This was unfortunately not for me, felt very insta love meanwhile the pacing was definitely off. Took me almost 2 months to finish this book only to be disappointed.


ARC provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Okay, so you all probably know by now that I have a soft spot for regency era books/films. Pride and Prejudice is among one of my all-time favorites and anything during the regency/Victorian times is one of my favorite time periods to read about, so when I first realized I got approved for this title, I was overjoyed and the way this story wraps you in since the beginning is crazy. I started this one in December and finished it between the blur of New Year's Eve and new year's, so to me... it's one of my 2024 books so far.

AND I LOVED IT. So, without further ado, let's start with our usual.

Short Summary: A royal tailor has to design for the grumpy groom who wants nothing to do with her until her first enchantment changes everything between them and the fate of everything they know hangs by a very loose thread.

There is so much I love about this book. The way that it feels like it will be a classic novel years in the future, to the unique magic system of flowers and enchantments in dresses that create an air of confidence and calm, to one that evokes emotion LITERALLY is truly something that pulls you in. The way almost EVERYONE in this book is queer in some way, shape or form had me pulling out my fan and swooning because THE BISEXUAL REP WAS EVERYTHING. I've realized this is likely to be the best year for the YA Queer lit to expand to other genres because usually, I've noticed the queer lit to be mostly in the contemporary fiction realm and if it does fall in the fantasy, sci-fi, historical fiction or even horror genres, it's not seen as much or we have characters that it's not exactly obvious if a character is bi, or asexual, or pan, or whatever the case may be. Even stories featuring lesbian characters was not seen so often, so it's nice to see more bi rep and a queer found family felt very wholesome for me.

I love Sinclair. Yes, I know what he did, but I still love him. The gossip columnist arc of the story definitely kept us as the readers on our toes and the dynamic between Niamh and Kit was a wonderful ride. The way she's so outspoken and how he was prickly, but showed his love and care for her in his own way, revealing what a cinnamon roll he ACTUALLY is was adorable to witness. Also, Rosa gave strong lesbian vibes in the beginning and when we finally get her happy ending with Miriam, I actually teared up. It was wholesome and joyful and hopeful and everything I could want in a regency novel for YA, so with that being said, GO GET YOUR COPY NOW.

Overall: 5/5 stars

3.75⭐️

A Fragile Enchantment follows Niamh, a magical dressmaker hired on for a royal wedding. While accidentally uncovering royal secrets, she finds herself drawn to Kit, the prince who is soon to be wed. This story was a perfectly whimsical romantasy, leaning more on the romance side!

While I wish there was more world-building, I did enjoy the setting and scenery. It would've been nice to delve more into the magic system and Niamh's chronic illness, but we are given enough to feel the magic throughout. I did like Niamh and Kit, there was pining and angst and banter, all things I love! There was a bit of insta-love and I wish their romance was paced differently; so the side characters did end up stealing the show. I definitely wish there was more about Sofia, Rosa and Miriam, and Sinclair, love them all:)

The scenery and Lovelace, the secret columnist, definitely give off Bridgerton vibes! So if you love Bridgerton, magic, and forbidden love, you'll most likely enjoy this book. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

The historical fantasy world Allison Saft has created in A Fragile Enchantment seems so real and yet is full of magic. Niahm is a magical seamstress who, though a working class woman from an impoverished land is summoned by the prince regent to make the wedding attire for his brother, Kit. She makes her way to neighboring kingdom, Avaland to make a better life for her family, but a political uprising seems to be on the horizon.

I really enjoyed a lot of the elements of this book, the characters and kingdom building were well done, but this was a slog for me at the beginning. It picked up about 50% in and I kept with it because I was hooked wanting to know how it would wrap up. I liked it overall and felt like it was written well, just a bit slow to start.

Ooooh, I knew Saft would do me no wrong. I’ve been in love with her work since her debut, DOWN COMES THE NIGHT. To say I was very eager for AFE would be an understatement as it really gave off vibes that I knew I would love and… I wasn’t disappointed! If you love fantasy and historical romance, this is for you! If you’ve been missing Bridgerton and want little to no spice, this is for you! I really enjoyed the almost mirror to our real world—from Ireland, English, Spain, and France.

Niamh was such a lovely character. She wants so much to take care of her mother and ailing grandmother and she found the perfect opportunity to do so. But little does she know what a mess she’s walking into when she reaches Aveland. Kit is a disgruntled second son of a possibly mad king and has a very stoic older brother. But he’s a softie for Niamh! It just takes a lot of disgruntled looks and frustrated sighs before we get there.

All of these characters were so fun, including Sinclair, Miriam, and Rosa. I’m glad we got to see all of them together and I think they’ve really started what could be a long and good friendship.

Now what I wanted to see more of were interactions between Niamh and Sofia. I think Sofia is such an unexplored character but I know she has so much insight and feeling, especially when it comes to Jack. I also thought the Lovelace plot sometimes got a little lost.

I know Saft writes standalone fantasies but I’m yet again, saying I would absolutely love a sequel to this book.

A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft, 384 pages. Wednesday Books (St. Martin’s Press), 2024. $18. lgbtqia
Language: R (26 swears, 9 “f”); Mature Content: R; Violence: PG
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - NO
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Due to her hard-earned reputation, Niamh (18yo) has been hired by the palace to make clothes for Prince Christopher leading up to his wedding, which will pay her well enough for her mother and grandmother to retire. But the prince throws a fit upon her arrival, declaring he would rather go to his own wedding naked than to wear anything Niamh makes. Prince or no, Niamh means to win this battle of stubbornness.
With civil unrest hovering under the surface, I was surprised that the politicking was so well integrated in the story that it wasn’t boring. The happy ending was great, of course, but getting there was a chore because I disagreed with so many of Niamh’s decisions along the way. Furthermore, at least one of the obstacles to be overcome was entirely avoidable, and I didn’t like how it was forced into the story. On top of that, the sexual content was unnecessary.
Niamh and Christopher are depicted as fair skinned on the cover, and Rosa is described as having olive skin. Several of the main characters are part of the LGBT community, but naming them would include spoilers, so I will refrain. The mature content rating is for alcohol use, innuendo, nudity, and sex. The violence rating is for mentions of genocide and massacre.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

This was such a sweet, wholesome YA romantasy. I had a tiny bit of trouble with the world building and still feel as though so of my questions (Niamh‘s illness and the king’s incapacity just to name two) but I think I was just so drawn to the characters that I wanted to know all the little details.

I loved Kit. He was so prickly and unlike a lot of male leads in romances. He wasn’t 6’4” with broad shoulders but rather short and lean. It was refreshing to read about a handsome male who isn’t also a giant who could play in the NFL.

The found family theme with a lovable cast of side characters was a delight, too. A quirky bunch of misfits trying to save a kingdom.

I really enjoyed this. I look forward to all of this author’s works.

Thanks so much to Wednesday Books, Allison Saft, and NetGalley for my early digital and audio arcs of this book!

4.25 stars

This book was incredibly charming. Niamh is our FMC who has a particular kind of magic that allows her to weave her emotions into thread, making her a sought after seamstress. However, as a Machlishwoman, she does not hold a respectable position in society. Insert Kit Carmine, the younger of the two princes and the absolute embodiment of “I hate everyone, even you… until I don’t” lol.

I loved the forbidden love in this book, and how each character learned to believe they are worthy of love. How Niamh learned that she can occasionally put herself first and how Kit learned that he doesn’t have to make himself miserable to keep everyone happy.

I also really loved all of the side characters. Sinclair, Miriam, and Rosa all had complete personalities and brought so much to the story in their own ways. Sinclair was a complicated character but definitely the breath of fresh air and humor you needed.

I definitely recommend this one for a charming, quick read.

Niamh Ó Conchobhair travels to Avaland to design the wardrobe for a royal wedding. Unrest is brewing, however, and the groom Kit Carmine is abrasive. The two soon form an unlikely friendship, and a gossip columnist gives Niamh an ultimatum: uncover the royal family’s secrets or her reputation is ruined. There is incredible rot within the kingdom, but exposing it could destroy a future she didn't think she could have.

Niamh's homeland had been devastated by blight after being occupied and its resources ravaged by the Avaland monarchy before they freed themselves from rule a generation before. Their people are looked down upon as poor country bumpkins too lazy to work; Niamh's presence in the capital with the royal family is not only because of her ability to embroider enchantments into garments at the cost of her own lifespan but because of her heritage. Inspired by Regency romances, we see the Irish and British influences in the story's location, the characters' beliefs, and the stereotypes that the nobility have about Niamh. But at the same time, the desire she had for ladies back home is mirrored in Kit and his friend Sinclair's desire for men. While it's not approved of, it doesn't carry the same legal threats that homosexuality had in Regency England. This also makes the attraction between Niamh and Kit that much more of a surprise to them both.

Given Niamh's profession as a tailor, she focuses on color, texture, and the emotions of memory that she imbues into her pieces. She's scatterbrained and open-hearted, easily speaking with the royals and nobles as if they had been close friends all her life. Kit is gloomy and surly from the start, and his betrothed Rosa is similar. There's a bit of mystery related to Kit's brother Jack, the Regent who's supposed to be ruling the kingdom but instead avoids everything as much as possible. Overall, a lovely fantasy Regency romance with a happily ever after ending after all.

ʙ ᴏ ᴏ ᴋ • ʀ ᴇ ᴠ ɪ ᴇ ᴡ

📖 A Fragile Enchantment
✍🏻 @allisonhsaft
⭐️ 3.75
🫶🏻 ARC #8 of 2024
📚8/100

I liked this book!

I am not a huge fantasy fan. But this was my first romantasy book. And I really enjoyed it.

I love the story line of the characters, challenges and dramas faced. Kit was so cranky, but I knew he’d be a softy. And I am always here for a strong FMC, and Niamh didn’t disappoint!

This is a book I absolutely recommend to anyone. It had the best mix of romance, fantasy and drama/problems.

🧚🏻‍♀️ romantasy
💍 arranged marriage
🪄 magic
😅 forbidden love
🏰 castle setting
👗 strong FMC
☀️ grumpy vs. sunshine
🍍 pineapple MMC (tough on the outside, soft and sweet on the inside)

This felt slow to me initially but I really ended up enjoying it! An enemies to lovers set in a fantastical, magical land featuring a magical dressmaker commissioned to create wedding garb for a grumpy groom and his bride. This book showcases some beautiful balls, unrest in the working class, and a multitude of scandals from an unknown author in the inner circles of the elite.

If you enjoy romantasy novels, I recommend this one. Once you get into it, you'll get hooked.

I am part of the boycott and won’t be posting my full review until that’s over. That is also why I have given it a three star rating instead of what I believe it to be.

The writing is lovely but I found myself struggling to care about the characters. There were a lot of elements being woven together and while it was brilliant I feel like the character depth lacked because of it.

Saft is great about using her stories to point out the flaws of our current society and A Fragile Enchantment does it well but I found that overall it fell flat for me.

Sadly, this book did not live up to my expectations. I loved the blurb. The idea of a naive seamstress who weaves emotions into her creations is so unique, but this is a story that cannot decide what it is supposed to be. Is it a romance? An adventure? A political commentary? A comedy? Who knows? The tone was all over the place and the characters were ridiculously inconsistent. The subplots overshadowed the plot, which I'm still unsure of, and the entire story continually morphed into a farcical soap opera. By the conclusion, I was bored and irritated, but ecstatic that it was finally over. A huge disappointment which I cannot recommend.

This was a very cute YA romantic fantasy novel, and I liked reading it. Like most YA books, it was fairly surface level and moved from topic to topic pretty fast without diving too deeply into any one thing. There was magic, commoner-royalty romance, political unrest, colonization and suppression, alcoholism... it ran the gamut. I loved the idea of the magical tailor and what she could do, and I also liked the grumpy-sunshine romance she had.

Some of the prose was just beautiful, and some was tedious. It has a LOT of dialogue and telling of the characters' thoughts.

I think YA readers will enjoy it and I'm glad I read it! Thank you for the ARC!

A Fragile Enchantment is a swirl of fantasy and Bridgerton-esque court relationships and intrigue. The plot is focused on Niamh, a seamstress with the magic ability to stitch feelings into her creations. The group of people Niamh is part of have been abused by the royals, yet Niamh chooses to accept a position creating clothing for a royal wedding.

Niamh finds herself intrigued by the grumpy prince, and a shaky romance begins.

This book delves deep into character flaws and doesn’t wrap up neatly, which I appreciated. People don’t change quickly.

Political matters and race relations take a bit of a backseat, even though they seem like a big hinge in the plot.

The writing was poetic and would appeal to fans of Rebecca Ross.

HOUGHTS

This book is as cozy as the cover might promise. It's got a soft Regency-style worldbuilding to it, full of ballrooms and ballgowns and magic. Despite being set in a city, it feels cottagecore at its heart, brimming with blossoms and tangling vines. I do wish it had gone deeper, seeing as the worldbuilding is based in the contentious history of England and Ireland, but I guess it doesn't need to go deeper. It promises soft and sweet, after all, and it achieves that just as it stands.


PROS
Gossip Monger: This book harkens to a long tradition (both in literature and in reality) of carefully scrutinizing every action and reaction of the upper classes in print media. If you like Gossip Girl or Bridgerton's Lady Whistledown, you'll appreciate the snarky and sharp gossip rags of this fantasy realm as well.

Cottagecore Bisexuals: I'm not sure if any particular subgenre lends itself so well to bisexual protagonists as cottagecore. I don't know why that is, but I'm not complaining. This book is full of plant magic and stitchery, cottage life turned ballroom, country retreats and the desire to return to greener pastures. Oh, and stolen kisses in the rain. The cottagecore aesthetic is undeniable, and the soft and fluid sexuality of the cast of characters fits it so perfectly, too.

Compassion: I don't know if I've ever read a book for teens that treats alcoholism so compassionately. I like that so, so much. There's no playing it for laughs. There's no hard and harsh moralizing. It's just a recognition, a resolution, and a lot of hope. And that's important. We need more of this.


CONS
No Wrestling: This is a book brimming with big implications. It is undergirded with colonialism. It is upheld by classism and maligned ethnic identities. The core relationship in this book, by necessity, is caught up in a major power imbalance. It's got the start to those big conversations... but it doesn't really address any of them. And with all that setup, I wish it would have veered from its soft and cozy tune just a bit to touch on the darker side of all of this.

Comfort Level: I'm not supposed to interrogate this book too much. Suspension of disbelief and all that--I get it. But Niamh is just so immediately involved with the royalty on a personal level, and I didn't buy it. It's escapism. I understand that. But it felt too far-fetched to me that she would fall into their confidences, that she would take rude treatment so personally when she was just a member of the staff, that she would find herself flooded with invitations to high society events (despite being, you know, a member of the staff). It didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. It's fun, for sure. But the realism just wasn't in it.

Forgotten Motivation: This book sets up so many ideas, but it quickly gets consumed by a romance plot. And that's fine. The cover kind of indicates as much, so it isn't unexpected. But at the same time, I didn't like it. It just doesn't feel right to have a girl so concerned with providing for her family that she would move to an enemy capital just forget about her loved ones pretty much entirely when she finds a (potential) lover. But I guess I've seen it happen in real life (more or less), so it can happen. I just thought Niamh would be, I don't know, better than that.


Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
7/10
Fans of Jessica Day George's Dragon Slippers will adore this new small-town dressmaker in the big city. Those who liked Julia Quinn's The Duke and I will like this new gossip-filled summer of ballrooms and ballgowns.

Niamh is in over her head right from the start in this beautiful fantasy novel by Allison Saft. When she is chosen to make the wedding garments for a prince she plans to finish the job quickly and make enough money to provide for her family. She doesn’t plan on facing political unrest, potential scandals and a love she could have never imagined. With her time quickly running out, Niamh is determined to do as much as possible, but deciding who to prioritize becomes the most challenging question of all. This was a very charming story and a good first fantasy read for the year! A Fragile Enchantment came out earlier this month, so you can grab it now.

Thanks to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for the ARC.

Ever since reading Allison's debut novel, she has become a must-read author, and A Fragile Enchantment is just as charming, magical and delightful as her other novels. Allison has a way of world-building that feels completely real and yet has a fantastical and magical component that makes you want to step into that world to experience it yourself. This story is a regency romance filled with political maneuvering, secrets, betrayal and lovely magical abilities based on the four elements. The sunshine in our romance duo is Niamh, from the downtrodden, outcast Machlish, who has a magical gift with embroidery. As she sews, she can imbue the item with different emotions to fit the gown and the person wearing the item to produce a stunning effect. She has been hired by the ruling family of Avaland to sew all the garments for an upcoming political wedding. The grumpy part of the duo is Kit, the put upon younger brother to the kingdom's regent and the soon to be groom in the aforementioned political wedding. And when I say grumpy, I mean GRUMPY!!! Let's just say Niamh has her work cut out for her in this royal heir can't marry the help situation. I love the banter between the two as they come to realize how much more alike they are than not and Kit's best pal Sinclair is a wonderful side character who I just couldn't get enough of. It's lovely to just get immersed in a story and let it carry you away and thoroughly enjoy the journey.

The cover for this book is stunning and the premise is intriguing and original. This has a lot of potential to be a favorite book for the right audience. However I am not the right target audience for this book and couldn’t finish it,