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,

This book was just ok for me. Parts of it were genuinely fun to read but I was left feeling a little bored for large swaths. This was possibly due to the plot which is definitely slow and a bit lost behind all of the banter. I honestly didn't know what the plot was for about 70% of the book. The ending came together nicely and tied it all up, though.

3.75 stars rounded up.

This book was half Regency half Fantasy in a way. I really enjoyed the plot of this book. It’s a quick cutesy book with magical elements, princes, and arranged marriages. This book took me a while to get through because I kept having to go back and reread or relisten to some parts I missed or didn’t make sense the first time, and this is probably no fault of the author, I don’t think I was necessarily in the mood for this type of story. However, I really loved the MCs and the mystery of Lovelace. The magical elements brought something new i’ve not seen before with the unique powers the FMC possessed. I also do love a book where the characters are going at each other and then inevitably fall in love. Overall a cute magical read!

3.5

This was a very cute, cozy YA romance with airs of Bridgerton and a dash of magic by Allison Saft. The story's pace was a bit off at times and there were a couple of plotholes in the non romance part of the story that held me back from truly loving it!

Niamh, a dressmaker and sewer gifted with the power of enchanting her creations, gets the honor of a lifetime when the Prince Regent of Avaland invites her to make the royal clothing for his little brother Prince Kit's upcoming wedding to the princess of Castilia. Niamh grew up in Machland, a colony to the right of Avaland that suffered great losses during a recent Civil War.

Niamh and Kit's romance, once formed, was full of tension and cute banter. Getting there was quite the journey- this was a slow burn and enemies-to-lovers (though Kit mostly treated everyone like his enemy to be fair).

The romance took center stage in this book as it should. However, I wish Saft had further developed the political tension between the nations in the background, and the subsequent world building. Also, she totally left readers hanging with what would happen with Niamh's health and chronic illness. It was not clear to me if she'd just live a long life if she rested? Somehow, that doesn't seem quite realistic with how deep her fears were throughout the book.

I am participating in the St. Martin's Press boycott. I will not be publicly reviewing this title until St. Martin's Press addresses reader concerns.

A Fragile Enchantment was a dreamy and whimsical romance set in a wonderfully unique fantasy world. All of the characters were quick to find a place in my heart, as they each felt distinctly real and personable. All of the characters went through their own problems that were relatable to the real world, even in the fantasy setting. One of my favorite aspects of the novel was its special magic system. I have never seen a character with abilities like Niamh, and it was extremely interesting and intriguing to read about. It combined the mystery and lavishness of Bridgerton and the swoon worthy romance of every classic fairy tale. Lady Whistledown was reborn in the form of Lovelace, and brought to the novel my favorite aspect of Bridgerton—the question of who can you trust in this magical, Regency inspired world? The representation of the LGBTQ+ community, along with chronic illness and mental health added depth to the romance. If you enjoy romantic stories taking place in historical settings, then this story is definitely for you.