I found this book to be really unique! It had both Shakespeare and Jane Austen vibes and I loved the unreliable narrator. This was genuinely funny and sassy which I loved.

I did take issue with one of the main characters constantly pushing the other character to curse, as if that was a sign of maturity rather than youth and fake innocence. As someone that does not like to curse I felt the “peer pressure” of the cursing wasn’t necessary.

However I was entertained and enjoyed reading it. I feel like this is a book that people will either love or hate because of it’s unique aspects.

Fantasy, Victorian England, Balls, Magic, and Mayhem. Sounds like a recipe for an epic story! That's what I thought as well, but for me, it somehow fell a little flat. I think the story could have benefitted from not having the structure of narrator that it did- it just didn't make sense that the narrator would know all of these things, though I know it's explained away with magic.

I did like the characters, especially Ms. Bickle. And magic in victorian England is fun, but the writing style and forced- humor of it felt a little off for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for the copy!

Unfortunate DNF, just couldn't get through the skipping perspectives for whatever reason, I may give it another shot in the future... The premise is really intriguing to me, but I just couldn't get into this fully.

Going into this book, I wasn't really sure what to expect. I've never read any of Alexis Hall's other works, though I have heard great things about A Lady for a Duke. I was really pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this book and how fun I found it. It's written from the POV of an outsider, a mischievous hobgoblin who has unique insights that allowed Hall to expand the world building. He was a fun voice who I was worried would bother me at first, but I did grow to enjoy his observations.

I found the relationship aspect of the book to be quite romantic, and I wish I could've gotten to spend a little more time with them in their relationship. It's refreshing when a sapphic relationship gets the treatment heterosexual relationships often do in books like these.

I really liked the two main characters, Maelys especially. I'm a sucker for a character who goes for what she wants even when she's uncertain and afraid. And Lady Georgiana, or the Duke as she was called, was the brooding sapphic Mr. Darcy I've been waiting for. The side characters were lovely too. Ms. Bickle seems ripe for a story of her own.

The pacing was a little off for me at the end. It seemed to rush to an ending after the rest of the book was a little more drawn out, but this book was still a super fun and quick romance read.

Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC.

This book was genuinely so good. My favorite part of it was the narrator. It made the tale so quirky and lovable and I couldn’t help to want to hear more of his stories.

The main character was quite lovable and I was rooting for her throughout but I’d kill to read a story about her best friend. If this became a series…I’d be so interested in continuing. I gave it a 4 out of 5 stars. The only thing that fell a bit flat for me at times were the love interest and I get what Alexis’ was going for with her but I just didn’t care for her at times.

4 out of 5
i received an ebook copy for my honest review. let me start off with that this my first book by the this author, so i had no prior expectations for the writing or pacing.

right at the beginning, in the preface, sets a tone of humor and snarkiness with the narrator. the characters are interesting and peculiar, including the narrator. the narrator add some commentary to the story and explanation to some world building, which I believed to has worked successfully. but also in the same breath, the narrator is withholding of information, sometimes interacting with the story, and at times distracted by side events. Gives the feeling of leaving the reader on the edge of their seat.

the main character who remains optimistic of people’s character, but not naïve enough to trust blindly, but rather open to the thought of coming to her own conclusions first. I found this very refreshing from from the trope of naïve blindly trusting heroine.

I admit that I found the language used was jargon for modern times. I understand this was to reflect the time period of the book however I found myself looking up a word every two pages. but since I had received an e-book this was not too difficult. the book overall has shakespearean feel to it, the language reflects to a point.

The love story between the main two characters is a lot of things. but it was well paced and in many ways realistic.

I often say I’m not a fan of Alexis Hall, because the first book of his I ever tried was Boyfriend Material and I absolutely loathed it. I also similarly hated Something Fabulous. On the other hand, convinced by a friend I gave Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake a shot and enjoyed it (and its sequel) very much. I loved A Lady for a Duke without realizing it was an Alexis Hall book until after the fact.
So now I don’t know what to say about my feelings for Alexis Hall. Some of his writing drives me to want to commit violent acts upon the pages of the book, some I absolutely cannot get enough of.
This book is unlike anything Hall has written thus far (to my knowledge, at least). This is an interesting and endearing piece of fiction that I found was absolutely a joy to read. It was clever and funny and even absurd at times without the obnoxious tone I find in some of Hall’s other humor. The incredibly inventive framing of this book was executed wonderfully and it truly brought to life a regency England plagued by wrathful deities and tricksy Fair Folk. I found this to be a charming read.

Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

#OnWednesdaysWeReadPink
Match the shoe to the stack (not my original challenge)
& review a book!

I never know quite what I’m going to get with an Alexis Hall book & I love it. Mortal Follies is a fantastic boy fantasy with romantic elements told in AH’s inimitable style, aka supremely witty & funny.

From the first pages where we learn this story is being told by an exiled hobgoblin forced to support himself by writing & publishing a book *shudder,* this book had me hooked.

Then we meet the leads, beautiful Miss Maelys Mitchelmore who is the victim of a series of magical attacks & Georgiana, the so-called Duke of Annadale, a believed murderess & Ice Queen who hides her heart down down down deep.

I know I’ve already said this but Mortal Follies is so witty, funny, & sophisticated. The unreliable narrator is hilarious—& the subtle moments where said narrator is moved to some kind of compassion offer a striking contrast & are so well done.

This book is swinging hard with I hate everyone but you vibes (& at times I wondered if Georgiana actually hated everyone, Maelys included ) & while I might typically want a bit more softness it actually worked for me here.

With some steam & that distinctive voice that had me snort-laughing on the inside this was a really fun one.

4.5⭐️. Out 06/06.

CW: Maelys is the target of a sexual obsession. Attempted murder. Murder.

[ID: Jess, a white woman wearing a raspberry colored Chuck, holds a stack of three pink books on her foot & the ebook of Mortal Follies on top. In the background is a yellow wall.]

This was more like 3.5 stars, but the book just keep growing on me as I read so here we are!

Let me start by saying that I was dubious but hopeful going into this story. Hall's work can be excellent (I'm looking at you, "Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake"), but I've struggled with his historical romances. However! I liked this one! And I largely liked it because it turned into a different book than what I originally expected it to be. The story itself is a regency romance, but it's queer, and also the world is inherently magical, and oh by the way the book is narrated by Puck of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" fame. The plot expanded and evolved in a way that I didn't expect, and turned into a solid little read.

One of Hall's great skills is witty banter, but in conjunction with regency wit and social mores it felt a bit overbearing at times. I wanted the characters to have moments where they could just talk. I also would have enjoyed a bit more depth from the side characters, though Miss Bickle and her whimsy took its own turn for the character development towards the end.

So! Overall I enjoyed it, and while it started at three stars, it grew in a way that made me sad when it ended.

I love Alexis Hall! This story has so many things going for it - narrated by Puck, multiple curses from an old god, visits with witches and priestesses, romance, and funny best friends.

If you like literal magic with your love stories this one has it all!

This book sounded really cute and when I first started it I enjoyed it a bit but I couldn't finish this book. It ended up being a DNF at 70%.

Pros:
The concept was interesting and I liked the LGBTQIAP+ elements.
Having the story told from a third party, presumably Puck/Robin from a Midsummer Night's Dream was interesting and it gave an added element to the story that it needed.

Cons:
Hall has a tendency to write books in a way that can be described as nothing other than silly. I cannot seem to get into their books and I end up getting aggravated by the added elements of silliness and whimsy that seem unnecessary.
I found Lizzie's character to be annoying despite her being well-meaning.
Georgiana simply felt unknowable. I didn't understand what Maelys saw in her since it felt like she was an underdeveloped character.
I didn't understand how Maelys was a member of the ton. She said she was related to an earl but her mother married beneath her station? That would mean she isn't a member of the ton anymore, or at the very least her social station would not make her a prime subject for marriage.

Most of this story just didn't really make sense and I got to the point where I simply couldn't take it anymore and had to stop reading. I tried skimming the end of the book but found I was so fed up with this title that I couldn't do even that. If you're already a fan of Alexis Hall you will likely enjoy this book, but it wasn't for me. The writing style wasn't bad and I found the pacing to be pretty good. This made it a 3 star book for me since I know it was more my tastes that made me unable to finish or really enjoy this title.

I love this cover - and the title. Hall takes his queer romance and expands to the fantasy world - more like a world of whimsy. The narrator, a feisty little being who uses humor and sarcasm to move the plot along.
Maelys finds herself the subject of a curse - with the reluctant help of Duke Georgianna Landrake, Maelys and her friends desperately search for the person responsible.
Yet Maelys cannot deny her body's reaction to Lady Georgianna Landrake - though Georgianna does all she can to push her away.
A sweet retro fairy rom com.

Mortal Follies is a book full of humor, whimsy, and delightfully sapphic. The narration from Miss Bickle is easily the highlight of this novel. At first, I did find it a bit distracting, but once you get into the bulk of the book it becomes familiar and palatable. What unfortunately fell flat for me is the general disjointed feeling of the story/plot. There wasn't enough going on in the plot to keep it compelling and I found myself forcing myself to pick it up. On top of a lacking plot, the resolution of the story comes at about 60% percent so you're just existing nearly 100 pages waiting for anything to happen. Something *does* end up happening, but it was a long and dull journey to get there. I still think that there is a market for this story, but I am not the clientele for it. I likely won't remember much of this story in a week or two.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for allowing me to read this ARC!

This was my first Alexis Hall Book and I can officially say, I am a huge fan! This story was full of well written characters and a plot that kept me wanting to know what was coming next. Hall does an amazing job at writing characters that seem both genuine and fantastical at the same time. From the amazing cover art to the amazing story and characters, this book is a must read!

I really enjoyed this alternative regency fantasy romance novel by one of the most fantastic authors writing in romance right now, Alexis Hall. Seriously, I don’t think there is anyone else writing such varied romances right now. Hall’s romances are bold and incredibly witty and Mortal Follis is no different.

Maelys just wants to attend parties like a normal young lady, but she has somehow become cursed. Her friends think it’s the mysterious Lady Georgianna because she keeps saving her from each bizarre incident and over time, the two fall in love. Yes this is an FF romance people!!! This is very much a queer normative world and I loved every second of it. Aside from our main couple there are LGBT supporting characters as well and they’re written so exquisitely!

Another bonus is the story is narrated by a fairy witnessing all this and transforms themselves into everything from animals to insects and they were such an entertaining narrator.

Highly recommend this book for anyone looking for queer, whimsical historical romances!

These may be conflicting thoughts..
I loved the narrator of this book! I thought it was a fun/funny way for the story to be told! But, I also think the downfall of this romance was that it wasn't told from 1st person. I needed more emotions from both parties to be invested.
The plot was also almost completely lost on me by the end.
I love, love, love Alexis Hall's writing style which will keep me coming back, but this was not my favorite of his by far.

A whimsical, magical romance that sometimes dragged on and other times moved very quickly.

I really liked the narration style and LOVED Miss Bickle’s personality. She was truly the best comedic relief.

I thought that the resolution of the curse on Maelys around the 50% mark to be a bit odd but the continuing storyline with the Duke of Annandale made it a bit better. Overall I was expecting a bit of spice but the narration style didn’t match with a spicy book.

I loved the idea of this book, a young lady is cursed in mysterious way and her 2 bffs (one goofy one serious) help her solve the case and try to stop her/help her fall in love with a dangerous lady, fairies and gods and polite society etc etc. and the whole thing being narrated by Puck, a mischievous sprite, sounds like a dream come true. But actually, it was just meh. The first half I found fun and engaging and exciting but the second half fell totally flat. I didn’t care about the plot and I didn’t care about the couple at all.

Lots of fun fairy lore and I loved Miss Bickle from start to end but this was hard for me to finish.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for this honest review!!

Alexis Hall does it again in this charming historical fiction about a young woman and her friends trying to get rid of a curse that was put on her. They have to consort with witches, goblins and Goddesses to find out who and why she was targeted, and how to save herself.

I loved the characters in this book so much, starting with the narrator. He was entertaining, and I thought his side comments and the whole premise of who he actually was, was very well executed. The young woman, Maelys was well written and I liked her character development. The standout character in this book was Lizzie. I loved every scene she was in, and I laughed out loud at some of her lines.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable read. The only critique is that it feels a bit drawn out at the end. I would have liked to see more scenes with Lady Georgiana and Maelys exploring their attractiveness with each other. I did love the way their relationship developed, and I just wanted more of the two of them together.

Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall is a great novel! I really enjoyed the writing especially.since it was greatly written.