ARC Review: I don’t know why I had such high hopes going into this book, but I was thoroughly disappointed.

A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft is a hate-to-love romance story following Niamh, a magical seamstress from a different country who can imbue her projects with emotions, who gets brought to the palace for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create the garments for the prince and his betrothed for their upcoming wedding. However, when she slowly falls for the prince her feelings become more complicated. Simply put, I had issues with this book. I think this book was trying to do a bit too much, and the anonymous gossip writer gave me too much Lady Whistledown vibes. It was attempting to comment on racism and homophobia with the underlying political plot in addition to providing the actual romance plot line and because of that, the love aspects fell a little bit flat. Much of the in-between times and mundane tasks that could’ve been elaborated on (like working on the clothing, growing flowers, etc.) were skipped over, which I think was a missed opportunity for character development. Also, there were a few times when the plot was a little bit messy to the point that I was confused about the ordering of events. Ultimately, the main thing for me is that I wanted more of the cozy romance with a hint of magic vibes and instead got politics.

Spoilers ahead, tread with caution:
One of the biggest issues I had with the book is that nothing really gets resolved besides the main romance plot. The country is still homophobic and racist. There is still an economic crisis going on. And the country’s international relations are by no means promising. I feel like it was just kind of a sloppy ending. Also, the prince and the protagonist don’t spend that much quality time with one another; it just seems fast. Unrelated, but I am not a fan of the fade-to-black scenes in this book. I’m not opposed to them as a concept, but I don’t understand why the author would choose to show fingering in detail and her *climaxing* but not the intercourse. It just seemed funky. Needless to say, I wouldn’t recommend spending your time on this book.

This ARC was received courtesy of NetGalley and was published on January 2, 2024.

This book combined two of my favorite things; magic and regency themes. Niamh Ó Conchobhair is a magical seamstress, who can see her emotions and memories into the very pieces she creates. She is summoned to the country of Avaland, to create wedding wardrobe and jumps at the chance to give her family a better life. An unlikely friendship blooms between herself and Kit, the groom of the upcoming wedding. But nothing is like the fairy tails. She is constantly reminded that she is part of the working class and her people are currently fighting for their rights. And top it off she is being blackmailed to soon the very royals she is growing closer to. Is she willing to risk it all?

This was such a fun quick read! From the moment Niamh set foot on Avaland, she is caught up in the whirl world of court life and political intrigue. She is a complicated character in by working her gift to create a better life for herself, she is slowly killing herself. And the chemistry between herself and Kit is off the charts from their first meeting. All the characters introduced have their own unique gifts and issues that just add to the storyline.

This concept and story was absolutely delightful and intriguing. I loved the court politics and the class-war happening in these kingdoms that loosely resemble the UK, Ireland, Spain and Scandinavia. However that class war is complicated by our naive little Niamh who is a commoner with “divine blood” that the noble families value and selectively breed for with arranged marriages. Sweet, hardworking and self-sacrificing Niamh just wants to help provide for her mother and grandmother and try to give them a better life in a world still living in the shadows of a devastating war of rebellion and freedom. But the sweet innocent seamstress can’t quite help but falling for the broody, troubled Prince, despite his arranged engagement to another. Duty to family is the driving force for many of the character’s actions and intentions, though thankfully our friends that duty to self is just a worthy of an endeavor.

I loved the friendship our young group develops as the wedding day approaches and the book does a wonderful job of showing when and where emotions come into play with the aristocracy, their families and their futures. Let’s not mention the LGBTQ+ representation that is there but never eclipses any of our characters personalities. We have characters that being gay/bi is just a single facet of their persona, not the entire thing which is, obviously, true to real life. Having characters dealing with current and past stigmatization and prejudice over sexual orientation, past substance abuse and generational trauma is handled in a respectful way that again, simply because one of many facets of a character rather than all encompassing.

However, there were times that I felt perhaps too much was trying to be covered at once and we only got snippets of each important plot point. We got brief pieces of Niamh at work, imbuing magic into her creations, brief moments of familial strife and reconnection after trauma, brief moments of political intrigue and building unrest and rebellion, and many other brief examinations of various character relationships. Sometimes the trouble with standalones is having so much to explore, and not enough space to do it in, especially using third person narration. Sometimes our narrator felt omniscient and sometimes felt limited.

Overall, the story was fun, intriguing and gave me the grumpy x sunshine slow burn I love. A Fragile Enchantment is an easy to read, easy to understand and easy to love young adult fantasy.

What an incredibly beautiful story! I was blown away by the quality of the writing. Allison Saft has a real talent for description in particular visual imagery.

I was immediately drawn into Jack and Niamh's story. They understood and supported each other in a way that I adored. I liked that Niamh was always honest with Jack, including calling him out for being entitled at the beginning of the story.

I also loved reading about the magic in this book. Niamh's gowns and other sewed creations were so fun to read about! I also really like Jack's magic and how it sometimes reflected his moods. I would love to see the movie version of this because some of the scenes described were truly cinematic!

I have seen this book compared to Bridgerton with magic and there are definitely similarities. I was reminded of the beautiful decorations for the events in the tv show as well as the importance of the gossip column. I was also reminded of Olivia Atwater's Half a Soul with the quality of magic and the alternative regency setting. There is also a similarity in the heroes and their disdain for society and desire to change it.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough! I think fans of all types of romance will love this one as well as fans of YA fantasy. I would also encourage fans of historical romance to give this one a try. It may not be a traditional historical, but you will recognize familiar elements. For example, that scene where something happens to the heroine and the hero paces in the hall even though it could cause a scandal. The one group I might not actually recommend this book to is younger YA readers. These characters are adults dealing with adult problems and while the content is not inappropriate, I do think it was written with an older audience in mind.

🌶️ - This is a YA book so it is pretty much closed door. However, there is slightly more than kissing going on (though it is not described in any detail). It may go over the heads of younger readers but older readers will be aware of what is going on.

Allison Saft has a lovely way with prose and her covers are always unique and lovely. I enjoyed this romantic fantasy and excited to rec it to my target high schooler audience. I am always happy to find a stand alone romance for them that is of a reasonable length. This one is all the better with Saft's fun banter and whimsical magic. The world building is just right and doesn't bog the reader down.
Thank you so much for the ARC!

Another magical book my Alison Saft. I enjoyed this one a lot and thought it was done beautifully. I loved the vibes and the characters and steam!

Political intrigue, chronic illness representation, magic, friendship, romance, and a sprinkle of Bridgerton-esque drama/subterfuge including a certain secret columnist determined to weed out the royal secrets -- count me all the way in. Seriously, this book had so much more than I bargained for and it exceeded my expectations. Despite owning a couple of Allison Saft's books this is actually the first I have read and I'm so excited to go read more by her now! I was a little nervous in the beginning because we just jump right into the story and I thought I was going to be confused but I wasn't. The writing is well done and the story gets right to it without feeling rushed. I love all of our main characters and the friendships that bloom among a group of seemingly incompatible youths. The way Saft writes her characters lets the reader feel connected to more than just the main two love interests, Niamh and Kit; we can relate to Sinclair and Rosa and even Jack. The character development is fantastic and I found myself very invested in each of their stories. The chemistry between Niamh and Kit is obvious and the tension is palpable, I just loved every second of waiting for them to act on it. Pretty much all of the characters struggle with sacrificing more than should be expected and that really pulls at the heartstrings and makes you want everything to work out for them. I truly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more by this author!

Read if you like: forbidden love, grumpy meets sunshine, enemies to lovers, secret identity, magical powers, political drama.

Thank you NetGalley & St Martins Press/Wednesday Books for the digital ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3.5/5

I'm a big fan of Allison Saft's prose and from the beginning I enjoyed the Regency-inspired fantasy setting, but I struggled to get hooked by the plot. Once I hit the half way mark I finished it in two days but the first half took me almost a month, which is unusual for me. I love magical dressmakers and forbidden, class-difference romance, so that part was fun. I really grew to love our main character Niamh, who has a heart for helping others but struggles to follow her own heart's desires. I want to know more about this world but I think it's just a standalone, so I'm not sure that I'll get it.

Such a fun romantasy! Gives Bridgerton vibes with magic. The Enemies to lovers ateee. Perfect if you love grumpy sunshine, regency, easy world building and forbidden romance.

Thank you to the publisher and Allison Saft for allowing me to read an arc of this lovely book!

I rate it 4.5 stars ⭐️

I absolutely love this book. The cover, the writing, the magic, the characters, the story… it’s all so well done. I’m usually really good at figuring out the plot twists before they unfold but I had no idea who Lovelace was until the reveal happened! I would love to see this become a move or a limited series of some sort. It reminds me of a fantasy version of Bridgerton!

Allison Saft can always be counted on to deliver a fun and witty fantasy that’ll have me so locked in I don’t want to put the book down!! The cover is gorgeous, the regency vibes are everything and of course the characters were so fun to tag along with! I always love that Saft includes more to her books than just the typical fantasy romance vibes and adds in a bit of political intrigue along with it. This was a fun read and like always, I can’t wait for her next release when it comes!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft.

Overall, I thought the book was fine. I assumed that it would be a fun read for me because I am obsessed with Regency Romance AND Fantasy Fiction. So what could go wrong with blending the two? However, this one just wasn't for me and it felt like a chore trying to read it. However, I definitely know a few library patrons who I would recommend this one to.

dnf @ 40%

I'm gonna stop here, friends. I was really excited about this one, but I just don't think this book and I are fitting together. I've read a decent amount of the book and I'm a) bored and b) so confused about the world building. And not because its complicated or in depth, but because its confusing. I don't find any of the characters likable and I'm just not invested in how this ends. Side note, I really wish that there was a little pronunciation guide for the names. I'd like to give the language the correctness it deserves.

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a early copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.*

What a beautiful and enchanting story. This was my first book by Allison Saft and I’m blown away by how much her writing made me feel. She’s definitely one of my auto buy authors now.

A Fragile Enchantment is the perfect blend of Bridgerton meets fantasy. There was royalty, political intrigue, scandal and forbidden love. Plus unique magic!

It’s rare for me to really enjoy a standalone just because it’s hard for there to be real character development in the constraints of one book. This one gave me absolutely everything I wanted. I understood and felt for each of the characters. Niamh and Kit truly made each other better versions of themselves without becoming entirely dependent on the other.

Overall, I loved every second and recommend to anyone looking for an easy, beautifully written YA fantasy.

Thank you to NetGalley the publisher for sending me a copy to review!

This was a truly beautifully written story. It had me hooked from the first page, and I never wanted to put it down. The way that Allison Saft writes is truly magically in it's own special way. I'm glad I was able to have the chance to be able to read this book early and experience the magic within. Apologies for the the review not posting. I thought it went through, but realized today that he hadn't.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book.

“𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘺 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘵 𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵— 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘭𝘥, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯.”

I’ll start by saying I previously read A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft and really enjoyed it! So of course I jumped at the opportunity to read an ARC of this one. Unfortunately, this one fell a bit flat for me. It’s clear Allison can write. I just found myself getting bored while reading this one. It just felt like it was dragging on a bit too long with not enough happening to keep my interest.

The characters were well written. I really enjoyed the main character Niamh and the magic system was really cool. Niamh, a hardworking girl of a lower class, gets called to the castle to create the wedding day wardrobe of the prince and bride to be. Through her sewing, she is able to stitch emotions and memories into fabric, the same magic that is slowly killing her. In hopes of providing a better life for her family, she jumps at the chance.

What else did I enjoy? The grumpy sunshine relationship development, and there were some greatly written side characters!

With a mystery gossip columnist and political undertones, this definitely gave off Bridgerton vibes.

I give this one ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars with extra points for those amazing characters and Magic system!

I really enjoyed this one! It was unexpectedly romantic and entertaining. Naimh has been brought on as a seamstress for the royal wedding, but she has no idea what she'sabout to step into. Secrets, ulterior motives, and a rising rebellion are just the tip of the iceberg.

Kit has never had control over his life and he doesn't have high hopes of it ever happening until he meets this infuriating, impossible yet...captivating seamstress. Jack tries to control everything as the Prince Regent, Kit fights him at every step, and Naimh is caught in the middle with Rosa and her maid Miriam.

A truly enjoyable mystery of courtly affairs and personal ones, this was a great start to the new year of reading!

A Fragile Enchantment is a Bridgerton inspired romantic fantasy set in Regency England about a magical dressmaker commissioned to tailor a royal wedding. This sounded so promising and I was so excited for this book, but it unfortunately disappointed me.

firstly, the characters. to be blunt, I didn't like them. they were so boring and childish and didn't have any favorable qualities. I liked the side characters more, Sofie and Rosa specifically. if Sofie wasn't married to Jack, I would've loved to see their romance, but I could not stand him. Niamh was okay, I wanted to know more about her silver hair and the backstory more, we barely know her. I feel like all we got to know was Kit. Kit was tolerable at most, he was grumpy and had a rough past from the death of his mother and his upbringing with his father and his lack of parental guidance... but the only time I liked him was when he was around Niamh. even then, it was mediocre at best. he barely showed affection and when he did acted as if it was the hardest thing ever. just.... red flag, and not the good kind.

secondly, the story and magic. this is where I was confused a lot. their magic wasn't entirely explained in depth, so It puzzled me but I ended up giving up trying to understand. I just know Niamh can sew emotions or magic into clothes and Kit has flower power basically. the plot was boring and confusing, its all about a scandal sheet bringing down the Royals because of their racism towards Machlish (aka Irish). the author tried to make it political and important but it just didn't play out very well, the instant and boring romance took priority in the story.

"Is this a dream?"

"I don't know. Let me kiss you util dawn, and I suppose we'll find out."

lastly, there is one scene where the romance gets more PG-13 and had me a bit shocked considering this is supposed to be YA, I would be upset if my kids at 12 or 13 were reading this and found out there's a detailed sex scene on page. YA should stay closed door, it for literal kids under 17!

I loved this book!
I really liked Niamh and her self-sacrificing nature, even when she’s suffering from a chronic illness. I also liked Kit Carmen and his grumpiness that took part in this delightful enemies to lovers novel. Princess Rosa, the woman Kit Carmen was supposed to be wed to, deserves her own book. She was super interesting and fleshed out when it came to being trapped in the confines of royal duties.
If you like the immersive kind of YA fantasy book, this is for you! It is thought provoking in the best kind of way!
Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC!

I heard there was much excitement around this book, so I was excited to give it a read. For a YA romantasy, I was a bit disappointed by the world building and I found Kit to be not supper likable. We'll probably purchase the title, but wasn't super hyped by it.