Full disclosure, I did not care for "A Far Wilder Magic" by Allison Saft, but I was sucked in by "A Fragile Enchantment"s pretty cover anyway.

I will expand upon this review later, but here's my bullet list for now:

• young adult, regency era, fantasy romance
• queer cast of characters (Niamh and Kit are bi, Sinclair is gay, <spoiler>Rosa and Miriam are sapphic</spoiler>)
• chronic illness rep
• newspaper columnist who has Gossip Girl / Lady Whistledown vibes
• various types of magic (emotional, plant, ice, lightning, etc.)
• descriptions of nature as fabric or sewing tools
• the longing, the pining, the yearning!
• romantic "rivals" whose interactions don't devolve into catfighting, but actually have mature, adult conversations about their situation
• fade-to-black romance scenes
• third-act breakup with a HEA

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books – St. Martin’s Publishing Group for the e-ARC! 💌

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I knew Miss Allison Saft was not going to disappoint with this book!! My heart is fluttering, crying, and aching all at the same time over this book!!

I have to begin with the sheer fact that this is a fantasy regency romance book like what a blend of genres!! You might be thinking “How does that all work together?” But I promise you it just does!! The world building is so gradual and develops so nicely that it all just makes sense and blends with the story. Also the issues that the kingdom of Avaland is facing are issues that we see in real life and it’s handled with much care and purpose—marginalized groups, aftermath of war/famine, the fight for fair treatment/compensation, amongst many other sub categories. Not the mention, the topic of queerness and chronic illness; all these subjects are woven in the book beautifully.

Onto the characters which are my favorite especially if they’re written by Allison Saft because let me tell you something, she knows how to write amazing characters. Niamh is one of those characters that you sympathize with because she’s so relatable that it kind of hurts. Niamh is a people pleaser, she does what she does out of duty to her family and seeing her progression out of that mentality is so nice to see. Kit is another great character and has a steady progression from being the grumpy in this grumpy x sunshine pairing to being someone Niamh confides in. The buildup of their relationship was so rewarding and it was tactfully done.

All the other sub-plots are getting a small mention because a lot does happen in this book! The Gossip Girl-esque column that is used to lay pressure on Jack, Kit’s brother and prince regent was so hard not to read in Kristen Bell’s iconic voice. Also just the sheer dramatics of this wedding and all the secrets that get unraveled throughout the story?? Absolutely was so in and along for the ride with it!

I definitely recommend this book if you ever thought to yourself “I want to read Bridgerton but fantasy” this is it and so much more!!

When Niamh Ó Conchobhair is hired to make the prince of Avaland’s attire for the celebrations surrounding his royal wedding, she sees it as a chance to make a difference in the lives of herself and her family. She doesn’t expect the prince, Kit Carmine, to be grumpy, sullen, and even prickly about the entire experience, but as she soon discovers, the marriage is not a love match. The wedding is a political union.

Still, Niamh is there to focus on her work, on using her magical gift to imbue the garments she creates with emotions and memories. And as she grows closer to Kit, she’s able to tailor his garments more and more to what he needs.

But there’s political unrest in Avaland, and Niamh finds herself being used as a pawn in more ways than one.

The world-building at the beginning was a bit slow for me, but I was impressed by the world Allison Saft creates using the framework of Regency England. She uses this fantasy world to explore political and social unrest, discrepancies between classes, colonization, and what that cost the coffers of the monarchies.

I loved deeply-feeling Kit and how what he creates with his magic reflects what he is feeling. And the love story between Kit and Niamh is tender and sweet.

I also appreciated the queer representation interwoven into the story.

I found Fran Burgoyne’s narration to be very soothing. I especially enjoyed how she captures all of the different accents in play.

I received an advance copy of the ebook from Wednesday Books and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

[ RATING: 2.5 stars ] I really wanted to like "A Fragile Enchantment" but couldn’t really, which is disappointing because I liked the premise and was looking forward to reading it.

I liked the beginning and ending, and the development of Niamh and Kit’s relationship. While there was considerable personal growth and reconciliation among several characters, everything in between was more miss than hit. It’s hard to describe. I wanted more of this and less of that. Maybe the story needed to be a duology…? I don’t know…

I tried hard to like "A Fragile Enchantment" and tried harder to even finish it (I’d considered dnf-ing multiple times), but I didn’t like the story. It’s an okay story and I do believe others will surely find it enjoyable.

CW: past colonization, past alcoholism

Thanks again Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the e-ARC to read in exchange for an honest review!

This is my first read from this author and I very much enjoyed it. I liked the characters and the setting. It was just the right amount of fantasy & enchantment mixed with magic and romance. I thought the quasi enemies to lovers plot line was well paced and kept me listening. I was very happy for all the characters at the end & thought the ending of the story was well thought out and enjoyable. This isn’t a genre I usually choose but I’m so glad I had the chance to encounter this story. It was lovely!

Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for a copy of this book..

A whimsical fantasy book perfect for people who love Margaret Rogerson and Bridgerton. The way Saft can create a magical world along with political interest very quickly and not make it overwhelming is amazing. I enjoyed this story and these characters a lot. The magic was fantastic along with the banter and tension between Kit and Niamh.

I loved this! It was the level of whimsy and romance I needed to start my year. I can’t wait to get my physical copy.

Niamh Ó Conchobhair is leaving her home of Machland to travel to Aveland to design the wedding clothes of its prince. Surely a royal appointment would be the cause of celebration? But no, her grandmother is furious with her for leaving their homeland to serve the royal family that blighted their land. Despite her grandmother’s misgiving,s Niamh is excited to experience the dreamlike fairytale romance of a royal wedding.

Once she arrives in Aveland she discovers that the royal wedding is more of a nightmare than a dream. Prince Kit Carmine does not wish to be married, and does not wish for Niamh to come anywhere near him, stating that her magic, and she herself, are useless. Niamh vows to prove him wrong, devising clothes of such magic and wonder to win over the prickly prince. But her magic has a cost, will Niamh exhaust her powers before the big day? And will she be able to stand aside and watch the prince she has poured so much of her heart and magic into marry another?

A Fragile Enchantment is a delightful book full of intrigue, decorum, magic, and romance. Fans of Bridgerton who wish to have more magic in the Ton will love Allison Saft’s latest- I did!

"A Fragile Enchantment combines a Bridgerton ambiance (and maybe a little Ever After with Drew Barrymore feel) with enchanting magic. The book surpassed my expectations.

The author's beautiful writing style captivated me. While some might find the pacing slow, I appreciate character development, making the pace perfect for me. As someone with a chronic illness, I enjoyed the nuanced conversations around this theme. The author also adeptly incorporated aspects of mental illness and addiction, addressing all three thoughtfully.

The characters and their interactions, including the delightful banter, were a highlight. The love interest, initially a grump and onion, unfolds into a marshmallow. The book weaves loyalty, found family, romance, magic, and politics seamlessly. I wasn't prepared for the story to end.

One small critique is a desire for the author to delve a bit more into the main character's conversations with her family towards the end. Without giving away spoilers, the character's strong family connection influenced many decisions, and though briefly touched upon, a more extended exploration would have been appreciated. Despite this minor point, I genuinely loved the book. Eagerly awaiting its audiobook release for a re-listen.

Special thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC for an honest review.

Oh my gosh, why did this have to end? I loved Kit and Niamh so much. This book was magical, heart wrenching, and had so much tension. I loved the added details of Niamh's profession and the backstory of the two main groups of people. It added this "forbidden" nature to their relationship.

This was the first Allison Saft book I've read and I can't wait to read more!

This was a delightful read with heavy Bridgerton vibes and added magic. It turned out to be quite the page turner, with characters I cared about. You really get pulled into another world by the writing and I love that it was a standalone novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for access to this arc.

A Fragile Enchantment is one of the most magical, engrossing books I've ever read! The worldbuilding is incredible, detailed and unique while also paralleling our own. I was completely taken in by the culture and Niamh Ó Conchobhair's place in it as an immigrant from an Irish-esque land in Avaland. Saft does an incredible job at showing the tensions between the two countries with micro-aggressions Niamh experiences and terrible histories. Everything Saft included in the pasts of the two countries made me want to learn as much as I could about them.
As Niamh fought to earn respect and a better life for her family, I fell in love with her character; her determination to make a better life for herself, her gentleness, the way she handles her pain. Niamh's chronic pain was done so well and handled with great importance.
Kit was also such an incredible character; I loved his passion and anger and the way it manifested with his powers.
The magic in this world feels so beautiful while also so real. Saft has an incredible talent for weaving a feeling of enchantment all throughout her writing.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a DRC in exchange or a review.

A Fragile Enchantment is magical love story of a strong willed common girl and closed off prince.

I really enjoyed our main character Niamh. She had such a unique magical gift I have never read before. The ability to put emotions into the clothes she makes. I also really liked Kit. Their love was everything I want from a grumpy sunshine dynamic.

I will say the pacing of this book was extremely slow for me. I was engaged but felt that somethings dragged on for far too long.

Overall I really enjoyed this one. It was a solid fantasy romance.
3/5 Stars

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for sending me an arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

4 stars.
A Fragile Enchantment is a regency-era, fantasy novel with chronic illness and mental health representation. Niamh, a magical seamstress, captures the eye of the King and is hired to create pieces for the highly anticipated royal wedding of the Prince. Niamh puts others' needs before her own and pushes herself too hard for the sake of others, even with her own chronic illness. She meets Kit, the prickly and stubborn groom, who makes it his job to make her job harder. As these two continue to encounter one another during wedding preparations, Niamh realizes that the wedding between the two kingdoms is merely a political move and Kit is being dragged to the alter by his King brother. A columnist reminiscent of Lady Whistledown, implies chemistry sparking between Kit and Niamh that finds them in the middle of a forbidden love, royal scandal, and political tension.

The story is magical and captivating with its regency-era charm, romance and fantasy. It is an enchanting escape into a magical world of forbidden love, grumpy royals, friendship, loyalty, family and sacrifice. Readers will enjoy this new Romantasy novel by Allison Saft.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for the e-arc of Allison Saft's newest novel, A Fragile Enchantment, in exchange for my honest review. I look forward to this release and getting my hands on a physical copy to reread.

DNF @ 45%

I was looking forward to this one since I love books about fashion and the idea of a magical dressmaker sounds so interesting, but unfortunately I'm struggling to get into the story. It feels like there's not a lot of plot so far, and the story is pretty slow-paced. I'm finding myself bored while reading, and I'm not invested enough to finish the book. However, there are many elements in this one that I'm sure others will enjoy more than I did.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC.

I've received an ARC of Saft's later 2024 release, so I'll be reading that, but at this time, that will probably be my last Allison Saft book. I can understand why people enjoy her books, so I'm not going to go into too much detail, but for me, this was not written/composed well in pretty much any way.

I felt like her writing was much, much weaker than it had been in her previous book, so much so that it read middle grade to me half the time. There were also countless tropes and cliches, which not everyone may mind, but the inclusion of the sassy gay best friend really irked me in particular. Every plot point of this novel was so predictable, which made it a lot less fun to read as well, because you knew the entire narrative from the start. The main character, Niamh, is such a nothing character. She's written to be a blank canvas for you to project yourself onto, it's clear. She's quirky, not-like-other-girls, oh-so-clumsy!!, overly naive and bubbly, hyper feminine, and really has no flaws or personality at all, making her extremely boring to read from. She also has an aspect of her character that is supposed to be a big twist but then is virtually forgotten about by the plot's end. What I <i>did</i> like was the character of Kit, but by the end, he seemed to lose a lot of his characterization as well and just fell into these flat tropes everyone was falling into.

I will also never understand why Saft makes such half-hearted attempts at her fantasy worlds. This was a problem I had with A Far Wilder Magic as well. When you barely change the names or details of groups, places, and historical events, so that any reader immediately knows what the real-world comparison is, it just feels incredibly heavy handed and pointless to me. She may as well just make the novels urban fantasy if this is all the world building she wants to do????

DNF at 36%. I'm bored and don't really care for any of the characters. I also can't get past Lovelace from The Tattler (Lovegood from The Quibbler).

This was a really cute romance! It was very slow burn for me which I’m not always a fan of. I did love the ending though! Kit was definitely my favorite character I loved his grumpiness and I loved the way his demeanor changes throughout the book and we learn more about him. Overall I really enjoyed it!

This entire book was a cup of royal magic with a touch of coziness that you'll find yourself completely submerged in. If you enjoy Bridgerton and books that give you butterflies, you will SWOON over this one. Niamh will do whatever it takes to protect those she loves, and Kit is the very definition of a prickly grump. I might just have not only a new favorite book couple, but favorite book, as well.

This was my first Allison Saft book but certainly won't be my last. Her writing is so rich and beautiful that you forget you're even reading; you're utterly transported into her story.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC and the opportunity to read and review this title.

Saft's prose continues to enchant. I adored the magic system in this book and Niamh is a wonderfully flawed and charming main character. Highly recommend.