentioned above, vindictive gods and viscounts, a wagging ton (which feels so right having read A Lady for Duke by Hall), and plenty more. I can't give too much away, but this book will TAKE YOU PLACES! I found myself rooting for these two along the way and there are twists and turns and family secrets to be revealed. I have so many good things to say about this story and I know that readers are going to fall in love with this world and beg for more.

This is perfect for fans of A Marvellous Light and A Restless Truth.

Give me all the Alexis Hall books. I don't care what time period they take place in or if they are realistic or fantasy, I want them all. Maelys is Georgianna are such a good match for each other in so many ways that aren't romantic that the conclusion is obvious on that front as well. I loved the addition of the magical elements into this story and the world building was imaginative and fun.

Synopsis:
It is the year 1814, and life for a young lady of good breeding has many difficulties. There are balls to attend, fashions to follow, marriages to consider, and, of course, the tiny complication of existing in a world swarming with fairy spirits, interfering deities, and actual straight-up sorcerers.

Miss Maelys Mitchelmore finds her entry into high society hindered by an irritating curse. It begins innocuously enough with her dress slowly unmaking itself over the course of an evening at a high-profile ball, a scandal she narrowly manages to escape.

However, as the curse progresses to more fatal proportions, Miss Mitchelmore must seek out aid, even if that means mixing with undesirable company. And there are few less desirable than Lady Georgianna Landrake—a brooding, alluring young woman sardonically nicknamed “the Duke of Annadale”—who may or may not have murdered her own father and brothers to inherit their fortune. If one is to believe the gossip, she might be some kind of malign enchantress. Then again, a malign enchantress might be exactly what Miss Mitchelmore needs.

With the Duke’s help, Miss Mitchelmore delves into a world of angry gods and vindictive magic, keen to unmask the perpetrator of these otherworldly attacks. But Miss Mitchelmore’s reputation is not the only thing at risk in spending time with her new ally. For the reputed witch has her own secrets that may prove dangerous to Miss Mitchelmore’s heart—not to mention her life.

A sapphic pride and prejudice-sequel romance featuring goddess, fae and all sorts of such creatures. A young woman, Maelys, finds her entry into high society hindered by a curse, and the first to her aid is Lady Georgianna Landrake- a rumored witch who may or may not have murdered her whole family for her own benefit. As things progress Maelys discovers there is a lot more going on and a lot more at stake than just her reputation.

I have very mixed feelings about this book. I enjoyed the main characters and the overall concept. I had a lot of fun watching Georgianna and Maelys stumble over themselves. I did however, hate the narrator. Alexis Hall appears in the story as a hobgoblin who is forced to tell tales by his master and Maelys is his chosen subject. I honestly could have done without that part entirely.

This was a very cute read. It was a fun romp in eighteenth century England where fairies and the old gods are real and Miss Mitchelmore finds herself cursed. Her friends, Miss Bickle and Mr. Caesar, along with the notorious Duke of Annadale need to help her find who cursed her and why in order to put a stop to it.

The characters were unique and likable and it was fun going on this magical journey with them. The protagonist, Miss Mitchelmore, was well balanced by the optimistic Miss Bickle and the realist Mr. Caesar.

The narrator character didn’t really work for me. I thought he had some fun lines and he was able to add more depth and insight to the fairy realm which were positives. I could definitely see other people loving him, but he just wasn’t my thing.

I liked the world that Alexis Hall built. Anything with fairies has so much potential and she wove them into every day society well. She also did a good job threading in different LGBTQ elements and characters in a way that felt natural.

Does Alexis Hall ever sleep? This man is a book writing machine I swear! 10/10 love his historical books and this one holds up. I wish I had waited for the audiobook rather than grabbing the ebook but it’s good regardless!

I don’t know how he does it. But every time I read his work he leaves me wanting more!
Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall is a beautifully written Regency era story.
And talk about a fun time. I enjoyed every minute of this one.
Hall has the ability to make you feel things with his writing. You feel what these characters are going through. And honestly that makes me feel so connected to the characters inside his books.

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Thank You NetGalley and Random House, Ballantine & Del Rey for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I think this book will be a hit for some and a real struggle for others. Sadly I am the former. I tried many times do start this book and get thru it, but it was just too slow and I couldn't grasp what was going on. Sadly I had to decide to DNF 50% of the way thru.

This just wasn't what I was expecting and was super disappointed by it. I loved the concept of this book but it was just poorly executed.

Thank you the NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for this advanced read copy. My review is voluntarily my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey for an eARC of Mortal Follies!

I have to admit, at first, with the narrator of the story, I was skeptical. Then, I was pleasantly surprised! Mortal Follies is a hilarious delight- utterly witty and filled with whimsical and quirky language. The romance was very realistic and I love a good sapphic romance! Bridgerton-esque regency romance mixed with Shakespeare and Fae... definitely one to add to your TBR!