Niamh is a magical dressmaker who has been commissioned to design the wedding attire for the upcoming royal wedding in the neighboring kingdom. Immediately, she dislikes Kit, the groom and prince set to wed. But as she gets to know him, the two start falling for one another. This felt like Bridgerton in a fantasy world, which should have been right up my alley. But the world building didn't feel complete. There were too many unanswered questions and it just fell flat for me. That being said, it will probably circulate well at our library and we will be purchasing it.

Bridgerton but add Magic? Sign me up! I was thrilled to receive A Fragile Enchantment as an advanced copy. Also that cover??? Absolutely stunninggggggg.

I started A Fragile Enchantment probably a week-ish ago, and the first opening didn’t wow me right away. However, I was intrigued enough to continue and I am SO glad that I did! It has been on my mind almost constantly the past few days. Once I got to about the 25% point I was hooked.

The story follows Niamh, a gifted seamstress from Machland, on her journey to tailor the royal wedding in the neighboring country of Avaland. Upon arriving at the castle and meeting the prince she finds herself immediately attracted to him and then just as quickly being told off by him. Niamh finds herself in over her head in Avaland, between navigating court life, politics, and having to deal with Kit, the thorny groom.

The story features a chronically ill MC, LGBTQ+ found family and relationships, forbidden romance, and a really fun magic system!

Also the romance in this is Top Tier. Like. So good. Allison Saft has a way with writing romance so full of pining and romantic tension that is just. My favorite. Chef’s kiss.

I am highly recommending this book to uh, everyone around me that ever interacts with me so we can talk about it. And if you have anything bad to say about it, then it’s not for me. This is my second book by Allison Saft that I’ve read (the first one was A Far Wilder Magic) and after these two, I will read everything by her. If Allison Saft has 1000 fans I am one of them. If she has 1 fan, it is me. If she has 0 fans, I am dead.
Read this book. 🙂

5 Stars.

A Fragile Enchantment was an enjoyable novel that gave me some good cozy romantasy vibes. I loved all the details regarding Niamh's clothes, and the magically induced feelings they evoked. I also enjoyed Niamh and Kit as a couple. I think where I lost focus was whenever any of the political aspects of the story came to the forefront. It just didn't provide the strong conflicts I needed to make me care. All in all, I give this book 3/5 stars. A Fragile Enchantment is worth the read, but I wish it was a bit more complex.

I received an advanced digital and audio copy. All thoughts are my own.

To me, this felt a lot like Bridgerton set in a fantasy world and with higher stakes. So of course I loved it! The whole cast of characters are fantastic. I found them very believable and easy to root for.

And I loved the progression of the romance between the two main characters. They start out pretty hostile to each other and even as they start to feel more for each other, some of that tension remains and they push each other to grow and be better versions of themselves.

The magic system was interesting but not complex, so I think it'll be really accessible to non-fantasy readers. And it's a standalone, which is always nice. As a fantasy reader, I really love a good standalone to break up all the series I seem to always be reading.

I would love to review this if and When SMP announces what they are doing about their racist employee.

Thank you until that happens. I will not be submitted reviews under Wednesday Books.

Allison Saft is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors, and "A Fragile Enchantment" further proves it.

In this tale of fantasy and romance, we follow Niamh, a seamstress (who kind of reminded me of Sofie from Howls Moving Castle) who gets called to the Castle to make the outfits for the Prince and his fiancé. As Niamh quickly unravels the true intentions of the marriage and the political maneuver, Kit, the Prince's brother, gets pulled into the whole mess. With banter, enemies to lovers, and a wonderfully delightful grumpy to sunshine trope, Kit and Niamh are absolutely captivating to read about.

Saft flawlessly weaves in topics of mental health as well as the push and pull of relationships throughout a politically enchanting atmosphere and the complexities of groups being portrayed as "insignificant." While I'm not the biggest fan of political intrique, this book was beautifully written and kept me hooked.

Endless gratitude to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this enchanting tale in exchange for my honest opinion.

Allison Saft is absolutely becoming one of my favorite authors. This book is magical, beautifully written, and will stick with me for a long time. Highly recommend for this for those who love a low fantasy/beautiful romance. Each character feels fully developed with their own motivations and trauma and the story was entertaining the entire time.

This cover is just so pretty. I enjoyed the story with the court politics and forbidden romance. Niamh is such an awesome character. She is the sunshine to Kit's grump. I love their magic it's so cool. I would love to read more in this world. Like a book about one of the side characters. That would be so fun! Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

A Fragile Enchantment is a Regency Era romantasy. The main character, Niamh, is a divine-blooded woman who is able to stitch enchantments into clothing. She made a name for herself on her home land of Machland for being a talented seamstress, and because of this, she was asked to make the wardrobe for the upcoming royal wedding in Avaland, which her country had separated from years prior after being oppressed. Hoping to provide a better life for her family, she accepts the offer. When she arrives in Avaland, it isn’t at all what she expects, as she is thrust into a world of political unrest, scandals, and secrets.

Kit, the groom-to-be, is being used as a political pawn by his brother and is willing to sabotage his own happiness and go through with the wedding under the guise of duty. The relationship between him and Niamh is full of angst and is very much grumpy x sunshine. 

I really enjoyed this book at the beginning, but I felt like it dragged on at times and that the author reiterated things about Niamh that we already established (how short she is, how clumsy she is, how desperately she needs this job for her family). 

If you're a fan of Bridgerton, enemies-to-lovers, forbidden romance, and LGBTQIA+ characters, then I recommend you give this book a try.

You only have to look at the cover to know if this is a book you're going to love. (Spoiler alert: you are)

I've read both of the author's previous books, but I have to say, I think A Fragile Enchantment is their best book yet! Right away the story feels whimsical and cozy, with a fascinating and unique magic system. The world borrows heavily from our real world, with Niamh's country resembling Ireland and Kit's country seemingly modeled after Great Britain, but I enjoyed the way Saft made the world feel new and fresh as well. The romance between Niamh and Kit was the perfect grumpy/sunshine, enemies to lovers that we all love, and I was eating it up! I can't wait to get my finished copy in a couple of days.

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for granting me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Allison’s writing is truly exceptional and unique: she forms sentences that are flowery, imaginative and beautifully sews emotions into the plot.
We follow Niamh, a chronically ill girl, from a divine bloodline carrying a unique magic: embroidering emotions into the garments she makes. We follow her days navigating through court life, while getting to know herself and learning that she deserves to love and live life not wasting it, she can accept to be loved as well.
She soon establishes friendships and befriends the prickly groom, Kit, who is at first all thorns, but turns out he has just built a steady fort around himself to protect his own feels.
Of course, life at court, the nearing wedding stirs up some gossip and the secret columnist, Lovelace strikes: Niamh and Kit in center.

I absolutely loved how whimsical and dreamy the whole setting was and I especially grew fond off the characters (the funny five I call them) and felt connected to their hardships and struggles. I especially saw so much of myself in Niamh’s viewpoint.🥹

Read it for:
🌹 regency setting
🧵 feels like a ghibli movie
✨ forbidden romance
🌹 grumpy x sunshine
🧵 unique magic powers
✨ in need of a good cry🫶🏻

Spice level: 1.5/3🌶️ kissing and half open door scene

Easy 5 stars, this book had me hooked from the first page. The vibes were in on point and I adored this story! Will definitely be reading more of Saft’s books.
Thank you Netgalley for the eArc

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Young Listeners, St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, Allison Saft, and Fran Burgoyne for the opportunity to read and listen to the audiobook of A Fragile Enchantment.

Saft does it again! Her stand-alone novels are diverse amongst her own writing and are always full of magic, mystery, and romance. So far, her debut, Down Comes the Night, is my favorite work of hers, with A Fragile Enchantment a close second, as A Far Wilder Magic should not be shunned.

Niamh is cursed with a special magic, one that will bring her to her death sooner, rather than later. She has the ability to stitch memories and emotions into fabric. She can even sway the viewer of one's wardrobe, depending on how she plays the threads. Considered to be from the working class and viewed as lesser, Niamh is invited to design a wardrobe for a royal wedding. Taking the offer means a sooner demise and ridicule from the nobles surrounding her, but stability for her family and their well-being.

Enter Kit, the second prince, engaged to be married. As royal weddings go, it is neither party's ideal choice, rather one of political advantage. Tasked with designing Kit's wedding outfit, Niamh finds Kit to be abrasive and standoffish. But the more time they spend together, the more she sees it's a front, and they start to get to know each other in a way Niamh did not expect.

Despite the looming wedding, the two take risks that could ruin everything for Kit's reputation. When a local gossip columnist starts writing about their actions when together, Niamh will do anything to find out who the anonymous writer is and save Kit's reputation, all for the sake of a romance she never expected possible.

Yet another beautifully crafted novel that is alluring and impossible to put down. Shoutout to the narrator, Fran Burgoyne, for bringing Niamh to life with a fun accent and adding to the Regency feel of the fantasy setting. A must-read for lovers of young adult romance. With Saft's craft for excellent romantic circumstances, I am more than trilled to see what her next novel, A Dark and Drowning Tide, will bring.

**ARC provided by NetGalley for honest review**

A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft was a pleasant surprise for the most part. After DNF-ing Saft's previous work, I was a bit hesitant picking this one up, bit the premise sounded intriguing enough to give it a try, and I'm so glad I did. This story follows a poor girl who gets invited to the royal capital for her skills as a magical seamstress and all of the politics, classism, drama, and romance she inevitably gets entangled up with.

I loved all the characters in this novel, I thought they were all so interesting and varied, they really helped flesh out this world. The worldbuilding and magic in this story was also super fascinating, it just hooked me from the start. Even the romance, while a bit tropey, cheered my heart throughout this read.

The problems for me mostly came in the last chunk of this story. While I predicted pretty much every major plot point a mile away, I was still having a great time until the ending. I'm not sure if it was me, or if the author dug herself a hole so deep it was too hard to get out of or what, but the conclusion seemed to drag and drag and when it finally finished it all just seemed way too easy.

**SPOILERS** Like, oh sure, I'll totally go away and not start a war with you after you cancelled my daughter's wedding last minute. Oh yeah, the kingdom's broke, but we don't have to fix that right now. Lemme talk to these protesters and everything will be fine. **END SPOILERS**

I guess so many problems were built up throughout the story that the way they were resolved so quickly just felt a bit cheap and unsatisfying to me. But, overall, I still liked this one way better than the last and will probably continue to pick up this author's work.

Bridgerton but make it fantasy! I enjoyed this world a lot, as well as Niamh and Kit’s enemies to lovers ~journey~ but it took some time to really grab my attention. If the political intrigue had hit a bit earlier in the story I think it would have had me hooked much earlier.

A Fragile Enchantment follows Niamh who is selected to design the official wardrobe of the upcoming royal wedding. The opportunity to be part of a major event promises Niamh and her family a better life, so why would she not be eager? The problem: the groom. Kit is picky and indecisive, and he makes it REALLY hard to like him.

Something about this book did not hit. I just feel like it was a slow start for me.

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.