This one is a tough one to rate for me. There were some things I really enjoyed about it and one big thing that made it difficult to enjoy more. I’ll start with what I liked. I thought the overall plot itself was really intriguing. I was curious to see the deeper conflict between Jack and Kit, watch the romance of Kit and Niamh begin and also just enjoy the general court politics and gossip, all of which was done really well. I thought the characters were developed so wonderfully. Niamh, Sinclair and Rosa were my favorites to see on the page. It took me a while to warm up to Kit, but I’m pretty sure that was intentional. I would have liked a little more background on Sofia because I thought she was really interesting. The ending was sweet and I liked that no everything was tied up in a neat bow, but there was plenty of closure. Now, for my big issue: The beginning was an excellent set up and like I said, loved the ending, but my god, the middle was hard to get through. Nothing was happening. I felt like I was reading the same chapter over and over for the longest time and that really frustrated me. I do think a lot of readers will enjoy this one and I wish it had worked better for me.


Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

This review was made possible via an ARC through NetGalley.

A Fragile Entanglement by Alison Saft is a Bi x Bi fantasy romance in a Regency-esque fantasy world. Niamh has the magical ability to sew emotions and intentions into clothing, a small magic that wins her a lot of affection from those around her at court, including Prince Christian, aka, Kit. Kit wants to be left alone and to live his own life but due to his circumstances, he is forced into a wedding with Princess Rosa while Niamh is in Avaland to make their wedding clothes as a political move by Kit’s older brother, the prince regent.

It’s very soft, Saft’s prose is gorgeous and vivid, and the characters hit the right notes. The romance is exactly what I love to see and I was very much into how the story was crafted around the romantic storyline.

The Irish and English coding is very strong, including mentions of the Blight, aka the Irish Potato Famine, and there are mentions of alcoholism and self-harm.

I recommend this to fans of Regency era Romances who are looking for a bit more fantasy in their next read and fans of Romantasy.

A Fragile Enchanted had so many elements I adore that I couldn't help having high hopes for this standalone new adult fantasy. I loved Safts last book, A Far Wilder Magic. It had some of the best character driven fantasy I read in 2023. This feels like the vibes of Bridgerton and Half a Soul mixed together.

I really loved the beginning of this story and how Niahm is thrust into a position in society where she is looked down upon and so it gave us some great insight to the political backdrop. First off lets talk about the magic system. The idea that emotions and magic can be sewn into articles of clothing was incredibly cool. I think the entire set up and back bone of the story was also well done from the meet cute, to the pining angst and all the political heightening that happens shortly after. There are some really lovely friendships that also were great.

Unfortunately for me the back half of the book didn't work. I felt like there were too many angles, and elements to the story that I felt like nothing got enough time or closure by the end. I really would have liked some more romantic development between Kit and Niahm, more work on the political upheaval. Overall just a big disconnect which probably is more of a me problem than anything else.

3.5 stars

thank you so much to everyone at netgalley and macmillan publishing for the ARC!

this book was an absolute DELIGHT!
i will try to write a more comprehensive review later, but oh my goodness.

what a rich, magical world.
i had a lovely time 💕

This was so much fun! I laughed, I cried, I was absolutely swept away. I will be recommending this to friends who love Bridgerton, and there are so many. Thank you netgalley and the publisher!

*4.5 stars rounded up*
I really enjoyed reading this book... it was so immersive and hard to put down, that I found myself reading well into the night. Niamh was a likeable character who cared deeply about the well-being of her family and those around her. Though life at the palace was a very foreign world for her, she was dedicated to her work and made friends along the way. Her relationship with Kit was quite complicated, but I liked how much they challenged each other and brought out the best qualities in each other. Both of these characters showed a lot of growth over the course of the story. The political undertones made the story even more complex, and it had me guessing as to what secrets lurked beneath the surface. It was one of those books where I was sad when it came to an end because I had enjoyed it so much.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the free review copy of A Fragile Enchantment! Opinions expressed in my review are completely my own.

A fragile Enchantent- 3⭐️ 2.75🌶️

YA Fantasy
European Centric World
Historical English Style Society
Unique magic system
Grumpy/sunshine
Secret identities
Slow burn
Closed door romance
🏳️‍🌈 Side Characters


The cover is stunning!

The premise of the magic was so good, a seamstress with the power to weave memories and feelings into the clothing she makes. I was very ready to read about the process and effect of such magic. Then finding out that other people weird lightning, or snow and ice, even earth magic! This premise was right up my alley… I wanted to know more about the origins and we just weren’t given that. I just wanted MORE intricate magic explained.

I think there wasn’t much healing from the very obvious emotional trauma both the main characters were carrying. Only the revealing… This made the relationship very surface level.

The inconsistency in plot tools made things a little frustrating. A lot of times, problems in one scene don’t apply in the next… like Chaperones, reputations, classism, protests, oppression, morbidity. It’s like things were mentioned or focused on and treated like minor plot inconveniences… instead of the structural plot tools. So much was brought up and dismissed almost immediately afterward.

This was a lovely YA Fantasy Romance that just could have really shines with a little more development and execution.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books for the Advanced eReader Copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

First of all, I want to say thank you to Wednesday books and netgalley for this arc.
This book was honestly exactly what I thought it was going to be- a cozy fantasy mixed with some regency romance. It definitely kind of gave Bridgerton mixed with divine rivals vibes. The main couple Kit and Niamh were pretty cute. It definitely took some time to warm up to kit though; but once his relationship with Niamh started progressing then I was able to get into the book a little more. The beginning of the book was a little slow, but it definitely picked up a little more. That’s not to say that there was a crazy plot or anything like that; there was obviously the forbidden romance, but there was also some political intrigue that was the driving force of the plot. That was probably my main problem with the book actually. At the end of the book, Kit and Niamh obviously end up together, but some of the political problems that were stopping them from being together kind of just went away or weren’t really talked about. I’m all for an HEA, but I wish the ending would’ve wrapped up in a more conclusive way. That wasn’t a huge deal to me, but still something that bothered me a bit. I will say that I thought all the side characters were done really well; a lot of times in low-stakes fantasy like this, the side characters end up just being convenient plot devices. But this book managed to make me actually care about most of the side characters. The romance was pretty cute; it wasn’t extremely fleshed out, but it was enough to make the book enjoyable. If you want a cozy fantasy with Bridgeton vibes, this is probably a good book for you.

I was really interested in the premise of this book, but the story fell flat for me around 25% in. The story line was very slow, and the romance between Kit and Niamh felt like a friendship, nothing more.

This book was my first foray into regency romance so I really wasn't expecting to be giggling and kicking my feet in the air, but here we are. The writing is whimsical, the characters are lovable, and the story is full of intrigue. A love story for the ages, indeed.

Ahhhhhh let me melt 🫠. Allison’s books are truly captivating.

This story has forbidden love, chronic illness, and magical fantasy wrapped into a pretty bow(really a book). Niamh has magic that thrums through her. She uses it to weave emotions and memories into fabric. All she wants is a better life for her and her family. But where she lives is far from it. A world full of nobles and politics… which Niamh will soon find herself wrapped up into.

This book was such a fun escape. It had everything I love; romance and magic and adventure. Sort of reminded me of a new twist on Beauty and the Beast. A girl finding herself in a new world which she doesn’t belong and a man who shouldn’t fall for her but does. Kit is in your face “I’ll tell you how it is,” yet has that cinnamon roll character who hides his true worth.

I can’t wait to read Allison’s next story and get

Thank you so much for sending me an ARC
I am so obsessed with this book . Now I’m going to go read more of this authors books!

Here is my review on Goodreads

For everyone taking it day by day.

I needed those words. They hit home in more way than one. Thank you.

A period piece with a bit of magic made this a pleasure in reading. I saw myself Niamh as I am one to make sure all is okay with everyone else before myself. Kit stubborn and moody I disliked him until he started opening up and you definitely felt for him. I loved all supporting characters and definitely found interesting the politics each once cared about. I would highly recommend picking up this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy! All opinions are my own.

Allison Saft is easily becoming one of my favorite authors. Every book she writes is so magical and brimming with personality and her writing style is so beautiful while still being approachable. The concept of magic that allows emotions to transfer into stitching is SO interesting. Niamh is a delight and watching her relationship with Kit bloom was so rewarding and fun. There's no premise she could write that I won't be absolute chomping at the bit to devour.

This was a cute book that gave regency vibes with a dash of magic.

Niamh's magic was really interesting and unique. I loved how it was her emotions and feelings that imbued her stitching with magic. I thought it was funny that her first garment for Kit made him look imposing, unapproachable, and broody because she was upset with him and it translated into her magic on the garment. However, how amazing was it that she could make someone almost "invisible" (not truly, but your eyes would kind of skip over them) if that's what she wanted. Or give you sunshine and happy feelings of summer. It was really clever.

I thought hers and Kit's relationship was a good progression. I liked how we got to see Kit's personality and vulnerability come out through the book. He's very closed off in the beginning and Niamh works on interacting with him and learning who he is.

I enjoyed all the characters we met and got to know like Princess Sofia, Princess Rosa, and Sinclair. Jack was less enjoyable, but I like him a little bit by the end.

The book also gave a little bit of Bridgerton vibes with Lovelace, which I was surprised and not surprised by who that ended up being. I liked the intrigue and political point in the story, but it's by no means the main plot of the story. This is very much a story about Niamh and Kit more than anything else.

Cute book for any regency loving fans and another solid book from Allison Saft.

This story was not the type of story that I was expecting. I felt like this book mainly focused on the romance aspect of Kit and Niamh's relationship, but it lacked the magical elements. Personally, I struggled immensely to get through the book because I was expecting more fantasy to it and I wasn't invested enough in the main characters to care about where their story was going. This book focused so much on just Kit and Niamh that I'm more disappointed than anything about the conclusion. The side characters were more interesting and I would have loved to see more of them throughout the story as well as learn about where they stood at the end of the book. I don't think I saw enough of Kit and Niamh together to care about their relationship so I wasn't too interested in the romance aspect of this book, which was pretty much a majority of it. The characters didn't have much development to them and the plot itself felt very familiar in a regency setting. There was definitely potential, but overall it fell just a bit short; there was just no excitement to the plot or characters and there were some parts of the plot that never really got addressed.

I am becoming a big fan of Alison Saft’s work! I read A Far Wilder Magic last year and had to request this one when it came out. This was a perfect blend of things for me: excellent worldbuilding, an interesting plot, and characters that felt real to me.

I absolutely ADORE the cover of A Fragile Enchantment, and once I read the synopsis, I knew I needed to read it.

I was easily drawn in at the beginning of Niamh and Kit's story, and I loved Saft's writing style.

Right around the 40% mark, things started to fall apart a bit for me. The pacing slowed to a standstill, and nothing relevant seemed to be happening.

I also felt Saft tried to fit too many concepts into the story, and as a result, none of them got the focus they deserved. It was somewhat slap-dash.

Furthermore, all the loose ends tied up too easily and quickly to feel believable to me. I was hoping for better conflict and resolution.

I really would have liked Kit's perspective as well. It's a rare author that can completely satisfy me with a single POV.

***I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advance Reader Copy generously provided by the publisher via NetGalley.***

Thanks to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for the early copy in exchange for an honest review. DNF'ed at 20% of the way through.

I really don't even know what this book is going for. Enemies to lovers romantasy with political intrigue sounds nice and all but the political intrigue really takes over the entire book and everything else is secondary. It's not really what I was looking for.

It also doesn't help that the main love interest, Prince Kit, is a self-centered idiot who has a vile attitude toward everyone we meet in the book except for his best friend. The main protagonist works herself to death making silly outfits and the royalty, including her love interest, do not care a whit about her. It's just depressing, frankly.

The colonialism/racism/sexism/etc in the book was really shoved in your face which is fine but it made it emotionally harder to read. It also didn't feel like the book was going to have a happy ending where things are solved as best as they could be since even if the one brother died, the other brother (Kit) was still "me, me, me" and wouldn't be of much help in solving the issues in the society.

I think I'm going to avoid the author's work in the future since it doesn't seem to be for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Allison Saft for an ARC of this book!

A Fragile Enchantment is a cute soft novel with some Bridgerton-esque elements that will appeal to fans of historical romance and fantasy alike. I enjoyed Niamh’s power to imbue her tailored creations with enchantments and memories - something I haven’t seen as a “power” or magical element in any other fantasy book.

I wish there had been a few plot points that were better developed - Niamh’s condition, the world-building, and the future of the kingdom and the world they live in. I think this would have made a really good first novel in a series, with the plot a bit more distributed through a duology or trilogy with more room to develop plot. I still really enjoyed it and thought it was a cute book!

You can expect: fantasy-lite, magic, enemies to lovers, seamstress/tailor FMC, prince MMC, historical romance elements, closed door romance, familial conflict.