This sweet, historical romance made me an instant lover of Allison Saft's writing. This is my first book of hers and I couldn't have loved it more. The characters are rich and well-developed! For a YA story, this had a mature tone to it that I appreciate as an older reader. I will definitely be recommending this book!

If you loved season two of Bridgerton then you will love this book! It follows a young dressmaker hired to make wedding outfits for the betrotheds and may lose her heart int he process! This is an extremely atmospheric and I loved every moment of it.

Just know that this book is slow-paced as is the romance in this book.

A wonderful read that feels reminiscent of a fairy tale.

A Fragile Enchantment is a YA story about a magical seamstress, Niamh Ó Conchobhair, who is hired to create the wedding attire for a prince, Kit Carmine’s arranged marriage. Niamh is a Machlish, a group who have been conquered and are servants or poor families who are not appreciated by the ruling nobles. Some of them have magic, Niamh being one of them. Kit doesn't want to marry the princess that has been selected for him, but his brother insists he must to save Avaland. There is unrest brewing among the Machlish and rebellion seems imminent. The problem is, Kit has fallen in love with Niamh. Will they be able to be together, or must Kit marry to save the kingdom?

I love the term Romantasy, as that is what this book is. It takes Regency England with all it's pomp and circumstance, young nobles making their debuts into society with candlelit balls and elegant garden parties, as well as the excitement of a Royal Wedding and throws it into a fantasy world with magic. I liked Niamh's character from the get go. She was a strong, independent woman who was just trying to make a living for her family. She was kind, caring, loyal and smart. She gets caught up in the rebelling when she is caught in a compromising position, but tries to do what is right. Kit was aggravating at the beginning. He was a prince, but didn't bother to find out what was going on in their kingdom. He wanted what he wanted, but eventually comes around. With secrets, corruption, sneaking around, magic that is not controlled, love and more, this story pulled me in and had me smiling at the end when everyone does the right thing and there is happiness all around.

Summary:

Niamh is a talented seamstress – made all the more notable thanks to her magic. Her magic enables her to infuse emotions into her creations. Needless to say, the kingdom is all aflutter about it. This is good because Niamh has to ensure her family is cared for.

You see, Avaland may be a place of magic (for some), but it is far from a perfect land. Classism and prejudice are tearing the people apart. Niamh's people are often considered at the bottom of this system. So when given the chance to create beautiful clothing for the royal family themselves...well it may just be the chance she (and her people) needs.

Review:

Oh wow. Allison Saft has done it again. She's created another enchanting fantasy (sorry, couldn't resist). Moreover, A Fragile Enchantment has strong political elements, a grumpy/sunshine romance, and much more. It's pretty perfect.

I saw that A Fragile Enchantment was being marketed as a blend between A Sorcery of Thorns and Bridgerton. I haven't watched the latter (forgive me!), but I did adore A Sorcery of Thorns. The overall aesthetic is pretty accurate, so if you're looking for something to help fill that book-shaped void, this is the book for you.

Basically, A Fragile Enchantment is a cozy fantasy. That said, I was fascinated by the magical system at play. I would love to see more books set in this world, if only so I could see different magic users and their abilities. The romance is sweet (if a bit predictable), the situation is complex (royalty always is), and the characters are brilliant.

Highlights:
Historical Fantasy
Romance
Politics
Grumpy/Sunshine Romance

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read an early copy of A FRAGILE ENCHANTMENT by Allison Saft in exchange for my honest review! Allison Saft wrote one of my all time favorite books, A Far Wilder Magic, so to get an eARC of her latest release, "excited" would be an understatement to how I felt.

In A FRAGILE ENCHANTMENT, we follow Niamh who is an ambitious dressmaker, hired by the royal family to tailor and design the garments for the upcoming royal wedding of Prince Kit Carmine. Niamh and the prince do NOT initially hit it off, but Niamh doesn't let Kit's abrasive and surly attitude sway her from her task. As the two get to know each other, the walls come down and the chemistry ramps up until an anonymous gossip column starts to poke at their budding friendship, eluding that it may be something more. The columnist swears to back off if Niamh helps them uncover some dirt on the royal family. What a predicament Niamh finds herself in!

Niamh is the type of character I feel a lot of people will be able to relate to---both positively and negatively. Niamh is compassionate, ambitious, and considerate of others. However, her desire to do right by others, while an honorable quality, nearly destroys her. She is the kind of girl who will bend herself over backwards and sacrifice herself to make others lives better. Selflessness is admirable, but being selfless doesn't mean making your own dreams and wants smaller or worthless. We see this "threaded" in her character arc throughout the story and, I'll admit, it could be really frustrating at times, but it also is part of what makes her so relatable.

Unfortunately the romance between Niamh and Kit was not one I fully got on board with. Some things were just lacking in that area, but there were still some very swoon-worthy moments.

The magical elements in this book were very cool, but I wanted more of it!

I think the vibes of A FRAGILE ENCHANTMENT are immaculate, though. Readers who love regency era historical romances like Bridgerton will absolutely love that about this book.

This had an interesting premise and the promise of a Bridgerton-esque light fantasy but I think it could have used more. This book starts to touch on a lot of different topics but doesn't delve very deeply into any of them, including the romance. Everything moves too quickly without a lot of character or plot development. I feel like I didn't know the main characters at all so how could they have know each other well enough to fall in love.

Even so, I think the atmosphere is there and the writing itself is gorgeously done. I loved the idea of the magic system and the characters (what we get of them) are fun and loveable. I just think this could have used more pages and more development overall!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC!

I did not finish this one because I could not get into the regency vibes or the romance. I thought it was okay but I just had a hard time relating to the characters. I think it was supposed to be a grumpy/sunshine, but that wasn't quite the vibes I was getting from the story. I did enjoy the magic and how it was expressed through sewing. I lacked a lot of motivation to read and finish this one.

This book was a start for me. I almost stopped reading it but I am so glad that I kept at it. The last 1/3 of the book was so engaging. I was rooting for the main characters.

Niamh is hired as a seamstress for the royal family, specifically for the prince to be wed, Kit Carmine. Her magic makes it so that all the she weaves gets filled with emotion, but it also comes at a cost.

I liked the regency romance, but felt that the magic system wasn’t that well explained. It was a quick read that reminded me of Howls Moving Castle mixed with Bridgerton. Except Howl is more broody than dramatic, that is to say Kit is dealing with lots of stuff emotionally that he keeps bottled up inside.

This is definitely one of my favorite books of this year. The world building was so beautiful and intricate and the writing style that this author uses is always so up my alley. I loved the main characters who were so complex and had faults and flaws and were so human. I adored this book and am so happy I got to read it early.

This book started very slow and I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it or even finish it. But once the plot kicked up and the characters started getting closer I became completely sucked in. The romance had me swooning and giggling, the friendships gave me warm fluttery feelings. The plot had me hooked and excited to see what would happen. But unfortunately the plot then derailed and descended into confusion right at the end and I went back to being quite underwhelmed. I’m really upset because I love Allison Saft’s beautiful writing and compelling characters. The magic was also interesting and the world building made me eager to learn more. It’s just that by the end, all she had set up felt like it was thrown out the window. The character’s motivations kept changing and their actions were contradictory. The plot felt like it just tumbled off at the end, no finalized ending. It was disappointing. I read A Far Wilder Magic by this author and really liked it so I will defintiley read from her again, I just hope her other works don’t resemble this one. The middle of this book being as good as it was earned the 3 stars, though.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3 stars

I wanted to like this one. I was so excited when i got approved for this. But i could not get into the story, i kept skipping over It and coming back to It. The first half of the book is unbearably slow. I think it’s supposed to be world building but I’m still confused by a lot It, especially their magic. I thought most of the characters were annoying. The book is very YA and not in a good way.

I liked the bridgerton vibes. I got through the book. The romance was cute. But that’s about all i can offer positively.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. Out now!

"She supposed she was forever cursed to long for things she could not have."

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

It's been a little bit since I managed to read a fantasy-style novel that simply takes me by the hand into its own world, and just lets me enjoy it.

There's always something so magical about a book that you can forget you're reading, and be completely enveloped in the prose, characters and world that you barely even recognize you're only holding printed pages.

Allison Saft certainly has a gift for weaving the most gorgeous of stories filled with magic, folklore and a cast of lovable characters. If you're looking for a Bridgerton type story (specifically Anthony & Kate), you'll simply fall in love with this world and the magic it creates.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

A Fragile Enchantment was published in January of 2024. Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, NetGalley and the author for the digital advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Niamh is a magical fashion designer and seamstress from Machland. Machland is struggling to rebuild itself after a failed war against Avaland that left it one of its subordinate kingdoms. Seeking a better life for her mother and grandmother, she pursues and wins a job as the designer for the upcoming royal wedding of the younger prince of Avaland, Kit Carmine, and the princess of Castilia, Rosa. Shortly after her arrival, she discovers that other nationals from her country are staging peaceful protests to request an audience with the older prince, Jack, who is serving as the regent for the king. Getting nowhere, they are assisted by a mysterious author named Lovelace (who is along the lines of Lady Whistledown from the Bridgerton novels but with a political aim) who asks for Niamh's help in exposing whatever corruption or weakness lies at the heart of the regent's refusal to meet with the Machland nationals and address their grievances.

By this time having become friends with Kit and his best friend Sinclair as well as creating tentative relationships with Jack's wife Sofia, the princess of Castilia, and her chaperone Miriam, Niamh finds herself torn between her love for her fellow citizens of Machland and the friendship (and potential love) she has found in Avaland's royal capital. Meanwhile, an illness tied to her magic, the progression of which can be tracked by the color of a lock of her hair, is leaving Niamh weaker and weaker. She fears that she will fail in her task of designing the clothing for the royal wedding and, without this job, a future in Avaland with her friends and a better life for her family both look unlikely.

I liked the premise of this book a lot. It needed more work on the world building, especially the system of magic. It was also not entirely clear what the nature of Niamh's illness was except that it was tied to her use of her magic. Still, it was an enjoyable read with just a bit of steam near the end of the novel and there were a number of engaging characters that make it worth your time if you like fantasy and romance. There is significant LGBTQ representation in this novel, including major characters.

This book was a mixed bag for me. I loved the magic and the world-building. The characters were mostly interesting and fun. I think I was most challenged with the plot. It just didn’t feel like very much happened… I wasn’t pulled along other than by the love story. There wasn’t enough action to make me want to keep reading. This one is definitely heavy on the vibes.

Thank you to the publisher - I received a complimentary eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A fragile enchantment is a Bridgerton inspired fantasy following a young magical seamstresses journey to her first ever “season” in the kingdom of Avaland. Niamh has been commissioned by the crown prince to create a magical wardrobe for his brothers wedding season, but as she works to weave these enchanted outfits, she begins to develop feelings for the Prince, all while political unrest boils in Avaland.

While I loved the atmosphere, and the aesthetic of the book, for me it just felt like it went at a really slow pace, which is bizarre for a book that is actually pretty short. Towards the end it started to pick up a lot more, but still because this book wasn’t long, there didn’t feel like there was enough time to develop relationships and characters.

I think honestly, the book tried to do a little too much, with the magic system, the romance, and all the political intrigued, that it all kind of got muddled in the end. Maybe if this was part of the series and not a standalone, there would have been more time, but towards the end, it felt like the author just wanted to wrap up as many loose ends as possible.

This started out really great; I actually thought it would be a 4 star at min. I was reading it non-stop, turning page after page to find out what was going to happen, then suddenly I got really bored. Not only was I bored but I couldn't see the attraction between Kit, Prince of Avaland, and Niamh, the tailor who weaves magical enchantments into her designs. Yes, it's a Grumpy x Sunshine, slow burn (way too slow) romance) but they don't like each other for so long that the romance part just suddenly happens in a way that seems almost ludicrous. I do love "the if Bridgerton were magical vibe", the LGBTQTA+ rep, the chronic illness rep portrayed. I would have given the book 4 stars if it hadn't dragged on for as long as it did without anything seeming to happen and for what seemed like a too-quick resolution to everything at the end. Overall, the beginning to almost mid-point was really great!

Thank you, NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

“You may be the only good thing I’ve ever wanted.”

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Wednesday Books for an eARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

This book is full of color, laughter, love, friendship, and magic. Niahm is a tailor, a commoner from Machland, a former colony of the kingdom of Avaland. Her talent for sewing emotions, feelings, and other magical traits into her designs has caught the attention of the Prince Regent, who hires her make his younger brother coats and wedding designs for his upcoming arranged marriage. The younger prince, Kit, is a reluctant pawn in a political game. With a checkered past and a surly attitude to match.

This story unfolds glittering with magic and longing. Niahm is a people pleaser, and she only knows how to give all of herself to everyone, most often to her own detriment. I appreciated the overarching theme of duty throughout the story. Duty to family and country vs duty to yourself and your happiness. I also LOVE a grumpy as heck man who, until now, hasn’t cared about much anything in his life, and is absolutely struck silly by his unexpected love interest. That gets me blushing and kicking my feet like nothing else!

Niahm is also such a fun FMC to lead this story. Lately I have been reading a lot of strong, badass, unapologetic fantasy FMCs lately, and I adore and LOVE them for who they are and who they inspire me to be. But Niahm is soft, she is kind, she is clumsy! She is for the pathological people pleaser, mirrorball, eldest/only daughters out there who take on way more than they should. Her softness is not weakness, and I really appreciated her as our leading lady in this story.

Overall I am rating this book 4.5 stars! Just short of 5 for me because there were some parts of the 3rd act that were a bit shaky to me, but not enough to dampen my joy and love for this book!

This book is out NOW! Add it to your TBR for when you’re in the mood for something magical, but with less swords and war, and more scheming, longing, and a little scandal.

A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft was my first book by Saft but it certainly won’t be the last. This was just the YA romantasy I wanted! “A magical dressmaker commissioned for a royal wedding finds herself embroiled in scandal when a gossip columnist draws attention to her undeniable chemistry with the groom.” This has everything you want in a magical love story and the audiobook narrator was outstanding. Loved it!

I was ✨enchanted✨by this story.

A Fragile Enchantment was everything I wanted Caraval to be. It has a quiet magic that is ingrained in the world, almost to a point for it to be mundane. Our MC, Niamh, has a very unique gift - She can embroider emotions into her gowns. I will physically fight anyone who says a bad thing about Niamh. She is the softest marshmallow. She is sunshine ☀️ and happiness, but written in such a way that doesn’t come out as super annoying, more like quietly genuine. On the other hand…

Prickly Kit is the grumpy counterpart to our sunshine MC. He is basically catnip for me, I love a good grumpy romance interest. He is not perfect in any sense of the world, he is not accidentally rude he is flat out rude. He wants to keep people at arms length, so what better way than to insult them? My toxic trait is that I find this swoon worthy.

Niamh is not here for Kit’s rudeness, and she is honest to a fault. She will let Kit know exactly what is on her mind, specially if a certain prince is throwing himself a pity party while her people suffer due to Kit’s father’s actions. Cue the trumpets, the sweet bickering, and bonds being built.

The world of Avalon is interesting! I felt at home while reading it. It loosely resembles the battle between Britain and Ireland, and some of the historic slights they have suffered, but add magic reasons. It goes into talks of reparations, casual racism, using of Niamh’s people’s culture and magic without providing them the respect (and pay) they deserve… Quite honestly Allison Saft added a ton of commentary that added gravitas to the story. She made it part of the world and something that is true and that demands to be addressed.

On that note, we get a columnist that sends newsletters that combine gossip with political commentary. A lot like Bridgerton, if Penelope actually wrote about politics like Eloise wants. The identity of the columnist is of course a sub plot, and a juicy one at that.

I am so hoping that we get another book in this world! It would be quite a waste to not follow the story of this world, and its many colorful characters.

I will have to pick up all of Allison Saft’s previous books now! SO looking forward to them now 😍