Unfortunately, I could not finish this book. I love Saft's other work, and was so excited about this title, but there was just too much happening for me that pulled at my least favorite parts of her writing--the worldbuilding, the Bridgerton knockoff, the thin fantasy. The prose is beautiful, there's lots for other readers to like, I wanted to love it, and I will absolutely keep reading her work. This just isn't the one for me.

A Fragile Enchantment was such a beautiful and pretty book from start to finish. The cover, the characters, the world and the magic system although that did turn dark for Niamh was all beautiful. I loved her magic, it was super unique and I feel I don't see magic where people usually put feelings into clothing.
The world building also was amazing, I loved learning the past and how it affects the present day, as well as knowing the Machlish vs Avaland issues and why they are important. I loved the descriptions of places and thought that Allison Saft did a good job at describing things.
For the romance, I thought it was cute, but okay. I liked their dynamic sometimes but also always didn't really enjoy how it unfolded at times.
Thank you to Netgalley and St Martins press for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was fun and sweet and easy to read.

It’s a little Bridgerton-esque with the society setting, but still stays exciting and interesting.

The magic system was really creative, in my opinion, and felt original. I liked that different people had different abilities and how they affected everyone differently. My one main complaint was that it wasn’t fleshed out enough- I wanted to know and understand more about it, and it felt a little surface level.

However on the whole, the book worked for me. The romance was sweet and soft and believable, the plot was pretty interesting, and I just had a good time reading it.

Unfortunately this fell flat for me in just about every aspect. I didn't feel much towards the characters and I found the world building to be a bit lacking. I think it had a lot of potential though so I would definitely be willing to give the author another shot!

Hmm, I liked one of Saft's other books but this did not work for me at all. Everything felt flat when it should've felt magical. So much missed potential unfortunately.

Full review and links to social will be posted as soon as possible.

I'd like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I love how the author writes fantasy standalone with a good romance. I have not been disappointed in her books! My favorite is still A Far Wilder Magic because of the moody tone and solid world-building. A Fragile Enchantment has a lighter tone. More of a Bridgerton vibe but with court politics.

I thought this was a fun standalone but it does fall short when it comes to character development. I didn’t feel as connected to our MC. She didn’t have a clear enough personality to me. The best moments are when she is infusing emotion into her client’s clothes. I loved seeing the characters experiencing her magic.

Similar to Kit. One moment he seems to be a broody and grumpy. And then at times, he’s all banter and cheekiness. It felt like the author tried to give him different facets, except he wasn’t coming off as mercurial but underdeveloped.

This book pulled me out of a fantasy reading slump. It’s everything I enjoy: court gossips, political machinations, fancy dresses, romance, and that it’s a standalone. 😊

This was a fun read! I think the premise was really interesting, and the magic system was unique. I enjoyed the characters, as well, (especially the side characters) and thought Saft did a really good job of including character flaws. I rated this 3 stars, though, because while I enjoyed reading the book, I don't think it's necessarily one that will stick with me in the long run or that I'll want to come back to in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc

Guys I do not know. I just never picked this book back up. I feel like I have not been in the mood for this book. I think it has an interesting premise and people should read it. For now, this is a dnf.

I embroider so this already stole my heart based on the topic but the story itself is adorable. Such a fun sweet story. I think it has a niche readership and I would be careful to purchase it for smaller libraries.

I loooved Kit. This book was so magical and I loved the forced proximity which is ofc one of my fave tropes 🤭
There were a couple things I took issue with.. but the majority of this book gave me butterflies and at the risk of sounding repetitive, it was MAGICAL. I loved it.

This one wasn’t for me. I found the premise interesting but ultimately it fell short for me. I would be willing to give this author a second shot though.

Overall, it was a good read. The characters were well developed. The plot had a nice flow, but the ending wasn't my favorite. The tropes were a nice combination and the concept was good.

This book pulls you into a world where the line between love and enchantment feels so fine, it’s like wandering through a mist. The characters are painted with such vulnerability and depth that they linger with you long after the last page. It’s a story that celebrates the beauty in fragility—both in magic and in love—which resonated deeply and left me rethinking how love can be its own kind of spell. It was just pure magic and lovely to read.

So, A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft had all the ingredients I usually love—lush fantasy world, a touch of romance, and a magical healer protagonist. But somehow, I found myself reading more out of obligation than curiosity. The characters felt a bit flat to me, and while I wanted to root for the lead, I couldn’t quite get attached. The tension between them was there, but it never really tugged at me. If you’re the type who loves immersing in rich worlds and doesn’t mind a slower pace, it could still be your cup of tea—but for me, it was hard to fully connect.

Thank you to Netgalley and st. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy of a Fragile Enchantment. I wanted ti love this one so bad, as that cover is so so so stunning! But this just really missed the mark for me. I was pretty bored through the first half and couldnt push myself through to the end. Really wish it had grabbed my attention more!

I really enjoyed this one. The pacing felt a bit off, definitely slow at times, but it made up for it with the characters. I really would love more stories in this world

Eh, this was alright. It played into a lot of elements I enjoy about a regency-inspired romance and an “enemies” to lovers romance, but it also was almost painfully predictable. There were points where it felt almost like a paint-by-numbers version of a book the way it, beat for beat, was reading like every book of this nature I’ve read before.

This book also had a way of reading younger than it felt it was intended for. While this is a YA book, the swearing and mentions of sex felt like this book was intended to be upper-YA, but the actual voice, repetition, and over-explaining made it feel much younger. Even with 18-year-old protagonists, this book just read more juvenile than I usually enjoy in a way that didn’t feel intentional.

I probably would have given this a 3.5 star up until the ending, since it seemed like things were resolved too easily in a way that negated the stakes that had been danced around for the entire book. It felt like an enormous cop out that the “crisis” at the end wasn’t actually resolved in any way, and more so it was just implied that now that everyone is working together, things would eventually get resolved due to the 🌈💖✨magical power of friendship and family✨💖🌈.

This book had more things I found entertaining than other 3 star books I’ve read, but if this is exemplary of Allison Saft’s writing style, I’m not sure I’ll be rushing to try another one of her books.

Unfortunately, this book could not grab my attention and I ended up DNF’ing it about 50% through. I felt that I couldn’t relate to the characters and the story fell flat for me.

I've been a big fan of Allison Saft's writing since her first book, so I was excited to see a new Bridgerton-esque romantasy. And for me the romance is another big success. If you like regency inspired stories, enemies to lovers, or nature-inspired magic, you'll probably like this. Niamh is a kind, hopeful, romantic who sees the best in others (while missing it in herself). Kit is a prickly, grumpy man with a sour disposition that hides the fact that he's a little bit of a cinnamon-roll underneath it all. The magnetic push-pull of their romance is fun to read and they definitely have swoon-worthy moments. There is also a major political storyline throughout. It's a little predictable and not as interesting to me in that aspect, but it also didn't take away from enjoying the story, and really served to create interesting family drama. I think the story did a good job of portraying the very complicated nature of family, especially when people have to balance duty with taking care of their relationships. As usual, I finished the story excited to read more books by Allison Saft!