4.25 ⭐️

This is the first I have read from Allison Saft and she has definitely won me over! I loved this YA magical fantasy twist inspired by Regency England.

A Fragile Enchantment is a cozy, atmospheric romantic fantasy following Niamh Ó Conchobhair, a magical seamstress tasked to design the wardrobe for the royal wedding in the neighboring kingdom of Avaland. Though Niamh is a talented magical seamstress, able to imbue magic and emotion into each of her stitches, she finds herself unable to navigate court politics easily during her time at the palace leading up to the royal wedding.

The groom, and youngest prince, Kit, is a brooding, standoffish fellow who wants nothing to do with this wedding. He is doing his duty to help secure relationships his brother, the Regent has orchestrated. As Niamh spends more time around Kit finishing his portion of her duties to creating the royal attire, the icy exterior around Kit's demeanor starts to melt. The romance is fluid and feels vulnerable and good - particularly as we learned more about the internal demons each main character had to fight. The romance was entirely swoon-worthy. I was truly entranced the entire story, waiting for the happily ever after. ❤️

The tensions between countries in this world are inspired greatly by the historical power imbalances between England and Ireland. This little touch truly added to some amazing world building of the tensions between those from the different countries - particularly when it came to the prejudice and inequality that Niamh was shown during her time at court.

Magical Bridgerton vibes
Royal x commoner
Forbidden romance
Rags to Riches
Opposites attract
Banter & tension
Inequality & prejudice
Chronic illness, LGBTQ+ & mental health rep !!

You will adore this if you loved Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater or Bridgerton with a dash more magic. The audiobook is a phenomenal listen and helped me - Fran Burgoyne was an amazing narrator and I felt the emotion through her tone.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Wednesday Books, Macmillan Audio and Allison Saft for the eARC & ALC of A Fragile Enchantment.

So, the start of this book was super slow to me and I was not feeling it BUT the ending was like Jane Austen's perfection! For me, the ending completely made up for the ending. In a way, this book is like Bridgerton and Jane Austen combined for teenagers.

"Even if you were gone tomorrow, even if you took my heart with you when you went, I wouldn't regret a single moment I've spent with you. How could I? You've changed me. I will carry you with me forever."

This story is the type of fantasy I like:
•Fairly low stakes
•A world that's easy to understand
•A main romantic plotline throughout

The main character in this story is part of a group of magical people who, in a rebellion years before, were almost wiped out. Although they won the rebellion, their land has been destroyed, and the people are barely scraping by. To survive, many of them move to the mainland to work, where they're treated as second class citizens. At the beginning of the book, Niamh has been hired as a seamstress by the royal family for the prince's upcoming wedding. Niamh has the ability to infuse her sewing creations with emotions that can influence the wearer and all those who see them. We follow her as she experiences life away from home, makes new friends, and falls in love, all against a backdrop of political secrets and unrest.

I don't know if this is technically considered "cozy fantasy," but that's kind of the vibe. I would probably classify it as Cozy Romantasy. I enjoyed the romance in this, but I will say that it got a little too mature for something I would order for my 9th grade library. Older YA readers and, of course, adults would likely be fine with the level of intimacy displayed in the romantic plotline.

I also liked the friend group dynamics in this book, but I would have liked to see more development between these characters. I've seen other reviewers talk about the strong found family vibes, but I didn't really feel like I saw enough in these characters' interactions to show me that they felt especially close (especially the princess and the other characters besides her lady's maid).

Overall, I found this to be an entertaining read and would recommend it to older readers who enjoy a low stakes Romantasy. Readers who enjoy stories with a political element, especially concerning the rights and treatment of marginalized groups, will likely find this to be right up their alley.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this story, but it wasn't my favorite. It was entertaining, but I think this just wasn't for me as I am sure that many other people really enjoyed this story. It was beautifully written though. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this novel.

A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft was a magical story that made me think of Bridgerton, as we find a forbidden romance between Niamh, a dressmaker and a noble prince. This book had elements of politics, given the royal wedding between two kingdoms, but also the focus between the lower ranking working class and the monarchy. The main story though, is the romance that develops between Niamh and Kit. It’s apparent that they come from different worlds. But even so, they can’t help but acknowledge their feelings for each other. Overall, I enjoyed this book and the writing, as Ms. Saft is a new author to me.

Beautifully descriptive fantasy!
18yo Niamh is invited to the Avalon palace as head seamstress for Prince Kit’s wedding preparations. He’s as haughty and rude as ever and much more than Niamh expected. 19yo Kit is angry at the world but Niamh has no idea why. Sinclair, Kit’s lifelong best friend, is the first and only person that treats Niamh kindly and as a friend instead of some lowly servant. The three of them become friends and help each other break down the personal barriers they’ve put up but political pressure, intrigue and scheming threaten to crush everything they’ve gained.

Likes/dislikes: The book is full of interesting characters. The author approaches self care and mental health graciously. Political intrigue dominates the book and creates a nicy mystery. Beautiful descriptions are found throughout the book. Humor is used perfectly.
Mature Content: PG-13 for petting.
Language: R for 25 swears and 8 f-words.
Violence: G
Ethnicity: falls to white.

Okay now this was fun. I enjoyed the new take on a magical seamstress and the political intrigue involved. I could have asked for a bit more character development and a little less insta-love but the bones were solid. Unfortunately it does fall as a middle of the road rating for me simply because nothing felt innovative or especially gripping/unique. I'll happily read more from Allison Saft because I love her writing style and the atmosphere created is impeccable but I did want more from this title at the same time....

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy of this title.

I really loved the magic in this story. I am really loving stories where the magic is found in more ordinary and mundane things.

I really liked this book. The characters were really well written and the plot was really good. It was like Bridgerton but make it magical.

Unfortunately due to the current SMP boycott, I will not post my review until the concerns are addressed..

The synopsis, the author, and the cover of this book made it one of my most anticipated reads of 2024! Unfortunately it didn’t really hit for me. It was pretty slow and the dialogue felt very stilted and awkward. I enjoyed the first 25% but felt like there wasn’t enough going on in the story to keep me fully engaged.

A sweet young adult tale of forbidden love.

A nobleman and a commoner of a small town and she is dying because of her magic.

She’s making his wedding garb - his wedding to another woman that is definitely not in love with him.

I didn’t feel like it was “brimming” with longing like the book’s blurb claim, but there was this slow build of a relationship between two people who formed a friendship first.

I enjoyed most, the cast around them and wished that they would have been more forward. Especially Kit’s betrothed, Princess Rosa.

Overall, this was just a cute little book that I enjoyed reading. Thank you Netgalley and Wednesday books for the E-ARC in exchange for my review.

I really enjoyed this story! The regency inspired world was beautiful and rich and a great backdrop for Niamh’s adventures and character growth. Her journey touched my heart and I thought the magic really enhanced it. And the romance between her and Kurt was super sweet. Had a really good time with this one!

I love the concept of the book, and to be honest, was excited for another grumpy & sunshine trope after coming from Emily Wilde’s. But I failed to connect to the characters and therefore the magic of this cozy adventure. I am certain this book is a warm cup of tea for many, but with its slow start it felt like decaf on a day I needed caffeine.

Sweet and lovely and enchanting. A perfect fairytale and I loved it perfectly. Niamh was wonderful and I enjoyed the story.

A Fragile Enchantment was a whimsical regency romantic fantasy with a whole lot of heart, emotion and depth. Chalked full of scandal, political drama, and pining mixed in with some quiet tender moments, I found the story to be well paced and engaging.

The magic system was interesting, especially with Niamh, and I can definitely see the elements that have been compared to Bridgerton (though admittedly never watched the entire show or read the books so definitely surface knowledge).

There were a few heavier topics that the author attempted to tackle here which definitely made the story that more interesting.

Overall a fun read. This is my first book by this author but I would definitely read more of their work!

Beyond loved this book! Kept my attention the whole night! Yes the whole night I stayed up until 4am reading this and I have a preschooler 😂 definitely recommend this to everyone!

I have tried a couple of times to pick this one up and get into it, however, I think it is one of those books I need to read in physical form. From the chapters I have read, I am very interested in the world and Niamh's story, just sometimes you need a different format *shrug*. My bookstore has it and I will be happy to keep reading it soon.

I loved this book! I am normally not big on history, but this was well written. It was more of a romance than anything. I would definitely recommend this book.

thanks to netgalley and the publisher for access to the e-arc

I well and truly did not care for this in the slightest. I have been following the author and this book's journey for the better part of its pre-pub life, and was so incredibly excited for it. I am a strong lover of historical fiction, even more so when there are fantastical elements involved. So imagine my disappointment when this fell so completely flat for me.

This book was advertised as a slow burn regency fantasy romance, but by chapter 2 our main characters are already in love with each other. Well... at least she was. Listen, I understand the the main character is only 18-19 years old, and a certain degree of naivety is to be expected, but 18-19 in regency england is not like modern day 18-19 in terms of behaviour. She was annoying and whiny, and I don't know how any of the other characters could stand being around her. if you asked me her main personality trait, I would say it was stumbling and tripping. She trips over herself, her dress, the god forsaken floor at least once per chapter, and you bet each time she was landing straight into the chest or arms of the broody love interest.

Speaking of the main love interest, oh my god. Holly Black needs to sue for plagiarism bc that man was a knock off Cardan (who I didn't especially care for either) from the Cruel Prince, to the point where it was just laughable. I'd hate to be a citizen in his kingdom because that man was broody to the point of sounding like a petulant rich kid not getting his way and would often just dip out into the forest and ignore any responsibilities.

The reason im giving this two stars is because 1.) i managed to finish it (skimmed most of the last 40%) and 2.) because of a single side character. Kitt's brother (honestly cant even remember his name) but he was the only character who acted like a real person, who behaved as one would expect someone too in this kind of setting, and really the only character who has more than two active braincells in communication with each other.