"Allison Saft's 'A Fragile Enchantment' is a cozy fairytale that blends fantasy and romance with a touch of Bridgerton charm. The story revolves around the forbidden love between Kit, a grumpy prince, and Niamh, a magical seamstress from a lower class, adding an interesting twist to the classic grumpy-meets-sunshine trope.

Niamh is a sweet, responsible, and exceptionally loyal character, always putting others before herself. On the other hand, Kit, the ill-tempered prince, conceals a vulnerable side beneath his prickly demeanor, making him a compelling figure. The gradual shift from being adversaries to developing a friendship and eventually blossoming into a romance among these seemingly incompatible characters stands out as a highlight.

Niamh's magical dressmaking introduces a unique and delightful aspect to the narrative. Saft's vivid descriptions of the enchanting fashions, embroidered with magical emotions, transport readers into a captivating world.

While the characters are well-crafted, I wanted more insight into the broader magical world beyond Niamh's magical dressmaking. Nevertheless, 'A Fragile Enchantment' is a beautifully written fantasy, made for those who enjoy a mix of magic, romance, and finely drawn characters.

Special thanks to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC.

After finishing A Fragile Enchantment, I have some mixed feelings. It’s a Bridgerton-esque story set in a magical world reminiscent of England, and it even has an anonymous gossip columnist, just like Lady Whistledown in Bridgerton. I thought it was a fun setting, and it was really intriguing how the author mirrored the oppression of the Irish by the British with the fictional Machlish and Avalish. While I thought it was mildly interesting while reading, I rarely felt compelled to read it throughout the day. I liked the two main characters, Niamh and Kit, and Kit was an interesting character with a lot of levels. Niamh has a chronic illness that will eventually kill her one day, and I would’ve liked to see this explored more. You see her struggle with the effects of it, but the origin and true symptoms of the illness are very vague. Her relationship with Kit, while I enjoyed it, seemed a bit rushed as well. Overall, the book was fairly average. It was a great premise and had some exciting moments, but it had the potential for more. If you are looking for a sweet, simple Regency-inspired romantic fantasy book, you might enjoy this, but it wasn’t a life-changing book.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

A Fragile Enchantment is a romantic fantasy which follows magical seamstress Niamh as she falls for the kingdom's brooding prince and works to get at the heart of the injustices in their country.

I thought this was an absolutely delightful read, and just the sort of thing I want out of romantic fantasy. It was cute and fluffy, full of magic and whimsy, though it also held firmly onto those richer themes that I love to see explored in YA fantasy -- here, classism and power balances were at the heart of the books intriguing plot. I thought the characters were pleasant to read about, the world was realized just enough for me to sink into it, and the romance aspect was satisfying without being too overdone. In all, this was a very fun read, and I'm certain it will find an enthusiastic audience like me who can hardly wait for whatever else Allison Saft has in store.

I really enjoyed the creativity of this magic system. It felt grounded, but still intricate and whimsical and that is right in my sweet spot for fantasy. I loved that there was chronic illness and mental health rep that was so well done and so relatable. Naihm was easy to like and root for. I loved her banter with our grumpy, broody hero and i LIVE for a forbidden romance.

Thank you to netgalley and the author for the arc.

A young woman with a unique skill must keep her heart protected from caring. Each time she uses her magic, she shortens her life so feels it's no use to find love only to cause so much pain and grief. When she meets a young man who has never been happy with thhe life planned for him, she may have no choice but to give him her heart.

A unique storyline that stirs up emotions, happy and sad. The characters seem willful, both determined to live as they want, until they meet each other and find that happiness can exist in the midst of turmoil. A lovely romance written by an author who built a new fairt tale of happpily ever after.

This book had a strong start and I was thinking it would be a top read for me at one point but the politics in it started to drive the story more than the romance and I began to check out unfortunately so I won’t be finishing this one after all.

Did I expect to be so entranced by a book about a woman who weaves enchantments into clothes and a grouchy lil prince? No. I thought it would be fine. But it was sooo much better than I expected. You've got Bridgerton meets Cruel Prince. There's magic, arranged marriages, an uprising, secrets, and a lot of cinnamon roll characters who look like they could kill you. Truly, it was a sweet, romantic, interesting time. Some of the best parts were side characters. My only critique is that I think it could have used 50-100 more pages to give us a little more time in the world. The ending wasn't too quick of a wrap-up for my taste, that's not what I mean, but I think overall it could have had just a little extra. More Sofia, more Miriam, and more Infata Rosa perhaps.

Thanks to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the e-ARC!

I will not be reviewing as SMP has failed to speak out against the racist actions of their employee.

Impoverished Niamh is a talented, magical seamstress, who has the opportunity of a lifetime to design the Prince’s wedding clothes… and any clothing needed prior to that point. Everything she makes is imbued with emotions and memories.

The prince, Kit Carmine, is arrogant and standoffish. He is not happy about being used as a political pawn in his arranged marriage, but will do his duty, nonetheless. But the more time that Niamh and Kit spend together, the closer they become, the more she realizes that his prickliness is just a cover.

Now an anonymous columnist is set to spill secrets, and Niamh is determined to help Kit find the secrets first and put an end to the gossip column. The more they uncover, the deeper the secrets go, and the harder she is falling for Kit.

I really like this regency-esque tale that was a romantic fantasy. I liked how Niamh remained strong in the face of opposition due to the fact of where she came from. Also the fact that she gets Kit to open up and see that there is always a choice to be had, even ones concerning the heart.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

→ ARC provided via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review;
→ 3.5 stars.

i genuinely have no idea how to rate this book, because on one hand – it’s gotten me out of a reading slump and i did have fun reading it, but on the other – it was predictable, and the pace was a little bit off.

i’m going to start with the positives. the romance was really cute and i absolutely loved niamh and kit together. the banter between them & the angst was good and i think the author did a really great job setting up this relationship and working on their dynamics. i also thought the other side characters were well characterized and i liked some of the friendships we see evolve alongside the main romance. granted, i love broody characters and i’m a sucker for the sunshine x grumpy trope, so that’s a factor in my enjoyment of this book. the plot was okay, but i do think it was a tiny bit weirdly paced. the representation in this book was also quite good, as we have an array of different characters.

the book features a conflict between two nations that wasn’t truly explored much. it’s a light fantasy read, so i understand why that is, but i think it’s only mentioned to further to romance or the plot and then it’s completely disregarded without truly being touched upon in a more serious manner. in the final chapter, this issue is barely mentioned, so essentially, there’s no ending to this plot point. there’s another plot point that i’m not going to spoil, but it’s something to do with the kingdom’s finances, and it’s also completely ignored afterwards, after being a huge deal for a few chapters. niamh’s magic was also mentioned a few times in relation to her health and then never explained, which was kinda annoying. essentially, there are a bunch of plot holes and questions left completely unanswered.

regarding characters, i do think allison saft’s work is amazing. she’s a really good writer when it comes to bringing characters to life, as they each had their own distinctive personalities. there’s also queer rep in the book, which is always a plus. i do have to say that at times, niamh fit a bit too much into the “romantasy FMC” cliché, but it’s forgivable, since it was somewhat consistent with her character.

overall, this is a fun book to read if you’re willing to ignore some of its plot holes and just enjoy a quick story. the characters are nice, the writing is pretty great and i do think the romance was well-crafted. i’m definitely going to check out allison saft’s next works, as i did enjoy this one.

(3.5)

to start off, i was SO excited for this book. when i got the email for it, i squealed. alas, this book fell flat for me a bit.

to start off, the romance was very insta-lovey and i’m not the biggest fan of that. she didn’t really have a reason to like kit at the start except that he was pretty. he was super rude to her countless times and i just kept saying “why do you still like him?”

i also didn’t really understand the plot with the protesters? it felt like it was written to give some tension to the story but there’s never really any explanation as to what exactly they were upset about or why there was an old war in the first place.

now, onto what i did enjoy.

it was cute. this was such a sappy and sweet story that felt super cozy at times. most of the characters were also amazing.

sinclair, miriam, and rosa needed their own povs because i just loved them and their complexity.

overall, this is a very low stakes, low fantasy book that while it didn’t blow me away, does have good elements and it was an enjoyable read

🧵✨thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review

I enjoyed this book a lot more than I originally thought I would! It was a very good book to start off 2024 with.

It takes place in a world inspired by several European countries: England, Ireland, and Spain. I don’t know enough about European history to know if the events that take place in the novel were based on real life events or not, but either way, I really liked the worldbuilding of this book.

The book follows Niamh, a magical dressmaker who can weave emotions into her works, as she gets the opportunity to make the outfits for the upcoming royal wedding. As Niamh gets to know the prince more and more, their friendship turns into something more… until a journalist finds out and Niamh has to spy on the royal family for them.

I loved Niamh’s magic!! It was definitely unique and unlike anything I’d seen before. I wish that the princes’, Kit and Jack, magic would have been explored a little more. It was stated that they were really powerful, but it wasn’t shown too often.

The romance and friendships were the focal point of this novel. It was great, and I’m glad everyone was happy at the end of the book!

The only flaw with this novel is that I wish there were more fantasy elements. It entirely felt like a romance that just happened to take place in a different universe instead of being a historical romance. I did really enjoy this book, it just wasn’t what I expected for a book marketed as fantasy.

I really recommend this book!!!! It was amazing and a unique read :)

A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft was such an enchanting and entertaining read. This is definitely one of those books that transports you and makes you forget everything around you. It’s well written and the characters feel flushed out. It’s a beautiful romantic fantasy book that I know will be loved by many just as I loved it. I will be recommending this book to anyone who’s looking for a beautiful romantic read.

I love a good fantasy + regency historical kind of book and I think this one definitely delivered on that piece of the premise. I have also recently realized that I find sewing related magic to be a fun magic system to read about. The society gossip papers is a trope in historicals that I also find entertaining when included. I overall enjoyed the dynamic between Kit and Niamhe. And liked following her friendships she built with the side characters. The non romantic plot was also pretty engaging as well.

This will be a popular one amongst my high school fantasy readers! Such a dreamy romance. I got major Bridgerton vibes, and I loved the enemies to lovers trope.

I LOVED this book so, so much!

The enemies to lovers romance was perfection. The tension between Niamh and Kit was fantastic, and the payoff was incredible.

The magic system, and Niamh’s ability in particular, was so well done, and the way that its use played out was genius.

This was my first book by Allison Saft, and it certainly won’t be my last. 5/5 highly recommend!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this eARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for giving me an e-arc of this book!

I loved this enchanting romantasy! Niamh, a talented seamstress, weaves emotions into her creations while crafting garments for a royal wedding. The story brilliantly balances the grumpy x sunshine trope and it kept me captivated until the last page. The cozy atmosphere makes it such a heartwarming and light-hearted read. My only wish is for more!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

*4.5 stars*

A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft truly delivers in its title. This book was wonderfully enchanting. It felt like a mix of Bridgerton, Studio Ghibli, and the OG Barbie movies. I had heard many good things about Allison Saft’s previous works, but this was my first time reading a novel by them. I will definitely be checking out their previous and future work!

This book had all the makings of a story I would devour, and I certainly did! Playing on some of my favorite tropes, such as grumpy-sunshine, forced proximity, and forbidden romance, it had me hooked.

I really appreciate the themes of romance, politics, and magic that this book masterfully balances. There was just enough of each that none of them felt lacking nor overbearing. There was also a hint of a mystery, much like the one we see in Bridgerton. I am proud to admit I was able to guess the identity of ‘Lovelace’. Though it was not some terribly hard feat, I appreciated the curiosity it instilled in me to unveil the identity as I progressed through the novel.

Overall, I found this book entirely lovely and am very happy to have had the chance to read an eARC. I will definitely be picking up a finished copy right away!

Characters made me uncomfortable. Also this was really slow paced that I skimmed a lot of it. I just didn’t care about the characters.

⭐️rating: 4/5

Highly recommend A Fragile Enchantment! It’s incredibly well-done and has all the fun and drama you love from Bridgerton mixed with everything you love from fairy tales with fun magic and where the girl gets the prince.

It sucks you in to an interesting fantasy world, following a fun enemies to lovers workplace regency plot. From endearing characters to political unrest, uncovering secrets, gossip columns, magical duels, and all the longing, what else could you want in a book?

Overall, this was such a fun read and I really enjoyed it. If this at all piques your interest, then I’m sure you’d love A Fragile Enchantment! I sure did!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book! All thoughts and opinions are my own.